(LONG) Help Us Build The Best Possible Alaska Excursion Itinerary For Us (Active 40 y.o. X Cruisers 1st Time On Princess)

[Cruising Divers]

Hello, Happy New Year's and Thank You In Advance for your help! We love CC and have been helped greatly here before by some outstanding people that we would have never met in our daily lives otherwise. May all of your cruises actually set sail and go by slowly!  🌟🚢🌟

 

Background: We are an extremely active and physically fit 40 year old couple with no children. We have taken 6 previous cruises on RCL, HAL and X and have preferred them in that order. We enjoy activities (and excursions) geared more towards our age group and fitness level; we also much prefer small groups (6 or 8 or less) vs. 30-40+ people when applicable. We are "doing it now" because we are hyper-aware of tick tock tick tock and the limitations age will bring. We have both been vaccinated but not boosted but will do so if it becomes a hard-requirement for travel.

 

Almost every vacation or trip we have taken in the past 5 years has been for scuba diving. We have been to and dove in 13 different countries and islands and all but 2 of them more than once/one trip. This cruise is our first non-diving trip since 2014-15 as well as our first time to Alaska. We will very likely not return to Alaska for another 10 years minimum after this trip, probably closer to 15 years (next is Europe and of course back to more diving!) so we are looking to squeeze all of the "strenuous activity" fun that we can now from our itinerary because the option may never be available to us again.

 

The Facts (and other things to note): We are booked on the Princess Discovery RT from Seattle departing on May 15, 2022. We booked this particular cruise mainly because it lined up with our very hard to come by and non-negotiable/non-flexible time off from work. We are flying in the day before and staying in downtown Seattle and will probably go to the Space Needle (or something better?) and maybe a nice dinner before our cruise begins. We wouldn't be opposed to doing more in Seattle as well but we are scheduled to land at 2:30 pm (on the 14th) so that may not be realistic. Also, as a sidenote, we love us some souvenir shopping! We have pretty much seen it all though by now so only the finest of junque will suffice ha!

 

We have always wanted to try PCL, always wanted to be on a brand new ship and always wanted to go to Alaska. This along with lining up with our time off is why we chose this particular cruise. We are far from wealthy but know that money must be spent for quality and that that also includes quality excursions. We are also well aware that Glacier Bay National Park is not on our itinerary and we are already heavily bummed out about that. Canceling and rebooking another cruise is not an option though so we are hoping that the optional excursion for "Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier" (or another helpful tip from you fine people!) will help make up for this.

 

The Itinerary: 

Day	Ports of Call	Arrival	Departure
day1	Seattle, Washington	---Not Applicable	4:00 PM
day2	At Sea	---Not Applicable	---Not Applicable
day3	Ketchikan, Alaska	6:30 AM	3:00 PM
day4	Cruise Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier	5:00 AM	9:00 AM
day4	Juneau, Alaska	12:30 PM	9:00 PM
day5	Skagway, Alaska	6:00 AM	5:00 PM
day6	At Sea	---Not Applicable	---Not Applicable
day7	Victoria, British Columbia	7:00 PM	11:59 PM
day8	Seattle, Washington	7:00 AM	---

 

 

Current Excursion Thoughts: We *ALWAYS* book our own excursions ourselves/not with the cruise ship even in the most worrisome/dangerous/etc countries and ports so we are not opposed to doing it in Alaska too. We are however ignorant of many of the options available so here is what we like of we have seen so far and please, no fishing or Halibut hunting suggestions as we much prefer to swim with them vs. fishing for them.

 

 

In Ketchikan we like:

 

• The Misty Fjords & Wilderness Explorer Cruise (but the few reviews are low...)
• Backcountry Jeep & Canoe Safari 
• Wildlife Safari Cruise & Beach Bonfire (Seems like this may be geared towards/be more enjoyable for younger audiences than us...)
• Backcountry Zodiac Expedition
• Snorkel Alaska (We would much prefer to dive, not snorkel, but we are not dry suit divers, any way around needing a dry suit?) Tripadvisor | Snorkel Alaska provided by Snorkel Alaska | Ketchikan

 

 

Then there is the (Day 4) Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier Scenic Cruising excursion which we hoped would make up for/be a solid substitute for missing Glacier Bay N.P.:

 

• Endicott Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer (Nearly $300.00pp to do it though, is it really that much better than watching from the ship deck?)

