Must do Alaksa excursions?

[TLP127]

We are going on the May 29 Alaskan DCL cruise and can't decide which excursions to do, because there are so many! We are definitely doing the dog sled excursion, but are really torn about the rest of them. Does any one have any suggestions for excursions to be sure not to miss? It will be me, DD 18 and DS 14 traveling.

Thank you!!

 

[graviela]

We did the glacier trek and my kids then 14 and 18 loved it! They still talk about it! We went in 2013.

 

[AngelDisney]

We did ziplining in Skagway, dog sledding in Juneau, and snorkelling in Ketchikan through DCL. DD was 18 at the time and she enjoyed all the excursions, particularly dogsledding.

 

[anricat]

This is the ultimate thread of Alaska excursions:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/alaska-excursions-post-your-reviews-here.2723087/

I recommend reading trip reports, particularly from people who have similar aged children.

For our family, we loved everything we did and I wouldn't have changed a thing. We did:
Skagway: Chilkoot Yukon Rail & Bus Excursion w/ Dogcart experience (bus up/train down)

Juneau: In the morning rented a car and drove to Mendenhall Glacier. In the afternoon we went on a private whale watching trip with Rum Runners (sharing the boat with a fellow DISer)

Ketchikan: In the morning we relaxed (well, sort of, I did a spin class, but DH and DD hung out), then in the afternoon we went into town to do some exploring, then at 2:15 we went sea kayaking with Southeast Sea Kayaks for a 2 hour trip.

There are loads of pictures and more detailed descriptions of all of these in my trip report here: http://www.disboards.com/threads/wo...dventure-with-extra-fun-in-vancouver.3537617/

 

[xlxo]

Check out the "Best of ..... " combo excursions for ideas.

• https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/port-adventures/juneau-alaska-best-of-juneau/
• https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/port-adventures/skagway-alaska-best-of/

 

[TLP127]

We did the glacier trek and my kids then 14 and 18 loved it! They still talk about it! We went in 2013.

Unfortunately, it's already full.

 

[jdb in AZ]

In Ketchikan we went flight-seeing in a float plane that landed on a glacier lake. It's something we didn't arrange ahead of time; just walked into a local office, and the flight was much cheaper than arranging it through guest services on the ship. There are lots of kiosks on the dock when you get off ship in most Alaskan ports, offering all sorts of excursions. We also had lunch at Tracy's Crab Shack in Juneau. It's within walking distance of the ship.

 

[cloudnut220]

Do the helicopter to the glacier!! We did it in Juneau, through a third party company. Probably the best money I've ever spent traveling. My dad has been all over the world and it said it was one of the best things he's ever done.

 

[IWannaBeAMousketeer]

We loved ziplinging in Skagway (Grizzly Falls) and the Glacier Discovery helicoptor (Skagway) that lands on the Meade Glacier (we chose this instead of dogsledding on the glacier. The dogsledding is on the snow field (up higher) so you do not get to see the interesting glacier formations and is more likely to be cancelled - in fact it was our day in Skagway). To get our dog fix, we did Dog Sled Summer camp in Juneau and headed to Mendenhall Glacier park on our own. We also hit Tracy's Crab Shack for crab legs.

 

[owensamo]

We canoed to Davidson Glacier in Skagway - one of our best trips. In Juneau, we got off the ship and booked a bus to Mendenhall, then a whale watching excursion - another awesome day (and we got upsold the whale watch - we hadn't planned to do it, but the price was hard to beat). We didn't see sled dogs, but that was okay. I do highly recommend the Fish House next to the Lumberjack Show in Ketchiken - awesome fish and chips!

 

[Aby]

If you're looking for something unique, we did the Mountain Point snorkelling adventure in Ketchikan and it was such a cool experience!

Aby

 

[mcd2745]

Just recently started looking into the excursions for our cruise at the end of August, and....holy crap. There's so many to choose from. And so many of them will cost as much as the cruise. I have some serious research to do.

 

[kendall]

DH and I went with NorthStar Trekking in Juneau last September for the 2 hour glacier trek. The company provides the outerwear, boots, and all equipment. Great helicopter ride and the walk on the glacier was outstanding! Worth every penny and we would do it again.

