Can you do Alaska without doing excursions?

[DLM1980]

So the smart butt answer is "yes" but I guess what I'm really asking is:

With excursion prices being 100s to almost the price of the cruise or higher, if one goes on an alaskan cruise and doesn't do an excursion (especially ones first time to Alaska) will you regret it?

By the time I hit Alaska it will be my fourth cruise, our first was to the Grand Cayman and there we did the island tour with the stop at the turtle farm. I could have done without tour and just spend my time exploring the "farm"/zoo. Our second cruise we we went to Nassau and did the discover atlantis tour and that was a waste of my time and money. Our third cruise I'm headed back to the caymans and I'm going straight to the turtle farm, I want to explore further than the from turtle area. The last time we hit castaway cay I rented the bicycles ahead of time but in the end we didn't do them, so money wasted

So as you can see I've made some bad choices on excursions. Live and Learn. So I'm hesitant to go and book things for alaska especially given their prices. Am I going to regret not doing any of them? Is just getting off the boat and walking around the city sufficient? Are there excursions you wish you would have done instead of the ones you did?

We are doing the 7 Night June 5-12 visiting Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan

 

[Geomom]

So the smart butt answer is "yes" but I guess what I'm really asking is:

With excursion prices being 100s to almost the price of the cruise or higher, if one goes on an alaskan cruise and doesn't do an excursion (especially ones first time to Alaska) will you regret it?

By the time I hit Alaska it will be my fourth cruise, our first was to the Grand Cayman and there we did the island tour with the stop at the turtle farm. I could have done without tour and just spend my time exploring the "farm"/zoo. Our second cruise we we went to Nassau and did the discover atlantis tour and that was a waste of my time and money. Our third cruise I'm headed back to the caymans and I'm going straight to the turtle farm, I want to explore further than the from turtle area. The last time we hit castaway cay I rented the bicycles ahead of time but in the end we didn't do them, so money wasted

So as you can see I've made some bad choices on excursions. Live and Learn. So I'm hesitant to go and book things for alaska especially given their prices. Am I going to regret not doing any of them? Is just getting off the boat and walking around the city sufficient? Are there excursions you wish you would have done instead of the ones you did?

We are doing the 7 Night June 5-12 visiting Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan

For our family of 4, we spent about $1400 total in excursions in the 3 ports. We were on the 8/8-8/15/16 cruise.

Skagway: Our big splurge--We did a bus tour/White Pass Railway combo to the Yukon with dogcart ride/lunch included. We booked on our own through Chilkoot Charters--that was $816 for 3 'adults', 1 kid. It was worth it! 7 1/2 hr. excursion, lots of stops to see things on the bus ride up, took the train back after lunch. We figured we're so close to the Yukon, let's go visit it! I knew the kids wanted to do something with husky dogs--so this was a great combination--Yukon tour, sled dogs, puppies, train ride. After our tour we went to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, and turned in the junior ranger/deputy ranger books we had worked on at home (printed from their website.) Now, if you don't want to spend a lot of money--that Klondike Gold Rush National historical park owns lots of historic buildings in towns, they do free walking tours. I heard there are also hiking trails nearby as well.

Juneau--we did the glacier shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier (through Juneau tours), hiked to Nugget Falls, kids did the Junior Ranger badge activities there. $30/person roundtrip for the shuttle. So $120. Other people will rent a car to go there. The town near the docks is very much a tourist trap--so I'd suggest finding something else to do--like visiting the glacier. If you're interested in whale watching, there are lots of companies hawking tours right where the free shuttle from the dock drops you off--so you can decide that the same day. (We can go on a whale watch from home if we really wanted to--and I had no desire to get off 1 boat and get on another--ports were my chance to be on LAND. Lol)

Ketchikan--our only excursion through Disney--Saxman Native Village and Lumberjack Show--$105/person--total of $420. We enjoyed it as I wanted a mix of Native stuff and kitschy lumberjack show--probably not worth $105/person to most people, but our tour guide told us the stories behind a number of the totem poles here, we got to see a native Tlingit dance put on by kids, and see a native totem carver. If you want just the lumberjack show, the tix are cheaper through their website (alaskanlumberjackshow.com) and you can certainly just walk around the town, shop, see the historical sites on your own here. Disney's berth is very easy to walk to everything!

