Alaska Excursions--post your reviews here!

[Inkmahm]

thanks! I think we will keep the Whale watch after all and just skip the Salmon Bake...we are thinking of switching from Best of Juneau to the Glacier and Whale Quest...

I don't think you have that option as you will have the salmon bake on an island in the middle of the excursion.

 

[buddywesley]

I don't think you have that option as you will have the salmon bake on an island in the middle of the excursion.

that is why we might change from "Best of" to just the Glacier Whale Quest Excursion Dont need the Salmon part...

 

[famviramontes]

We just returned as well and this is what we did.

Skagway: Whitepass rail and biking down. I haven't seen this reviewed yet and was a bit worried. We had a wonderful time. The bike down is fast for those who don't ride a lot. We did have one person opt not to continue down. I felt safe the whole time and I hadn't ridden a bike in years. The bikes have special breaks so all is good.

Juneau: Harv and Marv whale watching. AMAZING! We got really lucky to see so many amazing whales. We were off to go to another, yes another, humpback and an Orca surfaced about 10 feet from our boat. It happened another time as well. We weren't even looking for these at the time. There were only the three of us from our family so we moved all around our small boat to see things.

Ketchikan: Kayaking with Southeast Kayaking. Another great excursion. A sea lion got surprised by my sons kayak and jumped way out of the water right next to him. Another of those wonderful things that happens so fast there is no way to record it.

What I really noticed on the excursions is that the tour guides do everything in their power to not invade the lives of the animals. Every time we had an encounter it was total at random and when it occurred paddling stopped or engines were turned off to give the animals there space.

 

[denise]

We just returned as well and this is what we did.

Skagway: Whitepass rail and biking down. I haven't seen this reviewed yet and was a bit worried. We had a wonderful time. The bike down is fast for those who don't ride a lot. We did have one person opt not to continue down. I felt safe the whole time and I hadn't ridden a bike in years. The bikes have special breaks so all is good.

Thanks for the info. We are booked on this---well sorta-- the train one was full so we booked the van up and bikes down. Really wanted the rail but oh well.
Neither of us have ridden in years either but I think we should be ok. My concern is my camera around my neck. It is heavy and expensive but I want to be able to take pictures too. Are there times they stop for photo ops? Just wondering if a small backpack would work for the camera. My regular camera backpack is just too big for a bike ride. If they don't stop for pictures did people straggle behind taking them anyway?
again, thanks for the info

 

[fireplug]

From my research into picking my own whale watching excursion, I think that the trips with the smallest boat size are Alaska Whales & Rainforest Trails + Alaska Whales & Science Adventure (through the Gastineau Guiding Company). The next smallest are the Exclusive Whale Encounter excursions (through Dolphin Jet Boat Tours). The rest are with Allen Marine, with the largest boats.

Personally I picked the Alaska Whales & Rainforest Trails for the small size of the boat and the cool open window concept of their boats. Hope I chose wisely!

Aby

We did the Alaska Whales & Rainforest Trails and loved it. the rainforest walk was through some very cool forested area. The whale watching boat had no more than 16 people on it I am sure and the windows were lifted up to view whales and sea lions. My wife and I thought it was hands down our best excursion.

Squid

 

[famviramontes]

Thanks for the info. We are booked on this---well sorta-- the train one was full so we booked the van up and bikes down. Really wanted the rail but oh well.
Neither of us have ridden in years either but I think we should be ok. My concern is my camera around my neck. It is heavy and expensive but I want to be able to take pictures too. Are there times they stop for photo ops? Just wondering if a small backpack would work for the camera. My regular camera backpack is just too big for a bike ride. If they don't stop for pictures did people straggle behind taking them anyway?
again, thanks for the info

This was the one excursion we didn't take any pictures on. There are opportunities as we stopped several times. I wouldn't take a big camera but I had mine in a small backpack, not a problem.

 

[lmcarr]

thanks! I think we will keep the Whale watch after all and just skip the Salmon Bake...we are thinking of switching from Best of Juneau to the Glacier and Whale Quest...

We did the Best of Juneau through Disney and it was really nice and the food was awesome! The only problems were that it did take up the whole day while in port and that the lunch was late. I highly recommend to eat a really good breakfast and take some snacks. The fish was fresh and very good, definitely worth the wait.

 

[buddywesley]

We did the Best of Juneau through Disney and it was really nice and the food was awesome! The only problems were that it did take up the whole day while in port and that the lunch was late. I highly recommend to eat a really good breakfast and take some snacks. The fish was fresh and very good, definitely worth the wait.

I was thinking we'd probably not have too much time to do anything else in port on the Best of Juneau and we really want to try Tracy's Crab Shack...hmmm...what to do...what to do?! I switched to Glacier and Whale quest and then before we could switch our traveling companions it filled up and now we are on 2 seperate excursions. Not sure what to do?

 

[cruzings]

We did the Best of Juneau through Disney and it was really nice and the food was awesome! The only problems were that it did take up the whole day while in port and that the lunch was late. I highly recommend to eat a really good breakfast and take some snacks. The fish was fresh and very good, definitely worth the wait.

Thanks. We also plan to do the Best of Juneau excursion but I've read that the whale watching part was not optimal because of the number of people on the boat. What was your experience?

 

[MN Dis Fans]

Just off the boat on 5-31, we did zip lining in Skagway.. LOVED IT...
Exlusive Whale watching in Juneau.. LOVED IT MORE... whales were so close,
awesome. The DH and DS did Knudson Salmon fishing, very disappointing for them. They did not actually fish at all, the guide did the fishing and if there was a bite on the line, then they took turns reeling it in. Spent alot of money and had to get a fishing license and salmon stamp to sit on a boat for 4 hours. WILL NOT BOOK THIS AGAIN....

