Not sure if this is the right forum for this... but in July my husband and I, along with visiting friends from UK, are booked on a weeklong Alaskan Cruise, out of Vancouver. We dock at Sitka, Juno, and Ketchikan. We are struggling with arranging excursions ahead of time. They are pretty pricy, especially the boat trip through the glacier, mountain. Also, we have been on many whalewatching tours here on Vancouver Island and really do not want to pay the prices quoted for yet another one... but our UK friends have never had the experience. I am hoping we see lots from the ship! Otherwise they could go solo. So any advice on choosing must see trips which wont cost a fortune, and would provide lifelong memories for us all, would be greatly appreciated. We have spent many hours researching excursions and reading reviews, especially for the Menendall Glacier in Juno! Thinking take the bus from ship instead of booking an excursion? The excursions only give 2 hours to walk a couple of miles to view the glacier, waterfall, gold panning old mine site, whereas the blue bus lets you explore at your own pace and leaves every half hour. Anyone who has been please advise! Thank you!

F

I think booking an excursion to the Mendenhall is only worth it if it includes a boat/kayak/canoe portion to get you up close. Otherwise just take the bus and explore on your own!

Hi Carol, just finished planning my own excursions on my Alaska cruise. Do you have a budget of how much you are willing to spend per port ? Is your group wanting physical activities like Kayaking or more along the line of sight seeing ?

Margo not really, sightseeing only as it is an older couple, not sure they would be into kayaking... we would love it!

In Juneau, Alaska taxi and tours ( they are on facebook, I messaged them from Facebook and they are quick to respond) will do a private hourly rate for $70 per hour, not per person. If you work out some highlights you want to see, I would message them and get a price.

Also, you will definitely see a few whales from the ship, but it is nothing like the experience you get on a whale watching tour! I would do the tour

My experience is that you’ll see LOTS of whales from the ship, particularly in the inside passage. The best trip we did was a zodiac tour - I think that was in Ketchikan.

Anything arranged by the cruise will definitely cost more, it'll be better for you to make arrangements yourself (they want their cut after all, lol)

Melissa I agree with this except for the Mendenhall Glacier, the non ship booked cannot take you to the park they take you a long way from the glacier. So I'd say take the bus to that and not spend all that money on tour.

Could you save/book whale watching in Victoria vs Alaska?

We caught a bus to Mendenhall and this worked out great for us.

Same here! Also saw lots of whales, otters, etc from the ship, especially when docked at Ketchikan.

How about renting a car and doing your own your? Much cheaper and you can stop whenever you want

Do not do the totems and eagles excursion! More totems and eagles on Vancouver Island. Either the Train to Yukon or whitewater rafting are better options.

I’ve heard that this company is good in Ucluelet. ... http://subtidaladventures.com.
SUBTIDALADVENTURES.COM
Whale watching and Bear tours by Subtidal Adventures in Ucluelet, west coast Vancouver Island BC Barkley Sound

We loved taking the float plane and going to see the bears fishing. Can't remember what port that was out of.

When you get off the ship in Juneau there are lots of private bus trips to Mendenhall available very reasonable, even with our CDN$. If its a nice day with no low clouds then the tram up Mt Roberts is very close and a great view. Lots of people go to the Red Dog Saloon too.

Marlene I agree, buy your tickets at the kiosk when you get off the ship, I disagree with those that said skip Mendenhall glacier, I think this is a must see

In Skagway check out Dyea Dave tours, have done a couple, cheaper than cruise ship. Emerald lake in the Yukon is a good one

Marlene sadly we don't dick at Skagway

Train to Yukon
.
Stay away from the shops by the shore. JUNO museum.

The bus to Mendenhall is a good choice. We did an excursion last week to the Misty Fjords and loved it! (We had good weather). Had to book through the cruise and it was pricier, because the non-cruise options weren’t open so early in the season.

