Alaska Excursions--post your reviews here! - Page 54 - The DIS Discussion Forums

algae · 07-24-2012, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilpooh108

We walked up to the booths and asked which bus was leaving soon (i.e., already waiting).

Speaking of booths, here's a picture we snapped of the line of tour booths near the tram station. I think that's a HAL ship in the background.

twopeasonepod · 07-24-2012, 06:28 PM

Must say that the Inn at the Market is a WONDERFUL place to stay pre- or post-cruise! We did the townhouse suite (upstairs master bedroom with bath). Was fabulous. Only complaint is that the bathroom is upstairs, but that was fine. Staff is super nice -- let us check in very early (before noon), check out late (our airport pick-up was 1:30 -- I bet they would've even let us stay later). You MUST go to the French restaurant at Pike Place (Maximilien).

As for tours, we did the "3-Port for Families" package:

Skagway -- WPRR with exclusive Disney activity. Totally awesome views. On the way back, our host (Brent) refilled our champagne (or Martinelli's) multiple times (and I even fell asleep haha) as the super cute and enthusiastic kid hosts took the kids to another car. P.S. Your kids will get pretty nice binoculars to keep, plus some other stuff. Big shopping opportunities for Tanzanite, apparently. My mom went to the talk on the ship, and Whitney recommended it. My mom bought earrings, which look great but yowza I couldn't pay that much!

Juneau -- Best of Juneau (Mendenhall Glacier, Whale Watch, Salmon Bake). Glacier is great. Do the hike if you can. We did not, because it was raining/drizzling pretty steadily. But we did go to the photo point. And the movie is excellent. Whale Watch was my fave excursion. I love orcas, and we did see them. Apparently that is rare. Lots of humpbacks. And the food at the salmon bake was great. Fish caught in their waters. Very different from what we are used to. Store is cute with some good stuff to buy as souvenirs.

Ketchikan -- Lumberjack Show and Potlatch Totem Park. Show was super cute. My son got to be in the first part and got a free axe. The guys are very friendly and super good with the kids. Potlatch Totems was amazing. So cool to see how they carve and to hear from the guy (well...kid -- I could be his mother haha) about how he learned from his grandfather. He also showed us around the museum with mostly his grandfather's stuff inside. Super awesome. The kids go and do an activity (painting a wooden feather) and they get a free mini totem (which is really nice btw). The stores are good, too. Shopping in Ketchikan was excellent IMO. Bought stuff at Cariloha, the Christmas store, and other little shops.

twopeasonepod · 07-24-2012, 06:31 PM

Oh, also, we found A&P Towncar Service and got a limo on limos.com for $129. Great price. And we tried to book DCL ground transport too late so we were happy with this alternative. They were really really nice. And even tried to pick us up early since they were tracking our flight. Unfortunately, I typed in my number wrong and they were calling someone else in Hawaii at 4am haha.

Calfan · 07-25-2012, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twopeasonepod

Must say that the Inn at the Market is a WONDERFUL place to stay pre- or post-cruise! We did the townhouse suite (upstairs master bedroom with bath). Was fabulous. Only complaint is that the bathroom is upstairs, but that was fine. Staff is super nice -- let us check in very early (before noon), check out late (our airport pick-up was 1:30 -- I bet they would've even let us stay later). You MUST go to the French restaurant at Pike Place (Maximilien).

We are staying at the Inn at the Market for 3 nights before our upcoming cruise (in one of the townhouse suites). So glad to read your positive comments.

ktalina · 07-28-2012, 06:14 PM

Than you for reviewing and providing info on so many things!! We will be traveling next summer and we are deciding which excursions to take. So far we are sold on the glacier (although I'm terrified of heights) and the whale watching

Will continue reading!

brandysmommy · 07-31-2012, 11:22 AM

Just back and wanted to share what we did as these boards gave a lot of insight for me. It is fragmented and brief but I wanted to get something out there while it was still fresh.

Tracy Arm Day - claim a lounge chair on deck 10 by 10am. Try for one between the two funnels that way you can also see the other side without. They grill out in the seating area of Beach Blanket for lunch but don't overly advertise - very good food - access through Beach Blanket. Wear sunscreen - it was 55-60 and sunny - those without sunscreen were burned.

