Best Shore Excursions

[chesterbum]

We're cruising Alaska in July on the Serenade of the Seas and will be stopping at Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan. There is such a long list of excursions available, we cannot decide which ones to take. I'm looking for suggestions or ideas from those who have been there and done that!! Thanks. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[columbus]

Hi,

My friends took the tour with Southeast Tours into the Yukon on the Yukon Horseback they are still talking about it. You can check out their web site. They also go into Emerald Lake which is breathtaking I have see the pictures. A lot of people take the train but you can see just about the same things from the vans and you get to stop for photo opps. My friends saw bears feeding on the side of the road as well...

Hope this helps, I know Southeast has a good reputation for highquality tours and they are reasonable with their prices.
Good luck

[Budget Queen]

Best is to narrow down your interests- there are way to many great excursions to consider. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] Budget fully!!

[rickyru]

Does anyone know about Mighty Great Trips by Mendenhall Glacier Transport? They are more reasonable than the ship's tours?

[pkey]

We rented a car in skagway and drove to carcross. Saw the "smallest desert" and emerald lake!! It is a beautiful drive we stopped frequently for photo's, played at lakes skipping stones and at waterfalls. We also went to the graveyard outside of skagway.
In juneau we also rented a car and saw all the sites. It was a terrific way to see everything and very inexpensive.
We did kayak in ketchikan and that was costly but worth it the teens loved it.

[gpearce]

pkey,
Who did you rent your vehicle from in Skagway? I have not found any site that rents there.
Thanks,
Gayle

[Budget Queen]

Only Avis is out of Skagway (major) and 2 independents- PB Cruisers and Sourdough. Mighty great trips is a booking agent only, runs great bus shuttles and bus tours in Juneau. My clear preference is to deal directly with all venders and not use any middle men. I dislike phone tag on tour times, questions answered, payment etc.

[Host Caroline]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Budget Queen:
My clear preference is to deal directly with all venders and not use any middle men. I dislike phone tag on tour times, questions answered, payment etc.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

There are, however, "middle men" aka tour offices -- for any of you that may be interested -- that are very reputable and that you really won't spend any more time dealing with than going directly through the indeopendents in terms of phone time, payment etc. And they check out the folks that do their tours.. I have "secret shopped" several without a hitch.

Especially for older groups that I booked and for families that had some problems with mobility etc., working with Port Promotions, Absolutely Alaskan etc. has worked well. Port Promotions has a "package" of tours for around $100-120 that includes one tour in each city.. it's not really things that I would do, but the company does well with it and it's an easy way for people to package it up neatly and save some money over what cruise lines charge.

It's all about what works for you in terms of planning time, budget, etc.

Host Caroline
<font SIZE="1">[B]One can [I]never[/I] have too many days at sea...[/B]</font> [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Sept 04-Royal Hounds Mariner of the Seas
Feb 05-Partae Pirates Carnival Miracle

[yukoner]

If you are a hiker, Take the Yukon Hiking Adventure. Lots of wildlife and great views. The food is well done and plenty of it. The guides know the local history and a lot about the Aboriginal medicines from the area. Great way to see the Yukon off The Highway.

[Thoth]

These trips are worth the time and money from my experience.
In Skagway, the White Pass railroad.
In Juneau, Mendenhall Glacier and Mt. Roberts Tramway.
In Ketchikan, Creek Street.

[Cruiser62]

I was thinking about booking the Alaska Sled Dog adventure thru [url="http://www.alaskasleddog.com,"]www.alaskasleddog.com,[/url] operated by Robert & Christy Murphy.

Has anyone gone on this excursion? Our ship only offers one time to go on this, but if I book it directly through the company they schedule every two hours which would be better because we also want to go on the White Pass railway trip. Does anyone have any opinions? Thanks in advance!

[Winddancer2004]

Yukoner - Whereabouts does this hike take place in relation to the Carcross? You keep talking about all this great food too!

[Yukon]

Winddancer - the hike is on a historic trail about 10 miles south of Carcross - [url="http://www.yukonhikes.com"]http://www.yukonhikes.com[/url]

Murray