Alaska Excursions--post your reviews here!

[misseulalie]

We went with ERA and they had a lot of helicopters at base but I think they were all going to different locations. We landed on the Taku glacier but we were the only helicopter there. Not sure if you and your husband would be able to split up between 2 helicopters and still land in the same location. Have you considered taking the baby with you? If your baby is under 2 years I think they're free. The only thing I can tell you is I felt very safe in our helicopter and was never worried that something might happen.

Take my 2 year old devil-child on a 5 hour, $700 a person dog sled excursion??

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Another question: When will we find out the timings of the excursions? I am thinking of doing the Bear Line Zip line and lumberjack show on the same day in Ketchikan.

If two of us are zip lining, what can the other people in our party do doing that time?

If you book DCL excursions, you will see the times available when you are able to book online for your cruise.

 

[Mackie Mouse]

Would you all say that in Juneau there is enough to do with the Glacier, Nugget Falls and the Mt. Robert Tramway for a good part of the day? Is an excursion necessary? Keep in mind, we will have a 6.5YO and a 4YO in tow. I know that both boys will want to explore the glacier and falls.
thanks!

Here was our (pretty sweet) day in Juneau. We had nothing booked when we walked off the boat. Adjust as necessary, since we don't have kids:
-Take the Blue Bus shuttle ($8 each way) to Mendenhall around 8:30 AM.
-Spent a few hours wandering around the Mendenhall glacier's trails and the visitor center
-Got back to Juneau a little before noon, in time to beat the lunch rush at Tracy's King Crab Shack (you MUST eat there!)
-Strolled around downtown Juneau a bit, browsed in a few shops, and poked around the Alaska State Museum for an hour, which had some cool exhibits and native art
-Took an afternoon tour/tasting at the Alaskan Brewing company - their shuttle from downtown costs a few bucks, but the tour/tasting is free...and you can carry beer back on board the ship! (Maybe not ideal with the kids, but man, we had fun.)

 

[misseulalie]

To those who already sailed- do you recommend main or late dining? We typically chose main. But for the Med we were glad we chose late dining because of not rushing to get back for dinner.

Also, can someone remind me what time is late dining? It's been so long, I forgot!

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

To those who already sailed- do you recommend main or late dining? We typically chose main. But for the Med we were glad we chose late dining because of not rushing to get back for dinner. Also, can someone remind me what time is late dining? It's been so long, I forgot!

I would consider how the time change affects you. We had late dining at first because we booked last minute. My kids fell asleep during dinner the first night because they don't adjust to time changes well. We were able to switch to early, so that really helped. I think Skagway and Ketchikan are the only two days that you would have to be sure to be back on board in time, and we didn't feel we were shortchanged in those ports because of dinner. Oh, late dinner is 8:15. This is pacific time for part of the trip, but you fall back another hour mid-cruise.

 

[Ellester]

I would consider how the time change affects you. We had late dining at first because we booked last minute. My kids fell asleep during dinner the first night because they don't adjust to time changes well. We were able to switch to early, so that really helped. I think Skagway and Ketchikan are the only two days that you would have to be sure to be back on board in time, and we didn't feel we were shortchanged in those ports because of dinner. Oh, late dinner is 8:15. This is pacific time for part of the trip, but you fall back another hour mid-cruise.

Agreed. We had a hard time with the time change. We live on the east coast and in Alaska it was a four hour change so even main dining was like past 9pm for us. Late dining would have felt like 12:15am! It was really only an issue in Ketchikan when my girls wanted to shop a bit more but we really didn't want to miss the "Taste of Alaska" menu.

 

[bridgetmck]

Agreed. We had a hard time with the time change. We live on the east coast and in Alaska it was a four hour change so even main dining was like past 9pm for us. Late dining would have felt like 12:15am! It was really only an issue in Ketchikan when my girls wanted to shop a bit more but we really didn't want to miss the "Taste of Alaska" menu.

We are east coasters as well. Didn't even think about how it effects dining! Good point everyone! I contacted our agent today and found that we had late dining! Yikes! Thankfully, since we are so far out, we were able to move it no problem! Late dining with 2 very tired little guys would have been an issue.
Thanks!

 

[misseulalie]

What time is late dining- 7:30?

 

[bridgetmck]

What time is late dining- 7:30?