 

[Jess_S]

I think that you can do Alaska with no or minimal excursions and still be very happy with your trip. First, the Tracey Arm day is basically an excursion to a glacier without getting off the ship. That day alone made the trip for me. Second, there are things to see at each of the ports without booking a trip. I recommend buying or borrowing a guide to cruising the inside passage for details. We had a 2 year old with us when we went so most of the excursions would not have worked for us. We did the following:

* Skagway - We did book the Liarsville excursion here and then walked around the historic town afterwards. Because of how packed the town was with passengers from other cruises, this is a place where I would recommend an excursion of some type if you can afford it. But the history and views would still make Skagway worthwhile even without a tour. The guide I had included a walking tour that can be done on your own that made sight seeing on our own rewarding.

* Juneau - We booked a shuttle to the glacier for $20 per person. Afterward, I had planned to either do a walking tour on our own or visit one of the museums. There really is a lot to see here without a tour. Instead, we were tired and went back to the ship.

* Ketchikan - There's tons to do here within walking distance. We went to Creek Street, saw the salmon swimming, went into the Discovery Center and to the Totem Heritage Center. I highly recommend the totem center though it's a bit of a walk. It's a few dollars per person and we were the only people there so we basically got a private tour. There were guides on hand to answer our questions.

We spent less than $300 total at all the ports and $200 of that was Liarsville.

 

[Quellman]

It sounds like you need to consider the places you are visiting.
Skagway is ridiculously small. Like you can walk the whole place in a few minutes. There is a port area and some old timey places. Sure you can look around, but for the most part it is really secluded. See this photo:

I don't recall having tons of vendors hawking their excursions dockside. Maybe I have forgotten about them. There are certainly things you can do. When we went, we initially passed on any excursions this day, for cost reasons. But I really wanted to do the White Pass Railway. Luckily, they were taking walk ups at the station, where we boarded. The cost was almost identical to if we purchased it through the cruise line. But I had a really great time. Friends of ours did a dog sled excursion. They said it was really awesome to see how they raised the dogs and prepared them.

Ketchikan is much more developed and has an abundance of shops, places to eat, and activities you can find yourself doing as soon as you step off the pier. I also recall more vendors, sea plane rides, helicopter rides, boat whale watching tours at the docks than either of the other ports. So you might be able to strike up a deal. We ended up doing the lumberjack show (booked day of) with friends, then taking our ticket the brew pub across the street for a beer and free mug, and then buying alaskan salmon and crab to ship home.

Juneau is an isolated city. No roads lead there. It is a bit more spread out than either the other stops. It is about 13 miles from the port to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor center. There is plenty to see and do in the town, like shopping and there are certainly some very touristy shops, but there is a glacier. We did the only ship booked excursion here, and it was kyacking. Had a great time! If you have youngsters or anyone mobility challenged you may want to consider a taxi or bus into town.

My recommendation is to pick something that you would enjoy doing and book that single event. Alaska is about the wild, the unknown, and the scenery. Seems like a shame to miss it because you are walking around shops buying things of a place you didn't really end up experiencing.

 

[saxmangeoff]

Skagway and Ketchikan are definitely easy to do with no excursions. Both are small and walkable. Skagway has interesting (and free) historical exhibits scattered around the town.

Juneau is a bit more spread out, but there are definitely affordable excursion possibilities as well.

 

[dcassetta]

Like the other posters, I would say that Juneau and Ketchikan do not necessarily need excursions, because there are things to do in town, or very close. Skagway has less to offer right in town, so budgeting for an excursion there would be a good idea.

