Recommendations for our Alaskan ports, please!

[BigB0882]

I will be on the Celebrity Solstice out of Seattle in late June. I have not had much time to research excursions but have been trying to read on here. I feel pressure to get things booked as it seems a lot of the popular excursions fill up.

 

Can anyone make suggestions for our stops? I have the itinerary below and what are plans are for now. Is there any Must-Sees that I am leaving out. I am going back to Alaska next summer so I can always catch something the next go round but this trip is with the In-Laws and I want them to get the most out of it as it may be their only cruise to Alaska.

 

Ketchikan - No plans yet, need recommendations

Juneau - Whale watching with Harv and Marv? Need to schedule ASAP I think.

Skagway - White Pass Train ride. Also need to schedule, I assume. I wonder if I could schedule on the ship since we have OBC? I just don't want to risk it being sold out.

Victoria, B.C. - No plans yet but only in port for from 5:30pm-midnight so odd hours. Can we get off in this port without a Passport?

 

We would like to go do a salmon bake somewhere. Is there one around Ketchikan? Not looking for an expensive one, could be our cheap excursion. We will do Taku Lodge next year in case someone was going to recommend that.

 

Appreciate any recommendations for Ketchikan and Victoria.

 

Also, the itinerary shows us at Tracy Arm for 4 hours but it says cruising, I think. Are there excursions to get closer than the cruise ship can get or does everyone just enjoy the views from the ship?

[shadowmeboy]

Ketchikan is very walkable, and you could choose to do a shore excursion but I have found our favorite visits here have been exploration on our own. SE Discovery Center is great, and Creek Street is fun to explore. Could also do the lumberjack show, as its not that expensive.

[bonvoyagie]

Check out http://www.cruiseportinsider.com for lot of ideas about what to see and do in AK ports. They have ideas for DIY as well as what the various cruise lines offer.

 

It has been several years since I have been there, but there was an excellent salmon restrauant in Seattle called Ivars Salmon Bar - it is located under the HY 99 bridge. They cooked the salmon over real flames from cedar wood - native style. They also had excellent corn bread and huckleberry ice cream - again that was years ago. :D

 

I believe that Celebrity offers a small boat excursion in Tracy Arm. You will need to check your shore excursion options. I know that a few years ago they offered two trips on the small boat - one during the inbound transit and a second on the outbound one.

Edited April 24, 2016 by bonvoyagie

[illiniwahoo]

We did this route last year. Go on RIGHT NOW and book the

Tracy arm excursion. It night be sold out already. Ours sold out in March for a late may cruise. You can always cancel if you change your mind later.

In ketchikan, my husband and I kayaked in the morning through ketchikan kayak co while my parents did a ship tour to one of the totem pole parks. Great company. They advertise groups of less than 8 and that day happened to have an extended family if 8 and my husband and i. I figured they would put us all together, but instead we got a private guide! In the afternoon, we booked with Dave of Family Air for a misty fjords flightseeing trip. Spectacular! If you booked by April 15 you could have gotten 4 people for the price of three. You only missed that by a little...so maybe if you asked nicely he could extend it.

In Juneau we used a private charter "lost in alaksa" for whale watching. We went with them over harv and marv becuase I wanted more time at mendenhall glacier, and they would pick us up in a taxi right at the glacier so we didn't have to backtrack to town. Again, it was just the four of us (and at least at last year's prices slightly cheaper than harv and marv). Captain Kevin also does this awsome thing at the end. I won't tell you what it is becuase it won't get as good if you know, but trust me it was a trip highlight.

I really enjoyed traveling with my parents in general, but specifically becuase having 4 people allowed us to privately book several things that we would have never been able to afford to do privately if it was just the two of us.

In skagway we didn't do the train, but they were selling tickets still the morning we got into skagway. Your trip of course may be different, but if you aren't too picky about times, I would feel comfortable waiting to book on board (as soon as you arrive!)

Have an amazing trip!

 

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[illiniwahoo]

A few more details:

The tracy arm excursion can only be booked through celebrity, not privately. If it's sold out, keep checking. They did add tickets on our cruise (but there were some special circumstances so not sure if that is normal). Be aware that our tracy arm excursion got back a little later than expected, so don't book your Juneau excursion too close. Also hope that you are docked in Juneau, not tendered. Since we weren't on the ship when they started handing out tender tickets, we didn't get off the ship until almost two hours after they started tendering . Grr.

You can get off in Victoria without a passport, but carefully check with skagway railroad excursion you do. Some of those go into Canada which you DO need a passport for.

We stayed on the ship in Victoria. My parents did the buchart gardens tour which they really enjoyed. If you stay on the ship do be aware that something g in Canadian law only allows one bar per floor to be open. So some of our faves ( cellarmasters and molecular bar) were closed. Martini and passport bars were open. I can't remember them all, but if you were expecting to get one more glass of your fave wine at cellarmasters on the last night it's not going to happen.