I read somewhere that it was 8:15. Early is 5:45, I think. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

We are east coasters as well. Didn't even think about how it effects dining! Good point everyone! I contacted our agent today and found that we had late dining! Yikes! Thankfully, since we are so far out, we were able to move it no problem! Late dining with 2 very tired little guys would have been an issue.
Thanks!

We are also east coasters and we usually eat around 5:45pm so we knew for sure we wanted the Main dining, especially when you throw in the time difference. I do agree, there were times we felt a little more rushed but it's just a compromise since we knew we wouldn't be able to make it to Late dining. We were also wait-listed for the Main dining for awhile and I wasn't sure you were aware but they assign dining the week before the cruise like in the 7 days before you sail. There are plenty of times people are moved ahead of time so just keep checking online or you might get an email letting you know (we have never received an email but others report they do). We've been moved three times from Late to Main usually due to our last minute bookings or moving one up. It all works out and even if not you can do when you board the ship.

Have a great time!

Heather

 

[dizneekrazee]

Hi guys, I've just started reading this thread. There are a lot of pages to catch up on, and I am beginning to feel lost in them lol.

I have a few questions about excursions we are considering:

Skagway: Is there a combo tour offered that I am missing that includes dog sledding and the White Pass RR?

Juneau: Should we dog sled here? Or, in Skagway? (Not interested in any of the ones that include a helicopter ride).

If we do dog sledding in Skagway, and our whale watching in Vancouver, what would you recommend for a family of 5 in Juneau?

Thanks a mil!!

 

[Ellester]

Hi guys, I've just started reading this thread. There are a lot of pages to catch up on, and I am beginning to feel lost in them lol. I have a few questions about excursions we are considering: Skagway: Is there a combo tour offered that I am missing that includes dog sledding and the White Pass RR? Juneau: Should we dog sled here? Or, in Skagway? (Not interested in any of the ones that include a helicopter ride). If we do dog sledding in Skagway, and our whale watching in Vancouver, what would you recommend for a family of 5 in Juneau? Thanks a mil!!

We didn't do any dog sledding so I can't really answer those questions (my oldest two dd's volunteer with a local animal rescue and get their fill of puppies there!). But in Juneau, I would definitely recommend going to the Mendenhall glacier. We only spent an hour or so there, but we could have stayed much longer. The Mt. Roberts tramway also seems to be very popular. Again, we didn't do it because it was very overcast the day we were there so the top of the mountain had poor visibility.

 

[bridgetmck]

Hi guys, I've just started reading this thread. There are a lot of pages to catch up on, and I am beginning to feel lost in them lol. I have a few questions about excursions we are considering: Skagway: Is there a combo tour offered that I am missing that includes dog sledding and the White Pass RR? Juneau: Should we dog sled here? Or, in Skagway? (Not interested in any of the ones that include a helicopter ride). If we do dog sledding in Skagway, and our whale watching in Vancouver, what would you recommend for a family of 5 in Juneau? Thanks a mil!!

So I cannot speak from experience, but I can tell you what I have found and what we are planning. I have been price comparing excursions--booking through the company vs through DCL and I have found that if you book through the company it is usually cheaper.
In Skagway, there are no actual dog sleds. I have only found the dog carts. It seems that there are sleds in Juneau because they have the glacier there. If you are interested in the dog cart & railroad tour look at
www.Chilkootcharters.com
It is available there.
We will be doing the dog cart adventure through Alaska Excursions
Since there is a lot to see in Juneau without booking an excursion (it gets expensive!). Look into the Mendenhall Glacier ($8 blue bus from town). Then also the Mt Roberts Tram. For lunch that day we plan to go to Tracy's Crab Shack. I think between those two, there is enough to see & do in Juneau.
How old are your kids?

 

[dizneekrazee]

So I cannot speak from experience, but I can tell you what I have found and what we are planning. I have been price comparing excursions--booking through the company vs through DCL and I have found that if you book through the company it is usually cheaper. In Skagway, there are no actual dog sleds. I have only found the dog carts. It seems that there are sleds in Juneau because they have the glacier there. If you are interested in the dog cart & railroad tour look at www.Chilkootcharters.com It is available there. We will be doing the dog cart adventure through Alaska Excursions Since there is a lot to see in Juneau without booking an excursion (it gets expensive!). Look into the Mendenhall Glacier ($8 blue bus from town). Then also the Mt Roberts Tram. For lunch that day we plan to go to Tracy's Crab Shack. I think between those two, there is enough to see & do in Juneau. How old are your kids?

