What to do in Alaska??

[chefj]

My husband and I are leaving in a month for our Alaskan cruise and I feel like we have not booked enough. In fact we have only booked one excursion in Juneau. We are taking the helicopter tour that lands on a glacier, we hear it is just fantastic. Our cruise planner said that it is just as easy to book excursions when we get to the port, as there are a lot of locals waiting to take you on their adventure. Any feedback on that idea??

 

We are leaving from San Fran, stop in Victoria, B.C., Ketchikan, Icy Stait Point and Juneau.

 

Also, what in the world do you pack? We are in our early 30's and have only done carribbean cruises:) I have tried to ask questions on the roll call, however there are not many people on it.

 

Any info will be truly helpful. Thanks!

[GMoney]

There is so much bad info circulating. Who is this cruise planner? Fire them! lol

 

IME, you do not want to wait til you board the ship or -even worse - dock in port - to book excursions. You will likely get shut out. Many of these trips are very popular or have limited capacity. IMO, the excursions you pick are just as important if not more so than the cruise itself.

 

Start by figuring out what appeals to you. A whale watching tour is really a must; ISP & Juneau are great places for that. You already have a helicopter flight; make sure it's long enough to really enjoy. If I were you, I'd be reading posts on here like crazy. Get a Frommers / Fodors book to get an idea of what's out there.

 

Alaska requires lots of detailed planning and coordination to maximize your time. Tour availability may be tight given that you are just a month out; try the independents first; then look at ship tours if you have to.

[cruiser429]

Pack clothing that you can layer. Also some kind of waterproof winter jacket that's lightweight. You'll need it on the glacier and when out on deck in Glacier Bay. We sat out at the pool only once--so don't overpack bathing suits. Warm-ups were great with shirts under jackets and shorts under pants. Also--take some dollar store ponchos with you and carry them wherever you go. If you don't have them and it starts raining, you'll pay an arm and a leg for the same ponchos.

 

In Victoria, visit Bouchart Gardens.

 

From Ketchikan you might want to head to Misty Fjords on a tour.

 

We did the helicopter to the glacier and it was an unreal experience not to be missed.

 

Have a great trip!

[AKMISTY1]

The Mount Robert's Tram in Juneau is an excellent choice, if the weather is nice. A bus ride out to the Mendenhall Glacier, Dipac Salmon Hatchery, whale watching. Definitely bring clothing that can be layered including a lightweight hat and some light gloves. The railing on the ship may be wet and cold if it is raining.

Have fun on your cruise!

[Budget Queen]

Not sure who it is, but your cruise planner doesn't know what they are talking about. In port you have a Very little selection of tours, and generally bus types are what will be available. You are also wasting a significant amout of time doing this. I only recommend that plans and reservations are in place before you leave.

 

There are packing lists for Alaska. But you need a lightweight lined jacket, layers of warm clothes, knit hat, gloves, 2 pair of walking shoes, rain gear.

[countrygal52]

If going to Icy Strait Point, look up F.I.S.H.E.S. on line AHEAD of time and book a whale watch. Floyd knows where to go for optimum viewing. He only does two 3 hour trips per day with only six passengers at a time so he books up fast! We had a humpback bump our boat as another surfaced right NEXT to us! He also has a hydrophone in the water to hear them singing. It was awesome!!:) Also, if you like Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch" series, on the Aleutian Ballad you can book a crabbing excursion where they take you out and haul up crab pots with different varieties of crabs, prawns, and we even saw them pull up a barrel with an octopus in it! You get to hold/touch anything you wish to and then they dump the pots back overboard. And NO, the water isn't as rough as they show on TV!

[chefj]

Well my planning is coming along. Thanks for all the input. This is what I have so far. If anyone has any suggestions with how to fill in the time it will be much appreciated.

 

Victoria-12pm-7pm

nothing planned-the Bouchart Gardens are closed

 

Ketchikan-7am-3pm

Salmon Fishing with a friend of Ken from Northern Lights

 

Icy Strait Point-8am-8pm

Whale Watching with FISHES-9am-12pm

Thinking about the Hoonah Bike Trek??Any thoughts

Kayak Adventure???Any thoughts

 

Juneau-4:30am-10pm

Glacier Helicopter Tour with Coastal-9:15-11:30

Mt. Robert's Tram

Would like to maybe do something else??

 

Thanks agian for all the help. Jennifer

[PennyAgain]

Jennifer, do not buy your Mt. Roberts tram tickets ahead of time. Wait until you get there and figure out if it is clear enough to justify the tram. Often you can't see a thing from up there.

[CowPrincess]

Victoria-12pm-7pm

nothing planned-the Bouchart Gardens are closed

 

 

You may be mistaken. Their website says "We are open every day of the year at 9 a.m. except for Christmas day when we open at 1 p.m. "

 

and lists their hours as

 

May 1/08 - May 31/08 9:00am - 6:00pm

June 1/08 - June 14/08 9:00am - 7:00pm

June 15/08 - August 31/08 9:00am - 10:00pm*

September 1/08 - September 15/08 9:00am - 9:00pm

[2Oregonians]

Well my planning is coming along. Thanks for all the input. This is what I have so far. If anyone has any suggestions with how to fill in the time it will be much appreciated.

 

Victoria-12pm-7pm

nothing planned-the Bouchart Gardens are closed

 

Ketchikan-7am-3pm

Salmon Fishing with a friend of Ken from Northern Lights

 

Icy Strait Point-8am-8pm

Whale Watching with FISHES-9am-12pm

Thinking about the Hoonah Bike Trek??Any thoughts

Kayak Adventure???Any thoughts

 

Juneau-4:30am-10pm

Glacier Helicopter Tour with Coastal-9:15-11:30

Mt. Robert's Tram

Would like to maybe do something else??

 

Thanks agian for all the help. Jennifer

 

In Juneau you could do the Salmon Bake from 6:00 to 8:00 pm

[pwandersen]

We took the helicopter to the glacier once -- outstanding! If you are in your 30s and are fairly mobile, then you may be able to wing it without booking everything in advance. It depends on your own attitude about "scheduling" on a vacation. Some think it's important, some do not.