More than one excursion? And other questions..

[bertrande]

Hi all, this board is an eye-opener to say the least. I'm planning a trip to Alaska in July 2005 on either Diamond Princess or Radiance of the Seas. I've been looking at the excursions at the various ports of call and am wondering if taking two long excursions at a port of call is possible. My planned itinerary (regardless of which ship I take eventually) is as follows:

 

Juneau:Whale watching & Wildlife Quest (4 hrs) USD 109 on Diamond and USD 118 on Radiance (to book directly from cruise line);

Dog sled & Helicopter Ride (3 - 3.5 hrs) USD 385 from Pavlus Travel website

 

Skagway: Horseback riding adventure (3.5 hrs) USD 139 on Diamond and USD 146 on Radiance (to book directly from cruise line);

Glacier Lake Kayak and Scenic Railway (4.5 hrs) USD 169 on Diamond and USD 168 on Radiance (to book directly from cruise line)

 

Ketchikan: Misty Fjords Seaplane Adventure (2 hrs) USD 200 from Pavlus Travel or itakeatrip.com

 

Is the above itinerary even possible to begin with? Also, will booking one excursion directly from the cruise line and one from a third party provider pose any problems? I intend to do this in Juneau to save cost but don't really know the ramifications (if any) of doing so. Also, is this the best price I can get for all the above excursions? I know for example that many companies offer Whale Watching without the Wildlife Quest but I would very much like to combine the two excursions.

 

Any information will be greatly appreciated. This is my maiden cruise and I really don't know what to expect (apart from being all excited about it one year in advance!).

[kkorman]

Is the above itinerary even possible to begin with? Also, will booking one excursion directly from the cruise line and one from a third party provider pose any problems? I intend to do this in Juneau to save cost but don't really know the ramifications (if any) of doing so. Also, is this the best price I can get for all the above excursions? I know for example that many companies offer Whale Watching without the Wildlife Quest but I would very much like to combine the two excursions.

 

The good thing is that the majority of cruise itineraries have long days in Juneau and Skagway and therefore makes your plan more realistic. The danger in booking two excursions , especially if not booked with the cruise line is that if the first takes longer or is delayed the second can be missed. I am not sure how refunding would be for that, but they are usually not generous with them. If you do an early morning and a midafternoon tour, I do not see a proble,m. I would leave at least 2 hours between the tours though.

 

With all this touring, you will not have an poppurtunity to see the towns. They are a nice tour in themselves... and a cheap one in that you can do it yourself.

[lmcd]

When I book 2 tours in the same port where there is a need to coordinate the ending of 1 tour with the beginning of the second, I always tell each tour operator what my plans are. Sometimes if it is a close connection, one will change the start time of their tour to make the plans more compatible timewise. Of course this only works if both tours are booked independently.

Otherwise unless there is a problem on the first, the second tour should not be a problem.

 

Larry

[mrsbojamp]

We recently returned from the Dawn Princess. We did all our excursions privately from suggestions received here on Cruise Critic. In Juneau, we did Capt. Larry Whale Watching and the Heleicopter dog sledding. If you contact Capt. Larry (Orca Enterprises http://www.orcaenterprises.com), they can put together a package for you. They even booked our Misty Fjords seaplane flight in Ketchikan, for the same price as if I had done it myself. It was easier to go through one company. Also, all the operators seem very aware of the times that different ships are in port and what time you need to be back to the ship. As for the cruise itself, in Alaska, the vacation is the destination, not the onboard activities or amenities. I found it very different from other cruises I have been on. Not bad, just different.

[Budget Queen]

I never use and don't recommend using "middle men" in Alaska. It is simple to just book direct and have firm reservations questions answered directly etc. Better would be to book a combo tour in Juneau using Orca Enterprises and Coastal helicopters. They book and drop off for each other- the benefit saving about and hour of shuttle time. As for Misty Fjords again- choose and book direct- many fine operators out of Ketchikan, I have gone with Southeast Aviation, Carlin Air and Island Wings.

 

I have never seen good reviews on ship book horseback riding out of Skagway but the tour booked with Joni's and Southeast tours- gets consistant RAVES.

 

FOR clairfication- the whale watching "wildlife " quest is advertising- Auke Bay is prime noted for humpbacks- which are the priority of these trips. Maybe- eagles, harbor seals, sea lions??? any land animal very rare and distant.

[bertrande]

Thank you all for your replies. Budget Queen, I was under the impression that the 'Whale watching and Wildlife Quest' that is being sold on the ship is different from that sold by the independent operators because of the length of time of the two excursions. Also, ironically, it costs more to go for an independent 3-hr whale watching than the ships' 4-hr excursion.

 

After looking at Southeast's Yukon horseback riding tours, I am very tempted and will very likely try them instead of the two excursions I've listed in my first post that I was intending to take in Skagway.

 

Some other questions: how soon/early do you guys book your shore excursions? Also, when will you be told at what time(s) the excursions will leave? Most of the websites don't state those things so I'm wondering if I have to give all of them a call.

 

Thanks once again! :)

[kkorman]

Thank you all for your replies. Budget Queen, I was under the impression that the 'Whale watching and Wildlife Quest' that is being sold on the ship is different from that sold by the independent operators because of the length of time of the two excursions. Also, ironically, it costs more to go for an independent 3-hr whale watching than the ships' 4-hr excursion.

 

 

They are different if you are talking about Orca Ent. and Capt Larry's. THe cruise ship tour pack the people on.

[bertrande]

They are different if you are talking about Orca Ent. and Capt Larry's. THe cruise ship tour pack the people on.

Yup - figured as much. In any case, I don't think I'll have time to take the ships 4-hr excursion.

 

Budget Queen/ Kkorman/mrsbojamp and anyone else who might be interested to answer this:

I've decided on the Radiance. They dock in Juneau at 12pm and leave at 9pm. Capt Larry only has 3 departures a day, and I am not sure I can make the 12pm departure. What do you guys think? I'm planning on booking the helicoptor/glacier trip with Coastal but I have no idea when it starts/ends and whether I'll be back in time for Capt Larry's next departure time. In this case, given the docking times, is it better to book both excursions on the ship? I've yet to contact Capt Larry about joining the 2 excursions together - thought I'd ask around here first.

 

Thanks!

[kkorman]

I'd try first to connect them and if that does not work, then I owuld go through the ship.

[Budget Queen]

You need to go with their combo booking recommendations. BUT you are way too early for booking next year's tours. There can be time changes and if you keep reading these board- more and more options that you will have to consider. :) I wouldn't consider booking until next year. AND no - my opinion only- it is not better to book these via the ship- first off you will have that EXTRA hour of shuttle since the ship tours are not coordinated- you will pick up all tours at the dock. Time is also added to tours including shuttle and bus loading and unloading. Bottom line go with who you wish. :)

[bertrande]

Hi Budget Queen, thanks for what you've written. :) Yup, I'm definitely not going to book my excursions now but I was looking at the port times of the Diamond and Radiance and Radiance times got me a little concerned in respect of Juneau, even though I would much rather sail out from Vancouver than Seattle (makes more economical sense for me). But yeah, think I will contact Capt Larry about booking the two together...sometime next year. ;)