Thank you!! We have 3 boys, who will be 15, 10, and 8 at time of sailing. I have looked at a few directly through tour companies to compare prices, I don't especially like paying adult price for my 10 year old.

What exactly is a dog cart?

The sledding on the glacier in Juneau looks amazing, but we are not doing any helicopters lol. So maybe dog carts are our only option??

We might do our whale watching in Juneau with a private company. Then just spend the rest of our time in town on our own.

I am going to check out those links in just a moment.

 

[bridgetmck]

Our boys will be 6.5 and 4.5! And yeah, paying full price for a 10 YO is not nice.
Just a thought for you, in Ketchikan, there is a Bering Sea fisherman's tour. We are going on this one! It looks awesome--especially for my boys. Maybe consider that instead of a boat tour in Juneau, that way you could fit everything in.

 

[Ellester]

Our boys will be 6.5 and 4.5! And yeah, paying full price for a 10 YO is not nice. Just a thought for you, in Ketchikan, there is a Bering Sea fisherman's tour. We are going on this one! It looks awesome--especially for my boys. Maybe consider that instead of a boat tour in Juneau, that way you could fit everything in.

I was interested in this one, but the minimum age was 5 when I checked.

 

[dizneekrazee]

Our boys will be 6.5 and 4.5! And yeah, paying full price for a 10 YO is not nice.
Just a thought for you, in Ketchikan, there is a Bering Sea fisherman's tour. We are going on this one! It looks awesome--especially for my boys. Maybe consider that instead of a boat tour in Juneau, that way you could fit everything in.

When is your Alaskan cruise?

Whale watching is our priority excursion, so I cannot cut that out. The only way around it is to spend extra time in Vancouver and do it before sailing. Whale watching in Vancouver is more affordable, but then, we have to pay for extra nights and extra meals.

We have already decided in Ketchikan, we are going to use that day at our leisure. Possibly hit up a few shops, then spend the rest of the time on the (hopefully more deserted) ship. I may use this day for a spa treatment for myself.

 

[bridgetmck]

I was interested in this one, but the minimum age was 5 when I checked.

Yes, you are correct. However, I contacted the company directly and inquired. Basically, they do not enforce the age minimum and do not check passports. I cannot book through DCL due to the age minimum. I have to book directly through the charter. I have emailed, at length, about what the tour consists of and there is no rough water or anything that would inhibit him from being able or not able to do something. So we will do it.

 

[bridgetmck]

When is your Alaskan cruise? Whale watching is our priority excursion, so I cannot cut that out. The only way around it is to spend extra time in Vancouver and do it before sailing. Whale watching in Vancouver is more affordable, but then, we have to pay for extra nights and extra meals. We have already decided in Ketchikan, we are going to use that day at our leisure. Possibly hit up a few shops, then spend the rest of the time on the (hopefully more deserted) ship. I may use this day for a spa treatment for myself.

We are sailing Aug 25. We will be in Vancouver for 2 days prior to setting sail. Chinatown and Stanley Park top our sightseeing list there.

And if whale watching is what you want to do, do it! Juneau looks like the place to be for that! Our day of leisure (so to speak) will Juneau. No real plans. A few things on our list. And if those don't work out, we'll head back to the ship. I think the one MUST DO for us is the Bering Sea tour. I do not want to miss it!

 

[dizneekrazee]

We are sailing Aug 25. We will be in Vancouver for 2 days prior to setting sail. Chinatown and Stanley Park top our sightseeing list there.

And if whale watching is what you want to do, do it! Juneau looks like the place to be for that! Our day of leisure (so to speak) will Juneau. No real plans. A few things on our list. And if those don't work out, we'll head back to the ship. I think the one MUST DO for us is the Bering Sea tour. I do not want to miss it!

We haven't decided on if we would be flying in day of cruise, or earlier, yet. It is only a 2 hour flight for us. We would be on the June 2 sailing. My co-worker took the June 3 sailing this year, and they were able to get a great rate by waiting it out, so that is our plan.