Rare CruzerDeb Posted January 16, 2019 #1 Share Posted January 16, 2019 So, tell me everything I need to know! JK. I've cruised with Carnival four times, so am by no means a cruising expert, but I do have a few under my belt. All of my past cruises, however, have been out of Miami to the Caribbean. First time cruising with Princess to Alaska. Also, I'm taking my mom on her first-ever cruise. We're both very excited. We're on the Ruby Princess leaving out of Seattle and heading for Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan and Victoria. What were some of your favorite excursions at this ports? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AF-1 Posted January 16, 2019 #2 Share Posted January 16, 2019 2 minutes ago, CruzerDeb said: So, tell me everything I need to know! JK. I've cruised with Carnival four times, so am by no means a cruising expert, but I do have a few under my belt. All of my past cruises, however, have been out of Miami to the Caribbean. First time cruising with Princess to Alaska. Also, I'm taking my mom on her first-ever cruise. We're both very excited. We're on the Ruby Princess leaving out of Seattle and heading for Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan and Victoria. What were some of your favorite excursions at this ports? Thanks! I cruised on Emerald Princess last year; my first time on Princess and they did a great job. We went to Juneau-took helicopter to Mendenhal Glacier, then went dog sledding on the glacier. In Skagway we went rock climbing and zip lining, Ketchikan, we went boat riding to an island; on the way saw lots of bald eagles, a black bear swimming in front of our boat, and lots of seal. In Victoria take your mom on a carriage ride thru downtown. She will love it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbinMich Posted January 16, 2019 #3 Share Posted January 16, 2019 We love cruising to Alaska and have done so 4 times. When are you going (month)? We've cruised there twice in May, once in June and once in Sept. We've done the White Pass RR twice in Skagway and whale watching several times (at Juneau and Ketchikan). At Juneau we always like to go out to see the Mendenhall glacier. The National Park Service offers a bus to there--there's a wonderful Visitors Center there with lots of info and views. The previous poster gave you info about the usual more active kind of excursions. IMHO, it's all about the scenery as I'm an amateur photographer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthonyy7 Posted January 16, 2019 #4 Share Posted January 16, 2019 We sailed the Ruby R/T out of Seattle last year (4/28-May 5). Glacier Bay was the highlight of the cruise followed by the Yukon railway in Skagway. Since it was early in the season the train ride through the snow was beautiful. We did some hiking in Juneau (Perseverance Trail)... When are you sailing? Bring some binoculars for Glacier Bay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qcruise Posted January 16, 2019 #5 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Hope you got at least a balcony cabin for Alaska......that's when it really pays off. We saw the Northern lights off our balcony at midnight one evening....granted our sailing was the last of the season in September most likely to see then. All of your excursions are more expensive in Alaska so budget accordingly. We did the helicopter glacier landing in Juneau and we paid about $200 pp back in 2006 so it's probably double that now. Pack for layers at you can get warm sunshine and cold rain on same voyage.....we had two days of pool weather we enjoyed. Have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1025cruise Posted January 17, 2019 #6 Share Posted January 17, 2019 You might want to check out the Alaska ports of call forum for advice on what to do there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CruzerDeb Posted January 17, 2019 Author #7 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Thanks for the info! We're going 6/22 - 6/29. Getting our excursions lined up and will likely do the following: Juneau - whale watching, Mendenhall glacier Skagway - railroad, bus Yukon tour Glacier Bay - Sanctuary Ketchikan - ? Victoria - garden tour We've got a balcony! Checking on the Alaska ports board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outerdog Posted January 17, 2019 #8 Share Posted January 17, 2019 10 minutes ago, CruzerDeb said: Ketchikan - ? If you're looking for ideas in Ketchikan... DW and I loved the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary tour. It's a walking and guided tour through the forest. It's an excellent opportunity to just get outside on your feet and spend time with the land. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g31030-d577770-Reviews-Alaska_Rainforest_Sanctuary-Ketchikan_Alaska.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CruzerDeb Posted January 17, 2019 Author #9 Share Posted January 17, 2019 16 minutes ago, Outerdog said: If you're looking for ideas in Ketchikan... DW and I loved the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary tour. It's a walking and guided tour through the forest. It's an excellent opportunity to just get outside on your feet and spend time with the land. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g31030-d577770-Reviews-Alaska_Rainforest_Sanctuary-Ketchikan_Alaska.html Thanks! Doesn't look like it would be too difficult for my mom (78). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsglow Posted January 17, 2019 #10 Share Posted January 17, 2019 (edited) Absolutely don't need to be in the Sanctuary for Glacier Bay. In fact, I'd cancel if you can. GB is best enjoyed from the main center uppermost deck where you can move around all day to catch the view. And while having a Balc is certainly nice, your best viewing on the cruise will be out on deck at all times. We were also big fans of a relaxing drink with a great forward view in the Skywalkers Night Club out back. Packing for Alaska is an entirely different animal. While we never needed it, prepare yourself for rain and be prepared to deal with it with proper rain gear. Alaska is not about lazy days in your swimsuit hanging by the pool (although you could get lucky one day). It's about the best scenery you may ever experience. Too impressive to allow any cold wet day to beat you indoors too long. Bottom line, it takes more luggage and more flexibility (think layers) than most destinations. Oh, and if you happen to be from the south (not the OP, she's from Cinci), absolutely do