August 17. Skagway 7am-8pm, Juneau 7-3, Ketchikan 8-4

[navysafe]

Leave August 17, 2021 on Carnival.

 

Which port is best to see whales??

Which port is best to see bears eating salmon?

 

I tentatively booked a whale watch tour (6 hours) in Juneau, but I also really want to go to the Mendenhall Glacier and I am afraid I wont have enough time.

Since Canada is closed they extended time in Skagway....whales/bears there to see??

 

Any and all suggestions appreciated for our 3 stops.  No hiking please.  I prefer a nice tour outside of the downtown area, where I can always shop.  A must is eating King Crab legs and Halibut.  Thanks!!

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, navysafe said:

Leave August 17, 2021 on Carnival.

 

Which port is best to see whales??

Which port is best to see bears eating salmon?

 

I tentatively booked a whale watch tour (6 hours) in Juneau, but I also really want to go to the Mendenhall Glacier and I am afraid I wont have enough time.

Since Canada is closed they extended time in Skagway....whales/bears there to see??

 

Any and all suggestions appreciated for our 3 stops.  No hiking please.  I prefer a nice tour outside of the downtown area, where I can always shop.  A must is eating King Crab legs and Halibut.  Thanks!!

Juneau is best to see whales and some of the excursions include Mendenhall Glacier.  FWIW I have never missed seeing whales there.

 

No bears until next salmon run in September. 

 

No whales or bears in Skagway. Some Skagway train excursions include a stop at Caribou Crossing for lunch, sled dog visit, and museum with one huge stuffed grizzly bear.  Great dog sledding in the snow available.

 

Ketchikan Crab fishing feeds eagles for some amazing photos.

 

Since King Crab season is in wintertime, you will be eating frozen King Crab probably from Costco. 

 

Ketchikan has all you can eat Dungeoness Crab at George Inlet with a fly-in or bus-in.  The latter leaves time to visit Totem Bight park. 

 

 

Before

 

After

 

[disneyochem]

There are a number of excursions that will take you to Mendenhall Glacier in addition to whale watching in Juneau.  Juneau will be your best bet for seeing whales.

 

Here is a link to information about bear tours out of Juneau:  https://www.traveljuneau.com/things-to-do/whale-watching-wildlife-viewing/admiralty-island-bears/

Pricey—starting at $700/person—but depending on your time in port, you might be able to see bears (but there are no guarantees!).

 

I’ve never sailed on Carnival but they may have an excursion in Skagway that goes to the Kroschel Wildlife Refuge outside of Haines.  You take the fast ferry from Skagway.  It’s an opportunity to see wildlife (including a bear) but it is a sanctuary.  
 

Rainbow Glacier Tours (an excellent company—I can highly recommend them!) also is offering private tours this year out of Skagway.  One tour is a wildlife tour where (even though they can’t guarantee sightings) you visit a place that bears frequent in the summer.  Their website: https://tourhaines.com/mission/

 

Experiences are expensive on an Alaskan cruise!  Only you can decide if it’s worth the cost.

 

Have fun planning!  I’m leaving tonight for three weeks in Alaska on a DIY land tour.

 

[kennystwin]

Since you are on Carnival, it will be doing Tracy Arm Fjord on day 3. There is an optional excursion there that may get you another option for whales, bears, and glaciers. At the cruise ship enters Tracy Arm, you will transfer to a smaller excursion ship which takes you up close to the glaciers as well as gives you a better opportunity to see whales, bears, and other wildlife. There are of course no guarantees, but the small vessel can get up close as conditions warrant. 

[navysafe]

21 hours ago, kennystwin said:

Since you are on Carnival, it will be doing Tracy Arm Fjord on day 3. There is an optional excursion there that may get you another option for whales, bears, and glaciers. At the cruise ship enters Tracy Arm, you will transfer to a smaller excursion ship which takes you up close to the glaciers as well as gives you a better opportunity to see whales, bears, and other wildlife. There are of course no guarantees, but the small vessel can get up close as conditions warrant. 

Hmmmm, I will have to look into that.  I thought we just stayed on the ship.  Thanks!!

[navysafe]

On 7/24/2021 at 12:31 PM, Crew News said:

Juneau is best to see whales and some of the excursions include Mendenhall Glacier.  FWIW I have never missed seeing whales there.

 

No bears until next salmon run in September. 

 

No whales or bears in Skagway. Some Skagway train excursions include a stop at Caribou Crossing for lunch, sled dog visit, and museum with one huge stuffed grizzly bear.  Great dog sledding in the snow available.

 

Ketchikan Crab fishing feeds eagles for some amazing photos.

 

Since King Crab season is in wintertime, you will be eating frozen King Crab probably from Costco. 

 

Ketchikan has all you can eat Dungeoness Crab at George Inlet with a fly-in or bus-in.  The latter leaves time to visit Totem Bight park. 

 

 

Before

 

After

 

Great pics!!  Well hell, I might as well go to Costco now and get my fill of crab legs, ha.  I love the idea of Ketchikan crab fishing feeds!!  Its almost time to go.... come on August 17!!  Thanks

[SbbquilterUT]

Quick note - if you have a US National Park pass remember to bring it for Mendenhall Glacier.

[LuvCruising88]

We just came back from those same three ports (not on Carnival though) and I sure wish I still had it to look forward to!  In Juneau we found a late afternoon excursion that did both Mendenhall and the whale watch, but found out when they dropped us at Mendenhall we only had a little less than an hour to visit.  I really wanted to see Nugget Falls, so we pretty much sprinted the mile to the falls and only had a few minutes there before having to run the mile back to get to the bus on time.  We made it ok, but I wish I would have known the time restrictions before booking.  I reread your post and see that hiking is not a draw for you, so you will probably be fine with the time they allot.  We did see lots of whales too.

 

Kennystwin mentioned an excursion similar to one that we did, though we went to Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier instead of Tracy Arm.  I am so glad we booked it - our ship didn't get very close to the glacier at all, but the smaller boat got very close.  We saw seals/sea lions(?) on the ice and a bear on the shore.  It was such a beautiful ride - spectacular scenery.  I highly recommend it!

 

Have a blast!