"First Timer" to Alaska - what are the must do's?

[Lib0007]

We will be sailing on the NCL Bliss May 2019 - first time sailing in Alaska! We will be stopping at Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria (only for an evening). This will probably be my only Alaskan cruise so was wondering what are Must See's??

 

Thank you.

[Crew News]

We will be sailing on the NCL Bliss May 2019 - first time sailing in Alaska! We will be stopping at Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria (only for an evening). This will probably be my only Alaskan cruise so was wondering what are Must See's??

 

Thank you.

 

Juneau - any whale watching tour

Ketchikan - Crab Fishing on the Aleutian Ballad of TV's "Deadliest Catch" fame that stops to feed eagles swooping down from the trees as well as crab fishing demo

Skagway - anything with the train or splurge for dog sledding in the snow.

Victoria - ship gets there too late for much except a walk downtown

 

Must stop is Tongass Trading Company at the Ketchikan pier for Alaska souvenirs.

 

FWIW there is so much to see in Alaska, many return many more times.

[bUU]

We're in the same boat (pardon the pun) and one of the first things we had to come to grips with was that there would not be enough bandwidth during our cruise to do all the "must"-do's. We have come to accept that the best we can do is not spend time doing something that will be a waste of time. I figured that if we're spending our time exclusively doing "must"-do's, then that's good enough, even if we miss some "must"-do's due to limited time.

 

This message may have been drafted using voice recognition. Please forgive any typos.

[parentsof5]

I was where you are about a year and a half ago. There is soooo much, it is a bit overwhelming.

 

One suggestion I have, is combine the must do's, with this is what we would really like. There may be some things that aren't as high on a list or mentioned that much that really fit your style.

 

If at all possible, plan atleast few days before or after on land in AK. Even if you can only do one. And don't be afraid to go out on your own, rather than thinking you have to do a land/cruise tour. Totally worth it for many, however you can totally do it on your own.

[gottagoacruzn]

In Ketchikan, don't miss Creek St, its a MUST SEE!!!

[StrikeEagle7]

In Victoria do Buchart Gardens. Even though you are there at night it stays light late plus they illuminate as well.

 

We are doing whale watching in late June in Juneau. Go with private small boat for better views. We are doing the train up and bus back in Skagway.

 

On our first Alaska cruise we did a bucket list helicopter to a glacier with dog sledding. That was in Juneau and was AMAZING but very expensive.........

[Herfnerd]

In Juneau, if you can find an excursion that does both whale watching as well as a trip out to Mendenhall Glacier - do it! We loved watching the whales but standing next to Nugget Falls is also amazing

[JT1962]

What we enjoyed:

 

Juneau - Adventure Bound tour to Tracy Arm Fjord. You need to be docked at least 8:00 am to 6:00 pm for this. Otherwise, do a small boat whale watching tour, Mendenhall Glacier and the Mt Roberts Tram if the weather is clear.

 

Skagway - Bus / Train combo to Emerald Lake with a dog cart ride with Chilkoot Tours

 

Ketchikan - Kayaking with Southeast Kayaks, then walking to see Creek Street, Married Man’s Trail and the salmon ladder.

 

 

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[Lib0007]

Thank you so much. I can see I have a lot of reading to do!!

[HLNFan]

In Juneau, if you can find an excursion that does both whale watching as well as a trip out to Mendenhall Glacier - do it! We loved watching the whales but standing next to Nugget Falls is also amazing

 

Can you recommend a company that does both? We are looking to do this tour Mid June.

[Yukonjake]

What we enjoyed:

 

Juneau - Adventure Bound tour to Tracy Arm Fjord. You need to be docked at least 8:00 am to 6:00 pm for this. Otherwise, do a small boat whale watching tour, Mendenhall Glacier and the Mt Roberts Tram if the weather is clear.

 

 

OP is on NCL, so don't know if this applies, but Princess offers small boat tour up the Tracy Arm Fjord that picks us up AT SEA as the ship is in the vicinity of the fjord. The small boat goes where the big ship can't. At the end of the tour, it returns you to the ship, now docked in Juneau at around 3:30. It might be worth it to the OP to investigate if NCL offers a similar excursion.

 

We have time to then do the doggy mushing via helicopter.

[bUU]

OP is on NCL, so don't know if this applies, but Princess offers small boat tour up the Tracy Arm Fjord that picks us up AT SEA as the ship is in the vicinity of the fjord. The small boat where the big ship can't. At the end of the tour, it returns you to the ship, now docked in Juneau at around 3:30.

Holland America, Crystal, Royal Caribbean, Disney and Celebrity itineraries include a Tracy Arm service call. For NCL, the Norwegian Jewel offers it in 2018, but I don't see any indication that any NCL ship offers it in 2019. They probably will offer an excursion to Tracy Arm from Juneau, but that means a lot more of the excursion time is spent traveling from Juneau (back) to Tracy Arm.

[HLNFan]

OP is on NCL, so don't know if this applies, but Princess offers small boat tour up the Tracy Arm Fjord that picks us up AT SEA as the ship is in the vicinity of the fjord. The small boat goes where the big ship can't. At the end of the tour, it returns you to the ship, now docked in Juneau at around 3:30. It might be worth it to the OP to investigate if NCL offers a similar excursion.

 

We have time to then do the doggy mushing via helicopter.

 

 

We will actually be on Princess, so this might actually be best. Interesting excursion. We are going on the trip through my work so we don't have access to the "official" excursions yet. Hopefully it's not completely booked.

[bUU]

We will actually be on Princess, so this might actually be best. Interesting excursion. We are going on the trip through my work so we don't have access to the "official" excursions yet. Hopefully it's not completely booked.

I know that I was warned to book it as early as possible (first day if possible) because it is one that books up quickly. However, here we are two months prior to the cruise, and I believe it is still available.

[Marie.A]

Hi Libby,

 

I visited Skagway, Ketchikan, and Juneau for the 1st time last September as follow:

 

Skagway: day trip to the Yukon (Carcross and Emerald Lake) + visit old downtown Skagway.

Ketchikan: Totem Bight State Park + the Southeast Alaska DiscoveryCenter + the historical downtown with Creek Street and Thomas HistoricDistrict.

Juneau: Excursion on the Mendenhall Glacier + visit to downtown.

 

The Mendenhall Glacier and the Yukon were my favorites discoveries, sceneries were just gorgeous! Definitely a must-see in my opinion!

 

If you’re interested I wrote some articles to describe my Alaska cruise.

For Mendenhall Glacier:http://daydreamunderthestars.com/2017/12/03/excursion-on-mendenhall-glacier-in-juneau/

For the Yukon: http://daydreamunderthestars.com/2017/11/20/the-yukon/

For Ketchikan: http://daydreamunderthestars.com/2017/11/11/ketchikan-the-salmon-capital-of-the-world/

 

Let me know if you have any questions

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

Marie

Edited May 10, 2018 by Marie.A