Dream Vacation comes thru

[jeangeorges]

My husband gave me a cruise to Alaska as my Christmas present... but now I have to stay within the budget given... We are cruising to Alaska on the Golden Princess May 5th... (this one will save money to afford the excursions) This will be our first cruise and we don't know what to expect.. What "surprises" (not just the good ones either) I may encounter on the ship? Can someone tell me the best excursions to do ( Juneau,Skagway, Tracy Arm, Ketchikan).

All help and advice is needed.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

What a wonderful gift! Kudos to your DH for making that dream come through.

 

If you scroll through the Alaska board, you'll find TONS of recommendations/suggestions for excursions.

 

Have fun researching!

Jayne

[fsdj1097]

My husband gave me a cruise to Alaska as my Christmas present... but now I have to stay within the budget given... We are cruising to Alaska on the Golden Princess May 5th... (this one will save money to afford the excursions) This will be our first cruise and we don't know what to expect.. What "surprises" (not just the good ones either) I may encounter on the ship? Can someone tell me the best excursions to do ( Juneau,Skagway, Tracy Arm, Ketchikan).

All help and advice is needed.

Hi Jean,

 

WOW, what a wonderful Christmas gift!

 

Alaska, IMO, is all about getting out of the towns and seeing the awesome sights that mother nature has blessed us with.

 

From whale watching in Juneau, to visiting Glaciers in Tracy Arm, to riding the White Pass & Yukon RR in Skagway, there are far too many excursions to list here.

 

Make a list of what's a priority for you and your husband on THIS cruise...you will want to return.

 

This board is wonderful resource and you will want to take your time and browse.

 

Your cruise line should have a shore excursion brochure that you can order or download. I would encourage you to pre-book any shore excursion before your cruise to avoid disappointment...they do fill up.

 

Start shopping for airfare now, you can find bargains. I would recommend flying in at least a day early as flights to the west coast the day of sailing can be hectic and who needs the stress when you are on vacation.

 

Also, after disembarkation, you might want to stay over an extra day for some sightseeing as both Seattle and Vancouver are beautiful cities with much to offer.

 

Have fun planning your cruise and have a great trip.

[jeangeorges]

i already received a disappointment... Went to sign up for the helicopter and dog sledding and the excursions were already sold out.... I e-mailed my TA and he is going to see what he can do for me... I quickly booked the train excursion in Skagway to make sure I got on that one.

[Budget Queen]

i already received a disappointment... Went to sign up for the helicopter and dog sledding and the excursions were already sold out.... I e-mailed my TA and he is going to see what he can do for me... I quickly booked the train excursion in Skagway to make sure I got on that one.

 

 

Is this through the cruiseline excursions??? Actually you are most probably too early for the glacier dog sleddings, these do not start until mid May usually.

 

Sorry, but your TA probably has no experience with this. Verify this yourself by contacting the vender direct. http://www.temscoair.com/tours/skagway_dogs.htm

 

Overall, you are going too early in the season, most, including myself don't recommend before mid May.

[Budget Queen]

My husband gave me a cruise to Alaska as my Christmas present... but now I have to stay within the budget given... We are cruising to Alaska on the Golden Princess May 5th... (this one will save money to afford the excursions) This will be our first cruise and we don't know what to expect.. What "surprises" (not just the good ones either) I may encounter on the ship? Can someone tell me the best excursions to do ( Juneau,Skagway, Tracy Arm, Ketchikan).

All help and advice is needed.

 

 

This certainly is a fantastic gift. :) I give my nephews trips every year too, better than usless "stuff" and they love to travel. :)

 

Anyway- you may want to consider a glacier helicopter landing out of Juneau/Skagway since, again, you are going too early for any glacier sailing access from your ship. Ships do not get within view of the Sawyers at the end of Tracy Arm before beg. of June. This is a sailing time, no stops, no excursions. So if a priority to see glaciers, plan excursions.

[Budget Queen]

i already received a disappointment... Went to sign up for the helicopter and dog sledding and the excursions were already sold out.... I e-mailed my TA and he is going to see what he can do for me... I quickly booked the train excursion in Skagway to make sure I got on that one.

 

 

There is NO problem with getting on the train, they add cars and can take huge numbers of people. This is an excellent excursion- but there are several options to also consider- IF you want to get into the Yukon, there are some train/bus combo trips offered.

 

If an interest in history, be certain to consider a free Park Service walking tour http://www.nps.gov/archive/klgo/schedule.htm

[jeangeorges]

Why would the beginning of May be too earlier for the glacier/dog sled tour? I would have thought that it would be availble through out the complete sailing season.

 

I can pre-select the excursions I won't to go on through the Princess web site. Do I not have to go through them? Can I go straight to the company?

 

All of this is new to me. I have never cruised before, so I am going according to the brochure.

 

All help and advise is greatly apprieciated.

[vozzie]

In Alaska, it's all about the weather. Come too early or too late and snow and ice can be a disadvantage. In fact some tourist locations will be inaccessible on the "edges" of the season.

 

You can book shore excursions either through your cruise line or directly with independent vendors ... mainly found on the Internet.

 

You will also find many opinions on whether through the cruise line or independantly is the way to go. Independent shore excursions can be cheaper and, sometimes provide more value. However, the main advantages with the cruise line provided tours is that you normally don't have to pay till the ship sails and the cruise line will guarantee your timely return to the ship at the end of the tour.... independents can't normally guarantee that. So it depends on your risk apetite.

[Coral]

We sailed that same week 2 years ago and the helicopter/dog sleeding tours were operating in both Juneau and Skagway. I would still sign up for the tours if they are waitlisted with Princess.

[Budget Queen]

We sailed that same week 2 years ago and the helicopter/dog sleeding tours were operating in both Juneau and Skagway. I would still sign up for the tours if they are waitlisted with Princess.

 

 

TEMSCO did not operate glacier dog sledding the first week of May 06, when I last cruised there.

 

As I mention- verify opening times direct with the vender. See if they have any open spaces if they do, and book.

[Budget Queen]

However, the main advantages with the cruise line provided tours is that you normally don't have to pay till the ship sails and the cruise line will guarantee your timely return to the ship at the end of the tour.... independents can't normally guarantee that. So it depends on your risk apetite.

 

 

 

This is not accurate, there is no more risk of missing your ship compared to ship excursions in Alaska. There are NO reports for YEARS of this happening to anyone due to tour operators.

 

Always go with the vender's recommedation for timing. Know your ship schedule when you contact them.

[jeangeorges]

Hey, I'm going to ALASKA... sure excursions would be a bonus... but I also look at this trip as the "pilot" vacation..:confused: I'll KNOW the who, what, when, where & how's for all future trips whether it be Alaska or elsewhere that I may cruise. I might also find that I don't like to cruise. Highly doubtful, but you never know.:p