Skagway - we rented a car from Avis - right in town, grabbed water from the grocery store and headed to the Yukon. We purchased Murray's Guide http://www.murraysguide.com/ for $5 - great investment. Did the Yukon Suspension bridge as well as Caribou Crossing. Drove to Emerald Lake and returned. Ate at Spirit Lake Lodge - ok food - terribly expensive $17 for a burger. Not many other options - might consider taking picnic food.

Juneau - we did the Mendenhall Glacier Dog Sled. Phenomenal experience. After, the bus driver dropped us into town. We did the Mount Roberts Tramway and hiked a bit at the top.

Ketchikan - we hired http://www.ketchikantaxicabtours.com/ Dave took us around - we saw everything (but couldn't find any bears) - eagles (so many), water falls, totem poles, totem carving, native village, forged for native berries which were so good, drove wooden streets and learned so much about the area. He dropped us off at the end at the Lumberjack show. We had purchased tickets on-line in advance and they were waiting for us. After the show, we headed back to the ship.

Victoria - we stayed on the ship - if your kids want to do the ship game in the lab - this is the time to do it - no one was there - my kids did it for hours.

The weather was great - only rained after we left Juneau - never needed more than a sweatshirt other than on the glacier - then added a 2nd sweatshirt, hat and gloves. I think we were lucky in the weather department though. Animators Palate was always freezing - as they have the doors that open to the deck and lifeboats. Other interior areas very comfortable with summerish clothes.

Any questions feel free to ask - need to get some unpacking and laundry done!

RedSox68 · 08-02-2012, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twopeasonepod

Must say that the Inn at the Market is a WONDERFUL place to stay pre- or post-cruise! We did the townhouse suite (upstairs master bedroom with bath). Was fabulous. Only complaint is that the bathroom is upstairs, but that was fine. Staff is super nice -- let us check in very early (before noon), check out late (our airport pick-up was 1:30 -- I bet they would've even let us stay later). You MUST go to the French restaurant at Pike Place (Maximilien).

We stayed one night at the Inn at the Market before we headed to Vancouver for the cruise in May. I wish we could have stayed more. The townhouse suite was amazing and we had a view of Puget sound and the Market Place. PLUS they have a lounge area on the roof with wonderful shares and terrific views. Very romantic at night time! Terrific staff, too, and loved the courtyard. BTW, Hard Rock Cafe is one block over on Pike Street and we really had a terrific meal there! Also, Elliott's on the waterfront had wonderful seafood. (Be aware, the walk DOWN to the waterfront is great, but then you have to come back up all those steps

)

mgmcpa · 08-02-2012, 09:02 PM

See the Salmon Run
If you are lucky enough to visit in July/Aug when the salmon are running, visit the hatchery in Juneau. It's a $12 cab ride each way from the port, admission is $4 a person. INCREDIBLE and CHEAP. You can also take the city bus out there (we did this one way for $1.50 per person), but it's about a third of a mile walk from the bus stop to the hatchery.

You can buy to include this in other tours and will pay a lot more for it, but the extended tour just shows you indoor things that aren't half as exciting than the salmons running the ladder out front!

Doingitagain · 08-04-2012, 12:48 PM

I am a bit late getting to this post, sorry, just very busy after we got back! We were on the July 2, 2012 cruise.

Juneau -- Helicopter Glacier Walkabout. This was a short helicopter sightseeing followed by walking on a glacier. Great sightseeing, and interesting to be on the glacier. They provided gear to go over our clothing.

Ketchikan -- Private Boat -- Touring by Sea (through DCL). When you added up the cost of other tours, the price was reasonable. Plus we got to tell them what we wanted for our itinerary. We dropped crab pots, went salmon fishing, and viewed wildlife. Saw porpoises! We paid to have the two salmon we caught fileted and shipped home (expensive, but hey, how often do we go salmon fishing). Would definitely do this again.

Skagway -- Skagway Triple Adventure. Great excursion. We did biking, rafting, and hiking. Only issue was mosquitos. If you are going end of July, beginning of August, definitely do this because you go by the water where salmon are running.

