How is the SHOPPING in Alaska???

[Disneyland4Jamy]

Would someone please post the Disney Cruise Line Shopping Guide from the Alaska cruise(s)? I am excited to see what each port has to offer. Thanks!!!

 

[sabrecmc]

Diamonds. Alexandrite. Ammolite. Diamonds. Tanzanite. Diamonds. Jade. Salmon. Diamonds. Did I mention diamonds? Beautiful stuff, but not cheap by any means. Serious shopping. I did fall in love with an emerald ring, but sadly it would have cost my cruise fare. Lots of places would give you a free charm or whatever for coming inside.

It was a lot of jewelry or souvenier stores. Some native crafts too, but be careful you don't buy a totem pole made in Mexico. They also had some neat stuff woven from muskox wool, but it was also expensive. Del Sol color-changing shirts, but we have that in Florida, so no big deal there.

Oh, and Ulu knives. DCL won't let you have them on the ship. They hold them for you and you collect it after you disembark.

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

Or you can take the shuttle to walmart. LMAO!

 

[rotary2808]

Would someone please post the Disney Cruise Line Shopping Guide from the Alaska cruise(s)? I am excited to see what each port has to offer. Thanks!!!

I don't have the guides, but the shopping for the 1st cruise was hit or miss. Many of the stores weren't open yet or were still in the process of getting all of their merchandise in for the season. Ketchikan by far had the most stores open with the best selection of available merchandise and probably had the most shopping as well. This week's cruise will probably be way better and it will steadily improve from there.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Diamonds. Alexandrite. Ammolite. Diamonds. Tanzanite. Diamonds. Jade. Salmon. Diamonds. Did I mention diamonds? Beautiful stuff, but not cheap by any means. Serious shopping. I did fall in love with an emerald ring, but sadly it would have cost my cruise fare. Lots of places would give you a free charm or whatever for coming inside.

It was a lot of jewelry or souvenier stores. Some native crafts too, but be careful you don't buy a totem pole made in Mexico. They also had some neat stuff woven from muskox wool, but it was also expensive. Del Sol color-changing shirts, but we have that in Florida, so no big deal there.

Oh, and Ulu knives. DCL won't let you have them on the ship. They hold them for you and you collect it after you disembark.

Um we brought our ulu pocketknife still in box and the big ulu knife with stand (still in box also) onto the ship and they said nothing. I didn't think anything of it- until we were getting off the ship days later and I saw all the ulu knifes on a table with tags on them to give them to people. I wonder why they didn't mind us taking ours on the ship?? (ps. they were both $3.99 each. first pocketknife one found at Alaska shirt co. in Scagway and the regular sized one in Ketchikan at the other store discussed below)

Scagway and Juneau have a store called Alaska Shirt Co- great prices on stuff. In my opinion anyway. I'm used to most ports things costing more than that.... We got reversible "alaska" jackets for $20 each....shirts (ls or ss) $10 each. Jewelry is cheaper- magnets were like $1.99 each and I'm used to paying $5 or more for magnets everywhere else (and did- in Victoria and Vancouver) stuff like that. Even stuffed animals were cheaper- the bigger ones $5 or so. Only the eskimo dolls were steeper priced, again IMO. They had .99 stuff also- if you're looking for cheap souvies or things to put in FE's. ;-)

one thing though- Ketchikan doesn't have the alaska shirt co. So if you see something you like in either Scagway or Juneau- grab it.... since they don't have that store at Ketchikan. They do have a store similarly priced. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the store but I found it by seeing stuff thru the windows priced "inexpensively" and they had the same jackets for $20 each- and apparently everyone found them because they were giving out free "paper cloth" bags and I watched people getting on the ship later and practically everyone had one of those bags! LOL I didn't bring the bag home- or else I'd be able to tell you the name of the store LOL

As for jewelry... I didn't do the jewelry shopping at the ports this time. I went to the presentation though and she seemed to make it sound like Alaska was the place to buy....ofcourse she probably acts like that at any ports DCL goes to. LOL
On the ship they had "alaska gold- 99.999% gold" pendant necklaces for $18.99. And a few other Alaska items as well, inexpensively priced for DCL imo.

 

[tufbuf]

Is shopping at the port tax-free?

 

[sabrecmc]

Don't know why they didn't catch your Ulu, BBB, but there were a ton on a table when we disembarked. It was fine. Wasn't like we were chopping onboard!

Shopping is not tax-free. Its Alaska, so Uncle Sam wants his cut. There was also like a city tax or something in Skagway it seems. Like 5%? Anyone else remember that?

I didn't buy much, but did enjoy tons of window shopping. Like BBB said, some of the stores were still unpacking and not open, but there was plenty to buy if you wanted to. Ketchikan was the best for souvenier stuff, I agree.

 

[Disneyland4Jamy]

Cool! Thanks for all of the feedback! It's comforting to know there are other people out there who love Disney AND shopping as much as I do!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Don't know why they didn't catch your Ulu, BBB, but there were a ton on a table when we disembarked. It was fine. Wasn't like we were chopping onboard!

Shopping is not tax-free. Its Alaska, so Uncle Sam wants his cut. There was also like a city tax or something in Skagway it seems. Like 5%? Anyone else remember that?

I didn't buy much, but did enjoy tons of window shopping. Like BBB said, some of the stores were still unpacking and not open, but there was plenty to buy if you wanted to. Ketchikan was the best for souvenier stuff, I agree.

