tender or Dock?

[eyeore1631]

Can anyone let me know or point me to a web site that can let me know if any of the following ports are tender ports

 

Juneau

Skagway

Ketchikan

 

My father has limited mobility and I need to know if other arrangements need to be made for a tendering port.

[Toyz711]

what ship and when? someone will post the link to the website that tells you what ships are in port and who tenders.

[eyeore1631]

Letting you know what ship might help.

 

We will be on the Carnial Spirit on the May 9th 2007 cruise out of Vancouver.

[CanCanCase]

Letting you know what ship might help.

 

We will be on the Carnial Spirit on the May 9th 2007 cruise out of Vancouver.

 

Carnival ships don't tender in Juneau, so there's one to cross off your list...

 

Cruise Line Agencies (http://www.claalaska.com) hasn't posted the berth assignments for each ship yet. Keep checking their website for an updated calendar that shows a dock or "ANC" for At Anchor.

 

-Case

[eyeore1631]

Thanks for the link.

 

Do you know when they usually update the info? I see the last update was November and we sail in 11 weeks.

 

CanCanCase - do you know anything about excursions and if they are suitable for a limited mobility person?

 

Carnival has suggested that I wait until we board the ship to book excurions, but i would like to know that the ones we want would be available.

 

Juneau - whale watching

skagway - Rail tour I know would be okay

Ketchikan - George's Inlet wildnerness lodge

 

Any help would be appreciated

[Toyz711]

the very best thing you can for for yourself is check out the websites for those port towns.

http://www.traveljuneau.com/

 

http://www.skagway.com/

 

http://www.visit-ketchikan.com/

 

compare what you find there with what your ship offers. for many tours, like whale watching, there are many independents to choose from. for the independents/locals you can book directly, save some money, and not have to wait until you get on your ship.

i had my whale watching (ocra enterprises, capt larry) booked 5 weeks before our cruise. since they don't work with any cruise lines, i booked directly through their website.

for the train, i booked through our cruise line a month before we went.

we didn't do anything for ketchikan, just walked around. interesting town.

since you are going to early, your cruise line may not have their excursions set, yet.

check out those links and the activities they list. you will find vendors for excursions. if you see one that interests you, do a search on this board for reviews.

[CanCanCase]

Thanks for the link.

 

Do you know when they usually update the info? I see the last update was November and we sail in 11 weeks.

 

CanCanCase - do you know anything about excursions and if they are suitable for a limited mobility person?

 

Carnival has suggested that I wait until we board the ship to book excurions, but i would like to know that the ones we want would be available.

 

Juneau - whale watching

skagway - Rail tour I know would be okay

Ketchikan - George's Inlet wildnerness lodge

 

Any help would be appreciated

 

For the whale watching in Juneau, I'd suggest booking an independant vendor. Orca Enterprises has an ADA compliant boat - they MAY be the only one in town. From time to time there are smaller independants that handle limited mobility well. You can also try Juneau Sportfishing & Sightseeing, but be sure to ask up-front what their abilities are... it varies from boat to boat.

 

The WPYR train in Skagway is a wonderful tour. Since you already know it'll be okay, book it!

 

I don't know about George's Inlet in Ketchikan. If the description mentions a float plane, you may want to avoid it. See if you can get any advice or reviews of that excursion here, and also try to track down the vendor to ask directly.

 

I suspect the cruiseline wants you to wait until on board to book so that their excursions will be the only option. The vendor contracts and shore-ex booklets have been set since the first of the year (most are even earlier than that.)

 

You didn't mention what sort of limits there were (wheelchair, walker, etc.) Depending on the circumstances, consider bringing or renting a wheel chair in each port. Many excursions - especially if they're boat based - require a walk up/down a long ramp that can be quite steep when the tide is low. Even if it gets left at the dock, a chair will make the short walk to and from the smaller boats MUCH easier.

 

-Case