Alaska Excursions--post your reviews here!

[AquaDame]

Can someone recommend dog sledding that you can book on your own? When we booked this cruise we were in a different financial place but now with all the money spent buying our first house and all the extas of setting it up we will be on a tighter budget (but dont want to cancel in case Disney doesn't come back!) Any info on good companies for an early June run would be appreciated ^^

 

[AZMermaid]

Anyone do the Wilderness Exploration & Crab Feast in Ketchikan?

I tried to use the search function to search this thread for the answer to this- but it didn't work! Anyone do this? How do you think a 17 month old and almost 3 year old would like this?

 

[lilpooh108]

This thread has been very helpful. It seems that most people are taking the train in Skagway. Has anyone tried doing the bus only tour in Skagway? I am looking into either Discover The Yukon Adventure by Chilkoot Charters & Tours OR Yukon Discovery by Frontier Excursions & Adventures. Has anyone tried either one of these two excursions? Reviews will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

We did the short 3 hour tour with Frontier Excursions and really liked it. I know people that went on the train and thought it was boring since the scenery is the same going up and down and the train was not climate controlled so it was super hot.

Frontier was affordable, but we didnt do the Yukon one you're looking at.

 

[chiburple]

This is a great thread! I haven't read every page so my appologies if these questions have already been answered. I saw that there are now two Disney excursions for the Yukon Train thing. One goes up and turns around and comes back down (which I've read that the way down is a bit boring) and the other lets passengers off in Fraiser to take the bus down. For those that have taken the train, how much of the view will we miss if we get off in Fraiser? Is it more of the same or is there more to see by staying on the train all the way to the summit?

Also a question about tipping: Should we tip on all excursions and how much? Do we tip someone on the train for example and, if so, who and when?

What about Harv and Marv's whale watching?
(After reading this thread I went ahead and booked that for Juneau so Thank you so much to those that made that recommendation!)

 

[dvhtu]

We did the short 3 hour tour with Frontier Excursions and really liked it. I know people that went on the train and thought it was boring since the scenery is the same going up and down and the train was not climate controlled so it was super hot.

Frontier was affordable, but we didnt do the Yukon one you're looking at.

Thank you for your reply.

 

[ucancallmetink]

Just thought I'd take a minute to share our Alaska cruise excursions for the benefit of this season's cruisers.

In Skagway, we did the 4x4 Takshanuk Mountain Trail through Disney. It was worth every penny. I detailed the experience with plenty of photos in my Disney Cruise Line Skagway Review

In Juneau, we booked on our own with ERA for a helicopter/dog sledding adventure. Also worth every penny. Read more on my Disney Cruise Line Juneau review.

I'm happy to answer any questions as well!

 

[cleophus12]

We booked the Yukon and white pass thru chilkioot on our own. Train up and bus back. We got some great pics on the bus ride down. Just gives you a different perspective to shoot from. Driver was very nice. Stopped a couple of times for photos. So easy to do too. Train is right at the dock and chilkoot sends a rep to greet you.

 

[cleophus12]

We booked the Yukon and white pass thru chilkioot on our own. Train up and bus back. We got some great pics on the bus ride down. Just gives you a different perspective to shoot from. Driver was very nice. Stopped a couple of times for photos. So easy to do too. Train is right at the dock and chilkoot sends a rep to greet you.

Oh and we had plenty of time to explore Skagway afterwards.

 

[Scoobydoo76]

Can someone recommend dog sledding that you can book on your own? When we booked this cruise we were in a different financial place but now with all the money spent buying our first house and all the extas of setting it up we will be on a tighter budget (but dont want to cancel in case Disney doesn't come back!) Any info on good companies for an early June run would be appreciated ^^

In Juneau for Medenhall Glacier 2011 we used Alaska Icefield Expeditions. Their web site is http://www.akdogtour.com/reservations/. They did an excellent job and I highly recommend them. The excursion is still expensive but a little less than the Disney price.

You can pm me is you have any questions.

 

[mickeyhereicome]

I have never been on a cruise and do not really know how smoothly excursions go. My family would like to do the Helicopter and dog sled tour and a whale tour. On Disney's website it says 2.5-3 hours for helicopter tour and 4-4.5 hours for whale tour. How accurate are the times? Online says ashore at 6:15, but my family would be closer to 8 and on board at 4:30. Is the onboard time when the boat is leaving or we could get there at 4:15 and walk on? Will we have enough time or no?

 

[MCO mama]

We went to Alaska on another cruiseline, and I don't know if DCL offers this or not...but one of the greatest memories I have was of an excursion where we canoed up to a glacier. Well, not a 2 person canoe, but like a 6 or 8 person canoe-type boat (not sure what it is called, can you tell?). You could feel it getting colder and colder the closer you got...really amazing.

 

[Tikifamily]

Lots of people have written about the train trip and how great it is. But, I have not read many posts about what we did - no excursion. I know, crazy right!