 

 

With a whopping 51 choices 😱 Juneau seems to be the best whale watching opportunity port on our itinerary as well as the best place for us to take a helicopter tour and walk on a glacier... The in-port time is less than desirable though, 12:30PM-9:00PM, will that be a factor? On this trip we REAALLYYY want to fly in helicopters and/or floatplanes, walk/climb on glaciers and see whales. There are too many options to list them all here, this post is already too long and the only real info we've been able to gather is that maybe Mendenhall Glacier is not the best glacier opportunity on our itinerary? Please help!!

 

 

Skagway is almost as perplexing! 44 options from the ship exist here but we think this is our best chance to either see and walk on a glacier by helicopter or to ride a train. We love historic and luxury trains and if we were wealthy we would absolutely do an AK dome train segment but alas... Should we do Heli's here or in Juneau and instead do a "White Pass" train ride here? Which one??? So many options!

 

 

Finally, there is Victoria, CA. We almost didn't book this trip because of the extremely short port-time (normally a deal-breaker for us) but didn't. We've also never been to Canada before so 🤷‍♂️. There is one more excursion available here for Orca watching (Ocean Wildlife & Orca Exploration Cruise) but hope that that checkmark has already been made earlier in the week and that we could do something different by time we reach Victoria. We can obviously walk around town/port by ourselves so a walking tour/etc. doesn't seem to be the right answer but maybe it is? Maybe high tea at the Pendray Mansion instead? Something else altogether?

 

What excursions/how exactly would you plan this trip if you and your S.O. were 40, active/in peak shape, wanted to see whales, fly in heli's/floatplanes, walk on and see the best glaciers possible, ride in scenic trains and were married to this ship and itinerary with plans to basically never return to Alaska?

 

  🎉 🥂 THANK YOU!!! 🥂 🎉

 

 

 

 

 

[mskaufman]

• Endicott Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer (Nearly $300.00pp to do it though, is it really that much better than watching from the ship deck?)

Almost always.  Very often the ship doesn't make it that far in.  The smaller boat gets you much closer.  Whether its worth $300 pp is your call.

[mskaufman]

 Should we do Heli's here or in Juneau and instead do a "White Pass" train ride here? Which one???

 

We did helis in Juneau and White Pass in Skagway and were happy with that choice.

[Northern Aurora]

Gosh -- so many questions.  I wonder if our OP has read the "2019 Resources....." thread at the top of this forum index.  All of the Alaskan port communities have Visitor Bureaus, and their various websites list private vendors in these communities.  

 

Also please read the 2019 trip reports as well.  Those trip reports, many which will contain photos, will help you focus on what you want to do.  Once you determine your priorities it will be easier to answer your questions.

 

In general Ketchikan is known for SE Native Peoples culture (ie, Totem Poles) and scenic flight seeing to Misty Fjords.  Favorite activities in Juneau include whale watching, Mendenhall Glacier and Mt. Roberts Tramway.  Skagway was a major entrance point for the Klondike gold rush; the National Park Service is acquiring more and more of the old historic buildings.  For train buffs Skagway also offers the White Pass and Yukon Railroad.  In Skagway there are also possibilities for taking helicopters for glacier treks.  Victoria is needed for PVSA compliance, and is extremely easy to visit on your own.