How many people were on this with your DH / DS fishing? Did you file a complaint after your excursion? Did your DH / DS try to say anything during the excursion? I have booked this for my brother who is a big time fisherman, and my youngest DS. I can tell you that neither of them would be happy not to be actually fishing. I am seriously considering cancelling this based on your experiennces above, and trying to find a different fishing excursion for them. Should I drop DCL a note voicing my concerns to see what they say?

Has anyone else done this excursion, if so, what were your experiences?

TIA.

 

[wdhinn89]

How many people were on this with your DH / DS fishing? Did you file a complaint after your excursion? Did your DH / DS try to say anything during the excursion? I have booked this for my brother who is a big time fisherman, and my youngest DS. I can tell you that neither of them would be happy not to be actually fishing. I am seriously considering cancelling this based on your experiennces above, and trying to find a different fishing excursion for them. Should I drop DCL a note voicing my concerns to see what they say?

Has anyone else done this excursion, if so, what were your experiences?

TIA.

My husband said alot of times the boats troll. Mutiple lines are set and when a fish is hooked the pole is handed off to someone. This is not uncommon but you have to ask if this is how the boat fishes and if you are interested in fishing this way

 

[LBollengier]

Skagway - We did the adventure park zip line excursion. We enjoyed it a lot. Fewer lines (and less expensive for it) than the Mammoth zip line, but still a great experience.

Juneau - we took the bus from the boat over to town and then took a public shuttle bus from there to the Mendenhall glacier. It was so beautiful. A great place to explore. This was one of the highlights for me personally out of all my port experiences.

Ketchikan - we walked to Starbucks in the Safeway so that I could add to my collection of Starbucks mugs and get the Alaskan one. It was the only Starbucks on the trip that I could access easily from port. I didn't get a good impression of the city compared to the other ports we visited. It seemed like the air was more polluted and the buildings hadn't been very well taken care of. We were glad for the sun though.

Thanks so much for your post!! Now, I am totally going to the Starbucks in Ketchikan - for a mug for my collection & a Latte! I miss good coffee on the cruise - just not enough to bring a pot and all!!

Is the Safeway near the Cruise Terminal?

 

[LBollengier]

THese are the ones we booked with the help of a travel agent...
I had a lot that sounded good to me and I needed help!!

Any comments - good or bad choices?

Day 4 - Skagway Friday, July 15, 2011
White Pass Scenic Railway 8:00AM - 12:00PM

Day 5 - Juneau Saturday, July 16, 2011 - 2 EXCURSIONS!!!

Exclusive Whale Encounter 7:45AM - 11:15AM

Historic Gold Panning Adventure and Gold Creek Salmon Bake 1:15PM - 4:45PM

Day 6 - Ketchikan Sunday, July 17, 2011
Rainforest Canopy and Zipline Expedition 12:15PM - 3:45PM

 

[siburdue]

There was a little talk earlier about the starbucks and the coffee mugs a the ports, but my girlfriend collects the little Starbucks bears - do you know if any of the Starbucks in Alaska have special bears with outfits for Alaska or for the specific city in Alaska? Thank you.

 

[cyclenut]

It's been pretty easy to find the excursion providers online through a quick search as there aren't many different options in each port. Trying searching on the excursion name and city and you should find the operator for your questions.

I did this, found the operator and sent them a note. I received an excellent response from Sockeye Cycle Company. They told me they had bikes with SPD cleats so I could bring my shoes. Being able to clip in is a big deal if that's what you're used to. They also told me they would mount my Garmin bike computer on my bike for me. This is cool because now I'll have a GPS record of my bike trek.

Very nice and very professional. I'm really looking forward to it.

For those of you who are not sure what to expect out of your excursion, I suggest trying this method to find your tour operator and then check out their web site and FAQ. You may not need to contact them at all as their web site is generally more extensive than the Disney information.

 

[catislander]

For those looking to do something on their own, my family rented a car in Skagway and drove into the Yukon. The highway travels a very similar route to the train, so you see much of the same scenery. We downloaded Murray's Guide (Google it)for $5 and went through Avis for $120. We were able to stop where we wanted for photos -- particularly helpful when you see bears right next to the road as we did. We had lunch at Spirit Lake Lodge, a quirky little stop just before you get to Emerald Lake. On the way back we stopped at Caribou Crossing. Luckily we were there between buses and had the place nearly to ourselves. Our DD6, loved the dog cart ride (she and I were the only ones on the cart) and the puppy time.
We left Skagway about 9 a.m. and got back around 2:30. We took our time driving, spent about an hour at lunch and an hour and a half at Caribou Crossing and stopped frequently for photos and we still had plenty of time to have a snack and a beer at the Red Onion Saloon before getting back on board.
Having the car was a great way to experience things on our own terms. It worked out really well for us and was a highlight of our trip.

 

[Mouseskis]

Does anyone know if there are bathrooms on the whale watching boats? We are looking at the Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest or the Exclusive Whale Encounter both in Juneau. Thanks!

 

[brentm3]

Does anyone know if there are bathrooms on the whale watching boats? We are looking at the Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest or the Exclusive Whale Encounter both in Juneau. Thanks!

Yes there were 2 bathrooms on our WW&WQ boat.

 

[mouseclick1]

Still looking for a review on Takshanuk Mountain Trail 4x4. I've read great things about it on Tripadvisor, but would love to hear from a recent Disney cruiser!

 

[PPFQP]

Still looking for a review on Takshanuk Mountain Trail 4x4. I've read great things about it on Tripadvisor, but would love to hear from a recent Disney cruiser!

We're doing this one also, so I'd like to hear about it too. I will post a review after we return from our cruise (end of June).