The Bear Experience at Sitka and the Raptor Centre are worth seeing. The Russian Cathedral at Sitka is also interesting. As mentioned the Mendehall Glacier is amazing.

I live in Ucluelet. Happy to give suggestions if you're interested. Pm me. In Ketchikan I would stay away from the shops near the terminal, they're all owned by the cruise ship company's. Ketchikan is very like BC so I would suggest saving your money for Juneau and Skagway and doing some walking instead. We spent 5 winters there commercial fishing. It's a lovely town but very much oriented to the tourists. If you have time for a meal, catch a cab and to Oceanview restaurant. It's a fun slice of where the locals East and it's really really good food- Mexican and American. Also the historical area up behind the town where the boardwalk is is pretty cool.. the history of the brothels and the creek the boardwalk runs over make for a good walk. Other than that it's really the view and scenery on the way in and out of Ketchikan that's amazing.

Just a bit of advice from an experienced cruiser: Do remember that excursions arranged through the cruise line are “protected” in that if something goes wrong and you are late back to the ship, it will wait for you. If you are on an independent tour there is a strong possibility that the ship will not wait.
We did an AYCE crab dinner excursion in Ketchican. We went out in a small boat, looked at some crab traps and then back to a lodge for fresh cooked crab. It was very memorable and also delicious!
Have a great time!

There is one, maybe out of Ketchikan where you go out on a crab fishing boat. Tour around. And end up at this great lodge where everyone gets All You Can Eat crab

Check to see if there are tours available thru viator or expedia. They offer a guarantee to get you back to the ship on time and are generally more affordable than the cruise line.

When we were there 5 years ago there was a lot of Private or small group tours once you got there. Ketchikan has an awesome deadliest catch tour. It was the only tour we booked through the ship and it was pricey but we felt it was worth every penny and would do it again next time. Lots of fun shops.
The Red Dog Saloon in Juno was alot of fun to have a drink. We had amazing King crab at Tracy's Crab Shack in Juno as well. Lots of fun little shops in Juno we took a $15 each small bus ride to the Glacier and walked around. It also had a few other fun stops.
We have taken 6 cruises since our alaska one (to all different places) and have never not felt safe taking a private tour. Our Last 18 day cruise in March we had private tours for every port. We alway compare and saved a ton of money. tripadvisor is our main tool for booking private.

We took a bus for 3$ just off the ship to Mendenhall Glacier...I never prebook anything on the ship, always wait to do it for much cheaper off the boat. We saw hundreds of humpbacks over our 8 days from the boat.

If you are a Costco member, you can book excursions on their travel link and use promo code COSTSHRX. A lot cheaper than the cruise and viator/TripAdvisor.

I have been Alaska cruise many times and never book a tour. Don't need one as there are many things to see during the cruise. Not sure which glacier your ship are going. Mendenhall glacier usually could be reach by bus at the dock for $18, now they increased to $45 which I don't think is worth it as you will see bigger glacier from your ship. The only interesting for Mendenhall is the walk to big waterfall. If you are spending time in Vancouver, we have many waterfall just as nice: Bridle Fall, Shannon Fall, Brandy Fall..etc. Every ports in Alaska are very walkable. Juneau has a cable tram that takes you to top of Mt. Robert which has very nice view and nice walking paths. Skagway has a nice water fall you could walk to. Kitchikan just walk along the creek.

I did the kayaking at (I think the name is..) Shadow lake? Something like that. It was stunning! Keep in mind if you take independent tours the cruise will not wait for you if you are not back!

Sue yes we saw lots of people running down the hill as we started leaving

Susan

Sue they ran over to a fisherman must have paid him and he drove over to hatch ( not sure if it’s called that) by then we had pushed away from dock . I guess door was still open. Lol

We loved just walking around the towns.