 

[ldo]

do the white pass train in Skagway for $100 or so. other ports you can research and DIY via bus to totem pole park, nature hike, even to Mendenhall Glacier Visitor center. I would get a book and plan out my day prior to going.

 

[aprincessatlast]

Since this is an opinion board....well first off cancel DCL and book another line if you have to skip excursions (we did this and loved the experience). Book inside category if you have verandah. All that to say don't skip the excursions. Second off excursions in Alaska are nothing like (repeat for emphasis..nothing like) excursions in the Caribbean. Don't tie yourself to DCL or whatever line you choose when it comes to excursions in Alaska as well. Some of the best tour outfits are not tied to any cruise line because they don't have to be as they are just that good and book up all on their own. They are usually less money and have less restrictions when it comes to kids ages if that is a concern. Research research research. Alaska is amazing and beautiful and yes you will see much of this from your ship but it would be a shame to go all that way and miss out on some amazing experiences.

 

[Disneyteachers]

We were on the 8/1 sailing and only booked 1 excursion. In the end, that one was canceled due to high winds. We had a good time. In Skagway we hiked to Yakatunia Point and Smugglers Cove (there were other destinations to hike to, but our kids aren't major hikers so we did the short ones.) The trails are accessed with a 10 min walk from the ship. In Juneau, we purchased transportation via shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier and hiked all the trails there. The waterfall is awesome! We then took the shuttle back and took the tram up Mt. Roberts and hiked there as well (amazing views.) Our Ketchikan excursion was the one that we didn't get to do, so we walked around the town -- to Creek Street and then did the lumberjack show simply because ours kids really wanted to do "something." On all three days we were not in a rush to get off the ship, but got off on the early side and we were back by early-mid afternoon and had a pretty quiet ship. It worked out great. We had add-on trips before (Seattle and Vancouver) and after (Disneyland) so I could not stomach the cost of some of the excursions, plus DH won't do helis/float planes/etc. would I do it again the same way? Yup!!! We wanted to see the scenery and we did and in Skagway and Juneau we really avoided crowds and guided tours and stuff like that which doesn't appeal to me at all!

 

[cruisehopeful]

You don't need to book any excursions. If you get off the ship and decide you want to book an excursion, there are places next to the dock in all 3 ports that will book you excursions on the spot, for a lot less than booking via DCL.

Our first visit to Skagway, we walked the town and bought a van tour from M & M tours (located at end of dock). I believe it was around $75./pp. You could just walk in there and tell them how much you want to spend and ask what excursions they offer in your price range. My next visit to Skagway, I booked the train ahead of time online and saved about $40./pp and was on the same train as the DCL passengers.

I preferred Juneau without a booked excursion. I paid the $30./pp for round trip to the glacier and spent a lot of time walking around over there and also bought Mount Roberts Tram tickets by just walking into the Tram Station. If it is a cloudy day, don't bother with the tram as you won't be able to see anything.

Ketchikan has a lot of touristy stuff walking distance to the ship. They also have lots of vendors trying to sell you excursions as you walk off the ship.

FWIW, plenty of people don't do excursions and just love hanging out and watching the scenery. Some people don't even get off the ship.

 

[MouseMomx2]

In Skagway rent a car from Avis, download Murray's Guide for $5 and drive the Klondike Highway on your own. Drive all the way to Caribou Crossing first and you will have the sled dog puppies to yourself for about an hour before the first bus gets there. Then head to Emerald Lake and then back toward Skagway. You will see everything the bus tour sees but without the crowds and for far less money. Plus, you will be able to stop for as long as you lie if you happen upon any wildlife. We saw bear, moose and eagles. We rented a minivan and paid $110 for all six of us.

In Juneau take the shuttle out to Mendenhall Glacier. When you return you can spend time exploring town.

