Tons of Alaska questions!

[Disneybridewifemama]

Planning our 2nd disney cruise (1st in the Caribbean...now going to Alaska!) in July for our daughters 6th birthday! She turns 6 on Tracy arm day.

I'm such a crazy over-planner I want to make sure I have everything planned out!

Here's my game plan:

Excursions-
Skagway: glacier dog sledding
Juneau: whale watching tour with adventures in Alaska followed by lunch at Tracy's king crab and then mendenhall glacier on our own.
Ketchikan: deciding between bearing crab tour, fishing or bear viewing. (Literally CAN'T DECIDE!) opinions would be VERY helpful!

I've read tons of trip reports and the Alaska excursion thread.

Here are my questions:
I'm worried about our dog sledding tour getting canceled because of weather. I can't seem to find anything else that interests me for our family. I have a game plan for Juneau and Ketchikan should tours get canceled. I even read that there are places locally to go should your tour get canceled to find other tours options, but couldn't find any information like that of where to go in Skagway.

We plan on getting tickets to the princess tea as soon as we get onboard. Is there anything else we should get tickets to?

Will we have enough time to do mendenhall glacier on our own? We should be heading that way around 2 pm. Is that enough time?

If our Skagway excursion gets canceled, what are some last minute things we can do? Any must try restaurants in town?

Are there any Starbucks and or hard rock cafes in any of the stops? We collect things from both places around the world.

Probably a silly question...but I'm gonna ask it anyway! We are buying the unlimited photo package. Where are the photographers and characters on Tracy arm day? I want a nice family photo with a beautiful Alaska backdrop especially since that is our daughters actual birthday that day. Also, she runs us ragged chasing characters for every possible photo op, she loves them! So if I can see where they have usually been in the past, I can know where to expect them.

My dilemma is Ketchikan is that if our dog sledding tour in Skagway gets canceled, I'd love to splurge and do the flight seeing bear tour in ketchikan. But if it doesn't get canceled, I don't want to end up double splurging and I know there's no way of knowing what the weather will be like. So I think it's best to do a less expensive tour in Ketchikan and just keep our fingers crossed that the dog sledding works out.

 

[xlxo]

Skagway is my fav port..... I would do the Yukon or something with Liarsville. In town... Red Onion. If the cruise excursions are sold out, look for private tours.

On my Tracey Arm day.... there was one solo photographer on Deck 9 starboard corner. I heard after the cruise, all the other photographers were HIDING on Deck 4 to avoid the rain. They don't get much action until they close to Sawyer.

Unlimited photo package?

• check out the navigator for character appearance times to plan your stalking. Don't be late, they cut off the line SHARP!
• don't forget the bonus character at the cruise terminal waiting area.
• Show up at your best for formal night and check out each deck for photographers with their special backgrounds.

 

[gdstone04]

We did whale watching in Juneau and it was unbelievable! We chartered a private fishing boat in Ketchikan and it was our other favorite excursion. Our kids were 8 and 10 and they loved it!

 

[jdb in AZ]

Is the princess tea available on the Wonder? I thought it was only on the Fantasy.

Elsa and Anna are very popular characters and DCL has been giving out tickets to their meet and greet.

 

[Rambler5678]

What company did you do the Whale watching with in Juneau?

 

[gdstone04]

We did the Alaska Whales and Rainforest Trails Disney excursion. I would recommend it highly!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Is the princess tea available on the Wonder? I thought it was only on the Fantasy.

Elsa and Anna are very popular characters and DCL has been giving out tickets to their meet and greet.

They do a tea party with Ailce or Wendy, but not the "Princess Tea Party".

We did a private whale watching excursion in Juneau through Weather Permitting which included Mendenhall Glacier (with no time restraints) and it was amazing!

Tracy's Crab Shack was outstanding and very near where the shuttles pick you up to take you back to the ship.