Note that we had been to Alaska the year before, and did the Mendenhall Glacier, floatplane, long hike to a glacier and whale watching, so we looked for something different this year.

Caewings · 08-06-2012, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmegibow

Hi again - I searched the thread and haven't seen any reviews of "The Klondike Experience" in Skagway. Anyone done this one?

Note, my husband and I are bringing our 18 mo, 5 yr, 8 yr olds as well as my parents and 19 yr old sister. I've had to choose my excursions pretty carefully! I'd love to know what this activity is really like. Thanks!

I am going in 2 weeks w/ very similar ages. 18mo,5 yo,8yo plus my MIL so I have had similar trouble choosing stuff

worldfamous · 08-18-2012, 05:12 PM

subbing

Doingitagain · 08-19-2012, 06:12 PM

A quick note, not sure if I posted this here yet or not.

We booked a private boat excursion through DCL. We paid for it up front.

I saw the charge come through on our stateroom bill, but really didn't think about it until I got home and reviewed everything more thoroughly that they didn't credit us for the upfront payment. Thus we were double charged. DCL corrected it when I contacted them, but it took a week for the refund to show up on our credit card.

Just a heads up so you check if you have an excursion like this!

pudinhd · 08-20-2012, 03:18 PM

Our cruise just ended today...

We booked a 6-passenger boat to whale watch with Harv & Marv in Juneau. It was excellent! So many whales and Captain Liz was fabulous!

We also did the Bear Country & Wildlife Expedition through DCL in Ketchikan. Wow!! Lots of bears including cubs! At one point we were about 5 feet from a mama bear and her 2 cubs. The guide was great and very specific about what we were to do while remaining calm!!

So sad to be going home! Many thanks to everyone for their helpful posts!

mmgrdg · 08-20-2012, 04:50 PM

This is great info...still trying to decide if this would be a good cruise for my kids (13&14)... So it's helpful to see what people did and liked/disliked.

gojulia · 08-21-2012, 07:18 AM

Here's what we did:

Skagway: Liarsville Disney Character Experience thing
Grizzly Falls Ziplining (my favorite thing about the whole trip- you must go!!!)

Juneau: Best of Juneau

Ketchikan: Float Plane trip

Victoria: just took the bus into town and walked around after dinner. It was lovely and so glad we got off the ship!

08-02-2012, 09:02 PM	#803
mgmcpa Disneyland Lover Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 130	See the Salmon Run If you are lucky enough to visit in July/Aug when the salmon are running, visit the hatchery in Juneau. It's a $12 cab ride each way from the port, admission is $4 a person. INCREDIBLE and CHEAP. You can also take the city bus out there (we did this one way for $1.50 per person), but it's about a third of a mile walk from the bus stop to the hatchery. You can buy to include this in other tours and will pay a lot more for it, but the extended tour just shows you indoor things that aren't half as exciting than the salmons running the ladder out front! __________________

08-04-2012, 12:48 PM	#804
Doingitagain DIS Veteran Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,073	I am a bit late getting to this post, sorry, just very busy after we got back! We were on the July 2, 2012 cruise. Juneau -- Helicopter Glacier Walkabout. This was a short helicopter sightseeing followed by walking on a glacier. Great sightseeing, and interesting to be on the glacier. They provided gear to go over our clothing. Ketchikan -- Private Boat -- Touring by Sea (through DCL). When you added up the cost of other tours, the price was reasonable. Plus we got to tell them what we wanted for our itinerary. We dropped crab pots, went salmon fishing, and viewed wildlife. Saw porpoises! We paid to have the two salmon we caught fileted and shipped home (expensive, but hey, how often do we go salmon fishing). Would definitely do this again. Skagway -- Skagway Triple Adventure. Great excursion. We did biking, rafting, and hiking. Only issue was mosquitos. If you are going end of July, beginning of August, definitely do this because you go by the water where salmon are running. Note that we had been to Alaska the year before, and did the Mendenhall Glacier, floatplane, long hike to a glacier and whale watching, so we looked for something different this year. __________________ Disney Fantasy 7/2014 Eastern Disney Wonder 7/2011 Alaska, 7/2012 Alaska Disney Magic 4/2000, 5/2002 Western, 6/2004 Eastern, 7/2005 Mex Riv, 6/2006 Western, 6/2007 Med, 8/2009 Eastern, 7/2010 Baltics, 7/2013 Med Aulani 3/2013 Saratoga 6/2006, 10/2008, 7/2009, 12/2009 Royal Garden London 7/2007, 7/2010 Mandarin Oriental Wash DC 4/2007 Grand Calif 7/2005 Last edited by Doingitagain; 08-05-2012 at 03:32 PM.

