This was an amazing trip! With my husband and 7 year old.
Skagway - booked the helicopter/glacier/dog sled excursion on our own. I wanted to do it early in the trip since this is the most often cancelled excursion (due to weather) but the one that would be most meaningful to us all. The place we had to go was literally next to the ship. Walked over -- took 2 minutes. Got all the gear and within minutes was in a helicopter. Aside from my wedding, this was the best experience of my life! We had an amazing time. Not the least of which was that except for the people training the dogs, it's just you and the 3 other people who were on your helicopter. You are virtually alone on a glacier in the middle of nowhere. Awesome! The dogs were amazing. Each group goes on a sled -- just your family. My son led the team the entire time. In addition to it being a singularly amazing experience, we have fab pictures of us with the puppies!
Juneau - we didn't plan anything (in case we needed to reschedule the helicopter/dog sled) and took the tram. Great views. But when I have spent days with thousands of people, when we dock I want to get off and be far from crowds.
Ketchikan - thru Disney, we did a canoeing trip. My only complaint about
DCL excursions are that there are more people than I'd like, but this was a fabulous excursion. We were in the middle of nowhere, in a state or national park, canoeing through the pristine water. Really, really beautiful. Another favorite experience.
Have fun!