We are REALLY looking forward to the excursions. Many of our friends and family members have previously traveled to Alaska (train/rail one way, and ship the other), but this will be our first time!
As the excursions can be QUITE costly, and over the last two years, tourists have spent 15-20% less than in previous years, AND we are only in each port for a day, here are some more budget minded activities....
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JUNEAU:
Some of the finest hiking around Juneau is found in the old gold mining areas up beyond the end of Basin Road, a pleasant half-hour walk from town. The area is amazingly quiet and scenic, particularly given its proximity to hectic downtown Juneau. For those that might not be up to the hike, I know there are 2 for 1 tickets available for the Tram at
http://www.toursaver.com/index.php/mount-roberts-tramway/
For those looking for a
Walmart in Juneau, it opened in 2009 and is 6-7 miles up the street.
SKAGWAY:
Skagway has a neat walking tour as you can easily walk around town, see all of the historical sites along our back streets and stroll down historic Broadway. Here's the link
http://www.skagway.com/walkingtour.html - you can scroll over the map and it will automatically hi-lite the spots your cursor is over.
For coffee enthusiasts, there are 4 coffee shops (EXCELSIOR CAFE is a STARBUCKS). There are also two ice cream shops, 3 liquor stores, and LOTS of gift and clothing shops and galleries.
KETCHIKAN:
Stop at the visitor/tour center, right at the dock and pick up a walking tour map of the town. Check out the Creek Street area, and take lots of pictures of the shops, attractions, and scenery! There are many jewelry stores and tacky tourist shops.
The Totem Heritage Center had a small but significant collection of traditional totem poles.
The Deer Mountain Tribal Hatchery & Eagle Center is located next to the Totem Heritage Center. Some folks have told me that it's not worth the admission as you can still wander and see whatever is inside (someone pls check this out and let us know).
There is also a 55-minute LumberJack show. I've heard both positive and negatives about it. It's $35 at the window - check for 2 for 1 coupons on the web.
Go and see the view from the top of the hill. There is a resort at the top of Creek Street which you can get access to by a trolley-type car for $2.
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Hope this helps!
I will begin my investigations later in the year.... want to see what the May and June cruisers have to say!!!
Monica
. We are arriving on the Saturday before the cruise so we can get in a few days of sightseeing. 
....oh well, this will likely be the only time we go to Alaska so I'm trying not to look too closely at the prices.
)
My oldest daughter has a phobia about the Duck buses, but I will definitely look into booking things seperately from Disney. There's 10 of us travelling together so it'll be a challenge to get something that everyone likes. We'll probably end up doing our own things ashore.
