Alaska Ports on your Own

[lpham]

I would like to start this thread so we can share our plans and/or experiences on doing Alaska ports on our own. (personally, I'm finalizing few things for my DCL Alaskan cruise in August and will share info/resources in another week or so).

Any info is greatly appreciated!

 

[smb6]

I booked my Alaskan excursions independently. I have booked the white pass railroad and dog mushing for Skagway. I booked whale watching with a drop off at the Mendenhall Glacier for Juneau (we will take a shuttle back to the boat). I booked Misty Fjords and Glacier flightseeing for Ketchikan.
In Vancouver I plan to head out to Lynn Canyon Park for the suspension bridge (we will have a rental van).

In addition I have found some short walking trails that are suppose to have great scenery in some of the ports- if time allows. The one I most want to see is Gold Rush Cemetary and Lower Reid Falls in Skagway in time permits.....

I'll be curious to hear others plans as well....

 

[PPFQP]

We booked our Skagway excursion through Disney and arranged excursions in the other ports on our own. I found the Cruise Critic site's Alaska boards and reviews to be really helpful in researching our options.
There are a lot of choices of things to do, that is for sure!

 

[jlwhitney]

We have been booking a lot on our own too.

We are staying 3 nights in Vancouver at the Pan Pacific
Vancouver: hop on hop off Trolley, Aquarium, Suspension Bridge
Whistler: Zip Trek Eagle Course and Wild Play Monkido Course

Juneau: right now booked through Disney for Dog Sledding, but may switch to independent

Skagway: Bus and Rail trip to the Yukon through Chillkoot Tours

Ketchikan: We booked the Bearing Sea Crab Tour on our since it was $20 cheaper a person and the ship is on the same pier as we dock

 

[everafter1]

Thanks for starting this thread! We booked through DCL for Juneau and Ketchikan, but I'm not sure what we want to do in Skagway, yet... there are so many options!

Plus our excursion in Juneau is shorter, so I want to spend some of the day exploring too

 

[mellers]

This is going to be my first trip, and I have the White Pass Railroad booked, and the Duck Tour in Ketchikan. I'm planning to take a taxi to the Glacier Gardens in Juneau if the weather's good, or roll (I'm in a wheelchair) to the Alaska Museum if it's not.

I don't know if this would be helpful, but I posted a shore excursion comparison on my cruise group, and since then, other people have added some information, and I've added references--you'll find the original lists in messages 180, 187, and 195--and there are references to other posters on the thread who have added experiences:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2291067&page=12

 

[spacecanada]

We cruised to Alaska a few years ago and did our own excursions in every port. The hiking trails in Skagway and Juneau are lovely and I highly recommend them. As for the bigger excursions like dogsledding and glaciers, we have those things at home so we skipped them in Alaska.

KETCHIKAN
We procured a walking tour map from the tourist information desk and did the whole thing, stopping at the Totem Pole Museum, Fish Ladder (they look different in Alaska than they do here), Married Man's Trail, and spent lots of time in the quaint little shops around town talking to locals and learning a bit about their culture. We bought Alaskan-made totems (with coloured ribbon around their necks and the Made in Alaska logos on them) and a REAL ulu knife and cutting bowl (~$60 with a proper blade and carved handle from the Blue Heron store next to the radio station; not the $10 ones you see in all the other gift shops - those ones aren't really meant to be used). Possibly the best souvenir we bought.

Edited to add: There's a popular lumberjack show in Ketchikan. Not sure if it's any good or not, but you can easily get tickets right at the door. It's really close to where the ship docks. We skipped it and opted to spend more time relaxing on a bench and watching the sea planes and sailboats.

JUNEAU
As a Girl Guide, I couldn't resist and walked tot he Girl Scout headquarters there... a wee little building in the middle of town. Lovely. We took the Mount Roberts Tramway to the top but the trails were closed due to snow. Bah... I can handle snow... but alas, they still wouldn't let us. The tram was certainly lovely and the view from the top is spectacular. We did another walking tour here, stopping at many places merely for photos but others we actually went into. The Alaska State Museum is an easy walk from both piers and we spent a good chunk of time here learning about the Alaskan culture and art.

SKAGWAY
This is such a beautiful little town; brightly coloured buildings with a backdrop of mountains. Stunning. It's a bit of a walk into town but not too long and the ship we were on had trams. The White Pass and Yukon train is another attraction on the 'awesome and must recommend to everyone' list. We didn't think we'd enjoy it but the whole thing was breathtaking. (And we live near the mountains, albeit the Candian side.) The train station is immediately on your left as you enter the town. We also found some really nice hiking trails and a cute Trail of '98 museum on the walking tour. (Yes, we love our walking tours...) Oh, and if you get off the ship first thing in the morning when it docks there are some sales in town for the early birds (before 9 AM, I think). At least there were when we went.

Anyway, there is so much to see and do on your own, even without booking a tour. Enjoy the trip. Alaska is stunning!

 

[sayhello]

KETCHIKAN We bought Alaskan-made totems (with coloured ribbon around their necks and the Made in Alaska logos on them) and a REAL ulu knife and cutting bowl (~$60 with a proper blade and carved handle from the Blue Heron store next to the radio station; not the $10 ones you see in all the other gift shops - those ones aren't really meant to be used). Possibly the best souvenir we bought.

Just a note. If you buy an ulu knife, make sure you pack it in your checked luggage! You WILL NOT be allowed to have it in your carry-on on your flight home. Sounds obvious, but it's apparently a common problem! Some people have even had them taken when they boarded the ship, and held until the last night.