[LocoLoco1]

I SCUBA. I hike Volcanos. I skydive. I drive Locomotives in N. Amer.; and remember, BC’s/Alaska’s weather is so-oo fickle. With all the aformentioned said I will suggest for your on-land 5 THINGS.  Skagway: The Railroad,  Juneau:Taku Lodge Fly-in with a morning flight out, then hike the Perseverance Trail once back in town.(Pack a RedBull or 3). Ketchikan: Drive your own Zodiac Boat(wet-suited up).  Seward: A Smaller tour boat up to the face of a crashing Glacier with Crablegs on Fox Island. Victoria BC:  HighTea at the  Empress Hotel and walk the Rose gardens. That’s it, THE END. SCUBA? You will need ‘DrySuit’.. skip it. Helicopter?..I guess so if you must. Aerial Tram ride?.. meh. Seattle?, OMG, so sad to see what’s happened Downtown there. Your cruise up the Inside Passage and being out on the misty, blustery Deck taking it all in with coupla good CraftBeers will be the highlight.. Pack a good Columbia raincoat. Enjoy. Email me. thsteinman@ GeeMail dot com TOM

[Northern Aurora]

45 minutes ago, LocoLoco1 said:

..... Seward: A Smaller tour boat up to the face of a crashing Glacier with Crablegs on Fox Island. .....

 

Sometimes folks have to deal with what time they have.  Unfortunately these folks have booked a less than stellar itinerary.  They have booked a RT out of Seattle with awkward timing for some of the ports.  They will not visit Seward.

[SightCRR]

Just about every excursion will have a YouTube video on it. Skip the ad ones from the cruise line. Try to look for the newest ones.

Seattle: While at the needle do Chihuly Garden and Glass and then if into music MoPop. Both close.

Ketch: Crab boat tour & sea kayak.

Glacier: take the boat tour.

Juneau: Whale watch,  helo and tram. 

Skag: Another helo in case first one canceled or you can never get to many helos. If only one do Skag because Juneau has lots of other things and longer time in Skag.

Victoria: Dark at 9 pm. Taxi up hill to Government gardens and walk back down.

Be sitting down when you see the total price. Likely close to double the cruise price p/p depending on high or lowest cabin price.  My guess would be close to $2k p/p.

sightcrr

[donaldsc]

12 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

Sometimes folks have to deal with what time they have.  Unfortunately these folks have booked a less than stellar itinerary.  They have booked a RT out of Seattle with awkward timing for some of the ports.  They will not visit Seward.

 

Doubling down on what you are saying, they are taking an 8 day cruise but they are actually on land IN Alaska for 3 days.  Add that to the awkward port times coupled w the way that they describe their interests and the fact that they say that this may be their only trip to Alaska and I would ask why they are even bothering w the trip.  They hardly have the time to do even a little bit of what they "REAALLYYY" want to do.

 

DON

[LocoLoco1]

Terrible itinerary for getting much of an Adrenalin Alaska thing going. BEST: IMHO, A Round-trip outa Van. 

[Northern Aurora]

I also agree that if folks do a RT cruise to Alaska they should consider one which embarks and disembarks in Vancouver.  These seven night RTs out of Seattle are often terrible.  However, in my opinion, the best itineraries are the one ways between either Seward or Whittier and Vancouver.

 

Given this couple's time limitations they may want to consider a land trip to Alaska.  A land trip may be a better use of their time and vacation budget.  They could fly to Anchorage.  And then rent either a vehicle or even a RV for a land trip.

[LocoLoco1]

When somebody asks me, ‘what would be a really FULL independent Alaska vacation’, I say, ‘Cruise North from Van. Fly-in to a nice Lodge for a week of Bears and Rivers n such, then cruise South back to Van. Denali by Bus? No…

[donaldsc]

5 hours ago, LocoLoco1 said:

When somebody asks me, ‘what would be a really FULL independent Alaska vacation’, I say, ‘Cruise North from Van. Fly-in to a nice Lodge for a week of Bears and Rivers n such, then cruise South back to Van. Denali by Bus? No…

 

Slight modification to your proposal.  Maybe not at all slight but major.  Drive to Alaska on the Alcan Highway. Spend 3 months driving around Alaska.  Take the Alaska Marine Highway back to the lower 48 stopping at the towns w/o land access on the way back home.  That is what we did.   We put about 13,000 miles on the car on that trip.

