Boo's Mom

There is also a bus option for getting to Seward. https://www.sewardalaskabus.com/ There are a couple of early afternoon departures. 🛳enJOY

April 12, 2023 article from Alaska Public Media/Haines, Alaska Some cruise lines have misgivings about tying onto part of a Skagway dock because of the danger posed by a large rock high above it. One solution would still allow all scheduled ships to come to town this season, but it would mean shorter visits for some passengers. Last summer, rockslides from the hill above the railroad dock in Skagway caused cruise lines to cancel some dockings there through the end of the season. Borough Manager Brad Ryan says the cruise companies seem mostly satisfied with new mitigation measures in place to catch falling rocks. But one large rock, known locally as ship rock, could fall — and that scenario has cruise lines reconsidering their docking schedules. “We have dual monitors we are going to have on it so we are comfortable,” Ryan said. “But some of the cruise lines are not.” The large rock looms over a short section of dock close to town. The remainder of the dock is long enough to accommodate two cruise ships, provided one of them is relatively small. But on some days, both scheduled ships are too large to fit together. Ryan says the cruise lines have decided that on those days, each ship will spend half a day in port. “The cruise lines have indicated that there are certain days that they are going to hot berth,” Ryan said. “Which means one ship will come in early, be here for about six hours or so, it will pull off, and then the second ship will come in and be here from about two o clock until the evening.” This arrangement might be necessary about 50 times this season, but Ryan says the cruise lines are looking at ways to fit the longer ships into the shorter space. “They are ordering more bollards, trying to slide the ships back,” Ryan said. “They are talking about coming in and flipping around so that the port side goes to the dock. There is a whole bunch of conversations trying to cut those hot berths down — nobody wants it.” The borough administration says the slopes above the docks will be monitored closely. The municipality is hiring people spend the summer living in wall tents east of the slide area, where they’ll spend eight to ten hours a day watching for rockslides. They’ll be equipped with radios so they can alert traffic handlers below if they see or hear rocks starting to move. “There is about 12 to 20 seconds from the time you notice a rockslide up there before it would reach the docks,” Ryan said. “And so that would be enough time for a bus to pass through, and obviously, if we started to hear one we’d stop the busses beforehand.” Ryan says these measures are redundant, as a series of nets and barriers are being set up on the slope to slow down and catch any falling rock. He says those systems are on track to be ready by next Tuesday, when the first cruise ship of the season will dock. The link to the above article dated Apr 12, 2023.

Your itinerary sounds doable. If you run out of time, plan to take the shuttle back to the cruise pier for your whale watching tour. 🛳enJOY

Hilarious! 😂

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Would you/could you have had them both done at the same time?

I have sailed on the Millie a few years ago. Headed back this summer. Looking forward to your preview! I know she has had some refurbishing prior to Covid. Also - loveee the Martini Bar. Such a fun place.

My recommendation to you would be: Celebrity (having sailed on Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Carnival) ...cruising regularly for the past 21 years.

I have done both. Both are great. Two different experiences. Float plane is very gentle. Helicopter is incredible! Very powerful. If you want me to pick a recommendation of the two: helicopter 🛳enJOY

I am so sorry you are having such a hard time with this. Hang in there.

Celebrity is just better. A little more refined. My opinion, having sailed on Royal, Carnival and Celebrity. (and Princess) Now I only sail on Celebrity or Royal. Celebrity is my favorite though. ✅ 🛳enJOY

The first time you have an "incident" you will probably change your method of booking. 20 years later I can still hear the agent at the airport in my head: "We didn't book this flight for you, Travelocity did". 🤨 I do most of my research on a site called matrix.itasoftware It's a google product. You can'l book flights on the site. It's just a research tool. It scans most airlines. Southwest is one that isn't in their system. ← no loss to me Lots of filters for narrowing down what you need - very quickly. And then go to the airline to book directly.

I'm obsessed with the menu! Halibut nuggets!! 😍

You can get a lot of recommendations here on Cruise Critic. Simply start a post called: Need recommendation for an independent ______ excursion in ________. ie: Need recommendation for an independent fishing excursion in Ketchikan For a google type search: Private fishing excursion in Ketchikan I don't use google anymore. They tend to control what you see in the search results. I use freespoke. For any internet search, be prepared to weed through a lot of tour companies that are actual a broker (middle man). Your best bet is reaching out to the vast pool of seasoned cruisers here on Cruise Critic. Once you get recommendations, then search on CC for additional posts about the recommended business. I do think you can make a 1240 pickup in Juneau. But, you have to be prepared to "jump ship" by 11am. The key to making an "close" excursion is to be ready and to be moving towards the gangway before the ship makes the announcement. The gangway (location where you can get off the ship) can change from port to port.

I learned a long time ago not to use a middle man for booking flights. Research wherever - but book directly with the airline.

The ship will likely be in port earlier than 8am. You should be ready to go by about 7:30am. As soon as they begin to disembark, be ready to roll. You should have no issue making an 830am excursion. These vendors are dealing mostly with cruise ship passengers. They are monitoring your ship's arrival, etc. I noticed on their website that is says: "Passengers must check in at their designated duck 20 minutes prior to scheduled departure." Is 830am your departure time? Even so, I personally think you will be just fine as long as everyone is ready to go in the morning. They have built in time (the 20 min prior) so that everyone gets there and is ready to go by 830am.

I would recommend a fishing charter. You do not have to have ANY fishing experience. Or, you could have lots of experience. That's the beauty of a charter. They will assist as little or as much as you want/need. Book a short one. Perhaps 3 hours. And if you want to shorten the excursion while you are out on the water - they will do whatever you want. (they won't refund any of your $$ though). I have booked private fishing charters many times in Alaska. It is a beautiful Alaska experience. And if you catch fish and want to ship it home, the charter company will take your fish to get processed and shipped. It's expensive (shipping fish home) but the fish makes great Alaska souvenirs! - way better than a t-shirt or a mug. 😌 Just some thoughts to consider.

With only a few exceptions, you should be able to get a better price by booking direct with the company providing the service. Alaska Shore Tours is a middle man, just like the cruise line is a middle man. I am not saying they are not good, but just so you know how that works. ie: I am traveling with my immediate family (children and grandchildren). We booked directly with a helicopter company for a glacier landing/dog sled excursion. It's still an expensive excursion, but we literally saved multiple thousands by not booking with the cruise line. We removed the middle man.

Try https://coastalhelicopters.com/ They do offer a military discount, so be sure to inquire about it if you are eligible. Young children are allowed.

If financially feasible, get your family up in the air at least one time during this cruise. A helicopter or float plane. Both can be booked independent of the cruise line for significant savings.

For some reason they are not advertising the shuttles in ISP/Hoonah. I see that they are $5, but I am looking for routes, etc. Thank you!

You def want to book in advance with the cruise line. If the cruise lines do not sell out (and they usually do) there will be tickets available on the day you are in port. ISP has a great zipline. Very popular. I don't often recommend booking any "tours" through the cruise line, but this one is a little different situation.

You can take a nice walk along the water and have lunch here...

I would not recommend the Lumberjack Show for your teens. It is a canned production. Cheesy. How about a fishing excursion/charter? You can book one independent of the cruise ship and save a lot of $$. The fish can be shipped home. Makes a great "souvenir".

No uncommon. Shorts with a sweatshirt, etc. Just be comfortable. Alaska is all about layers. On the ship and in port.