Alaska Excursions Help Needed

[Clarkson U]

Hi Everyone! We are taking our first Alaskan cruise on board the Disney Wonder May 13-20, 2024. We will be 4 people ages 50, 49, 21 and 19 at time of sailing.

We are starting to explore port adventures as the booking window opens up in early January and were wondering if this group has some recommendations for us and also some thoughts on what we found as well.

The ones we were considering are as follows:

Stikine IceCap:

Glacier Explorer (DG01) - it is get off the big boat to a smaller boat and get closer to the glaciers and wildlife. It is expensive at $309/person.

Icy Strait Point:

Gondola Mountaintop and transporter (IS35) - this one takes you up a gondola to the top of a local mountain and you get views to look around. Simple.


Juneau:

Here we have found 3 options:
1. Coastal Rainforest Segway (JU81) - along the coast, using bike lanes for a good part of the segway experience
2. Alpine Wilderness Trail Segway (JU80) - off road, on gravel over a nordic ski path
3. Mendenhall Glacier Explorer (JU11) - to the glacier, time there and back

Ketchikan:
Open to recommendations.

We are all vegetarians and do not eat seafood so many of the salmon bake adventures do not appeal to us. We would also look at any NON-Disney excursions as well.

Thanks so much in advance for the insight. Always appreciate the wealth of knowledge on these boards and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[jdb in AZ]

One thing about Alaskan ports -- there are plenty of kiosks where you can book your own shore excursions without paying the DCL premium. Allow yourself plenty of time to return to the ship before the "all aboard."

You can get to the Mendenhall Glacier via city bus -- spend as much time as you like, then return without waiting for a tour group. Much cheaper than DCL,

In Ketchikan three of us booked a seaplane tour of Misty Fjords. This is weather permitting, but it was a lot of fun. We "buzzed" big horn sheep, then landed on a glacier lake.

 

[robinb]

Icy Strait Point:

Gondola Mountaintop and transporter (IS35) - this one takes you up a gondola to the top of a local mountain and you get views to look around. Simple.

I fully recommend whale watching at Icy Strait Point. I did a bear/whale combination tour. We missed seeing a bear but the group behind us saw bear. The two groups combined for the whale watching. We saw whales bubble feeding and it was amazing!

The Gondola looked pretty boring *and* the hiking trails were closed because there were bears nearby.

Juneau:

Here we have found 3 options:
1. Coastal Rainforest Segway (JU81) - along the coast, using bike lanes for a good part of the segway experience
2. Alpine Wilderness Trail Segway (JU80) - off road, on gravel over a nordic ski path
3. Mendenhall Glacier Explorer (JU11) - to the glacier, time there and back

We took the "blue bus" ride to the Mendenhall Glacier for about $40. My DH has a National Park Pass so we paid $5 less than the regular price. We picked up tickets right on the pier. I've heard about the city bus, but I've also heard that it drops you off a ways (a mile, maybe) from the main building. It's another mile walk to the glacier. The blue bus runs every 30 minutes so we didn't have to wait too long for either bus. The driver was also entertaining and informative on the drive. I liked doing this because we could take as long as we wanted at the glacier and in the building. We saw many people on a "tour" that barely had enough time to jog to the glacier and back in the amount of time allotted to them.

We ate ate at Tracy's Crab Shack which had delicious but expensive crab (whoops! Just saw you were a vegetarian.).

Ketchikan:
Open to recommendations.

We took a guided tour to Totem Bight State Park. It was interesting and the views were very nice. We had an eagle fly very, very close to us there. Afterward, we walked around Creek Street. The streets we took to get there were very steep! Next time, I'll figure out a less steep route because I have a bad knee. I've heard some people like the Lumberjack Show.

 

[soniam]

If you have seen glaciers before, then I think DG01 is a waste. We have been to Patagonia. The glacier we saw on DG01 was small and dirty. It really looked like a bunch of rocks. We could see the beautiful glacier that the ship was passing very close to. Definitely wouldn’t do it again.

Ketchikan: We did the hovercraft and the seaplane. Both were very cool. One was an outside company.