08-18-2012, 05:12 PM	#806
worldfamous Mouseketeer Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 126	subbing __________________ worldfamous

08-19-2012, 06:12 PM	#807
Doingitagain DIS Veteran Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,073	A quick note, not sure if I posted this here yet or not. We booked a private boat excursion through DCL. We paid for it up front. I saw the charge come through on our stateroom bill, but really didn't think about it until I got home and reviewed everything more thoroughly that they didn't credit us for the upfront payment. Thus we were double charged. DCL corrected it when I contacted them, but it took a week for the refund to show up on our credit card. Just a heads up so you check if you have an excursion like this! __________________ Disney Fantasy 7/2014 Eastern Disney Wonder 7/2011 Alaska, 7/2012 Alaska Disney Magic 4/2000, 5/2002 Western, 6/2004 Eastern, 7/2005 Mex Riv, 6/2006 Western, 6/2007 Med, 8/2009 Eastern, 7/2010 Baltics, 7/2013 Med Aulani 3/2013 Saratoga 6/2006, 10/2008, 7/2009, 12/2009 Royal Garden London 7/2007, 7/2010 Mandarin Oriental Wash DC 4/2007 Grand Calif 7/2005

08-20-2012, 03:18 PM	#808
pudinhd Mouseketeer Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 302	Our cruise just ended today... We booked a 6-passenger boat to whale watch with Harv & Marv in Juneau. It was excellent! So many whales and Captain Liz was fabulous! We also did the Bear Country & Wildlife Expedition through DCL in Ketchikan. Wow!! Lots of bears including cubs! At one point we were about 5 feet from a mama bear and her 2 cubs. The guide was great and very specific about what we were to do while remaining calm!! So sad to be going home! Many thanks to everyone for their helpful posts! __________________ Too Many Trips to Disneyland to Count, 1999 WDW Honeymoon, 2005 Mexican Riviera Disney Cruise, 2008 Mexican Riviera Disney Cruise, 2008 WDW Vacation, 2009 Backstage Magic ABD, 2011 Disney Cruise to Neverland, 2011 Mexican Riviera Disney Cruise, 2012 Alaskan Disney Cruise

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07-24-2012, 06:28 PM	#797
twopeasonepod DIS Veteran Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 772	Must say that the Inn at the Market is a WONDERFUL place to stay pre- or post-cruise! We did the townhouse suite (upstairs master bedroom with bath). Was fabulous. Only complaint is that the bathroom is upstairs, but that was fine. Staff is super nice -- let us check in very early (before noon), check out late (our airport pick-up was 1:30 -- I bet they would've even let us stay later). You MUST go to the French restaurant at Pike Place (Maximilien). As for tours, we did the "3-Port for Families" package: Skagway -- WPRR with exclusive Disney activity. Totally awesome views. On the way back, our host (Brent) refilled our champagne (or Martinelli's) multiple times (and I even fell asleep haha) as the super cute and enthusiastic kid hosts took the kids to another car. P.S. Your kids will get pretty nice binoculars to keep, plus some other stuff. Big shopping opportunities for Tanzanite, apparently. My mom went to the talk on the ship, and Whitney recommended it. My mom bought earrings, which look great but yowza I couldn't pay that much! Juneau -- Best of Juneau (Mendenhall Glacier, Whale Watch, Salmon Bake). Glacier is great. Do the hike if you can. We did not, because it was raining/drizzling pretty steadily. But we did go to the photo point. And the movie is excellent. Whale Watch was my fave excursion. I love orcas, and we did see them. Apparently that is rare. Lots of humpbacks. And the food at the salmon bake was great. Fish caught in their waters. Very different from what we are used to. Store is cute with some good stuff to buy as souvenirs. Ketchikan -- Lumberjack Show and Potlatch Totem Park. Show was super cute. My son got to be in the first part and got a free axe. The guys are very friendly and super good with the kids. Potlatch Totems was amazing. So cool to see how they carve and to hear from the guy (well...kid -- I could be his mother haha) about how he learned from his grandfather. He also showed us around the museum with mostly his grandfather's stuff inside. Super awesome. The kids go and do an activity (painting a wooden feather) and they get a free mini totem (which is really nice btw). The stores are good, too. Shopping in Ketchikan was excellent IMO. Bought stuff at Cariloha, the Christmas store, and other little shops.