NOT do matching coats. It's a dead giveaway for us northerns who actually own that stuff! I studied the Alaska board before our Glaciers one way from Anchorage to Vancouver last year. That prep work came in handy. Edited January 17, 2019 by jsglow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonewolf Cruiser Posted January 18, 2019 #11 Share Posted January 18, 2019 I have a couple of recommendations for Skagway. One is the 90 minute street car city tour - gives a good overview of the town and makes several stops. The other recommendation is the White Pass railway. It will feature spectacular scenery on the way to and from White Pass Summit. And you don't have to figure out the best side of the train to sit for scenery, because at the Summit, everyone will switch sides for the return trip. Another bonus is that the train picks you up right at the cruise ship pier. Enjoy your cruise. Each of these ports are excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txwriter Posted January 18, 2019 #12 Share Posted January 18, 2019 (edited) I'm SO excited for you! I took my mom to Alaska last year, and we had a blast. (Mom was just shy of her 75th birthday). She wanted to do the one way southbound, so our port times were different that what you will have. Her favorite thing was the salmon fishing in Ketchikan. We went the first week in June, so it's only King Salmon at that time, and you are limited to one fish per tourist. But it was so much fun. We had a great guide, Nick who lives year-round in Ketchikan, that was able to put us both on fish. I caught my fish which was a very good size to me, and then another one was on the line when mom was predisposed, but Nick called it a "shaker." It was too small to keep and ended up spitting the hook about halfway to the boat. Then there were suddenly two big kings on at the same time! Mom was reeling hers in, and I was reeling in the other. Once mine got close enough to the boat, Nick reached over the boat with his fisherman's gaff and released the fish from the hook. Mom got hers which was even bigger than mine, and we were both amazed. While waiting for fish, Nick would call the local eagles over to feed them, so that was super fun to watch and a challenge to photograph, but I managed both. If you have time and are interested in fishing, I'd definitely recommend Nick at Chasin' Tail charters. He was very easy to communicate with and an excellent guide. Mom and I are by no means experts. In fact, that salmon was the very first fish I ever caught. We also did a private tour with Beyond Skagway in Skagway. It was wonderful, because they worked with us to customize everything exactly like we wanted it. It was more pricey than some of the other options, but it was really important that mom not be rushed. She actually ended up hurting her knee early in the trip, and we had to use a wheelchair most of the time (you can see it in the corner of the fishing picture below, so yes we took it aboard). But it didn't stop her from having an amazing trip. We drove up into the Yukon and learned about the gold mining history of the area then, when in Juneau, visited a working underground gold mine and got to spend a little time learning how to pan for gold. (The Juneau excursion was the only one we booked through Princess.) Fishing and gold mining were on Mom's must do list, so mission accomplished. I'd suggest figuring out what your priorities are...adventure, hiking, wildlife, history, etc. and then try to narrow it down. There are just SO many options for Alaska. Some of the options are expensive, and some of the options are only really viable for specific times (bear viewing is not really abundant early in the summer). We had fantastic weather for the most part. Skagway and Ketchikan both started out a little overcast and then ended up very nice by the end of the day. Dressing in layers is a MUST. Buy a light rain jacket with a hood if you don't have one. I love mine and find it very practical here in Texas year round. Also, try to talk to or spend time with some of the people who make Alaska home year round. They are a very interesting lot. I found them extremely helpful and friendly as well. Most importantly, enjoy the time with your mom and make lots of fun memories! Edited January 18, 2019 by txwriter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satxdiver Posted January 18, 2019 #13 Share Posted January 18, 2019 I have been on the AK cruise several times. The best excursion is the trip in Juneau to the Mendenhall glacier which can be done by taxi, excursion or even city bus. it is maybe 12 miles from the ship. Juneau is land locked and only has sea or air access. There is a tram in Juneau that takes you up the mountain with an excellent view of the whole area. You can simply buy a ticket at the ticket booth or pay more for a Ship excursion. The view is fantastic. Skagway has the train up through the pass which is fantastic. If you book through the ship, the train will pick you up and bring you back to the ship. Skagway itself is perhaps 5 blocks long on the main street which is where the tourists are. You can easily walk it while looking at the stores and displays. Glacier Bay is a cruise into the bay where you will see the Glacier fairly close hopefully seeing it calve. The best way to see it is on the Sun deck where it can be cold or warm depending on the time of year. A NP ranger will be aboard (assuming the government will be back) who will narrate what you are seeing and will be available in skywalkers lounge. Be aware that Ketchikan is in a rain forest and receives over 200+ inches/year. It probably will rain. Skagway has a "street" (actually a wooden walkway) built along and over a creek that once was the red light district. It now features tourist stores and displays about the past that is fun to walk the short distance. If you can remember the uproar over the "bridge to nowhere" in AK, this is where it was to be built. Ketchikan like Juneau is only accessible by air and sea with the airport on an island across from the town requiring a ferry ride. You will be in Victoria for a few hours to satisfy the requirement of visiting a foreign port. Take the shuttle down to the main shopping area and walk around. The flowers can be very beautiful. Passports are not needed. Reminder that you will be in one of our 50 states and your cell phone will work on land covered by your cellular agreement. Talk and text away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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