 

[Prose]

The photographers and characters are generally on deck 4 on Tracy Arm day - we found that out only AFTER we had spent the day on deck 9.

We did the Bering Sea Crab Boat tour and enjoyed it. They have renovated a small crab boat with bleacher-type seating and heaters. We definitely needed rain gear and warm clothes, but it was early June. They show you how they work with the crab pots, tell stories and answer questions. They also take a photo of each family with the captain and the life preserver with the boat name on it. There is a small souvenir shop, and I seem to remember a hot chocolate machine.

There are Starbucks in Juneau, but they are way out by the airport. Definitely take a look at Juneau in Google Earth. Juneau is very spread out along the coast. There is downtown Juneau where the cruise ships port, and then a little further north there is the airport/residential area. You would definitely need a cab to get to the Starbucks - Google says it's almost 8 miles, 12 minutes by car.

There is a Starbucks in Ketchikan, though....that one might be easier to check out.

Have a great cruise!

 

[xlxo]

What company did you do the Whale watching with in Juneau?

Booked through DCL with Mendenhall visit.
http://www.stepintoalaska.com/tour_shore_excursion_details.cfm?tourid=photosafari

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

We did whale watching in Juneau and it was unbelievable! We chartered a private fishing boat in Ketchikan and it was our other favorite excursion. Our kids were 8 and 10 and they loved it!

Do you mind sharing who you used and how much it cost for the fishing excursion? did you pay extra for the fishing license and did you ship your fish home? We LOVE fishing! Did you guys have a guide with you?

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

They do a tea party with Ailce or Wendy, but not the "Princess Tea Party".

We did a private whale watching excursion in Juneau through Weather Permitting which included Mendenhall Glacier (with no time restraints) and it was amazing!

Tracy's Crab Shack was outstanding and very near where the shuttles pick you up to take you back to the ship.

Our whale watching tour would bring us directly to the glacier but I hesitate because I read that there isn't anything to eat over there and after an all morning excursion my daughter won't do well without lunch. Do you think there would be enough time to get to mendenhall after we eat at Tracey's crab?

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

The photographers and characters are generally on deck 4 on Tracy Arm day - we found that out only AFTER we had spent the day on deck 9.

We did the Bering Sea Crab Boat tour and enjoyed it. They have renovated a small crab boat with bleacher-type seating and heaters. We definitely needed rain gear and warm clothes, but it was early June. They show you how they work with the crab pots, tell stories and answer questions. They also take a photo of each family with the captain and the life preserver with the boat name on it. There is a small souvenir shop, and I seem to remember a hot chocolate machine.

There are Starbucks in Juneau, but they are way out by the airport. Definitely take a look at Juneau in Google Earth. Juneau is very spread out along the coast. There is downtown Juneau where the cruise ships port, and then a little further north there is the airport/residential area. You would definitely need a cab to get to the Starbucks - Google says it's almost 8 miles, 12 minutes by car.

There is a Starbucks in Ketchikan, though....that one might be easier to check out.

Have a great cruise!

Thank you you much! This was all so helpful! We'll get to Starbucks in Ketchikan! Did you do the tour with our without the meal after? My daughter loves crab so much but I don't want to miss dinner on the ship. Do they do one that ha lunch after instead of dinner?

 

[jdb in AZ]

[QUOTE="

Tracy's Crab Shack was outstanding and very near where the shuttles pick you up to take you back to the ship.[/QUOTE]

Oh yes. Pricey, but sooo good! Their slogan is that they have the "best legs in town."

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

These boards are so amazing! Thank you for all the replies so far!

I also wanted to mention that we plan on staying at pan pacific two nights prior to the cruise. Any must sees in Vancouver?

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

[QUOTE="

Tracy's Crab Shack was outstanding and very near where the shuttles pick you up to take you back to the ship.

