txwriter

So, I'm trying to decide if the long day trip out to Emerald Lake is worth it for us. Based on the pictures of the train seats, I cannot see us taking the train. They look like they would cause a problem for my mother's back, so it would be the bus both ways for us. Though the trip is long, it would be doable since there are several stops along the way.

However, since there are things in and around town we'd like to see, I'm trying to decide to just sticking closer to Skagway or going to Emerald Lake. The pictures look beautiful, but all of the pictures from Alaska trips look beautiful to me.:)

In many pictures, I see where the bus has stopped for bears, but I never see mention of what time of year this is happening. Is this a random occurrence that is just as likely one time of year as the other, or is there a time of year when it is more common? One thing I read did mention something about late spring and early fall.

We'll be there May 30, 2017 if that helps. I'm not changing my dates to get better bear viewing dates, and I'm not interested in fly-in bear viewings. I'm just wondering about seeing them on this specific trip by chance. Thanks.

Having been to Alaska before, are there any ports or activities that you are especially excited to share with your son? If yes, then maybe see if one itinerary or the other has a longer port time for that.

I haven't been on either and can definitely see the dilemma. One thing I noticed was that you'd get $300.00 OBC for the Celebrity cruise, so even though it might cost slightly more on the front end, it would balance out if you could use that OBC for an excursion.

You might try reading a copy of Frommer's Easy Guide to Alaska Cruises and Ports of Call. It has a large section talking about the different cruise lines, the ships, what to expect on board, etc. It also gives information on the ports of call which might help you decide. It helps compare similarities and differences side-by-side.

I felt very overwhelmed when I first started researching, and deciding the itinerary and cruise line were my first big decisions. I also read a ton of trip reviews here on CC. The pictures provided and the write ups help tremendously.

I will say that in all of my research I don't recall seeing anything about bed lengths. I believe most cruise lines use a general term like queen bed that can be two twins. you might have to ask on the cruise line boards to see responses from other tall travelers if they had any problem fitting on the bed.

I've rented from Alaska Car Rental (800-666-0007 or 907-225-5000). They picked me up and dropped me off at the pier. Their office is just a few miles, if that far, from the port. The total cost has been a little under $70, including gasoline. so price wise, it's almost a wash with the taxi, but if you have time, you'll be able to drive around a bit.

 

I've never driven for things in town, so parking was never a problem. I really enjoyed totem Bight State Park. there's lots of information about it on these boards. They have over a dozen or so restored totems and a clan house, all in a beautiful park setting. Next door to the park is a really nice gift shop, too.

 

Creek Street is a few blocks from the ship. I guess you could drive there, but you want to walk along the actual street - it's really a boardwalk along the creek.

Thank you for the information on car rentals and your experience with them.

Creek Street is not a road, it is a boardwalk walkway. You don't drive it. There also is very limited parking nearby.

 

Yes ships generally clear around the time they are supposed to, BUT no guarantees.

 

As you know, this is a poor time for fishing. I've been traveling Ketchikan for over 20 years, every year, consistently not a recommended time. I'm assuming it doesn't matter if you don't catch anything?

 

Why aren't you finding a fishing vendor in Ketchikan, with pick up at the dock? Clover Pass is a long distance from downtown Ketchikan. Renting a car is adding extra time, and as noted, is going to be similar pricing. If you use a cab- you'll need to call them, at least a 1/2 hour prior to needing them, so I'd suggest an arranged pick up. With your Lumberjack preference- you need to have the fishing trip at the beginning or end of your port day. You should be able to include it. You may want to consider a folding transfer chair. They take up little room, but are a big advantage if you need it. Cruise ships are huge and it will allow a lot less worrying about distances.

I really don't know why I should need to justify my choice of vendors, but this particular vendor has good reviews, offers excursions for just two people verses having to have a minimum of four, and has excellent communication. In short, I liked him. It's important for me to feel comfortable with someone who is taking me out on a boat; also I dislike giving large sums of money to people I don't like.:)

There is some chance that I may cancel the fishing, but my mom really gets excited when she tells people, so it's a slim chance. I'll take the odds with fishing at the "wrong time."