No advice for Ketchikan but it is fun just to explore town.

 

[RedSox68]

Yes, you can do each port on your own -- if you can be happy with only staying in port. The problem is Alaska has so much to offer outside of the port that requires transportation or an excursion. We did an excursion in Juneau that included whale watching and a stop at Mendenhall Glacier (highly recommended); the White Pass train in Skagway of which the sites you see are unbelievable and well worth the expense and time, and then still had time to visit the town (toured the Red Onion Saloon); and in Ketchikan we walked off the ship and just picked a company on shore to do an excursion which went to Totem Pole Park and outside of town down the highway to see the waterway and eagles and seals, and then back to town and was very inexpensive. Then we ate at Annabelle's in town. But we really enjoyed seeing the sites outside of these towns and I would say if this is your only trip to Alaska, don't deny yourself the chance to do those all-day excursions that will allow you to see so much of what Alaska has to offer.

 

[AquaDame]

So the smart butt answer is "yes" but I guess what I'm really asking is:

With excursion prices being 100s to almost the price of the cruise or higher, if one goes on an alaskan cruise and doesn't do an excursion (especially ones first time to Alaska) will you regret it?

By the time I hit Alaska it will be my fourth cruise, our first was to the Grand Cayman and there we did the island tour with the stop at the turtle farm. I could have done without tour and just spend my time exploring the "farm"/zoo. Our second cruise we we went to Nassau and did the discover atlantis tour and that was a waste of my time and money. Our third cruise I'm headed back to the caymans and I'm going straight to the turtle farm, I want to explore further than the from turtle area. The last time we hit castaway cay I rented the bicycles ahead of time but in the end we didn't do them, so money wasted

So as you can see I've made some bad choices on excursions. Live and Learn. So I'm hesitant to go and book things for alaska especially given their prices. Am I going to regret not doing any of them? Is just getting off the boat and walking around the city sufficient? Are there excursions you wish you would have done instead of the ones you did?

We are doing the 7 Night June 5-12 visiting Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan

First off as others have said excursions in Alaska are nothing like the ones in the caribbean IMO - many of them are well worth it. That said, an insane amount of money can be saved if you are comfortable being more DIY with your excursions. The first time we sailed we booked tours through DCL and had a good time but this last cruise at the end of July on RCCL we booked entirely on our own and had just as good if not better excursions and saved a load to boot. The "point" of Alaska is scenery, nature and wildlife, and you are going to be limited on those if you just stay by the ship, IMO. The towns are cute, but not the real draw here. You CAN absolutely forego getting out in the ports and just enjoy the ride of course, but the excursions do add a lot of value (while draining your pocketbook).

First cruise:
Skagway - whitepass railway (I would not do this again and did not feel it was worth the money - again we paid DCL prices which was pointless as its right there and I have been on many sightseeing trains. The exhaust from the locomotive made the ride back unpleasant - we ended up falling asleep)
Juneau - Glacier walkabout (WELL worth the money, but we possibly could have saved a lot if we booked independently).
Ketchikan - Bus tour (yawn - would not do again, very similar to bus tours in the Caribbean)

Second Cruise -
Ketchikan - booked Island Wings on our own for a flight through the Misty Fjords. Fantastic weather helped make this a flight to remember. We had booked it on the first cruise but it was cancelled due to limited visibility which is when we ended up on the bus tour. It IS expensive even on your own. I am not sure what Disney charges but this was ~$250pp. We wandered around town doing geocaching and watching the salmon/seals on creek street until it was time to go on our flight and wandered the shops some more when we got back. Popped into the Sourdough Bar for a pint of beer and had lunch at Sweet Mermaids which was OK.

