Cruising Alaska, not with Disney?

[auntlynne]

Combination of ship excursions, independent vendors, and DIY.

Helicopter was booked day-of, as was bus to Mendenhall, at least twice.

Disney, Princess x3, and NCL cruises.

 

[tlprice]

Looking for recommendations for excursions in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria. We are 4 adults. First timers to Alaska. Not really interested in cultural shows. Thanks.

2022 Alaska Cruise:
Juneau we did whale watching with Harv and Marv's (It was amazing--small boat with only 5
of us plus the captain. No jostling with others for views and saw tons of whales.)
Skagway we did Chilkoot Charters (it was supposed to be train one way and driving the other, but in 2022
they weren't allowing that (still Covid stuff) so we just did a driving tour both ways. It was fantastic and we saw so many amazing places.)
Ketchikan we did a canoe and forest trail thing (through DCL excursions). It was totally not worth it.

Upcoming 2024 Alaska Cruise:
Juneau Glacier Dog Sledding & Helicopter Tour. We booked through Alaska Shore Excursions
(we also booked our Sitka and Icy Strait Point shore excursions through them--more offered and less
money)
Ketchikan we are just walking around town because we love the town and we booked the lumberjack
show on our own. We are going to eat some salmon fish and chips at Alaska Fish House--so good!
Victoria we are doing A Taste of Victoria Food Tour (we would have done the one through DCL, but it was
ages 18+ and my daughter is 17 so I found this one instead.)

 

[jdb in AZ]

FWIW. Alaska is our favorite place to cool off and last week we cruised round trip from Seattle on the Princess Discovery. Capacity of 3300 passengers -- just too big for us. Nice ship, tho a lot of the food, especially desserts, was mediocre. Except for the Gelato. That was marvelous. Entertainment in the "Piazza" (atrium) was average and the music was too noisy (not just our opinion; I heard several other people complaining.)

Ordered room service one night when i wasn't feeling well enough to hike to the dining room. My order was never delivered. Called after waiting an hour and they promised to look into it. Never heard back from them.

Glacier Bay was gorgeous but we could have done without the effusive commentary of "Ranger Emily" while we had lunch in the buffet seating area. It was apparent she enjoys her job, tho a high schooler could've written her spiel.

The pool on the top deck had no cover but kids were still swimming, even tho Glacier Bay's high that day was 49F. Different strokes.

The ship spent a whopping 2-1/2 hrs in Victoria, arriving after dark. Not enough time to see Butchart Gardens. Ports were crowded -- 4 ships sharing docks in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. Line for the Roberts Tramway was the longest we've seen it. We "had" to get our crabby fix at Tracy's Crab Shack. Wonderful as always With the ports so overrun by tourists, it's no wonder the Juneau locals (those who don't work in the travel industry) want the number of passengers restricted.

Environmentalists want the ships to slow down to make the water "quieter" which is fine, tho it takes longer to get from one port to the next, which means less time in port.

This was our 8th Alaskan cruise, including HAL, RCCL, and Princess. We've cruised warmer climates on DCL but Alaska is overpriced.

Pre-cruise we stayed at the Sheraton and took a cab to the pier. Coming back we took ship transfers (bus) to the airport. Princess pre-checked our luggage and collected it the last night on the cruise, and the next time we saw it was at our home airport. Very convenient, and we used Air Bags to track it.

 

[TheBigErn]

We are sailing Alaska July 2025. Will whale watching be available in July?

 

[holula]

We are sailing Alaska July 2025. Will whale watching be available in July?

I’ve done whale watching in both May and September. So, yes.