We went on an Alaskan cruise last June for the second time. I agree with you - excursions are pricey! We were on a tight budget but we wanted to enjoy what Alaska is famous for. Forget the King Crab, Salmon Bake, gold panning, seaplane tour, fishing trips. Take the tram up Mt Robertson in Juneau, skip Mendenhall, go into town at Ketchikan and mingle at the local bar, go on the killer whale tour and see bubble netting. Bring binoculars and see glaciers up close. Yes, you get a glimpse of otters and seals in the water and drifting ice when the boat sails but you’re too far away for good pictures.

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Highly recommend the boat excursion to see the glaciers up close. Seeing and hearing the calf up close is amazing and unforgettable.

We did not see any whales from ship and loved the whale tour. Our cruise had lots of informational lectures about the culture of the areas we were passing through which I loved. There is the option of whale tours around Vancouver island if they are more economical. Sounds like a fabulous vacation you’ve planned for your friends!

Bring maps and binoculars to stay oriented to exactly where you are while cruising. I hated passing islands etc and not knowing exactly where I was!

I worked on a cruiseship for 2 years going to all these ports numerous times (8 years ago). Don’t do the goldpanning lol. The trainride in Skagway is beautiful, take the tram up the mountain in Juneau it has stunning views as well as taking a bus to see Mendenhall Glacier which is gorgeous (we got engaged there). The ships usually stops to view a glacier too. Ketchikan has a funny Lumberjack Show which was fun to see in town. Take binoculars for sure

I would also suggest the Totem Pole museum in Ketchikan, there is a free shuttle that will take you anywhere in Ketchikan , ( we walked there and took the shuttle back), the museum was by donation I think, if not, very inexpensive, very good showing of totem poles and life in Alaska

We did blue bus....just strolled around the glacier park , then the town....found we did not need much time at the glacier park

We did a lot of just walking around the towns. Go into tripadvisor forum for each of those places , they will give you too 10 things to do in each. The towns themselves are beautiful replicas of what they used to be.

It was a little pricey but we did the ship’s excursion to Mendenhall glacier by helicopter... once in a lifetime experience for sure! Incredible scenery on flight then we got to land and tramp around on the glacier with a guide. Worth every penny!

I highly recommend booking trips before. I didn’t want to plan ahead and just see what you can do in every port, the plan did not work out. In some ports they had some people selling tours in the morning for an hour and then they closed. And then there was literally nothing to do. Even just renting a taxi was extremely expensive since they often charge you an additional tourist fee like italian mafia, but every italian city is nicer than juneau, which is really not interesting

We have done this several times and mostly we do not take excursions. In Ketchikan you can just walk around and you can get a local bus out of town to a first nations village with carvings etc but I will havevto look that up. In Juneau you can catch a bus on the wharf that will take you out to the glacier where you can wslj and get info from the national park. Also people will be selling whale tours and will deliver you to the glacier as well. In Juky if you ask if the whales are bubble feeding in the area then take the whale tour. It is unbelievable! Otherwise just do the glacier by local bus. Sitka is interesting enough to just walk around. Hope this helps and if you want more info PM me.

I always book my excursions through www.viator.com
VIATOR.COM
Things to Do, Tickets, Tours & Attractions | 2019 | viator

Tracy same here. Way less expensive.

Emily Way less!

we went on an alaskan cruise in July 2014. We did not pre book any excursions and walked off the ship and booked something in the morning. Our first stop was in Skagway and ended up on a mini bus tour of the white pass and Liarsville, plus the skagway cemetary. The driver was awesome and knew everything about the area. In Juneau, we booked a tour of the Mendenhall glacier. We had enough time to walk around while we were there. As we were traveling with tiny kids, we didn't want to hike that far anyways so it was perfect. We also were also on vacation with my brothers and sisters and their family, and while some of us went to visit the glacier, my sister stayed in town to explore and enjoy the parade (it was July 4 that day). Ketchikan- we walked around, did some shopping, walked around the creek. It was pouring rain that day, so anything longer and we would have been soaked. We also caught a city bus and took it to visit the Saxman Native Village. It was so wet, we literally took some pictures and caught the next city bus back- staying maybe 20 min or so total. On our ship, we had balconies and saw grey whales while we were traveling, plus a lot of porpoises and other marine life. In Uculet, there are lots of trails to explore- hiking is a must. I'm sure you will have a rental car, so I would also head to Tofino as well and do some exploring there. We also liked visiting the docks and the Aquarium in Uculet. In Victoria, you can walk around. If you like craft beer, it can be found aplenty. If you want another really cool day trip, drive to Port Renfrew and check out Botanical beach- which is a lovely place to explore the tide pools. Last time we were there we saw a pod of grey whales right off the beach!