 

DON

[Cruising Divers]

Thank you VERY MUCH to everyone who took the time to reply, you are all appreciated! We have learned much from all of you and have the following thoughts:

 

On 12/31/2021 at 6:44 PM, mskaufman said:

• Endicott Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer (Nearly $300.00pp to do it though, is it really that much better than watching from the ship deck?)

Almost always.  Very often the ship doesn't make it that far in.  The smaller boat gets you much closer.  Whether its worth $300 pp is your call.

 

On 12/31/2021 at 6:45 PM, mskaufman said:

 Should we do Heli's here or in Juneau and instead do a "White Pass" train ride here? Which one???

 

We did helis in Juneau and White Pass in Skagway and were happy with that choice.

 

Thank you! This sounds perfect, we will definitely do the optional EA excursion. White Pass seems all but certain too. Now we just need to find the perfect Heli and glacier-walk tour. Thanks again!

 

On 12/31/2021 at 7:57 PM, Northern Aurora said:

Gosh -- so many questions.  I wonder if our OP has read the "2019 Resources....." thread at the top of this forum index.  All of the Alaskan port communities have Visitor Bureaus, and their various websites list private vendors in these communities.  

 

Also please read the 2019 trip reports as well.  Those trip reports, many which will contain photos, will help you focus on what you want to do.  Once you determine your priorities it will be easier to answer your questions.

 

In general Ketchikan is known for SE Native Peoples culture (ie, Totem Poles) and scenic flight seeing to Misty Fjords.  Favorite activities in Juneau include whale watching, Mendenhall Glacier and Mt. Roberts Tramway.  Skagway was a major entrance point for the Klondike gold rush; the National Park Service is acquiring more and more of the old historic buildings.  For train buffs Skagway also offers the White Pass and Yukon Railroad.  In Skagway there are also possibilities for taking helicopters for glacier treks.  Victoria is needed for PVSA compliance, and is extremely easy to visit on your own.

 

Thank you for the helpful information and reading suggestions - they are now at the top of our list! Skagway will be a tough decision to make for sure, we will need to especially read up on the opportunities/different options of riding along the White Pass/Yukon Railroad as that will surely be a highlight of the trip.

 

On 12/31/2021 at 11:01 PM, LocoLoco1 said:

I SCUBA. I hike Volcanos. I skydive. I drive Locomotives in N. Amer.; and remember, BC’s/Alaska’s weather is so-oo fickle. With all the aformentioned said I will suggest for your on-land 5 THINGS.  Skagway: The Railroad,  Juneau:Taku Lodge Fly-in with a morning flight out, then hike the Perseverance Trail once back in town.(Pack a RedBull or 3). Ketchikan: Drive your own Zodiac Boat(wet-suited up).  Seward: A Smaller tour boat up to the face of a crashing Glacier with Crablegs on Fox Island. Victoria BC:  HighTea at the  Empress Hotel and walk the Rose gardens. That’s it, THE END. SCUBA? You will need ‘DrySuit’.. skip it. Helicopter?..I guess so if you must. Aerial Tram ride?.. meh. Seattle?, OMG, so sad to see what’s happened Downtown there. Your cruise up the Inside Passage and being out on the misty, blustery Deck taking it all in with coupla good CraftBeers will be the highlight.. Pack a good Columbia raincoat. Enjoy. Email me. thsteinman@ GeeMail dot com TOM

 

You sound like a wealth of information and we will send you an email later on today. Thank you for the generous offer, you are greatly appreciated 🤝

 

On 1/1/2022 at 10:20 AM, SightCRR said:

Just about every excursion will have a YouTube video on it. Skip the ad ones from the cruise line. Try to look for the newest ones.

Seattle: While at the needle do Chihuly Garden and Glass and then if into music MoPop. Both close.

Ketch: Crab boat tour & sea kayak.

Glacier: take the boat tour.

Juneau: Whale watch,  helo and tram. 

Skag: Another helo in case first one canceled or you can never get to many helos. If only one do Skag because Juneau has lots of other things and longer time in Skag.

