Crab legs in Alaska

[jinpasco]

For those who have been to Alaska....would you recommend any other places  besides Tracy' s to get crab ? Seems everyone flocks there and we like to go to out of the way places anyway. This is for any of the port stops. Thank you.

[geoherb]

I remember having delicious Dungeness crab at the Bamboo Room in Haines on our first Alaskan cruise. I enjoyed eating at Olivia's in Skagway on another cruise but did not order the crab legs. The chowder was delicious. They sprinkled it with garam masala, which I've done since when making creamy seafood chowders.

 

[Alcairns]

In 2016 we did a shore excursion that involved flying round to Silverking Lodge in Ketchikan for an all you can eat king crab claw meal. It was delicious and when they said all you can eat they meant it. You could also get there by boat or coach. 

[donaldsc]

All king crab legs that you buy anywhere is frozen and not fresh  so it doesn't matter where you buy it -

 

"ALL King Crab Legs are flash frozen ON THE SHIP when they are caught. That means no matter where you buy or eat your King Crab Legs – be it the fanciest seafood restaurant in NYC or from the freezer in Costco…they were ALL wild caught and cooked and frozen on the ship and shipped frozen."

 

On the other hand there are other types of seafood from AK that is fresh and is often caught and served on the same day.  Why bother with the same king crab that you can get in your home town?

 

DON

[kona_wahine]

Wait until you get home and hit up Costco…. 1/2 the price

[jinpasco]

53 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

All king crab legs that you buy anywhere is frozen and not fresh  so it doesn't matter where you buy it -

 

"ALL King Crab Legs are flash frozen ON THE SHIP when they are caught. That means no matter where you buy or eat your King Crab Legs – be it the fanciest seafood restaurant in NYC or from the freezer in Costco…they were ALL wild caught and cooked and frozen on the ship and shipped frozen."

 

On the other hand there are other types of seafood from AK that is fresh and is often caught and served on the same day.  Why bother with the same king crab that you can get in your home town?

 

DON

Not that it may make a difference but looking for Dungeness crab ...would that be frozen in Ak also  in the fall?   Disappointing if it is. My thinking is like a good steak, if someone else cooks it and messes it up they get me a new one. I overcook and just lost $$$.  One of the reasons we eat differently on the cruise.  And, We try to take advantage of local items wherever we travel. Thanks for the heads up.

[jinpasco]

5 hours ago, Alcairns said:

In 2016 we did a shore excursion that involved flying round to Silverking Lodge in Ketchikan for an all you can eat king crab claw meal. It was delicious and when they said all you can eat they meant it. You could also get there by boat or coach. 

That was in the plans for Taku lodge with plane ride and feast but  the price went up ...a lot !  429.00 per person now.  I believe  when we looked at the trip pre covid in 2020 (which of course got cancelled )it was around $250.  Per person.  Pricey but since it includes the airplane I was ok with it . This is too much for me to enjoy. It's our 3rd trip to Alaska so we have seen a lot and thought this would be out of the ordinary from the other excursions. I just can't justify that price.

[donaldsc]

14 minutes ago, jinpasco said:

Not that it may make a difference but looking for Dungeness crab ...would that be frozen in Ak also  in the fall?   Disappointing if it is. My thinking is like a good steak, if someone else cooks it and messes it up they get me a new one. I overcook and just lost $$$.  One of the reasons we eat differently on the cruise.  And, We try to take advantage of local items wherever we travel. Thanks for the heads up.

 

I am sure that you can check that out on the internet.

 

DON

[rkacruiser]

19 minutes ago, jinpasco said:

That was in the plans for Taku lodge with plane ride and feast but  the price went up ...a lot !  429.00 per person now.  I believe  when we looked at the trip pre covid in 2020 (which of course got cancelled )it was around $250.  Per person.  Pricey but since it includes the airplane I was ok with it . 

 

2019, I did this excursion, but, the meal served was Salmon, not crab legs.  Has that changed and they are now serving crab?  If so, that might be one reason for the increase in price.  I agree, that is a large price increase.  But, the flight experience and the experience at the Lodge would be worth it to me.  

[USCcruisecrazy]

Chinook's in Seward is a great spot...was just in Seward last week vacationing.  Of course, be prepared to spend about $100 a pound.

[jinpasco]

1 hour ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

Chinook's in Seward is a great spot...was just in Seward last week vacationing.  Of course, be prepared to spend about $100 a pound.

Ouch.....ok for me I don't like seafood but husband and traveling companions do so we will be prepared. Thank you

[Northern Aurora]

3 hours ago, jinpasco said:

Not that it may make a difference but looking for Dungeness crab ...would that be frozen in Ak also  in the fall?   Disappointing if it is. My thinking is like a good steak, if someone else cooks it and messes it up they get me a new one. I overcook and just lost $$$.  One of the reasons we eat differently on the cruise.  And, We try to take advantage of local items wherever we travel. Thanks for the heads up.

 

We have had fresh Dungeness in Ketchikan at both Annabelles and the George Inlet Lodge as there is a Dungy fishery there.  I don't know the extent of the dungeness fishing season so you will need to do some research.  