If you want photos and stuff, I did post a review last year on the alaska boards. You should be able to search for it.

 

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[mek]

I will be on the Celebrity Solstice out of Seattle in late June. I have not had much time to research excursions but have been trying to read on here. I feel pressure to get things booked as it seems a lot of the popular excursions fill up.

 

Can anyone make suggestions for our stops? I have the itinerary below and what are plans are for now. Is there any Must-Sees that I am leaving out. I am going back to Alaska next summer so I can always catch something the next go round but this trip is with the In-Laws and I want them to get the most out of it as it may be their only cruise to Alaska.

 

Ketchikan - No plans yet, need recommendations - Go out to Totem Bight Park on your own.

Juneau - Whale watching with Harv and Marv? Need to schedule ASAP I think. Personally, I would never book a tour in Juneau from the ship. The pier has an abundance of kiosks and vendors where you can book anything you want, usually at a savings over the ship's price.

Skagway - White Pass Train ride. Also need to schedule, I assume. I wonder if I could schedule on the ship since we have OBC? I just don't want to risk it being sold out. I would book this through the cruise line.

Victoria, B.C. - No plans yet but only in port for from 5:30pm-midnight so odd hours. Can we get off in this port without a Passport? Yes, you can get off in Vancouver w/o a passport. for that amount of time, I would go to Stanley Park and rent a bike - a beautiful place.

 

We would like to go do a salmon bake somewhere. Is there one around Ketchikan? Not looking for an expensive one, could be our cheap excursion. We will do Taku Lodge next year in case someone was going to recommend that.

 

Appreciate any recommendations for Ketchikan and Victoria.

 

Also, the itinerary shows us at Tracy Arm for 4 hours but it says cruising, I think. Are there excursions to get closer than the cruise ship can get or does everyone just enjoy the views from the ship?

 

See comments in red.

Edited April 24, 2016 by mek

[Letmelivehereplease]

See comments in red.

 

 

 

Why would you book the railway on board the ship?? We are looking to book it and am wondering why not just buy a ticket from the railway itself??

[mek]

Why would you book the railway on board the ship?? We are looking to book it and am wondering why not just buy a ticket from the railway itself??

 

Just because I wouldn't want to take the chance of missing it if that is what you want to do. It just depends on how many ships are in port the same time you are.

 

I've done it several times and have always just booked it prior to departure to make sure I get the time I want. There are multiple trains operating and mine have always been really full.

Edited April 24, 2016 by mek

[BigB0882]

A reason I want to wait is to use OBC. It is only a few $ more to book through celebrity so might as well use OBC.

[sherryf]

Victoria, B.C. - No plans yet but only in port for from 5:30pm-midnight so odd hours. Can we get off in this port without a Passport? Yes, you can get off in Vancouver w/o a passport. for that amount of time, I would go to Stanley Park and rent a bike - a beautiful place.

 

The OP will be in VICTORIA, not Vancouver. It would be a looooong walk to Stanley Park from there. :D

[mek]

The OP will be in VICTORIA, not Vancouver. It would be a looooong walk to Stanley Park from there. :D

 

You bet it is - my bad.

[Alaska0799]

You might browse through http://www.firstalaskacruise.com for ideas on things to do in the various ports. Lots of interesting information on Alaska from history to port activities to wildlife!

[martincath]

...

Skagway - White Pass Train ride. Also need to schedule, I assume. I wonder if I could schedule on the ship since we have OBC? I just don't want to risk it being sold out.

Victoria, B.C. - No plans yet but only in port for from 5:30pm-midnight so odd hours. Can we get off in this port without a Passport?

...

Noticed nobody had answered your last query about Victoria, and since you're also doing WP&YR it's doubly-relevant!

 

Short answer is Yes-with-a-But; long answer is that as long as you have no criminal record (which includes many offences classed as misdemeanours in the US, e.g. DUI) you should be able to get off in Victoria without a passport. Since you're on a Closed Loop cruise, many of your fellow travelers will also be using their Birth Cert and Driving License to prove identity and citizenship on your return to the US.

 

For the folks who do 'pop' on the system due to DUI or other issues, expect to be called over the tannoy to come meet with CBSA staff either onboard or in a room at the pier. You'll be grilled about the whys & wherefores and possibly allowed in anyway (long story short, if it's at least 5 years since you finished serving any time/fines and have no offences since, you can be Deem Rehabilitated) - or told to stay on the ship.

 

Where you will DEFINITELY need need a passport (or equivalent WHTI doc) is if you go on the train in Skagway - almost all of these trips enter Canada legally, except one (usually referred to as 'summit trains') which stops at the top and comes back without letting anyone off. I think the preferred stopping point may actually technically be in Canada, but because you cannot get off and there isn't a border post in all practical ways you never leave the US.