We got off the ship and walked into town with our 9 year old. We went to the park board office and participated in the junior ranger patch program. It is a free program put out by the national parks. We ran through fields of wildflowers, found a playground, listened to a local talk about her childhood at a local book store and climbed the mountain to the right of town. We played games in the office and around town. Best of all, at the end when you turn in your paperwork, your child takes the oath to protect nature and preserve history and earns a patch or pin.

The junior ranger program is available in all national parks. In some places you can download the paperwork before you go. I highly recommend this "excursion"



I heard if you go on the eagle tour in Haines, you drive by Parker's house from the Gold Rush show .

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

We went to Alaska on another cruiseline, and I don't know if DCL offers this or not...but one of the greatest memories I have was of an excursion where we canoed up to a glacier. Well, not a 2 person canoe, but like a 6 or 8 person canoe-type boat (not sure what it is called, can you tell?). You could feel it getting colder and colder the closer you got...really amazing.

My kids really really want to do that one! DH is less than enthusiastic, though...

 

[topsy]

We are booked on the September 2nd cruise and are booking the following tours (none are with DCL):

Skagway
Chilkoot Charters: Yukon Bus & Rail Excursion With Lunch / Husky Puppy Camp / Emerald Lake

Juneau
Harv & Marv's Whale Watching Tour
(We'll get dropped off at Mendenhall Glacier and return to town on the $8 shuttle bus)

Ketchikan
Misty Fjords floatplane flight - not sure who with yet. Any suggestions would be welcome!

 

[jdb in AZ]

We are booked on the September 2nd cruise and are booking the following tours (none are with DCL):

Skagway
Chilkoot Charters: Yukon Bus & Rail Excursion With Lunch / Husky Puppy Camp / Emerald Lake

Juneau
Harv & Marv's Whale Watching Tour
(We'll get dropped off at Mendenhall Glacier and return to town on the $8 shuttle bus)

Ketchikan
Misty Fjords floatplane flight - not sure who with yet. Any suggestions would be welcome!

We didn't want to pay the ship's excursion rate, so when we got to Ketchikan we just looked around (you'll see advertisement signage) chose a local pilot. No advance reservation necessary. Absolutely loved the trip. Gorgeous scenery. The pilot showed us mountain sheep, and we landed on a glacier lake.

 

[Mackie Mouse]

We are booked on the September 2nd cruise and are booking the following tours (none are with DCL):

Skagway
Chilkoot Charters: Yukon Bus & Rail Excursion With Lunch / Husky Puppy Camp / Emerald Lake

Juneau
Harv & Marv's Whale Watching Tour
(We'll get dropped off at Mendenhall Glacier and return to town on the $8 shuttle bus)

Ketchikan
Misty Fjords floatplane flight - not sure who with yet. Any suggestions would be welcome!

We booked with Island Wings per recommendations here for this summer! Very pleased with their customer service so far.

We are doing Chilkoot Charters in Skagway, too...would have also loved to do whale watching with Harv and Marv, but DH wasn't too enthused...so instead we have a day of our own fun planned out in Juneau

 

[EllinK]

We also booked the Temsco helicopter/glacer/dog sled excursion in Skagway. It was steps away from where the Wonder docked. Phenomenal! If we return to Alaska, we will do this again even though it is $$$. Don't miss it.

In Ketchikan we did the canoe trip because I wanted to get away from crowds and figured my son would be itching to do something physical. Another incredible success -- you take a van to a state park that is remote and breathtaking. Being out on the water and experiencing the calm and the quiet was a perfect way to spend the afternoon.

You won't be disappointed with either of these tours.

 

[topsy]

Brilliant, that's exactly what we're hoping to do! Thanks.

 

[AZMermaid]

We are booked on the September 2nd cruise and are booking the following tours (none are with DCL):

Skagway
Chilkoot Charters: Yukon Bus & Rail Excursion With Lunch / Husky Puppy Camp / Emerald Lake

Juneau
Harv & Marv's Whale Watching Tour
(We'll get dropped off at Mendenhall Glacier and return to town on the $8 shuttle bus)

Ketchikan
Misty Fjords floatplane flight - not sure who with yet. Any suggestions would be welcome!

We are booked for Harv and Marv for the July 15 cruise and also looking at Chilkoot Charters- just for the bus and rail though. Not sure my kids can hang in for anything more than a 4 hour excursion. In Ketchikan we are debating between the Deadliest Catch tour and Wilderness/Crab fest one. We will be booking that through DCL since we will leave the kids in the nursery for sure if it is the Deadliest Catch one and maybe for the other one. I have an email into the company asking if it is appropriate for kids under 3 but no response yet.

 

[Broncobait]

What was the cost of the Harv and Marv excursion? I was considering this one also. I had been planning on booking our excursions in early March. Y'all are getting the jump on us.