Shipboard activities when in port?

[papergypsy]

Are there activities scheduled onboard the ship when it is in port?

 

We are doing the Inside Passage on a budget, and have not scheduled excursions for all of our ports. We have nothing scheduled for our day in Skagway, which is a 14 hour call. We will walk around town and find the internet cafe, but then will have lots of free time on our hands.

 

Will there likely be activities like the computer tech classes and such during those days, or are those days we should think about exploring the ship and catching up on reading and napping?

[trvlcrzy]

There are activities during port days. I recall once thinking "Oh, well. I'll miss that since we'll still be in town."

 

There may be fewer activities than a sea day, but there are activities.

 

Doesn't napping count as an activity? My husband and I succeed at filling our schedule with at least one of those a day! ;) I love napping on the Promenade... not sure if that will make sense in Alaska, though.

[penetangjudy]

I would be taking advantage of their being less people on the ship and explore it. So much fun going from top to bottom and seeing everything there is to see......or if you like the spa maybe you and hubby could do something there together, that might be nice, kinda romantic :)

[CaliforniaAC]

I believe you can get an ipod from the library and do a self guided on- board art tour. We did that on the Noordam, and it was kinda fun.

 

Also, the spa will offer port day specials you might want to splurge on.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Skagway -- check out the Alaskan port section. You will find the meeting place for the FREE tour given by the rangers there.

As for ship activities -- in Alaskan ports there are limited number of them as they expect people to get off the ship and enjoy Alaska.

[RuthC]

You can spend quite a bit of time in town. There's a nice museum and history lesson in the Park station just after you leave the pier. It's worth a lengthy visit.

Also, check out the Arctic Brotherhood Lodge, and the Red Onion. There's lots of shops, and the storefronts are interesting.

[papergypsy]

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to answer. Love the idea of the FREE tour, and of course we will walk around town to take lots of pictures. Still, 14 hours in port makes for a long day, and I doubt that we will spend more than 1/2 of that time off the ship. Of course, once I find the quilt store, all bets are off! :>)

[Krazy Kruizers]

In Ketchikan you can walk over to Creek Street -- lots of shops to browze through.

[jtl513]

Do you have anything planned for Ketchikan?

 

If you're really up to walking, the Saxman Totem Village is about 2.5 miles from the downtown docks. Lots of totem poles outside, and you can look in the large windows of the building where they carve them. I don't know if you can go inside the clan lodge for free.

 

I've heard you can take a cheap bus to the Totem Bight State Park, which is free. Maybe you can take the bus to Saxman Village too? Ask over on the AK Ports of Call forum.

[cantw8togo]

I think all bets are off as the quilt shop in town is only a couple of blocks away from the cruise docks! I understand your quilting addiction, and a girl's got to have her fabric stash! Will you reveal to your significant other the extent of your "had to have" purchases? ;) :D

 

I have heard good things about the local museum and their free walking tours. Here is a link for hours and other info. https://akrcms.nps.gov/klgo/index_old.htm

 

There is a nice easy hike not far from the cruise ship docks to Yakutania Point and you can sometimes see wildlife from the trail. Here is a list of the trails in the area, with Yakutania listed on page 3 of 4. http://www.skagway.com/skagwaytrailmap.pdf If you want a longer stroll, check out the Gold Rush Cemetary and Lower Reid Falls.

 

While you are out at that end of town, you can check out Jewell Gardens and Glassblowing Studio which charges about $12 admission. The also have a G scale (garden scale) minature railway running through the garden. http://www.jewellgardens.com/index.html There is a restaurant there as well.

 

If you decide that you want to get out of town for a reasonable price, check out Dyea Dave's tours. He comes highly recommended on CC's and Trip Advisor's boards, however you would need to book in advance. http://www.******************/tours.htm The scenery of the White Pass is spectacular and would be worth seeing even if it isn't from the train.

 

Then again, the fewer $ spent on excursions, the more money for fabric! :D The other alternative is to spend a bit of money on sightseeing while you are in town and order the fabric online once you get home.

 

You'll have a great time no matter what you do.

 

N.

[cantw8togo]

I forgot to mention that the bus in Ketchikan is almost free at $1 pp.

 

Oh, and there is another quilt store there too!

 

N.