 

[soniam]

Hit post too quickly. We did Harv & Marv’s Whale Watching somewhere. It was very, very good. Did the helicopter to dig sledding. It was a blast.

 

[Anna131517]

In Juneau go to Mendenhall Glacier and spend as much time there as possible. If you do have extra time you can ride the gondola / tram to the top of the mountain by the port but you don’t need an excursion for that.

For Ketchikan we enjoyed seeing the Totem Poles, walking around the old red lights district, and checking out the National Forest Service’s Southeast Alaska Discovery Center. For the Totem Poles we did an excursion but for the rest we just took a bus to town and walked around.

 

[robinb]

Here is a photo of the gondola.

 

[Flossbolna]

We did an amazing tour in Skagway, but you are not going there.

In Juneau we did an excellent whale watching tour with Jayleen’s Alaska. https://jayleensalaska.com/

They only take 6 people per boat, so you are very close to the water as the boats are small. Our captain/guide was very knowledgeable and kept the conversation about whales going. It was so informative. They picked us up at the ship, it was a 15 minute drive to the dock and then a long time on the water. We saw orcas and humpbacks. I can fully recommend this tour, it was an absolute highlight for us!!

 

[KGmomoftwins]

I would recommend wild wolf tours on Ketchikan they have a great website with some options. We did a private tour to customize what we wanted totally worth it! Rainforest hike and totem park plus time to see the historic downtown Ketchikan. See my tr for more details. Juneau is another great place for dog sledding if you whale watch in icy point.

 

[tvguy]

Any of the whale watching excursions would be worth it.

 

[Akck]

Just be aware that in May, whales are just starting to return, so you’re likely to see fewer whales compared to Jun/Jul/Aug. Orcas are usually seen migrating from one area to another, so seeing a pod is always possible. On the brighter side, May tends to be a dryer month.

In Juneau, the State Museum is within walking distance of the downtown area, as is the City Museum. As others have mentioned, you can take a bus to the glacier. You might look into a cab too. With 4 of you, the cost of a cab might be equivalent, plus many cabs will give you a tour of the area. There is a tram in Juneau and it offers nice views of the area and trails. In May, there could still be snow/ice on the mountain if that interests you.

In Ketchikan, I’ve heard that the lumberjack show is something to see. While it sounds cheesy to me, it should be entertaining. I believe DCL has special shows where Disney characters participate in the show.

 

[Clarkson U]

Thank you all very much for the info. Very helpful. Appreciate anyone else that has additional thoughts as well.

 

[AgentMama]

Definitely the float plane tour in Ketchikan.

 

[Kwami]

In Ketchikan, I’ve heard that the lumberjack show is something to see. While it sounds cheesy to me, it should be entertaining. I believe DCL has special shows where Disney characters participate in the show.

It was cheesy, but we enjoyed it. The lumberjacks are very skilled. They get world champions and record holders in various timber sports to compete in the show. The Disney addition is Goofy making the kids in the audience exercise at the beginning, which was kind of fun.

You can just buy a ticket for the show directly through their website, even if you want to see the Disney show. You'll save $5 or so per ticket and you won't have to meet up onboard before the show, which gives you more time to do whatever else you're doing in Ketchikan that day. The show is very close to the docks.

 

[SeattleSuz]

Do a float plane tour if you can. When we cruised to AK many years ago, we did that in PSG and it was SOOOOO beautiful (until my husband got motion sickness, lol).
Juneau has some cool stuff to do that's close to town, we did a "rainforest" beach hike and also did a hike on our own behind the main town. Mendenhall is cool, but if you have seen a glacier, it's just meh.
Ketchikan was a chill day for us, we just walked around town and got some sweets at Ketchikandies.
There are plenty of hikes in some of these ports if you take a little bit of time to research. A lot of whale watching tours are a waste because the whales are not always cooperative.
I used to work for a small ship cruiseline and one of the main cruises was Alaska Inside Passage. The main ports can be very touristy, so trying to get off the beaten path is usually the best way to go, if you can figure out how to do it.