LOL
yeah no chopping onboard- they were all still in the boxes! haha
I did see that table.. but it's odd that they didn't stop us. I mean I got one in scagway AND in Ketchikan and neither time did they stop us- and it went thru the security xray. when I saw the table at first I thought that was just stuff people had delivered there- or delivered to the ship- then after a seconds glance as I walked by I realized it was all Ulus. LOL

There is tax in Alaska- but it was actually less than in San Francisco and in Vancouver- I can tell you that much! haha

 

[jdb in AZ]

LOL
yeah no chopping onboard- they were all still in the boxes! haha
I did see that table.. but it's odd that they didn't stop us. I mean I got one in scagway AND in Ketchikan and neither time did they stop us- and it went thru the security xray. when I saw the table at first I thought that was just stuff people had delivered there- or delivered to the ship- then after a seconds glance as I walked by I realized it was all Ulus. LOL

There is tax in Alaska- but it was actually less than in San Francisco and in Vancouver- I can tell you that much! haha

Maybe your smile dazzled the security dude? 8^) I'm glad somebuddy else answered the shopping questions, cuz I've never been overwhelmed with port shopping. I know. Whut is wrong with moi? Usually I just get a t-shirt and call it good.

 

[AZMermaid]

My college boyfriend grew up in Ketchikan and his uncle owns a few of those touristy shops downtown. He owns a couple of T-shirt stores on Creek St and a little bitty salmon store on the main street. He would tell us people go nutso for the dried salmon. The itty bitty store made more than the trinkety crap! Anyway, one of my favorite stores there was this art store run by Ray Troll. It is back on Creek St and has some funky stuff. Mostly art stuff, but if nothing else, it is fun to browse.

My ex-bf would lament how "back in the day" all the stores were locally owned but slowly all the jewelers and big business have moved in and put the little guys out of business. He also said when he was little he and his friends would follow a family on board and pretend to be with them and hang out on the ships all day. I am not sure if this was true or not, but it was the 80's, so maybe!

Oh! remembered the little store's name- Salmon Etc. So, I guess if you want to know you are supporting a local- go there!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Maybe your smile dazzled the security dude? 8^) I'm glad somebuddy else answered the shopping questions, cuz I've never been overwhelmed with port shopping. I know. Whut is wrong with moi? Usually I just get a t-shirt and call it good.

HAHAHAHA
I highly doubt my smile dazzled them- I'm usually not smiling at that point. I'm all get your cards out, no get them out, no they have to be OUT of your lanyard. No you can't just show it- it has to be scanned, take it out of the lanyards- all of you.... all three of you.. yes you too Jeff.... and you need your id... no Ruby you don't need your id because you're not 18, okay you have to put your iphones thru security, I don't care if you're texting- it can wait put it in the bin, now.... didn't I tell you to get your KTTW card out of your lanyard? ahhhhhhhhhhh for crying out loud



The only super shopping I've ever done was at St Maarten- everywhere else is just roaming for souvies and I found Alaska easier than most ports.. no haggling prices, no buying something and then finding it somewhere else cheaper afterwards, one stop shopping with tons of a variety of stuff in the store and inexpensive prices. It was heaven for a cheapie like me LOL

 

[Candy Apple]

What's a Ulu knife? Pictures?

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

What's a Ulu knife? Pictures?

Google image it! Its hard to explain.

 

[sayhello]

What's a Ulu knife? Pictures?

Sayhello

 

[llqool]

Any difficulties taking the Alaska stuff through customs at Vancouver and then back into the US?

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Hmm didn't notice any trouble.
But DO make sure that the ulu knives/etc. are all in checked luggage.
I was mighty sad to realize that DH "helped" by stuffing the Alaska pocket knife (still in box) in an outside pocket of CARRYON luggage- and didn't find out till they confiscated it as we went thru security.
*sigh*
the only way we could keep it is if we went back thru the huge lines, paid another $25 (only because we hadn't checked a piece of luggage per person yet- if it had been a second piece of checked luggage for a person it would have cost even more) and checked that carryon. What chaps my hide is that after paying to check luggage- then they ask if anyone wants to check luggage at the gate because the flight was full to allow more room for carryon luggage in overhead bins *facepalm*

Anywho- point is that ulu knives would be the same I'm sure. If the ship isn't allowing them onboard, pretty sure the airline wouldn't allow it on the plane either. So my point is checked luggage- not a problem that I've heard about with customs and things bought- even the knives.
People were getting off the ship, picking up knives at a table along the way, going thru customs with the knives with them obviously, then getting their luggage. At the airport it was check luggage, weird thing was then lines of people checking boarding passes like every few feet (yes it was odd, people along every few feet of a line asking to see boarding passes), then security, then customs, then some other customs where the guy just looked (brief glance, if you'd even call it that) at a seat where a sign said welcome to the US. Then once you find your terminal- you're stuck there... FYI... they won't let you back out for any reason. (this is probably only important to those that don't realize as they go thru the process that there is no going back out to smoke a cig and then back in thru security again- like we're used to being able to do at all the airports we've ever been at. Basically you're considered in the "US" once you've gone thru all that and the airline representative said that customs won't let you back thru -so you're stuck in there until you fly out)

 

[cryssi]

is pippa the shopping girl? Would be funny if she is b/c she was on the last 2 cruises we did...MR in 08 and 4 night in 07...

 

[rotary2808]

is pippa the shopping girl? Would be funny if she is b/c she was on the last 2 cruises we did...MR in 08 and 4 night in 07...

No, the shopping guide was Melanie.

 

[joyride27]

if i buy alcohol in port can i drink it on the boat or do I have to check it? Im going on the july 5th cruise and I would like to buy local wine for at dinner. Thanks for all the help.