greeneyedancr89139

We just got back from our RCL cruise and wanted to review our excursions. I think most cruise lines have the same excursions so this should be pretty universal. We had about an hour before we had to meet our guides down by the pier so we were able to hit up a store or two in Skagway. The one thing I dislike about cruise line excursions is the waiting. We couldn’t find our guide right away and then when we did, we had to wait about 20 minutes while everyone gathered and filled out waivers. We were then led to another line and waited another 20 minutes to board the ferry. The ferry ride was about 45 minutes to Haines. It is the same channel that we just drove up on the cruise ship but we got a bit of a narrative tour of the water fall names. Once we arrived in Haines we boarded a bus and drove about 30 minutes outside of town maybe a bit longer due to construction. Our bus driver was a great guide and told us lots of good information about the area. You could tell she really enjoyed her job. We arrived at the jet boat location and had about 10 minutes to use the bathroom and put on our layers. They did provide rain jackets, ear muffs, and gloves. I didn’t know this before hand so I came prepared with our own things. The kids had to put on their life jackets and then we were told where to sit. Luckily, we got the front. We cruised around the glacier run off while our guide told us about the tree life and other information. The weather was beautiful out so we shed a few layers. We were able to see an eagle and a couple moose. After almost 2 hours we went back and had about 10 minutes before we had to leave. They provided a packaged lunch of a chicken wrap, chips, and oreos. Our bus ride back was informative again. We had a few extra minutes our bus driver gave us a little tour of Haines before we loaded up on the ferry again to go back to Skagway. I was really looking forward to this excursion. I enjoyed it but it was a lot of traveling. The kids were getting restless and hungry by the end. I was very excited to get to see Haines and hope to explore it a bit more in the future as it is less touristy than Skagway.

We just got back from our RCL cruise and wanted to review our excursions. I think most cruise lines have the same excursions so this should be pretty universal and hope it can be useful for future planning. We met inside the excursion building for about 20 minutesbefore loading up in a bus. The driver gave a tour while driving to the Fortress of the Bears about 15-20min drive. We had about 30-40 minutes at this location. There are two enclosures and a few different viewpoints. My oldest loved it and the bears were very active. The bears were all orphaned at a young age. They have a decent size gift shop and outside there was a concession stand of candy, drinks, and popcorn. Our driver came back to pick us up and we headed to the dock less than 5 minutes away. IMG_3387.MOV We loaded up on the boat and started our drive to thehomestead. The captain took us to see some beautiful cliffs, hatchery, and a water fall. We arrived at the homestead and were there for about 45 minutes. Behind the building there was a fire and chairs all covered by a tent to keep you out of the rain. Our girls were able to roast marshmallows too. Inside the building there were crackers with smoked salmon and hot chocolate. Our host was outside telling stories but our kids wanted to wander around. You were not able to wander in the forest and it was blocked off. The boat took us back to the bus which was unloading the next tour group. Our driver gave us the option to be dropped off back in town or the ship. We chose town and explored for a while. There are shuttles to take you back to the ship and the driver explained where they would be. We were very surprised with how much we enjoyed this excursion. The boat ride to the homestead was gorgeous being inside the bay. I wish I could have listened to the stories a bit more but my kids are young and wanted to walk along the water a bit.