Help with Alaska Shore Excursions

[bschoon60]

We are considering a Cruise tour to Alaska in May 2024.  Unfortunately, since we haven't booked yet, we cannot see Shore Excursions that would be available from the ship (Radiance of the Seas).  Does anyone have any suggestions for excursions from the ship and the cost of those tours?  We would like to get a pretty good idea of the amount of money we may be spending.

 

Thanks for any help you can offer.  

[Galveston Cruiser]

Post to Alaska thread and check other cruise line Alaska sailings.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/33-alaska/

[Ozark_Kid]

4 hours ago, bschoon60 said:

We are considering a Cruise tour to Alaska in May 2024.  Unfortunately, since we haven't booked yet, we cannot see Shore Excursions that would be available from the ship (Radiance of the Seas).  Does anyone have any suggestions for excursions from the ship and the cost of those tours?  We would like to get a pretty good idea of the amount of money we may be spending.

 

Thanks for any help you can offer.  

Post the itinerary. 

[CynBeth6]

On the Royal Caribbean website on the first page scroll down until you see Take Adventure To New Heights and select Alaska.  Then keep scrolling down until it says Related Ports. Select one of them.  Keep scrolling until you see Check Excursions in whichever port and should show you current ones but can’t remember if it has a price. Sometimes there is a glitch and says not available but keep trying.

[Kathscof]

What type of excursions are you looking for? Southbound or northbound?

 

i was just looking at some excursions today and whale watching ends up between $200-$300 in different places, in Skagway, from the white pass railroad direct the cost for round trip is $140, but through the cruise line with various iterations of train plus something else it is between $200-$300.  Helicopters and planes are normally over $500.  Ketchikan has the most options and cheapest, our totem park tour is around $60 and booking the lumberjack show direct is around $40.  It’s gonna be a lot of money to do the most impressive things.....hope that helped!

[bschoon60]

5 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Post the itinerary. 

Sorry, that might be helpful!!!  Land tour - Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna, Anchorage & Seward;  Cruise Southbound - Seward, Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Haines, Icy Strait Point debarkation in Vancouver.

 

We are looking for a little bit over everything - native heritage, Bald Eagles, Glaciers and scenery.  We've done Whale Watches in New England, but wondered if doing one in Alaska would be much different.  

 

Thanks, 

Barb

 

Edited January 15, 2023 by bschoon60

[Ozark_Kid]

3 hours ago, bschoon60 said:

Whale Watches in New England, but wondered if doing one in Alaska would be much different.

We did an Alaska cruise last May.  We stopped at two of the ports you are, Juneau and Skagway.  We did a Whale Watching excursion in Juneau.  I loved seeing the scenery and saw a couple of Eagles while out.  The whales to me were a little disappointing.  We saw several but all we would see was there backs break the surface and sometimes their tail breaking out.  

We had a great time in Skagway.  There are some really nice trails to hike. This link will show you what's available. https://www.alaska.org/destination/skagway/parks-and-trails. It's free to walk the trails.  Once you are done with the trails the town is nice to walk.  Stop by Klondike Doughboy.  The only thing we regret about visiting is that we split the Doughboy.  They are so good.  If you want a great lunch check out Skagway Brewing Company.  REALLY Good. 

You will love the Alaska cruise.  Beautiful.  Have fun. 

[Kathscof]

12 hours ago, bschoon60 said:

Sorry, that might be helpful!!!  Land tour - Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna, Anchorage & Seward;  Cruise Southbound - Seward, Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Haines, Icy Strait Point debarkation in Vancouver.

 

We are looking for a little bit over everything - native heritage, Bald Eagles, Glaciers and scenery.  We've done Whale Watches in New England, but wondered if doing one in Alaska would be much different.  

 

Thanks, 

Barb

 

I agree with Klondike doughboy in Skagway! 
 

if you’re gonna whale watch only once, I have heard that Icy Strait Point is the place to go.  We are going whale watching in both places.  I am sad that the land tours don’t give you time to do tours of Kenai Fjords before they leave on the ship. 

