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It won't be cheap, but they'll pick you up at your ship, supply you with a license and equipment, and I assume have your fish filleted, frozen and shipped home. It'll work out to about $100 a pound. :D

The economics of fishing in Alaska :) By the time I fly up there, rent a stall at Tee Harbor, pay for gas for the boat, maintenance on the boat, fishing gear, herring, etc, etc.... It probably costs me 2 to 3 times as much per pound for the fish than if I would have just bought it from the grocery store in the midwest (and that is with me doing my own processing)

Though nothing will ever beat fresh (never frozen) halibut or a Dungeness crab that is 60 minutes out of the crab pot, boiled in ocean water!

I have not fished in Ketchikan personally (and I haven't been back there in 15 years, so I'm sure things have changed) but I think "xlxo" is right. I recall people fishing by the bridge (I think it is called the Creek Street bridge, but as I said, I have not been to town in years). Something worth considering.

I cannot speak intelligently to Skagway, but in July, you would likely have good fishing at the fish hatchery (DIPAC or the Macaulay Fish Hatchery). A pair of rubber boots helps, but depending on the tides, you might not even need that.

The downfall is getting there. You could take a taxi, but it would be more convenient if you had a car.

Personally, I snag fish there rather than use fishing lures. To each their own though. You can pick up snagging hooks at any sporting goods store in Juneau (Western Auto is closest and will likely have what you need. However, they are one of the more expensive stores IMHO. If you are only fishing for a day, I would say just go there)

For snagging, I use a rod on the stiff side (I guess fast action is the proper term. I use a medium to fast action rod). I tend to opt for 25lb test monofilament line as I think it wears a bit better and does not fray as fast due to barnacles and rocks. However, I do love the feel and lack of elasticity of braided line (I think I used Spiderwire), but it seemed to weaken and fray much faster than mono.

In July, there will probably be a few king salmon, but mostly you'll see dog salmon (chum) and pink salmon. King salmon is tasty, but I don't go out of my way to keep dog or pink salmon personally.

I can answer more specific questions about fishing there if you like. As I said, it would be best if you could rent a car to get there. Taking the city bus is possible (lots of locals do this) if you have everything you need in advance. Same with a cab. However, a car would let you run, get a license, get some snagging gear or whatever "lure" floats your boat, and get some fishing in. You could run to the glacier on your own after and likely have time to spare.

The quality of fishing at DIPAC is a bit tide dependent in my opinion. Again, I would be happy to offer my opinions if you like.

We are in port till 10pm. Wondering if it is better to do the tram or Mendenhall glacier first. Any suggestions.

When you get to the dock, look up Mt. Roberts to the tram platform. If it looks nice up there and you can see the platform and/or the mountain, go up the tram first. If not, head to the glacier and hope the weather clears up for a trip up the tram later.

I've never cruised Alaska (I typically go to Juneau only) so I have no idea if the offer discounted tram tickets (if they are like any cruise I have taken elsewhere, they are likely marked up rather than discounted), but I would buy the tram tickets directly from the tram. That way, you can see what the weather is like for the day when you get in port. I've heard a few people say it is lovely up there in the clouds, but personally I wouldn't spend $30/person to go up there on a cloudy day.

In Petersburg? shoot! The way it was raining last night when I went to bed, I didn't think it would even be worth looking last night.

Missed that one. Was up in Fairbanks and didn't feel a thing.

Then again, we were driving up the Dalton that day. It could have been a 8.0 and we wouldn't have felt it on that road

uh, you need to do more research. or visit here...

There was a joke in Alaska when I was growing up. You don't tell your kids to be home by dark, otherwise you won't see them again until August :)

I'm sure everyone has their own recipe for success when it comes to viewing wildlife. Some people will swear by morning. Personally, I shoot for lunch and evening times (though I'm on the ground, not a ship).

IMHO, the most important thing is just to put time in looking or spending time putting yourself in an area to see wildlife (one of the biggest bear I have ever seen was in the middle of "The Valley" in Juneau in my backyard. It came up and sniffed at me when I was painting a shed. I wouldn't have seen it if I was inside watching TV.)

Wow, my first reaction was that is pretty expensive for even craft beer so I looked it up. Me thinks you should have bought a couple of cases of it at $25 a bottle as they are now getting as much as $39 per bottle....but that is for a 750 ml bottle. Am I ever stuck in the 80's.:D

It might have been $40. I just remember it was expensive enough for me to think twice about buying it as I didn't know anything about it at the time :)

If it is still available when I head up next month, I'm buying a couple of bottles, one to drink and one to trade!

My all time favorite was probably about 20 or 25 years ago, when I was still a teen and I was spending the summer with my Dad up in Alaska. One of the souvenir coffee cups that year had a picture of an Alaskan boat harbor (guessing in Ketchikan, but it was a pretty generic picture from my recollection). The prominent boat, almost front and center was the boat the Cheryl Ann. While this is pretty meaningless to most people, the Cheryl Ann was my late Grandfather's commercial fishing boat (seiner). I bought a few of those....I wish I knew where they were :(

Now a days, my favorite souvenir is the beer. I personally go for Alaskan Brewing out of Juneau and Midnight Sun out of Anchorage. I'm kicking myself for not getting it when I was up there in February, but Anchorage Brewing has a beer called A Deal With The Devil. I think it was about $25 for a bottle, a bit steep for a beer I wasn't familiar with at the time. I passed on it only to find out it is supposed to be exceptional.

I was hoping bus was an option- i havent pulled the maps yet : )

I am pretty sure the bus will drop you off over by the hospital. From the bus stop at the base of the hill at Hospital Drive, it is only about a 2 or 3 minute walk to the playground. Just around the corner on the Glacier Highway.

Since many of the tourism workers aren't from Alaska, they may not know what to do either!