Thanks for the information about the parking near Creek Street. I was aware it wasn't really a street--just trying to decide if getting a car for the day was worth it.

I have no idea what a transfer chair is. I'll look into it. The truth is she doesn't need the walker for everyday activities like running errands; we might not take it but are planning for the worst case scenario.

We aren't traveling until 2017. We'll be in Ketchikan on June 1, 2017. The party will by myself and my mom (almost 73 at time of trip). Mom has some slight mobility issues. She can walk without a walker or cane and does fine, but we may take a walker with us as it does seem to help her walk for longer periods of time without hurting.

Our ship is scheduled 10am-6pm, and I've discerned by reading the boards that the all aboard will be around 5:30pm. Does anyone know if 10am is the time we can walk off? Or will it be later?

Mom really wants to go fishing while in Alaska, and we couldn't work it out so that we can fish before boarding the boat. She originally wanted to try river fishing, but sitting in one position for several hours would probably make her back hurt too much to do anything the next day (including traveling to our next location), so that was ruled out. We felt an ocean charter would be best, and we found a charter in Ketchikan that we like. So, we're planning on taking a 4 hour salmon excursion. (And yes, I've checked the fishing charts and know king salmon should be available but am aware they may not be plentiful).

I'd ideally like to see the lumberjack show, but I'm not sure if we can do that and the fishing excursion with our time in port. I've looked at the times for the show and wanted to know if these times generally are the same year to year. Also, is it 1-1/2 hours?

We don't want to be late getting back to the boat.:eek:

The fishing excursion is out of Clover Pass Resort, and the fishing guide has recommended we use Sour Dough Taxicab to get to and back from the resort, but at $70 round trip it seems expensive. Would renting a car be better? Or are there other taxi services we could use?

Also, is Creek Street strictly a walking only area or would a rental car be a good idea? How's parking in Ketchikan if we drive around? Are there off the beaten path places worth seeing that we'd be able to access better with a car?

I know about the Cape Fox Lodge funicular, but how far is the walking distance from the ship?

Any advice or help you can give is appreciated.:)

You will NOT be allowed to do self-disembarkation unless you can manage all your own bags (at Canada Place they also demand that you have one hand free to hold the escalator rail, or they send you to the elevator they use for wheelchair pax which is a huge bottleneck when busy - depending how steady your mum is this might be required anyway).

 

Since you plan to stay an extra day I'd keep it simple - use the regular disembarkation process, requesting a later slot (disembarking after 9am). That lets you have a leisurely breakfast at about 8am, avoid all the luggage blocking aisles in dining rooms since all the self-disembark groups will have already left, and the queues will have died down a bit at customs/immigration. There will also be fewer bags in the holding area, making it easier to spot yours.

 

Use a luggage cart (complimentary) to get your bags to the taxi rank and take a cab right to your hotel - anywhere downtown will cost $10 or less, we're a very compact city. Never found any hotel unwilling to store your bags if your room isn't ready - in cruise season most hotels are pretty full so odds are your room won't be available until at least noon, but all hotels are quite used to cruisers rolling off the ship early and wanting to drop bags off.

 

Figure out some nice things for you and your mum to enjoy during the day, then come back to the hotel mid-afternoon for check-in.

Thank you! This helps.

I have only been through disembarkation once before, and it was on another cruise line and years and years ago (more than 20). I do not have fond memories of that day...at all.

We are taking a Southbound Alaska cruise ending in Vancouver in early June 2017. I don't want a repeat of our NYC disembarkation, so I think we'll stay at least a day in Vancouver. However, most hotels don't allow check in until the mid afternoon. My mom will probably have a walker with her, so her lugging a suitcase is out of the question. I can lug mine but not hers too. What's the best way to avoid terrible memories?

The other folks on the board will give you more advice about sea planes and helicopters and whatnot!

So true! Personally, I love the advice for the low key options. Can you tell me how far it is to the Southeast Discovery Center? We have a fishing excursion booked for Ketchikan, but we'd like to see a little in port; however, walking long distances is not an option? How far from the ship to Creek Street?