[SbbquilterUT]

Juneau - bus out to Mendenhall Glacier and hike.  Buy those tickets at the dock.  With family we have rented a car and added stops including Alaska Brewing Company for a taster flight.

 

skagway - we love to hike around the lakes as well as out to Jewel Gardens.  With family (6 of us) we rented a van and drove the Yukon Highway up to Emerald Lake - you will see so much similar to the train at a much lower cost than 6 train tickets.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

If you do no other excursion do the helicopter to the glaciers.  Yes it's expensive, but it rates as one of the top five things we have ever done on a vacation and we do a lot of vacations.  When we have friends going I always offer "if you come back and tell me you didn't love it I will pay you back."  So far haven't had to pay anybody.  

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by ATSEAMYLIFE

[Ourusualbeach]

3 minutes ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

If you do no other excursion do the helicopter to the glaciers.  Yes it's expensive, but it rates as one of the top five things we have ever done on a vacation and we do a lot of vacations.  

I agree.  This was the highlight of our trip last summer. 

 

Alaska is not cheap.  We spent more on excursions than we did on our cruise. 

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

2 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Alaska is not cheap.  We spent more on excursions than we did on our cruise. 

Between Vancouver hotels and shore excursions I'm sure we did too. 

[LibertyBella]

 

DH and I like adventure and lots of sightseeing, and it can be costly. Sometimes we pay more for our overall shore excursions than the cruise itself. We do not skimp on shore excursions no matter where we go, because for us seeing new places and having experiences is part of the joy of cruising.

 

Yes, I agree that the helicopter tour with a glacier walk with crampon boots is very memorable (pp hundreds of dollars).  There was also an ice-climbing trek that cost even more, but that was some years back.

 

We did zip lines over the forests, and husband also did rock climbing, while I went on a canoe cruise looking for wildlife (it was rainy and cool the entire time.) I did not do dogsledding, although I love it, because I have done it in Canada for longer time periods.

 

There are many economical and safer options at every port.  You could check out VIATOR just to see some of the many tours offered at the ports and prices.

 

Have a great time planning!

[cruiseguy1016]

On 1/14/2023 at 8:20 PM, bschoon60 said:

Sorry, that might be helpful!!!  Land tour - Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna, Anchorage & Seward;  Cruise Southbound - Seward, Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Haines, Icy Strait Point debarkation in Vancouver.

 

We are looking for a little bit over everything - native heritage, Bald Eagles, Glaciers and scenery.  We've done Whale Watches in New England, but wondered if doing one in Alaska would be much different.  

 

Thanks, 

Barb

 

 

If you are booking the land portion through the cruise line, your choices will be somewhat limited due to time constraints but, if you have the time, here are some recommendations.

Fairbanks:  Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center. This is a great spot to learn about the native Alaskan culture. Riverboat Discovery tour. You'll travel the Chena River aboard a paddle boat and learn about Alaskan history and culture.

Denali: If you have time, take a tour into the park that goes to the Eielson Visitor Center. It's an 8-hour tour that takes you deep into the park. You should see a lot of wildlife (bears, moose, Dall sheep, caribou, etc.) and if the weather is good, you'll have spectacular views of Denali.

Talkeetna: I'm not sure if time will permit it or not but, if you have the opportunity, I highly recommend a flightseeing tour of Denali with a glacier landing. We did that a few years ago with Talkeetna Air Taxi. This was an expensive excursion but it was worth every dollar.

Anchorage: Another place to learn about Native Alaskan culture is the Native Heritage Center.

Seward: Again, depending on time, try to take a tour of Kenai Fjords National Park with Kenai Fjords Tours. We did this a few years ago and made it back to town in plenty of time to board the ship.