I highly recommend the White Pass & Yukon RailRoad in Skagway. You can easily book it yourself if you want, rather than through the ship. You'll have to walk into town to catch it (folks booking through DCL will board right at the docks) but it's like a 5 - 10 minute walk to town. The town itself is very walkable, and cute.

The hiking trails above the Mendenhall glacier in Juneau are really lovely, and you end up with some great views of the glacier.

Misty Fjords in Ketchikan was a fabulous trip! When I get home, I'll look up the name of the company I flew with. They were great!

Sayhello

 

[catislander]

This is our first trip to Alaska and we're doing everything on our own. In Skagway we're renting a car and using Murray's Guide to drive into the Yukon. We plan to stop in Carcross and visit the dog camp on the way back.
In Juneau we'll take a cab to the DIPAC fish hatchery, then go either to the Alaska State Museum or Glacier Gardens (haven't decided yet) followed by an afternoon at Mendenhall Glacier (taking the Big Blue Bus back to the ship).
In Ketchikan we're going on a 2.5 hour kayak tour with Southeast Sea Kayaks and then exploring the town on foot.
It will be myself, my DH and my DD6.

 

[geffric]

Subscribing.. i jhave looked at the DCL excursions and they are very pricy.. are these cheaper??

 

[mellers]

Subscribing.. i jhave looked at the DCL excursions and they are very pricy.. are these cheaper??

Some are, some aren't--depends on what you want to do. If you check out the link I posted earler in the thread, it's got a pretty good listing of the possible excursions. It also has some cheap/free options (walking tours, the Alaska museum, etc.)

 

[LKFan]

Just a note. If you buy an ulu knife, make sure you pack it in your checked luggage! You WILL NOT be allowed to have it in your carry-on on your flight home. Sounds obvious, but it's apparently a common problem! Some people have even had them taken when they boarded the ship, and held until the last night.

I don't know about DCL but I think it is standard policy on other lines to hold the ulu (or any) knives until you disembark.

 

[spacecanada]

I don't know about DCL but I think it is standard policy on other lines to hold the ulu (or any) knives until you disembark.

I thought so too, and I was expecting to check it in with security, but the cruise line we were with (Princess) never took ours away. Huh.

And yes, they are SUPPOSED to take away knives of all kinds at the security chekpoint as you get back on the ship. Expect to forfeit your ulu and complete a form to get it back once you disembark. Or, the Blue Heron (or most other stores) can post them home for you. (Visitng the post office and shipping it to yourself is another option.)

 

[AheaKali]

KETCHIKAN
We procured a walking tour map from the tourist information desk and did the whole thing, stopping at the Totem Pole Museum, Fish Ladder (they look different in Alaska than they do here), Married Man's Trail,

You can view or download & print a copy of the Walking Tour Map from the experienceketchikan.com website as well as other maps.

On this site too is a great description of the many totem poles in town and where they're located - either downtown, hidden among the walking tour, or at the Totem Pole parks in town.

Enjoy!

 

[randomiam79]

We've been to Juneau twice and used Captain Larry at Orca Enterprises to go whale watching both times. Both trips were great! They are located right near the cruise dock and are cheaper than ship excursions. They got us very close to the whales and we got some great pictures. We've also gone on the cable car to the top of the mountain on our own. Very accessible and fun if you like to hike and explore.

In Ketchikan there are lots of excursion offerings just off the ship. We were only there for a half-day both times so we didn't do anything once, just shopped, and the other time saw the Lumberjack show. You can buy tickets onboard or walk up. not sure the price difference.

 

[USUKMama]

I am still researching our options but plan on doing most of the excursions independently. Cruise Critic is wonderful for getting tips and information about the various operators. We are looking at doing a helicopter trip in Juneau, the railway plus a drive down in Skagway and I am still debating what to do in Ketchikan. I would love to do a float plane to Misty Fjords but I am not sure the budget will stretch to that.

We also have information on walks etc. in each of the ports. I love hiking and intend to fit some in.

Sophia

 

[LKFan]

When we sailed to Alaska on NCL, we didn't do any excurisions through the ship.

We took the blue bus to Mendenhall Glacier and then hiked to the waterfall. After a few hours there, we returned to town and did some shopping. I posted it on another thread but I this soap. http://www.glaciersmoothie.com/

In Skagway, we did a private tour (Dyea Dave). I wouldn't recommend him but it was nice to have a private tour and be on our own schedule. We spent some time walking around the town before returning to the ship.

In Ketchikan, we went sea kayaking which my husband loved. The rest of us.... well, we were glad that dad had a good time.

 

[lilpooh108]

Can you guys tell me what the tipping policy/percentage $$ for tips is in general for excursions on your own? We're looking at:

1) Juneau City Tour
2) Helicopter Tour (Juneau)
3) Saxman Village/City Tour

Thanks!

 

[Parkhopper]

Ketchikan: We booked the Bearing Sea Crab Tour on our since it was $20 cheaper a person and the ship is on the same pier as we dock

We did this tour last year on our RCL cruise and it was our very favorite tour!! We went to an area where a lot of bald eagle congregate and they threw out frozen fish (fish in ice so that it floats on the water) and we must have had 40 beautiful bald eagles swooping arount the boat. It was just lovely.

Suzi

 

[NWmom]

In Skagway, we did a private tour (Dyea Dave). I wouldn't recommend him but it was nice to have a private tour and be on our own schedule.

We were thinking of using Dyea Dave, - can I ask why you would not recommend him?