No tours required.

If your cruise includes the Hubbard Glacier, that will be all you need. The Cruise Ship lingers in front of the Glacier for quite a while and it is an awesome site.

Go thru Cruise Critic. A website devoted to cruising info and excursions that are not done thru the cruise lines. Way better prices and smaller groups.

You see enough from the cruise ship. I never book tours on the ship or before. In some ports locals offer tours on mini buses at a reasonable price and take you to what you want to see.

Sophie Clarke

Allison Meister-FellowsAllison Meister-FellowsAllison Meister-Fellows

In Ketchikan, you can walk off the ship and take boardwalk near the creek, past the brothel and other old buildings along the creek, then take the funicular up to Cape Fox lodge for a coffee. In the foyer of the lodge there are many First Nations artifacts in glass cases to look at. There are a set of Totem poles outside the coffee shop. You can either take the funicular back down or walk down the ‘married man’s trail’. If it is really raining in Ketchikan it is worth it to find the forest museum where they have great displays of nature.

We have used both viator and Cruise Critic, both successfully and much less expensive. Have also walked off ship a block and negotiated with local guides, again successfully.
People on our ship spent hundreds on whale watching. Fortunately, we sat at window in cabin and watched whales for 1/2 hr. In Juneau (I think it was) we walked into a Brewery store and for $20. did a 2 hr tour and tasting. Good value if you are into that.

Sharron thank you!

personally, having done the same cruise, yes, the prices for the excursions are ridiculous and if you have already seen similar it makes no sense to spend the money again. Let your friends experience it for themselves if they are willing to spend that kind of money. for me, the fun one was the helicopter to the glacier. What was NOT fun was having them weigh you before getting on the helicopter haha. that one was worth it since i recall hovering in front of the waterfall and it was glorious. Felt like a bird up there. The only downside to doing your own shore adventure is if anything happens to make you miss the departure time. I can tell you this from personal experience. I was thinking, during a lovely trip up the mountain, that we had been taking too long. Sure enough... as we were descending in the gondola I asked the young man with me...who was a crew member.....why is the boat moving? he screwed up and we missed the boat. We ran to the shore office and they called the ship. I heard the captain's voice say... who is it? the guy at the office said "one crew member and one guest" he hung up on us. I begged him to call back. He did and the captain said in a very gruff voice "put them in the pilot boat and bring them along side" ..now, this is amazing.... since the big boat is moving very slowly the little one still has to bang out the waves to come alongside. They dropped a rope ladder...yes,, a rope ladder and had the guy scurry up first. they were more afraid for me since between the pilot boat and the ship is open water with not much space between the two craft. they wrapped the rope around my waist and as I egan to climb the ladder they were pulling but they were pulling so hard my feet were being pulled away from the rungs. I yelled up to let me go and I climbed the rest of the way up. The captain and a lot of the staff were there. The captain pointed his finger at the crew member to go to his cabin. He waggled his finger at me. The poor young guy had to ante up $100 dollars to pay the fee for the pilot boat. I was not aware that the film crew was filming the entire thing from the top deck. So... after getting back to my cabin whereupon I kissed the floor....i went in search of the nearest bar. Only to see everyone staring at me and the barman said "it's you!"...yes, my odessey was all over the ship and when I went to the dining room that night everyone stood up and clapped. I was mortified and was teased remorselessly for the rest of the trip. the young man did not get into any trouble except to have his free time off the ship rescinded for a bit and he said.... "look downstairs at my pic " well, it said under the pic..."employee of the month" I thought...not any longer hahah.