 

You'll get a lot of recommendations for things to do in the cruise ports. Most will suggest taking the train/bus to Carcross while you're in Skagway. I would recommend renting a car and doing the drive yourselves. You'll see all of the things you'd see from the train/bus bit with a car, you'll be able stop where and when you want to take pictures. Hertz has a rental facility in Skagway and the cost to rent a car is less than what it costs 2 people to take the train/bus.

[cruisetorelax44]

we did a 10 night, northbound, through anchorage, denali and fairbanks. we didn't see the options for the post-cruise tours until we were on the bus. they ranged from inexpensive (sled dogs in denali for like $50) to extremely pricey (arctic circle flights for about $650). We also did an optional river boat tour in Fairbanks for about $75. There were a couple of things included. We decided not to do the helicopter or plane tours because we were told there was a good chance they might cancel. Some canceled 5 minutes before they were supposed to go up because of the weather. (early august). I do know someone who did the arctic circle flight and said everyone was vomiting the entire time, it was not enjoyable at all.. and because of the lack of snow cover,  the arctic circle just looked like any other spot.  We had no regrets. Happy sailing!

[bschoon60]

12 hours ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

If you do no other excursion do the helicopter to the glaciers.  Yes it's expensive, but it rates as one of the top five things we have ever done on a vacation and we do a lot of vacations.  When we have friends going I always offer "if you come back and tell me you didn't love it I will pay you back."  So far haven't had to pay anybody.  

 

Where did you do this tour?  Do people recommend helicopter over plane?

 

Thank  you so much for the help!

[MCC retired]

13 minutes ago, bschoon60 said:

Where did you do this tour?  Do people recommend helicopter over plane?

 

Thank  you so much for the help!

We have done both on the same cruise.

Float plane tour landed in a lake , walked out on the potoons , neat.

Helicopter tour landed on a glacier and walked around, outstanding.

If we could only do one ($$$) air tour in Alaska , it would be the helicopter hands down.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

9 hours ago, bschoon60 said:

Where did you do this tour?  Do people recommend helicopter over plane?

 

Thank  you so much for the help!

Juneau and helicopter as it lands on the glacier.  

[DragonOfTheSeas]

If you have not booked yet I strongly suggest you spend time reading through the Cruise Critic Alaska Board.  I wish I had done this before I booked.  I would have done things a little differently.  

 

However, we sailed the Radiance on the last cruise northbound.  Our TA put together a partial cruise tour.  I would have booked the cruise and done the rest on my own.  

 

We did a high and low philosophy.  We spent more at some stops for a premium experience and less at other where we did not feel it was necessary. 

 

In Ketchikan we took the public bus to the state park to see the totem poles and hike though the park.  [~ $2 per person] 

 

 

After visiting the Potlach Park we rode back to town and walked around and had lunch.  We spent about $25 for an excellent day. [will be a little more now].

 

The bus stop is beside the eagle.  See how close it is? 

 

In Skagway we booked the train to Yukon are of British Colombia.  [You need your passport] The cruise ship offered this same excursion--but, it cost more. [same train]

 

In Icy Straigt we took a small ship whale watch.  It was expensive and so worth it.  there was a max of 6 of us on board. Think small ship.

 

We saw mostly tales.  But it was a very good tour. [dress warmly] We even had a seal swim up to our boat. 

 

 

 

Juneau is another place to save money.  Take a shuttle to the Mendenhall Glacier. [blue buses] and then walk around town.  It is very walkable. YMMV

 

We saw bears at the glacier. 

 

 

 

JMHO

 

Edited January 17, 2023 by DragonOfTheSeas

[cruiseguy1016]

1 hour ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

Juneau and helicopter as it lands on the glacier.  

 

Airplanes land on glaciers also. It all depends on the vendor.

[cruiselvr04]

On 1/14/2023 at 9:59 AM, bschoon60 said:

We are considering a Cruise tour to Alaska in May 2024.  Unfortunately, since we haven't booked yet, we cannot see Shore Excursions that would be available from the ship (Radiance of the Seas).  Does anyone have any suggestions for excursions from the ship and the cost of those tours?  We would like to get a pretty good idea of the amount of money we may be spending.