Icy Strait - No excursion. We walked around off the ship in town and wandered to the next one over in search of cold medicine as my SIL caught a bug. Found a nice little brewery on the way, watched bald eagles and kept an eye out for whales on the walk. Puttered around the joke of a canning "museum" and wandered the shops. Ate some crab bisque and laughed at the crab bloody marys they had there. We didn't feel like we missed anything in particular, but I do wish now we had booked a whale tour. We heard from some people they only saw one humpback but others said they saw orcas and a ton of humpbacks out there I really should have rolled the dice... we didn't see any orcas and not a lot of humpbacks off the ship. No way I could have known at the time we were going to be skunked the rest of the cruise though.

Juneau - no excursion. We called a cab when we got off the ship and waited about 20 min for a ride to the Mendenhall Glacier. It cost ~$35 for the four of us and the driver was really friendly, told us all about the town and such as we rode over. Walked around to our heart's content and met back up with the same driver at the appointed time. He then took us over to the Alaskan Brewing Company (~$18 for the ride that time) where they do free tastings - everyone got 3 tokens and you could purchase more if you wanted. Warning though, there is NO FOOD whoops... we are spoiled with brew pubs at home I guess. After about an hour there he was back and took us back to the ship (~$20). We then went over to Tracy's Crab shack which is right at the pier and had lunch, then wandered over and bought tickets up the tram. We didn't want to buy these ahead of time in case the cloud cover was no good but it was a clear day. No problems getting a ticket in the afternoon - no lines at all. We hiked around a bit up there and took a bunch of pics then headed back to the ship. It was a really fun and full day... but not exactly cheap since the tram tickets are still spendy. WAY cheaper than the $25 or 30pp to use the glacier shuttle (which does include your park ticket - ~$7pp). Tracy's Crab Shack is expensive but I knew it going in and still wanted that crab so I was ok with that lol!

Skagway - booked Skagway Hike & Float on our own, ~$90pp. They picked us up in a van and drove us out to a 2 mile hike, then we got in a raft and he paddled us down to the pick up point. They had a little plate of snacks for us and dropped us off at the Skagway Brewing Company on the way back. We then had plenty of time to wander the shops on the boardwalk before heading back to the ship.

 

[MUN]

So the smart butt answer is "yes" but I guess what I'm really asking is:

With excursion prices being 100s to almost the price of the cruise or higher, if one goes on an alaskan cruise and doesn't do an excursion (especially ones first time to Alaska) will you regret it?

By the time I hit Alaska it will be my fourth cruise, our first was to the Grand Cayman and there we did the island tour with the stop at the turtle farm. I could have done without tour and just spend my time exploring the "farm"/zoo. Our second cruise we we went to Nassau and did the discover atlantis tour and that was a waste of my time and money. Our third cruise I'm headed back to the caymans and I'm going straight to the turtle farm, I want to explore further than the from turtle area. The last time we hit castaway cay I rented the bicycles ahead of time but in the end we didn't do them, so money wasted

So as you can see I've made some bad choices on excursions. Live and Learn. So I'm hesitant to go and book things for alaska especially given their prices. Am I going to regret not doing any of them? Is just getting off the boat and walking around the city sufficient? Are there excursions you wish you would have done instead of the ones you did?

We are doing the 7 Night June 5-12 visiting Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan

Based on your note, it doesn't sound like you would be happy with any excursion you booked. Therefore, I suggest you book nothing in Alaska and save your money. I'm glad I could help.

MUN

 

[KarenP99]

Yes! We are a family of five, and our youngest is 11 (an adult by Disney pricing) and the excursions can really add up. I am not a fan of the organized tour, so we did all ports on our own and feel like we saw way more than most.

Skagway - Rented a jeep from Alaska Green Jeep and drove the Klondike highway all the way to Emerald Lake. Stopped along the way a lot, had lunch in Carcross and essentially took 5+ hours exploring. At the end of the day we still had plenty of time to explore the village. $230 for the day.