I've decided to book with Kenai Riverdog actually (and no, I'm not just saying that because you mentioned them first;)). The owner answered all my questions (which were many and included several back and forth emails), was very accommodating, and she was honest about what to expect or not considering my early date of travel. I also liked the fact that she concentrates on the river floats. Also, I believe she is a little more flexible about the times of the trips than some other vendors. The deciding factor for me was that some of the pictures of her rafts show backs on the seats which works better for us. However, I will let you know that she told me she has some newer rafts, so don't expect those cute hand-painted ones that are posted on Trip Advisor.

My advice is to contact two or three. Ask a LOT of questions, and you'll get a good vibe for what works for you.

Although I have not done this trip, I have researched it extensively because I have planned a float trip on the Kenai for my May 2017 pre-cruise tour. I found the Trip Advisor ap very helpful. (or the website if you prefer). It gave basic information, reviews, as well as websites and emails for most of the vendors. They are listed under a couple of different options since many of the river float operators also offer fishing guide services. I found the feedback very helpful. Also, I contacted a couple of different vendors and picked the one I wanted to go with based on their communication back with me. If coupons are important, check the TourSaver and Northern Lights books (you can look at the coupons they have online). I believe there are two companies that offer float trips on the Kenai that have coupons available. I'm not sure if they are for specific days or have blackout dates. You'd have to check with the vendor. One thing I learned was that you will need to let the vendor know you plan to book with a coupon before you book to avoid any confusion or refusal of coupon later. Hope this helps your planning.:)

I have a question that I think I'll tag to the end here. My mother really wants to do this excursion, but we need to make sure we pick the best choice for us. Mom has some issues with her back that make sitting for prolonged periods of time hard on her. What I need to know is how comfortable/uncomfortable are the railway seats and how long is that portion of the trip? How often do the buses stop?

Right now, I'm considering Dyea Dave's trip to Emerald Lake and Chilkoot Charters' trip to Lake Bennett. Any feedback on the difference in tours is appreciated, but I really need feedback on comfort of seats on bus/rail and how often tours stop for leg stretches. These are both pretty long tours, so it probably be too much if she is sitting the entire time.

I know there is a third option of renting a car, but I'd like to avoid that if possible simply because I want to enjoy the ride and not have to worry about driving. I'm not a huge fan of driving and will already be driving us around for 9-10 days pre-cruise. Thanks.

Do any of you have a link or list of the car rental agencies that operate out of Anchorage if we're planning a round trip?

We don't have an over abundance of police officers all looking to fill a quota, ....

Whew! Good to know. Thanks!:):):)

I'm reluctant to drive all the way down town and risk the myriad of cops down there on prime evenings.

This brings up something I hadn't thought about. How worried should I be about getting a ticket? Is this a place I should stop on yellow lights and set my cruise so I never go over the speed limit?

And is it better/worse inside Anchorage proper, or are all the policemen/troopers in the state on the same page?

By the way, I realize I'm really off topic. Sorry to anyone following along.

I agree with mapleleaves that it is a personal choice.

After doing a ton of research and finding out what there is to do, we chose the Kenai Peninsula. It is more our speed and offers a lot of what we wanted to do without as much driving or sitting in car/bus (which was a big factor for us). Also, we LOVE coastal regions and don't get to see them in our everyday life. If you are a more outdoorsy type than we are and can or like to hike, your choice may Denali.

I don't think there is a wrong choice. It was really hard to pick at first, but the research really helped.

If you're interested in the Kenai Peninsula and don't know where to start your research, this is an excellent source: http://kenaipeninsula.org/destinations

Well, I stopped by and was I wrong regarding the Golden Coral buffet prices. Instead of $9.29 for dinner it is $14.79 and lunch is $9. and some change.

We've eaten at a couple of different Golden Corals here in Texas, and I'd say that the prices in Alaska don't seem far off from what we've paid in the past. In fact, most of the menus I've looked at don't seem so much more than what I've seen here at home.