 

Thanks for any help you can offer.  

The Information on the land portion is pretty hidden and we’ve had no communication from the cruise line.  Since we didn’t use a TA we were also pretty lost.  Hope you can find the page description of the optional land tours.  I’m hoping for more information regarding packing as I know from what little I’ve read that that will be different too for the land portion.  
 

I’m not comfortable with any helicopter or small plane rides but we still plan some extra things to do.  For us that amounted to about an additional $750 for 2 for a 6 night land option.  From advice I’ve found elsewhere I’ve planned about $600 in food cost for the land portion.  We don’t eat breakfast unless we don’t think we’ll eat lunch.  I understand we can’t book the optional tours until we meet up with our person the first night.  
 

We’ve booked our ship tours and that was another $1000.
 

We are also planning 2 days post cruise which is going to add another $1000 in cost.  This trip is rapidly becoming as expensive as our 2 week river cruise with Viking in Germany.  It will all be okay as long as we enjoy it as much as we did that one.  We aren’t cold weather enthusiasts but do enjoy the beauty of nature.  This is probably a one and done because we have more on our bucket list to do before we get too old.  
 

[nimbex1970]

If you want to compare pricing or get a general idea, trip advisor (choose your itinerary), gives excursion pricing.. the cruise ships are around that or more expensive.  plus you may find something that's not offered by the ship. Some whale-watching info https://andreakuuipoabroad.com/alaska-whale-watching/

 

[bschoon60]

11 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

The Information on the land portion is pretty hidden and we’ve had no communication from the cruise line.  Since we didn’t use a TA we were also pretty lost.  Hope you can find the page description of the optional land tours.  I’m hoping for more information regarding packing as I know from what little I’ve read that that will be different too for the land portion.  
 

I’m not comfortable with any helicopter or small plane rides but we still plan some extra things to do.  For us that amounted to about an additional $750 for 2 for a 6 night land option.  From advice I’ve found elsewhere I’ve planned about $600 in food cost for the land portion.  We don’t eat breakfast unless we don’t think we’ll eat lunch.  I understand we can’t book the optional tours until we meet up with our person the first night.  
 

We’ve booked our ship tours and that was another $1000.
 

We are also planning 2 days post cruise which is going to add another $1000 in cost.  This trip is rapidly becoming as expensive as our 2 week river cruise with Viking in Germany.  It will all be okay as long as we enjoy it as much as we did that one.  We aren’t cold weather enthusiasts but do enjoy the beauty of nature.  This is probably a one and done because we have more on our bucket list to do before we get too old.  
 

We have an awesome TA who personally met with his business manager from the cruise line to get the best information.  Unfortunately, he didn't really have an idea of how much the ship's excursions would cost.  

 

We too, have other bucket list cruises, so I think it will be one and done for us as well.

 

Thanks for your information.

 

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

16 hours ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

Airplanes land on glaciers also. It all depends on the vendor.

Never seen that, but only been twice.  

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

Let me share something from personal experience about trying to book Alaska shore excursions on your own or a non-cruise operator.  Our first trip my buddy and I decided to try and save a little money and wait to book a helicopter to the glacier on our own when we arrived in port.  Since tours our limited and equipment is scarce that wasn't a good idea.  The two operator's offices were closed with "sold out" signs on the door.  We were the only ship in port.  Fearing what our DW's would say we were talking about what to do.  Luckily a shopkeeper overheard us and offered to try and find us a tour with somebody who doesn't do ship tours.  We lucked out and came back to the shop around 3:00 PM, got picked up by a van, taken out to the airport, and had a great flight up to the glacier.  For that we saved $80 pp, a nice savings but not sure it's worth the wrath of a DW had it not worked out.