Victoria: Dark at 9 pm. Taxi up hill to Government gardens and walk back down.

Be sitting down when you see the total price. Likely close to double the cruise price p/p depending on high or lowest cabin price.  My guess would be close to $2k p/p.

sightcrr

 

Thank you for those helpful suggestions! Both the Juneau and Skagway days will be a hard decision to make, lots of great opportunities even with our short time in port(s). We don't mind the cost and do expect it to be high but don't expect to miss the money once we are there and/or once we are back home. We are currently booked in a "Premium Deluxe Balcony" and if prices drop heavily again we may even move up to a Mini-Suite however I think the cabin we have now (Forward Starboard) will be quite nice for views/sea days and it appears no other real perks arrive until you book a "Club Class Mini-Suite" which we don't believe we will do.

 

Thank you again to all and please feel free to keep the itinerary/tour operator suggestions coming in!!

 

[oaktreerb]

Ketchikan:  Bering Sea Fisherman’s Tour

Juneau:  Taku Glacier floatplane with lunch.  

Skagway:  Go to the visitor’s center and pick up a map of hikes in the area rated from easy to strenuous

Definitely do the small boat tour into Tracy Arm if offered.

Victoria:  Walk from the ship to the inner harbor.  Lovely community and culture with the Empress Hotel and the Legislature building plus Fisherman’s Wharf.

 

[oaktreerb]

You will probably decide to return so that you can spend some time in Alaska.   There are many places to visit and adventures to be had if you continue on to Seward/Whittier and move into  the interior of the Great Land.

[mskaufman]

Here is a link to some pictures from the White Pass Trip

 

Mark and Karen Alaska 2011 (shutterfly.com)

 

 

[Cruising Divers]

15 hours ago, oaktreerb said:

Ketchikan:  Bering Sea Fisherman’s Tour

Juneau:  Taku Glacier floatplane with lunch.  

Skagway:  Go to the visitor’s center and pick up a map of hikes in the area rated from easy to strenuous

Definitely do the small boat tour into Tracy Arm if offered.

Victoria:  Walk from the ship to the inner harbor.  Lovely community and culture with the Empress Hotel and the Legislature building plus Fisherman’s Wharf.

 

15 hours ago, oaktreerb said:

You will probably decide to return so that you can spend some time in Alaska.   There are many places to visit and adventures to be had if you continue on to Seward/Whittier and move into  the interior of the Great Land.

 

Thank you! The Taku Glacier Floatplane looks very promising, that is just the type of excursion we are looking towards. We also just booked the Tracy Arm small boat tour as well; there were very few spots left so we feel fortunate to now be booked - Thank you again!

 

13 hours ago, mskaufman said:

Here is a link to some pictures from the White Pass Trip

 

Mark and Karen Alaska 2011 (shutterfly.com)

 

 

 

Thank you so much for your pictures - they are extremely helpful to us! The WP trip looks like it was totally worth it, looks like you both had a great time. I'm assuming there will be a bit more snow on the ground during our visit as we will be there in the middle of May? I also hope the bridge is repaired by time we get there too but that seems a bit overly optimistic IMHO... Thank you again for sharing!

 

 

[Glaciers]

3 hours ago, Cruising Divers said:

 

We also just booked the Tracy Arm small boat tour as well; there were very few spots left so we feel fortunate to now be booked - Thank you again!

Just to clarify, did you book the Tracy Arm or Endicott Arm tour? 

[Cruising Divers]

1 hour ago, Glaciers said:

Just to clarify, did you book the Tracy Arm or Endicott Arm tour? 

 

Hello, we booked the "Endicott Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer" excursion but on "Points of Interest" it lists "Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness" and under "Special Notes" it says:

 

"In the event unpredictable ice conditions preclude your cruise ship from entering Endicott Arm, the tour will be modified to explore Tracy Arm, a fjord and tidewater glacier of equal beauty."

 

Good catch!