Somehow, I believe we have a serious topic drift going here though, as the OP was interested in getting by on his visit to Alaska for $10.00 pp or less for meals for him and his mother. Don't believe he interested in much more than that.

I actually am interested in suggestions of places to eat. It's something I asked for in my original post.

I do not require to eat for $10.00 pp or less; it's just what we usually do at home. I gave that figure so that people who have been to Alaska or live there would have a reference of what I think was normal in my everyday life not to draw a line in the sand of what I'm willing to pay. We often spend more on vacation. I am simply trying to work out the budget for how much we'll need overall. I feel much more at ease when I have a good budget in place for travel.

It looks like Alaska won't be any more expensive than when we've gone to Disney World. When I've been there, however, there is one website with the menus and pricing for all the onsite eateries, so planning was SO much easier. The message board I used for planning that trip also has an entire thread dedicated to reviewing and giving feedback on the restaurants (wish cruise critic had that feature).

That said, I am finding the information I gather here extremely helpful. Thank you all for your input.:)

...it is unclear to me where the OP is staying in Anchorage and whether they will have a rental car.

Yes, we will be staying in Anchorage, and we will have a rental car.

Thanks for all of the suggestions!

I am already compiling a list of places to try. I don't mind some places that are the same as they are at home and mix in some of the different choices offered there.

I'm very intrigued by the "Russian dumpling place.":)

What I suggest is to budget 50% more then you would at home.

Thanks! This is a great rule of thumb and a very useful guideline.:)

I'm definitely not interested in packing a suitcase of food. :eek: Besides. I'm too cheap to pay for the extra bag.;)

As usual, some good advice. If I decide on a cooler, I'll probably try to find a small collapsible one I can fit in suitcase. I can't stand the thought of buying one and just throwing it out. Seems wasteful. Also, I'd hate to buy a cheepo Styrofoam one and throw it out in Alaska. Somehow that just seems wrong to me to throw junk like that out in a pristine wilderness environment.

Mom and I often share meals. I hadn't thought about pre-made meals at the grocery stores. Thanks for that tip.

I'm planning our DIY pre-cruise land tour for May 2017. We'll be going to Anchorage, Palmer, Seward, Cooper Landing, and Girdwood. Tentatively, it would be 4 nights in Anchorage (including a day trip to Palmer), 2 or 3 nights in Seward and probably one night each in Cooper Landing and Girdwood (though we may choose to do all remaining time in Girdwood to cut down amount of car unloading). This is still a very rough outline.

Can anyone help me out with a basic guide of how much an average lunch and average dinner would cost in these areas?

I don't plan on any really fancy restaurants like Seven Glaciers. Most breakfasts will be covered with hotels or B&B stays. Typically, when we eat out, we eat at casual dining chains, so we're used to about $10 per person (drinking water with meals). I know it is more expensive in Alaska, but I don't know how much. Also, I'm not opposed to grabbing some items from the grocery store for quick lunches or snacks.

I'm sure there are some who have plenty of budget for travel, but this is a real stretch for us. I want to give my mom the best trip possible without breaking the bank. I have already researched accommodations, travel, and tours and have a rough outline of what that will cost, but I'm having a hard time with the food estimates. Knowing this last piece of the puzzle will help me finalize how many days we'll be able to tour pre-cruise. Thanks!:)

Also, if there are any specific recommendations on places to eat, please feel free to chime in here (with estimated prices of course or at least a link so I can look it up).

Nothing worse- then being (and paying for in time and money) in a place you have no interest in, especially at the expense of another area.

This is EXACTLY why we decided against doing a cruise tour; every single one I found went to Denali which we decided we weren't interested in as much as other places. We would rather spend that time doing what interests us.

However, I can see the value of a cruise tour if you are wanting to see the most area in a limited amount of time. The fact that they transport you from here to there is a real plus in my book since I know they can cover more ground than I can (not a big fan of being behind the wheel for hours on end). Also, the cruise tour is great for people who don't love planning and really just want to check of their lists of "been there, done that."