favorite Alaska excursions

[lovingeire]

We had early dining as well, made it back in time. I can't remember what time the bus up tour left for us, according to my trip report we had to meet them outside at 8:15...not sure if that was 15 or 30 minutes or more before our tour...it was so long ago! I do know that we just made it to the Klondike gold rush national historic park in Skagway before they closed. (We did the junior ranger workbook from home before the cruise and turned it in that day to get the badges.). Shouldn't really matter which you do first train/bus, you'll see the same stuff!

On their site it says the first tour (train up/bus down) is at 7:30, which is pretty close to time ashore, but on their site they say it should be plenty of time to meet up. The second they say is at 9:30 (bus up/train down). I'm not too fussed with which way we go, but think the earlier option (at 7.5 hours) would make me feel better about making dinner.

 

[CindyBeth]

We have done the Alaskan Cruise 4 years ago and I was surprised at how much the excursions have gone up in price since then. I think I'm going to look at booking outside companies as they are so much cheaper. Thanks for the recommendations on some of them!

 

[scottishclover]

We have done the Alaskan Cruise 4 years ago and I was surprised at how much the excursions have gone up in price since then. I think I'm going to look at booking outside companies as they are so much cheaper. Thanks for the recommendations on some of them!

You are not alone with your thinking. The excursions are pricey. To keep down costs we rented a car and drove to Emerald Lake when docked in Skagway. We were the only ones at Emerald Lake, that would never have happened if we had been on a tour. There are 4 of us so we saved $$$. I also got a discount on whale watching in Juneau by booking super early, although I can’t see that happening now. You can read our experiences in my trip report “4 Cheapskates cruise to Alaska”. If there’s money to be saved, we will find a way We always book with outside companies on our Disney Cruises or do our own thing and have always had a great time.

 

[OffToDWD]

Thanks for all these great ideas/tips so far! Love them!!

 

[KashasMom]

Below are our favorites. We also enjoyed the Tramway in Juneau and walking around Ketchikan (seeing the totem poles, Creek street, and taking the funicular). We also loved Sitka (don't think DCL goes there) and didn't care for Icy Strait Point at all (think DCL does go there).

Juneau - a pilots choice double glacier landing with Temsco Helicopters and Whale Watching

Ketchikan - All 3 with Island Wings: Floatplane to Anan Creek (for bears), Floatplane to Misty Fjords, Floatplane to Traitors Cove (for bears) (Yes, we saw bears both times) (Michelle and Island Wings are awesome!)

Skagway - Dogsledding with Temsco Helicopters, twice we rented a car and using Murray's Guide to the South Klondike Highway rode out to Emerald Lake with many stops along the way (dogsledding puppy camp and suspension bridge were highlights) - we thought this was so much more fun - and flexible - than the train. Just a note about the dogsledding - book the one in Skagway over the one in Juneau. Juneau gets canceled more due to weather.

We booked everything independently!