Maureen that is amazing, you couldn't make it up could you? Lol

Carole oh hell no. all the truth that is fit to print!

In Juneau, you can walk a long the waterfront all the way to the bridge. They have put a huge whale statue in near the bridge. You can take the buses to Mendenhall glacier for approx $20 return. Very enjoyable place to visit. If it is raining, you can go into the Juneau library and get free WiFi ( donations accepted) or go to any of the many different museums in town. Whatever you choose, it will be easy to have an enjoyable day in Port.

Lynn thanks Lynn!

Or www.alaskashoreexcursions.com
ALASKASHOREEXCURSIONS.COM
Alaska Shore Excursions: Alaska Tours & Things to Do

We did a great excursion in Skagway called “Skagway Yukon Discovery Adventure” I always recommend it!

Tracy I agree you can easily arrange a tour with a local co when you get there. One thing we really enjoyed was the train
trip from Skagway along the gold rush route and then bus back to the ship. White horse and Yukon train

I think it’s better to book ahead though!

Tracy Gay, we don't dock at Skagway

What a pity as thought Skagway was one of the best places we went to our Alaskan cruise

We waited till the day as did t want to be rained out of an expensive excursion, we walked off cruise ship and picked tours in each port,

Kim We took an Alaskan cruise in 2017 and mostly we waited til on the ship to book too.

yes take theprivate bus to mendenhall glacier. the ship tour is expensive and your time is limited. last year it was 10 pp for the bus return and you chose when you return.

Lynne thank you!

in Ketchikan there will be private tours offered right where you get off the boat for a lot less than the ship charges

same as in sitka. yu can probably do it on line ahead of time. you will be in the US so pretty safe. enjoy

We're from the UK also, did the same trip. In Juneau, just go to this place & have fun! There's an old guy playing the piano and mocking everyone that comes in - you don't need to be drunk to apprecaite the good humour: https://www.reddogsaloon.com/
REDDOGSALOON.COM
Red Dog Saloon – Behind those swinging doors

Pauline Good There

In Sitka, we just toured about on foot.... check out local restaurant on Main Street that sells A Bucket Of Crab! Juneau, you can even as a cabbie to show you about if you don’t want to go on excursions...is also a tram near dock to go up top mountain....Good Fish And Chips At little cafe by the Marina... you can sit outside at tables. Ketchikan, we’ve always just wandered about....never done an excursion there...
Enjoy

Jean thank you!

I went to the same cruise last year. You dont have to take the excursions. You can just go out and explore the little towns on foot.
I did go to the train ride up to white pass. It was great! But its just mountains and lake view at the top. If you have seen enough mountains and lakes. You can just walk around the towns , theres plenty to do.

In ketchikan, walk around creek street, see the houses on the water. It’s free - you do not need to pay for a guide. Its near where you dock the ship.

Gwen Knoll .. some good tips on here

Last year, a whale came and put on a show in the water between the docks and the shore in Juneau. It was an incredible show but many people missed it because they were all either on shore or on tours. Most unexpected and magical.
Try to get the bus tour to the Menendall Glacier that also stops at the Upside Down Gardens. That place is really cool. The owner jams whole trees upside down into the ground and then plants flowers in their roots. He & his wife have really green thumbs.

Lauretta awesome! We live in Campbell River, pods of whales often swim by, but after 29 years of living here they evaded me all but one time! Would be amazing to have a show like yours! We would rather not do a tour as we have done that many times already at Telegraph Cove a few hours drive from CR. Will have to check out the upside down garden!