 

[MUN]

Just recently started looking into the excursions for our cruise at the end of August, and....holy crap. There's so many to choose from. And so many of them will cost as much as the cruise. I have some serious research to do.

You must have got a bargain on the cruise then

We booked our excursions outside of DCL and saved money. At Skagway, we took a private car trip to Crystal Lake in the Yukon Territory. In Juneau, we took a trip on the Mont Roberts tram, and took the Mendenhal Glacier tour bus. I also made a quick visit to the state capital. In Ketchikan, we booked a float plane trip to Misty Fjords. In all cities we also had time to walk around the town on our own. Our favorites excursions were the trip into the YT, and the float plane trip. We also enjoyed Skagway very much. The National Park Service has preserved several buildings in "downtown" Skagway as part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. It was fun to walk through some of the buildings while window shopping in Skagway.

MUN

 

[mcd2745]

You must have got a bargain on the cruise then

We booked our excursions outside of DCL and saved money. At Skagway, we took a private car trip to Crystal Lake in the Yukon Territory. In Juneau, we took a trip on the Mont Roberts tram, and took the Mendenhal Glacier tour bus. I also made a quick visit to the state capital. In Ketchikan, we booked a float plane trip to Misty Fjords. In all cities we also had time to walk around the town on our own. Our favorites excursions were the trip into the YT, and the float plane trip. We also enjoyed Skagway very much. The National Park Service has preserved several buildings in "downtown" Skagway as part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. It was fun to walk through some of the buildings while window shopping in Skagway.

MUN

Okay, so I exaggerated (but only a little) for effect. However, some of the excursions are upwards of $500-$600 per person. For a family of 4 (with both kids now "Disney Adults"), if we did those level excursions in just two of the ports...that could exceed $5000 for excursions - which starts to approach the cost of the cruise.

 

[sdjen]

Another vote for Grizzly Falls ziplining in Skagway - loved it! And, we did a private whale watching tour with Rum Runner in Juneau and still had time to do the Mt Roberts Tram and Tracy's Crab shack too.

 

[kendall]

Okay, so I exaggerated (but only a little) for effect. However, some of the excursions are upwards of $500-$600 per person. For a family of 4 (with both kids now "Disney Adults"), if we did those level excursions in just two of the ports...that could exceed $5000 for excursions - which starts to approach the cost of the cruise.

The price of excursions is one thing that surprised us when we were planning for Alaska. Definitely need to have a higher budget as Alaska is not cheap. We focused on doing things that we only could do in Alaska as compared to home. And, don't forget to budget the tipping for the excursions, too. Alaska was definitely an expensive vacation.

 

[MUN]

Okay, so I exaggerated (but only a little) for effect. However, some of the excursions are upwards of $500-$600 per person. For a family of 4 (with both kids now "Disney Adults"), if we did those level excursions in just two of the ports...that could exceed $5000 for excursions - which starts to approach the cost of the cruise.

No, I hear you. Alaska excursions are expensive. Our float plane trip for a family of 5 was just under $1000 in 2014. But that was well more than we paid for all of our other Alaska excursions combined.

Oh, I highly recommend the Skagway Brewery in Skagway. After our trip to the YT, we headed back to the ship for lunch and then walked down to the brewpub for some local beer. It's a fun, kid-friendly place with a nice mix of tourists and locals.

 

[moralesdavis]

We are going on the May 29 Alaskan DCL cruise and can't decide which excursions to do, because there are so many! We are definitely doing the dog sled excursion, but are really torn about the rest of them. Does any one have any suggestions for excursions to be sure not to miss? It will be me, DD 18 and DS 14 traveling.

Thank you!!

Following! We'll be on the same cruise!!! And like you, we are having a hard time choosing!!!

I really want to do the Alpine Snowshoe and White Pass Rail adventure. It says ages 9 and up. Our youngest will be 2 months shy of her 9th birthday. She's tall for her age. I'm wondering if we could actually do it?

The other we're considering are the helicopter/dog sledding adventure.

ETA: There are 4 of us. me, DH, DD-14, DD-8

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I highly recommend whale watching out of Juneau. We also enjoyed the train in Skagway and touring the Yukon. Both tours we did on our own, not through DCL.