Oh yes. Pricey, but sooo good! Their slogan is that they have the "best legs in town."[/QUOTE]


Do we have to have cash or do they take cards? Our daughters favorite food is crab so we want to make sure to go there

 

[noahdove]

I am praying that once we decide on our excursions, they aren't cancelled... but, if they are... so be it..

 

[xlxo]

I also wanted to mention that we plan on staying at pan pacific two nights prior to the cruise. Any must sees in Vancouver?

Lots!!!! For some an entire week is not enough. To clarify, which day are you sailing and we can provide some seasonal suggestions. You might want to consider flying in Tuesdays or Wednesdays when flights are cheaper and can give you extra nights at budget hotels.

Hope you made your Panny reservations already. That hotel is extremely popular with cruisers and the price justifies it. For multi day stays, cheaper options include the Empire Landmark, Hampton, and Blue Horizon.

As a minimum.... Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse are the top fav's. There are free shuttles from the cruise terminal.

http://www.tourismvancouver.com/do/...ttractions/10-vancouver-must-see-attractions/

You might want to consider additional days post-cruise too!

Do you have kids with you... must bring them to the gelato (Bella & LaCasa) and chocolate places (Mink)!

You might want a visit to Victoria on one of your final post-cruise days. Then continue to Seattle for a cheaper flight home as Victoria is halfway there.

 

[gdstone04]

Honestly? I do not remember. I'm thinking something along the lines of $400 for the four of us although I could be completely off-base. We used Baranof Excursions (although we booked through Disney). We had to bring cash for the licenses but if I remember correctly, the kids were free. Our guide was just AWESOME! We caught a couple of small fish (which we donated to a nursing home our guide volunteered at) but we kept the 40 pound halibut we caught. It was awesome and we gave a lot of it away here. It cost $300 to ship it home but it was perfectly preserved. You pay per pound of fish. I would HIGHLY recommend the fishing excursion. It was absolutely serene and peaceful and you got to see so much of the beauty of that area. We didn't see any whales on our fishing trip but our guide said it is really common to see them.

 

[xlxo]

Oh yes. Pricey, but sooo good! Their slogan is that they have the "best legs in town."

fyi...

• Tracy is extremely popular when the cruise ships are in town... especially for dinner. Think about 2 to 4pm when the lines are shorter. When 4 or 5 cruise ships are in and everyone hearing about Tracy.... the wait can be significant when meal time comes.
• If you see a shack by the dock, it's no longer Tracy. In 2014, she moved into a slightly larger permanent building next door.
• The Wonder serves 1/4 crab legs as an appy when I was in Juneau. Not enough... I loaded up at Tracy before dinner.
• Some say Alaskan crab are frozen..... Consider looking for a premium Chinese restaurant when in Vancouver if you have a large group. The crabs are served live. Just point to your dinner when the server comes. You can even pose for pictures. Are you happy with boil 'n butter? What about ginger? Garlic? Green Onions? Fried? Spiced? Baked? What about all of the above? Chinese restaurants can split your crab into 3, 4, or 5 servings. http://www.followmefoodie.com/2014/04/dynasty-seafood-restaurant-alaskan-king-crab-dinner-vancouver/

 

[niccikatie]

Excursions-
Skagway: glacier dog sledding
Juneau: whale watching tour with adventures in Alaska followed by lunch at Tracy's king crab and then mendenhall glacier on our own.
Ketchikan: deciding between bearing crab tour, fishing or bear viewing. (Literally CAN'T DECIDE!) opinions would be VERY helpful!

Adventures in Alaska was awesome! You'll love it! Great plan doing lunch in between whale watching and mendenhall. We didn't and DH and DD were HANGRY!

We did bear watching through Disney in Ketchikan. It was expensive. We didn't see any bears (we went at the end of August, second to last sailing). It was WARM in Alaska last year and the guide was pretty sure that the heat was keeping the bears in the woods instead of fishing for salmon. The floatplane ride was amazing - out pilot was fantastic - and worth the money, but we were disappointed we didn't see any bears.