[jinpasco]

5 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

We have had fresh Dungeness in Ketchikan at both Annabelles and the George Inlet Lodge as there is a Dungy fishery there.  I don't know the extent of the dungeness fishing season so you will need to do some research.  

Thank you !! Good to know and yes I will do research. Another poster mentioned legs being frozen and I guess I was nieve in thinking legs would be fresh in Alaska.

[Mrs007]

George Inlet Lodge in Ketchikan has an all you can eat dungeness (I enjoyed it tremendously when I ate there years ago). Your cruise ship should have 1 or 2 options. Also, if you are going to Sitka, there is a crab place at the new pier - Halibut Point Crab and Seafood. I plan on a yummy crab dinner there. Be prepared, a crab dinner isn’t cheap no matter where you eat it…Alaska, Texas, Wisconsin or at home  

[Mrs007]

1 hour ago, jinpasco said:

Thank you !! Good to know and yes I will do research. Another poster mentioned legs being frozen and I guess I was nieve in thinking legs would be fresh in Alaska.

You can get fresh dungeness, but not king crab. 

[Northern Aurora]

2 hours ago, jinpasco said:

Thank you !! Good to know and yes I will do research. Another poster mentioned legs being frozen and I guess I was nieve in thinking legs would be fresh in Alaska.

 

Don, in post #4, was clearly referencing Alaska King Crab.  The king crab fishery is a winter fishery (the fishery opens in late October/November), and yes, the crab is flash frozen.  I have actually been to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, which is where the vessels featured in Deadliest Catch home port during the fishing season.  We took an Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Kodiak to Unalaska, and spent several days there before flying out.  The king crab we consumed in Unalaska was frozen.

 

But the dungeness fishery is held during the summer.  There are different commercial fishing seasons for different species.

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, Mrs007 said:

George Inlet Lodge in Ketchikan has an all you can eat dungeness (I enjoyed it tremendously when I ate there years ago). Your cruise ship should have 1 or 2 options. Also, if you are going to Sitka, there is a crab place at the new pier - Halibut Point Crab and Seafood. I plan on a yummy crab dinner there. Be prepared, a crab dinner isn’t cheap no matter where you eat it…Alaska, Texas, Wisconsin or at home  

I received a notice in April:

 

"Our tour operator has advised the Wilderness Exploration Cruise & Crab Feast from Ketchikan, Alaska has been modified due to operational considerations. The meal has been changed from all-you -can-eat to two servings per person due to the extraordinary increase in the cost of crab."  

 

Since I normally consume at least six portions of crab, the new limits significantly reduced the value of the "feast" and I cancelled this excursion.  I booked the Silverking Lodge Seafood Feast and consumed not only lots of Dungeness Crab but also shrimp.  On the way to the lodge, the boat stopped to feed 11 eagles, paused to watch sea lions, and then photographed wild Sitka deer near the lodge.  This was a much better value than two portions of crab.

 

I have been to the George Inlet Lodge many times and am happy that Holland America alerted me to their change in "feasting" so that I would not be very disappointed.

[jinpasco]

8 hours ago, Crew News said:

I received a notice in April:

 

"Our tour operator has advised the Wilderness Exploration Cruise & Crab Feast from Ketchikan, Alaska has been modified due to operational considerations. The meal has been changed from all-you -can-eat to two servings per person due to the extraordinary increase in the cost of crab."  

 

Since I normally consume at least six portions of crab, the new limits significantly reduced the value of the "feast" and I cancelled this excursion.  I booked the Silverking Lodge Seafood Feast and consumed not only lots of Dungeness Crab but also shrimp.  On the way to the lodge, the boat stopped to feed 11 eagles, paused to watch sea lions, and then photographed wild Sitka deer near the lodge.  This was a much better value than two portions of crab.

 

I have been to the George Inlet Lodge many times and am happy that Holland America alerted me to their change in "feasting" so that I would not be very disappointed.

Good to know as I had the Wilderness Exploration on my wish list. I don't eat crab but hubby does so plan was to swap my crabs for his salad and dessert ! I know you can get a non seafood meal but crab was the reason for the excursion. I had read somewhere else that they had changed the meal to 2 legs now. We go in Sept so I have time to look into it.  Thank you for your information.

[Vlgg731]

On 7/11/2022 at 7:18 PM, Mrs007 said:

George Inlet Lodge in Ketchikan has an all you can eat dungeness (I enjoyed it tremendously when I ate there years ago). Your cruise ship should have 1 or 2 options. Also, if you are going to Sitka, there is a crab place at the new pier - Halibut Point Crab and Seafood. I plan on a yummy crab dinner there. Be prepared, a crab dinner isn’t cheap no matter where you eat it…Alaska, Texas, Wisconsin or at home  

We just did the George's Inlet with the tour first and really enjoyed it.  The tour guide carried fish with us on the boat and put it in the water so the bald eagles came close to the boat.  We got some wonderful pictures.  And even my husband enjoyed the crablegs.