Juneau - Rented a car from Alaska Coach Tours. Went to Mendenhall, spent a few hours there then drove out to Eagle Beach, likely one of my favorite places ever - so serene, and we saw tons of Eagles. Drove back to Juneau grabbed Starbucks and explored a bit before heading back to the ship. $102 for the car plus $10 total for us to get into Mendenhall

Ketchikan - We just walked the village on our own. No excursion. I had intended on hiking the Rainbird Trail, but we were happy to explore the town.

We did splurge on the Tracy Arm excursion, and it was really pretty great.

Hope this helps!

 

[DLM1980]

Thank you to all who gave great feedback, I know when we did our OBB the rep there said she did her own research online and saved a ton of money by not booking through the cruise ship, and I know my partner feels like going that route is ultimately the way to go for his pocketbook.

I had already ordered a visitors guide from the tourism bureau of Skagway and am awaiting its arrival. I suppose I should look into that with the other two ports too...we still have plenty of time to research

 

[bumbershoot]

We went on an Alaskan cruise for our honeymoon. We were broke. The only way we went on a a ship's excursion was because a friend put money on our account before we sailed. We had no money for a whale watching excursion (and thank goodness, because it turned out that by sailing time I was brand newly pregnant and already nauseated).

That excursion was in Skagway to Jewell Gardens for tea. I'm not sure any cruiselines have that as an official excursion, but the place still exists and I would do it again. Afterwards we wandered, soaked in a bit of the town's culture (back then there was a Krispy Kreme "coming soon" sign up, with the awesome graffiti "if you build it we will burn it" sprayed over it...I feel that way about Krispy Kreme, so I liked the sentiment). We loved Skagway even though we didn't do much there.

In Juneau we got off the ship, took the "blue bus" to the glacier where we could NOT figure out how to get to the walking path or anything, so that was wasted. Anyone we could have asked was already out there walking and we couldn't figure out how to get to them. Went back into town (after watching epopel chase after a mama bear and two cubs), went to the known saloon, got some salad tong things, went to the drug/bookstore to buy a book.

In Ketchikan got off the ship thought about a lumberjack show, realized that WE think that's the epitome of tackiness, found nothing walkable that we hadn't already seen in Skagway and Juneau, and went back to the ship and had a lovely day.


Nowadays I could see doing a whale watching excursion, or maybe a sled dog one that didn't involve a helicopter or tiny plane, but I'm fine going with a well reviewed, longtime, company vs with the ship's group.

 

[Dug720]

Nowadays I could see doing a whale watching excursion, or maybe a sled dog one that didn't involve a helicopter or tiny plane, but I'm fine going with a well reviewed, longtime, company vs with the ship's group.

This! Two years ago when I was on Holland America, I was on a ship-based whale-watching excursion, and a crew member was on it with us. We were talking about excursions, and she told us about a week or two before when one of the helicopter-transported sled-dog excursions from the Westerdam and another HAL ship - and an independently booked one by people on one or both of the HAL ships - and they got stuck on the glacier because fog moved in and the helicopters could not get there. (This actually did happen - a couple of months ago a podcast on NPR did an interview with a girl who worked at the camp where this happened, so it was NOT just a cruise crew "do out excursions" story.) They were stuck overnight. They were housed and fed at the camp, and when they could get down, HAL covered the cost and getting their excursion cruisers back to their ship. Those who were independently had to do it on their own or fight with the tour company to cover it.

So yeah - if I was doing something helicopter or floatplane based I would only do ship-based.

 

[xavier2001]

I think you have to decide what you want out of the trip. Alaska is VERY different from the Carribbean. If you are going to Alaska for the love of Alaska and its going to be a once in a lifetime trip then I think you would want to do some excursions to really get the 'Alaska' experience. If you are on the West Coast and just looking for a cruise then you might be fine without them. There are LOTS of outside of Disney vendors that will save you a few bucks and are very reliable. Get on trip advisor and have a look around. Truthfully I'd postpone a year to save up money before I would do it without any excursions.

 

[Shanti]

Following.