07-24-2012, 06:31 PM	#798
twopeasonepod DIS Veteran Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 772	Oh, also, we found A&P Towncar Service and got a limo on limos.com for $129. Great price. And we tried to book DCL ground transport too late so we were happy with this alternative. They were really really nice. And even tried to pick us up early since they were tracking our flight. Unfortunately, I typed in my number wrong and they were calling someone else in Hawaii at 4am haha.

07-28-2012, 06:14 PM	#800
ktalina Earning My Ears Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Florida Posts: 51	Than you for reviewing and providing info on so many things!! We will be traveling next summer and we are deciding which excursions to take. So far we are sold on the glacier (although I'm terrified of heights) and the whale watching Will continue reading!

07-31-2012, 11:22 AM	#801
brandysmommy Mouseketeer Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 192	Just back and wanted to share what we did as these boards gave a lot of insight for me. It is fragmented and brief but I wanted to get something out there while it was still fresh. Tracy Arm Day - claim a lounge chair on deck 10 by 10am. Try for one between the two funnels that way you can also see the other side without. They grill out in the seating area of Beach Blanket for lunch but don't overly advertise - very good food - access through Beach Blanket. Wear sunscreen - it was 55-60 and sunny - those without sunscreen were burned. Skagway - we rented a car from Avis - right in town, grabbed water from the grocery store and headed to the Yukon. We purchased Murray's Guide http://www.murraysguide.com/ for $5 - great investment. Did the Yukon Suspension bridge as well as Caribou Crossing. Drove to Emerald Lake and returned. Ate at Spirit Lake Lodge - ok food - terribly expensive $17 for a burger. Not many other options - might consider taking picnic food. Juneau - we did the Mendenhall Glacier Dog Sled. Phenomenal experience. After, the bus driver dropped us into town. We did the Mount Roberts Tramway and hiked a bit at the top. Ketchikan - we hired http://www.ketchikantaxicabtours.com/ Dave took us around - we saw everything (but couldn't find any bears) - eagles (so many), water falls, totem poles, totem carving, native village, forged for native berries which were so good, drove wooden streets and learned so much about the area. He dropped us off at the end at the Lumberjack show. We had purchased tickets on-line in advance and they were waiting for us. After the show, we headed back to the ship. Victoria - we stayed on the ship - if your kids want to do the ship game in the lab - this is the time to do it - no one was there - my kids did it for hours. The weather was great - only rained after we left Juneau - never needed more than a sweatshirt other than on the glacier - then added a 2nd sweatshirt, hat and gloves. I think we were lucky in the weather department though. Animators Palate was always freezing - as they have the doors that open to the deck and lifeboats. Other interior areas very comfortable with summerish clothes. Any questions feel free to ask - need to get some unpacking and laundry done!

08-20-2012, 04:50 PM	#809
mmgrdg Mouseketeer Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 249	This is great info...still trying to decide if this would be a good cruise for my kids (13&14)... So it's helpful to see what people did and liked/disliked. __________________ Me

08-21-2012, 07:18 AM	#810
gojulia Earning My Ears Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 30	Here's what we did: Skagway: Liarsville Disney Character Experience thing Grizzly Falls Ziplining (my favorite thing about the whole trip- you must go!!!) Juneau: Best of Juneau Ketchikan: Float Plane trip Victoria: just took the bus into town and walked around after dinner. It was lovely and so glad we got off the ship!

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