We did that cruise. One of the excursions at ketchican

Hey, you’re talking to the right gal here! We did that cruise, same stops, and had been given advice from a few different longtime Alaskan cruisers. The advice was to book the tours you really want AT EACH PORT, rather than through the ship. They tack on up to 30% more and use the exact same tour companies that you can book yourself. Mendenhall Glacier is super easy to get to on the shuttle bus that leaves right by the dock, and you have loads of time to explore the area, just make sure you are at the bus departure before 5 pm, as I believe that is the last shuttle back to town (we got left behind, bus driver was new, thought the last one left at 7
). You have enough time in Juneau to do both the Glacier and the tram up the mountain, or the Native village, or just walk around town. The White Pass-Yukon Railway tour in Skagway is a Must See, also easily booked right there, and they have both a morning tour and an afternoon one. The views, scenery, history are gob-smacking, really. Skagway is also a fun, funky, frontier-style town. Ketchikan is lots of fun, if somewhat kitschy, with it’s boardwalks, brothels and beer. We chose a do-nothin’ day, went to a pub, walked around town, did some shopping. But seriously? The trip itself is just so unbelievably beautiful, so dramatically scenic, full of history, wildlife, and awe-inspiring vistas that we were more than happy to watch the scenery with the cruise guide at hand to better understand where we were, etc, that we didn’t actually need any of the tours. Even at night we would go up top to watch our silent passage through the wilderness. We saw whales, bears, otters, all kinds of bird life -not a lot of wildlife seen without binoculars- and it was simply spectacular. We live on Vancouver Island in very similar surroundings, but it was still magical for us. Can’t wait to do it again, in the fall!

Mary thank you Mary! We live in Campbell River on Vancouver Island too! Am sure it will be magical, can't wait! We want to sit up top and watch the scenery too
. Thanks for the headsup regarding booking off ship at each port! We will be sure to head back from the glacier in the afternoon, so we can have a wander downtown Juno. Alas the railway tour isn't possible as our cruise is the Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Juno and Ketchikan route.

Carole, I live in Nanaimo! I know you will enjoy the cruise, it’s impossible not to. Bring binoculars and pick up the ship’s cruise guide, it really enhances the experience. I’m envious of your itinerary including both Sitka and the Hubbard Glacier! Enjoy!

Dean Kuusela

Thank you all so much for the awesome advice! I am a bit less overwhelmed now
.

Carole go to trip advisor forums

The bus does not go all the way to Mendenhall, you have to walk 2 km each way, but it is an easy flat walk

It goes to the Mendenhall Visitor’s Centre, and then you can walk a few choices of trails, all easy, as you mentioned.

Mary , the city bus doesn’t go all the way to the visitor centre. The higher priced excursions bus takes you to the visitor centre

I meant the “Blue Bus”, by the dock, that’s the one we were directed to, that goes all the way to the Visitors Centre.

Mary , there is an inexpensive city bus that goes up towards the glacier, but not all the way there. There are also more expensive buses that simply shuttle you to and from the glacier which do stop right across from the visitor centre

Melanie , good to know, thanks!

Mary

Thanks! We planned on the blue bus from the ship
. So excited for this trip!

The others ports have great hiking, very close to the cruise dock. You can easily walk there from the ship

Good information!! Following

Try and see if viator has similar excursions. I’ve used them before when cruising and they have similar trips as the ships that are less expensive. Be sure and chose ones with a ship departure guarantee to ensure that you get back before the ship leaves port !!

We just left Juneau. Must do’s: Tracy’s Crab Shack, the bucket($135) good value, we got 2 for the 7 of us. Red Dog Saloon, lots of fun. Mt. Roberts $30(or $27 with your AAA card). We didn’t go to the Glacier but in talking to other travellers the bus is a good choice. Whale watching, we saw lots from the ship and a tour doesn’t guarantee anything. If you are in Vancouver or Victoria that may be a better value whale watching trip

If you're going to do the train book it now. It usually gets sold out

Theda yes our travel agent told us it was very popular Theda. Unfortunately our cruise doesn't include Skagway.