[krismon]

On 1/1/2022 at 12:01 AM, LocoLoco1 said:

I SCUBA. I hike Volcanos. I skydive. I drive Locomotives in N. Amer.; and remember, BC’s/Alaska’s weather is so-oo fickle. With all the aformentioned said I will suggest for your on-land 5 THINGS.  Skagway: The Railroad,  Juneau:Taku Lodge Fly-in with a morning flight out, then hike the Perseverance Trail once back in town.(Pack a RedBull or 3). Ketchikan: Drive your own Zodiac Boat(wet-suited up).  Seward: A Smaller tour boat up to the face of a crashing Glacier with Crablegs on Fox Island. Victoria BC:  HighTea at the  Empress Hotel and walk the Rose gardens. That’s it, THE END. SCUBA? You will need ‘DrySuit’.. skip it. Helicopter?..I guess so if you must. Aerial Tram ride?.. meh. Seattle?, OMG, so sad to see what’s happened Downtown there. Your cruise up the Inside Passage and being out on the misty, blustery Deck taking it all in with coupla good CraftBeers will be the highlight.. Pack a good Columbia raincoat. Enjoy. Email me. thsteinman@ GeeMail dot com TOM

Tom, you don't sound like a 'High Tea and Rose Garden' Kind of guy 😉 Nothing 'active' to do in Victoria?

Also curious why the 'if you must' on the Helicopter?  I hear so many people saw it's Fantastic so I feel like I'm 'supposed' to do it but per you tube videos I don't 'see' what the big hoopla is.  I feel like the cost for a 20-30 minute walk on the glacier that seems to often look like dirty snow vs fresh bright white puffy snow seems crazy, but perhaps it's the 'flight' over that's the highlight and I haven't seen that on the videos I've watched?!?!

Thanks bunches for any feedback.

[krismon]

I'd love to hear what all you all choose to do and how you liked it when you get back.  I have the same ports in July and sounds like the same ideas on what I'd like to do.

Edited January 18, 2022 by krismon

[wolfie11]

Have you considered doing a small ship cruise such as Linblad or Uncruise? They're more expensive up front, but you cruise the small inlets and passages the big ships can't get to, explore in kayaks and zodiacs, and take frequent hikes in small groups.  If money isn't a problem look at Viking, Silverseas, or Hurtigruten.  More luxury than the big ships with great itineraries and more time seeing Alaska. And when the voice comes over the loudspeaker, it's to announce some fantastic wildlife sighting instead of urging you to take advantage of the latest special in the jewelry store onboard or to be sure to get your bingo cards early.

[donaldsc]

12 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

Have you considered doing a small ship cruise such as Linblad or Uncruise? They're more expensive up front, but you cruise the small inlets and passages the big ships can't get to, explore in kayaks and zodiacs, and take frequent hikes in small groups.  If money isn't a problem look at Viking, Silverseas, or Hurtigruten.  More luxury than the big ships with great itineraries and more time seeing Alaska. And when the voice comes over the loudspeaker, it's to announce some fantastic wildlife sighting instead of urging you to take advantage of the latest special in the jewelry store onboard or to be sure to get your bingo cards early.

 

Add to these lines Alaska Dream Cruises - https://www.alaskandreamcruises.com/fleet/alaskan-dream/.  I have cruised on the Alaska Dream.  She is a great ship w 40 passengers.

 

DON

[Cruising Divers]

Apologies for the extended delay and thank you again to everybody who has taken the time to reply!

 

After considering all of the very helpful information we received here on CC we have changed ships! We have also selected/booked some of our excursions and are now at a crossroads for the remainder of our choices.

Originally we were booked on the brand new Discovery Princess but with the lack of Glacier Bay and the not-so-long-in-port Itinerary we have changed over to the Royal Princess “Voyage of the Glaciers” (Northbound) cruise departing out of Vancouver in May and ending in Whittier.

Here is what we currently have booked and our general idea of how the trip will go:

We will fly into Vancouver the day before and do a little bit of "city exploring" including a nice dinner; our flights have already been booked/finalized but the hotel has not. We arrive at 2:30 PM and are definitely open to any Vancouver recommendations!