 

All the other train trips out of Skagway, and all the buses, do legally exit the US/enter Canada so you need to have your passport/EDL/Nexus etc. documentation with you. BC&DL does not work for this land crossing, it's only applicable for Closed Loop cruising. Cruiseline excursion info will definitely mention the trips you need a passport for - and it's no good in your safe, it must be with you (I've seen staff asking people as they board trains & buses if they have passports with them just in case).

 

NB: if you are miffed by this requirement, blame your own government - Canada will still let you in quite happily with just proof of US citizenship, e.g. Birth Cert. It's getting BACK INTO the USA that needs the more stringent docs - so our border agents tend to ask you for the minimum required by the US to ensure you don't get stuck in Canada. Give them a good reason you don't want to go back (e.g. you're not going back to the USA because of The Donald/Hillary) and they'll let you in;-)

 

So, assuming you are able to get off in Victoria - what to do? For me - pubs. It's one of the best places outside Blighty to sample real British style ales served live and at the correct temperature (i.e. flat and warm!) - I recommend Swans Brewpub (you can check out the tiny-but-old Chinatown en route). The parliament buildings, Empress Hotel, and some others are nicely illuminated after dark, but late June you will have sunlight until about 9:30pm anyway.

 

Victoria is nice to wander on foot; there are buskers performing in cruise season, the excellent Royal BC Museum extends their opening hours, and plenty of shops will do likewise if you want to take advantage of your strong dollar to pick up some bargains.

[BigB0882]

We did this route last year. Go on RIGHT NOW and book the

Tracy arm excursion.

 

Can you be more specific as to which excursion this is exactly? I find Celebrity's excursions to be quite confusing because so many of them are very similar in how they are worded/titled. I went to excursions and selected Tracy Arm but I don't know which one to choose from there.

 

There is one called "Tracy Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer - Celebrity Solstice." Would that be it? It is 5 hours and $209 per person. Is this one where you get off the ship at Tracy Arm and rejoin in Juneau? It sounds like they put 150 people on a boat/ship. Seems awfully crowded. Would this excursion allow us time to do whale watching in Juneau as well or would we have to choose?

Edited April 26, 2016 by BigB0882

[Putterdude]

With regard to the WPYR, yes by all means you can book thru the ship but it normally comes at a premium. We do not purchase thru the ship preferring to purchase our tickets at the station....the advantage of doing this is that if you look up the mountain and seeing nothing but cloud there is little point in going ....you are not going to see anything and you can book a later train. You do not have to worry about the train selling out, WPYR has a surplus of rolling stock and anticipates a significant number of walk ups.

 

Victoria offers many options including horse drawn carriage rides, of course the world famous Butchart Gardens, self conducted walking tours, buskers on the esplande on the Inner Harbour across the street from the Empress Hotel, a wal on Government St. with its unique shops and a harbour tour on Victoria Harbour Ferries. American citizens currently do not require a passport but you will need a form of government photo ID such as a DL or state ID card.

 

http://www.butchartgardens.com

http://www.tallyhotours.com

https://www.victoriacarriage.com

https://www.victoriaharbourferry.com

http://www.victoria.ca/EN/main/community/about/heritage-walking-tours.html

[wheezedr]

One problem with Victoria is the odd time the cruise lines opt to port. Butchart is gorgeous but even that time of year generally only stays open until 10 which means you will need some form of organized tour. When we did this as a late cruise stop just wondered into town for a little shopping and some local photo ops. If you have never been then one of the carriage rides would be fun. My wife loves tea services so on one trip we broke down and did the tea at the Empress. Have to say we were both disappointed given how much history and great reviews it has had in the past.

 

Skagway calls for one of the trips either by train or bus that traces the historic route to the Yukon. You can combine both means of transport. Do be aware that if you take a bus or van and cross into Canada you will need a passport for return.

I have kayaked in Ketchikan, in the rain, still lots of fun and I have just wandered the town as well.

In Juneau many opt for Mendanhall Glacier which is easy to DIY but better hurry as the glacier keeps receding.

[Putterdude]

Wheezedr is correct about going to Butchart Gardens with a 5:30 pm arrival in Victoria, you are pretty much forced to take a ship's tour, however if there are 4 in a party you could take a cab which would likely be less expensive then a ships tour. While the gardens close at 10:00 pm during the summer, that is when they close off admissions, they are actually open much longer then that. However, if you at the gardens by 6:30 pm you will likely have seen all you want to see by 9:30/10:00 and they are illuminated at dusk. If you happen to arrive earlier in the day there are independent tour options, you can even go by public transit. One last thing the gardens are located about 35 mins from the cruise terminal.