RaiderCruiser

Let me second the Wildflower Cafe and add that the portions are REALLY, REALLY big. We split the fish and chips and it was still more than enough.

I forgot maybe the most popular one, Island Wings.

Be prepared! I was in a t-shirt and shorts on our balcony as we entered Glacier Bay, went to jeans and a long sleeve shirt as we approached the glaciers, ended up in sweat shirt, light jacket, wool cap and gloves when we were at the glaciers. This while the sun was out the entire time.

The OP is asking about land tours as well as cruise, so that pretty much rules out R/T from Seattle or Vancouver. To incorporate land tour would be a one way north or south with the land portion either at the start or the finish.

For the OP, As others have said all the big lines have a base of the same ports; Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. I believe Sitka is only used on R/T though I may be wrong. Where the variances occur is Icy Strait, College Fjord(my favorite) and Glacier Bay. There is usually a mix of two of these on most cruises. Seems everyone has a pretty strong opinion on what they like best.

Read others posts, listen to Maple and Budget Queen and relax. I'm not sure you can really go wrong.

We were on the Coral in May and the Steak House was never full. We walked by it at prime time several nights and they were taking walk ups, no problem. I'd probably still make reservations, but wouldn't knock myself out trying to be the first to do it when boarding.

When I was doing research for our trip this past May, I believe the main 3 were Coastal Copters, Temsco and Era. We did our tour with Coastal and it was everything we had read and more,. I think your kids will absolutely love it.

We had the same situation as you in May. Not enough time to do Denali right, but too much time to waste. We drove up to Talkeenta and really enjoyed the day. It was at the conclusion of our cruise and it was the perfect ending. Lunch at the Wildflower Cafe was very good as well. Enjoy.

I would never rely on a long term weather forecast to dictate my packing plans. In Alaska, like sooo many areas the weather can change quickly, either for the better or the worse. You can roll the dice and keep a few things at home, but dog gone, what are you gonna do if you really need that rain jacket or extra layer. IMHO, your gonna wish you had them.

Not sure if I missed it, but a hat to cover your ears may be necessary when out on deck.

On Glacier Bay day in May, I wore shorts on deck part of the day, then went to several layers, including hooded sweatshirt and jacket, back to jeans and a t-shirt. You just don't know.

Dog Sledding on a glacier, I wore jeans and a t-shirt and a fellow traveler wore SHORTS and a long sleeve shirt.

Hope you have a great trip.

Do you have jumper cables in your car trunk?

Do you keep a spare roll of Toilet Paper near the toilet?

Do you keep more than one pair of reading glasses?

Some people like to be prepared for whatever comes their way, others like to roll the dice. Your shoes may never get wet or they may.

Everyone has different experiences and thoughts, ultimately it is up to you.

Don't want to sound rude, but this has the makings of being the cruise from @&^$. The planner has "little interest" and one of the participants doesn't have a passport (and seems unwilling to get one)! Good Luck.

BQ would certainly know better than me, but I would suggest you look at some of the private tours that will take you into the Yukon, Chilkott tours, Dyea Dave etc. You will have the enjoyment of the train ride Skagway to Frazer(or reverse) then van ride further in. The vans or mini buses are much easier to get in and out of and you are with 10-15 people not 40-50.

Our "extra landing" occurred after the dog sledding. From the dog camp we flew a few minutes(don't remember exactly how long) and landed further down on the glacier. We exited the helicopter and walked around on the glacier for about 15 minutes. Took tons of photos and just took in our surroundings. In our opinion, as I've said, the best part of the trip.

I believe it was an additional $70 pp. We didn't think that was much more considering the $500+ original price tag.

By the way it is hard to find this excursion on their website. It's not listed under their tours. It is listed below the tours under a heading of something like "can't decide" or "want the best of both worlds".

Enjoy

Now, that is a tough decision to make, something like "who's your favorite child?" Coffee on the balcony was so relaxing, Glacier Bay and College Fjord were magnificent, the wildlife was exciting, but our favorite was the heli/dog sledding with an additional glacier landing. The solitude of the glacier, seemingly away from any part of civilization, the grandeur of the mountains was all inspiring. I'm ready to go back.

We took this excursion on May 16th and it was the highlight of our trip(not that everything else wan't magnificent). We enjoyed the dog sledding, but the additional glacier landing is what made the trip. The tranquility and majesty of the glacier will always be remembered.

Just a note on the forward viewing area on the Coral, Baja deck. There are 3 signs, one hand written, that show the door as an emergency exit. Be brave, walk on through and meet many of your fellow passengers.

My wife and I just completed (May 13 - 20) our first Alaskan cruise on Coral Princess. I am in the process of writing a review, but I will say it was more spectacular than I would have ever imagined. I spent a lot of time preparing for the trip and it paid off. We were certainly flexible with our schedule, but I felt I had a pretty good "lay of the land" while on the ship, as well as our ports.

I'll be happy to answer any questions, but I will say again, it was outstanding.

you'll disembark around 7am, give or take a bit. The tours start that early. Other than these tours there is very little to do IN Whittier. Just on the other side of the tunnel there is the Portage Lake glacier tour and then at the junction of the Seward Highway is the Wilderness Center.

In Ketchikan last week we used Taquan Air for a Mysty Fjords tour and it was one of the highlights of the trip. The views were magnificent. Landing on a glacier lake and walking around on the floats was a once in a lifetime event. Didn't expect this out of the tour, but wouldn't miss it again.

We just finished a trip and booked some of our excursions through the ship and some through independents. Google "things to do..." in each of your ports and you will find extensive lists. Some can be very expensive and others not at all. Specifically, the Lumberjack, show is fun but pretty "chessy".

Certainly whale watching in Juneau is available through several sources. A helicopter trip and dog sledding is expensive, but a lifetime memory. The train in Skagway is nice as well. Enjoy your trip.

We took the train up and a tour to Emerald lake and back. In the end we were very glad we did the combined instead of train round trip. We used Dyea Dave and it was very good. The small bus down gives you several different views of the valley and makes stops for photo opportunities. Everyone has there own likes, but for us this really worked well. Also with a small group we could make changes on the go.

We used Harv & Marv last week and it was tremendous. Liz was our captain and she was excellent. The tour last 4.5 hours. Bus picks you up at ship, takes you to boat. At conclusion of whale watching bus takes you to glacier. You can spend longer at the glacier if you wish and take the shuttle back for a small fee.

Last week we saw light and medium weight rain gear at every port we stopped at in Alaska. $19.99 was the going price. I'd forget trying to buy one ahead of time and buy one in port if necessary.

I think you would enjoy the side trip to Talkeetna. It's a bit off the main highway, but we thought it was well worth the time. Nice place to look through some gift shops, several cafes and flight seeing opportunities. We had lunch on the deck at The Wildflower and it was very nice. Split the fish and chips. Several flight seeing options to take you to and around Mt.McKinley

I've got to agree with the others, take advantage of the views both ways. The lighting will change drastically and certainly effect any picture taking. We played leap frog with some tour buses last week, but it was never a big deal. SLOW DOWN and enjoy.

Just off the Coral and we saw Whales from our balcony, as well as Baja bow and Lido deck. As others have stated you can view from cover in the buffet, but its pretty tough through the glass.