We want to board the ship as early as possible the next day and will book our specialty dining and inquire about any available cabin upgrades as we are currently booked in a room that we don’t particularly want but will be fine with if we ultimately have to end up with. There are currently many cabins available throughout the entire ship (and the balconies on the Royal Princess seem really small) so we are hoping to get a reasonable price on a Mini Suite. Any suggestions/strategies on upgrading once onboard?

The next day after embarkation is a sea day (which we are looking forward to in order to explore and enjoy the ship) and then we arrive in Ketchikan the following day at 7 AM and depart at 3 PM. We have booked a float plane tour with Michelle at Island Wings and afterwords we will go out with Snorkel Alaska (who were kind enough to change the departure time on the excursion to coincide with our return time from Island Wings). Everybody we have dealt with at both of these companies have been excellent FYI!

The next day we are in Juneau from 7 AM until 9 PM and we have reserved the “Helicopter Glacier Trek” from 10 AM to 2:15 PM and the “Evening Whale Quest featuring Alaska Cuisine” from 5 PM to 8:30 PM (because the listed Harv and Marv times will not work with the Helicopter GT excursion) both through Princess. We had considered doing the “Extended Glacier Trek” instead of the one we booked however we regain an hour of time back (plus $100 PP) doing this excursion instead. We also looked at booking with Coastal Helicopters directly but ultimately did not because we wanted to do some glacier hiking and not only a landing for 20 minutes/etc. We are still a little weary of/not 100% sold on the “Evening Whale Quest” excursion; does anybody have any experience with this (or any alternate whale suggestions)? We feel that if we get a more “up close and personal” whale experience on this small boat then it would possibly be worth it/the right choice (and frankly we are hoping to encounter them up close somewhat during our Snorkel Alaska excursion as well)... We should have enough time before our Heli tour and after it (but before the whale tour begins) to do some in-town walking around we estimate.

The following day we will be in Skagway from 7 AM to 8:30 PM. We currently have the White Pass Railway trip from 8 AM to 10:45 AM booked but that’s it… We are considering the "Grizzly Falls Zipline" excursion and have contacted them directly to see if they could give us an alternate start time (as the one listed on the Princess website will not work with our rail return-time) but are still waiting to hear back from them. We are also considering booking the “Glacier Discovery by Helicopter” tour in case our helicopter in Juneau does not go out HOWEVER we really don’t think it would be necessary (and it will be quite expensive) to do both. The Princess website shows that we will not be able to cancel it after 12 PM on the day after embarkation either so we do still have some questions/hesitations about Skagway…

First - Is the “luxury class” White Pass train ride really worth the price difference from the standard trip? It does not appear to be from our research…

Second - Thoughts please on booking the “Glacier Discovery by Helicopter" (Skagway)? It appears that the Juneau excursion that we have already booked would be enough “helicopter time/helicopter fun” for the entire trip as long as it goes out but if it doesn't what are the chances that we'll actually be able to book a Heli tour "on the fly" in Skagway for after our WP rail tour return?

Finally - Any suggestions on what to add on after the WP railway excursion (if not the Heli tour)? We also considered doing the horseback riding trip but we have owned horses in the past and "a single file ride behind" is not exactly what we would want to do. The ATV and UTV trips seem to be the same way; we have rented them in other countries on our own for entire days/etc. so a “single file trip” is not really what we would prefer to do. 

The next day we will be in Glacier Bay, the following day in College Fjord and then we land/disembark in Whittier where we have booked the "Turnagain Arm Wildlife Conservation Center and Tram with Airport Transfer" excursion. We also have the option of the "Portage Glacier Scenic Cruise and Drive with Airport Transfer" and were torn between the two but thought it might be more fun to do the tram and animals vs. more Glaciers after what our past 2 days will have been.

Thank you to everybody who has taken the time to read this far, to everyone who have already contributed and for your thoughts and input on this revised trip!  🌟🏆🌟