Juneau & Skagway

[MINIjen]

We want to do the helicopter dog sledding out of one of these cities but can't decide which. Any suggestions?

 

Skagway - What's the hype with the railroad? Is it really that great? A must see? What about the town itself? Will we be bored if we just wander around?

 

Juneau - Other than Mendenhall Glacier, what is there to do? Will we bored wandering around?

[Toyz711]

i will be able to tell you more next week. but i think you will only be bored if you don't do your research and find out what each town offers. there are fishing excursions, whale watching, glacier tours by boat or helicopter.

google each of the towns, they have their own websites with links to lots and lots of things to do. :D

we are booked for whale watching in juneau (THE place for humpbacks watching up close). doing the train in skagway, have friends that went and loved it. we don't want to spend all day in a car or bus..we are just doing the up and back on the train. yukon can give you the link to his map, the drive from skagway up the mountains to great views. his website has great links also.

some of what is available will depend on when you are going.

[caligirl_41]

I had planned on dogsledding in Skagway this past week and when I arrived they had shut the dog camp down. So no dogsledding in Skagway any more this year. Juneau was still dog sledding as of 9/8/06.

The White Pass railroad in Skagway was very iteresting. Yes I would recommend it.

Juneau, I went whale watching with Captain Larry from Orca. We also had the naturalist (Barbara Bennett) from our ship on with us. What a fantastic time we had. Whales every where. After whale watching Orca dropped me off at Mendenall Glacier. A must see in my opion. WOW.

Skagway I took a helicopter tour of the glaciers with 2 landings. Highly recommend. This was on of my highlites of my trip. Awesome.

My favorite was my Mt.McKinley flight with landing. I SAW THE MOUNTAIN.

[Budget Queen]

It doesn't sound like the White Pass RR is for you??? It is best for someone, interested in history, engineering, and superior scenery. There is plenty to do in all ports. So take some time, perhaps make a list of your top 5 choices and go from there.

 

Being bored will be totally up to you. Do your homework and make the right touring choices. You get only half a trip without them in my opinion.

[wspatton]

It doesn't sound like the White Pass RR is for you??? It is best for someone, interested in history, engineering, and superior scenery. There is plenty to do in all ports. So take some time, perhaps make a list of your top 5 choices and go from there.

 

Being bored will be totally up to you. Do your homework and make the right touring choices. You get only half a trip without them in my opinion.

 

I believe that most people who wind up being disappointed with any aspect of the cruise, whether it is the ship, the food, the weather, or the ports, have gone into their journey with unrealistic expectations flowing from insufficient research.

 

Search these boards and Read the reviews. Go to Webshots.com and search for pictures of the cities you are visiting. Buy a Fodors or Frommers guide.

 

I would suggest that if you just get off the ship without a plan, and only see the Diamond Stores in the few blocks around the pier, you will be disappointed no matter where you are.

 

I enjoyed both the Railroad in Skagway, and Harv & Marv Whale Watch in Juneau. See my review below.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=409730

 

Bill

P.S. to Budget Queen: Your diligent and realistic responses to everyone's questions helped me prepare for my trip and we had a great time. Thanks!

[NancyIL]

In Skagway, I'm interested in the free park ranger walking tour of the historic district: http://www.nps.gov/archive/klgo/schedule.htm

 

There are a number of options for taking the WP&YR railroad other than the 3-hour roundtrip. Chilkoot Charters offers a 3.5-hour and a 7-hour excursion that goes one-way on the train, then returns via motorcoach. The longer tour goes to Carcross and Emerald Lake in the Yukon: http://www.skagwaysbesttour.com/ Beginning in 2007, the railroad will also go as far as Carcross, so be on the lookout for even more railroad options.

[Budget Queen]

I believe that most people who wind up being disappointed with any aspect of the cruise, whether it is the ship, the food, the weather, or the ports, have gone into their journey with unrealistic expectations flowing from insufficient research.

 

Search these boards and Read the reviews. Go to Webshots.com and search for pictures of the cities you are visiting. Buy a Fodors or Frommers guide.

 

I would suggest that if you just get off the ship without a plan, and only see the Diamond Stores in the few blocks around the pier, you will be disappointed no matter where you are.

 

I enjoyed both the Railroad in Skagway, and Harv & Marv Whale Watch in Juneau. See my review below.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=409730

 

Bill

P.S. to Budget Queen: Your diligent and realistic responses to everyone's questions helped me prepare for my trip and we had a great time. Thanks!

 

 

My sincere thanks for the "thanks". :) As an add on to your informative post- also consider your library. Taking out all the Alaska Travel books, even if a few years old will give you great concise information. You then are able to "try out" books that you may also want to purchase.

[Budget Queen]

In Skagway, I'm interested in the free park ranger walking tour of the historic district: http://www.nps.gov/archive/klgo/schedule.htm

 

.

 

 

For information- the Park Service is now limiting the number they can take on their walking tours, so head to the Park Service visitor center first and sign up. If you truely want a "free" day. Consider taking several. All are DIFFERENT depending on the individual ranger's expertise and interest. There also is a worthwhile movie and small museum that is worthwhile.

 

For me it's a great stop while waiting for my laundry. :) I've gotten to know a few rangers and it's always wonderful to stop in and say hello.

[Budget Queen]

dup.

[2ctcruisers]

We were in Skagway in July with RCCL. We did a tour called "to the summit" which drove us over the White Pass. Really enjoyed it. Great scenery. We chose the tour because it was only 1 1/2 hours, shorter than the train. Our tablemates did the train & enjoyed it--they reported some sharp dropoffs & tight turns, so if you don't like heights....

 

We also did the Skagway street car tour--in refurbished yellow streetcars. A fun tour---the guides had lots of energy & I felt I learned a lot about Skagway. It has a lot of character.

 

I was surprised at the difference between Skagway & Juneau. While Skagway is small & "old west", Juneau is more urban (it is the capital after all). One tour in Juneau was the Tram. It goes to the top of the mountain and has a nice view. It is easy to add on to the day because it is quick and near the cruise pier shuttle stop. It was a good way to get great photos of the ship from a high vantage point, as well as the town of Juneau.

Have fun!

[keeponcruisin]

Rent a car in Skagway and take the drive to Emerald Lake. The sights are absolutely awesome. You will not regret it. After returning the rental car there is still time to walk around town (we were there from 9am until 7pm.) Just make sure to take passports with you as you do need them entering into Canada and again back into the United States.

[klauer]

The NPS visitor center in Skagway also has a brochure for a self-guided walking tour. There is a small historical museum along the route (about $2.00?) that has some interesting exhibits and a nice gift shop area.

[suvgal]

We did the dog sled/heli in Skagway at the end of August with TEMCO. It was awesome. I highly recommend it. I have a fear of heights but after the first few minutes I forgot all about. The pilot told me to sit back, take a deep breath and enjoy the trip which I did. It was 45 degrees on the glacier and the snow was getting soft and thin. Our musher told us they would probably be closing soon which from reading some of the posts I guess they did.

If you get cancelled in Skagway you can always try in Juneau.