 

The only ports where tsunami danger is high, Sitka and Seward, routinely test their warning equipment and evacuation process. If one happens to strike while you're ashore, follow the people in dirty Carhartt's. They're locals.

What he said!

It never fails to amaze me how many of the tourism workers are imported.

The Sandpiper Cafe in Juneau usually has exotic meat burgers on the menu. The only bad part is that their selection seems to be constantly changing. You could probably try to call there when you get into town to see what they have that day or you can walk in and see. Their exotic burger selection is usually written on the chalkboards (one in front by the kitchen, and one in back)

Sometimes I think people forget that AK is a US state.

You ain't kidding there. Back before the internet when you had to actually call operators to mail order things, I would constantly be told Alaska was international. It wasn't that extra shipping charges applied or there'd be a surcharge, it was often, "Alaska is international and not a state."

I can tell you that I have VZW and I have had no issues with them in Juneau, Haines, Skagway, or Anchorage. I haven't been to Ketchikan in years, so I don't remember how their coverage is.

The only problem I had was that my wife had a GSM technology based phone (I didn't realize that when I bought it) that uses Tracfone and that phone would not work at all in SE Alaska.

I just wrap them in my clothes, haven't had anything broken yet. :)

I do exactly this. The major thing is to make sure the glass in the bottles touches nothing hard. I also try to make sure that the bottles are as much toward the middle of the suitcase as possible.

When I went to Midnight Sun Brewing in Anchorage and got a few bottles of their brew, they actually had bubble wrap bags you can put the bottles in. I mentioned I was going back to Juneau that day and they came out with the bubble wrap to help me :)

Has anyone been to the Costco recently? Does it have Alaska souvenirs or Alaska products like ulus, salmon, reindeer sausage?

I go there every year and was there as recently as February of this year. I honestly don't recall a lot of souvenirs there. I can honestly tell you that in all the years I've been visiting family in Juneau since I left town, I do not think I have ever bought a single souvenir item for anyone from Costco.

I'm sure you can find certain things, but it isn't like they have a tourist section. I know they carry Heritage Coffee which is out of Juneau and they have Alaskan Brewery products I believe.

I don't recall seeing ulus, but then again, I wasn't looking for one either (I go there to grocery shop).

They have lots of fresh salmon there. I seem to recall that they might also carry that smoked salmon in a box, but I would not stake my reputation on it.

Walmart in Juneau has a decent tourist section with T-shirts, single serving packs of salmon jerkey, hats, gloves, and the like. Probably the same stuff you'd find at a small downtown shop. I usually start my tourist shopping there for the kids when I go to Alaska without them.

Fred Meyers had a small tourist area in their store. Their tourist section used to be a respectable size, but when I was there last summer, it was like a small corner section by one of the doors. I don't buy stuff from there too often because their selection isn't very good.

If you are looking for smoked salmon and such, a place to consider looking at is a place called Jerry's Meats, about a mile or two down the road from Costco (they are over by Western Auto the last I knew. I don't think they've moved recently). They have good smoked salmon there. I used to eat a lot of their salmon jerky in my youth. I do believe that they also carry Reindeer Sausage, but I would call them to verify. I wouldn't call them cheap just to warn you.

Sorry I can't be of more help. I'm not in town right now, so I can't run to Costco and check. They might have stuff there. Like I said, I go there to grocery shop. I might have been walking around a souvenir gold mine all these years and never realized it :) This question will definitely make me look the next time I'm in town in a few months.

If you have any craft beer drinkers at work, I would suggest picking up some Alaskan Smoked Porter. You'd be looking about about $8 per 22oz bottle. If you are from Florida, you won't find it that far east and it is a solid beer with a good reputation in the craft beer world.

The downfall to this is that you are looking about about 2.5 pounds per bottle. A few bottles add up to a lot of weight quickly in the luggage.

Do you know how long the drive from the cruise ships to Twin Lakes is?

Leaving from the area by the tram, I'd say 10 minutes. I think it is only about 5 miles from the area by the tram to Twin Lakes.

It is an awesome playground IMHO. My kids loved it there when I took them there for the first time. One of the best free playgrounds I've seen anywhere in the world.

Does anybody know if Verizon has coverage in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan?

I can tell you that I use my VZW phone in Juneau and Skagway without any issues. I had never had an issue using a VZW phone in Skagway during tourist season at all (though I've never paid attention to whether I'm calling when the ships are in town or not as I do not cruise AK).

I'm not sure about Ketchikan. I haven't been back there and spent any time in 15 years or so. I know I was able to send texts from the airport there in February without issues when I stopped there on the Alaska Airlines milk run.

In September, the silver salmon should be pretty thick at the hatchery in Juneau. If your husband isn't against snagging salmon, you can catch fish there for a lot cheaper than a charter. The major downfall is that if you plan on sending the fish home, you would need to arrange for that on your own.

Just a thought just in case you opt to rent a car.

Personally, I usually go there a few times a year and I run my own Dungy lines in Juneau during the summer.

Is the king crab at Tracy's anything extra ordinary? No, not really. I will give them that their supplier has decent quality crab and they cook it right. I've bought frozen king crab in the midwest. Sometimes it wasn't bad. More than once, when the crab was cooked, they screwed it up big time. It was way too salty and it just ruined the flavor.

So is Tracy's a must do? If you are looking for a good king crab meal and have $100 to spend, yeah, I think it is worth it. If you have gotten a king crab meal on the ship or you have a good, reliable supply at home, then it isn't something I'd go out of my way for.

For what it is worth, in my opinion, the only thing predictable about Alaska is that it is unpredictable. You can plan based on the statistics, but Mother Nature has no idea these statistics exist (or maybe she does and she throws a monkey wrench in things to make us angry).

I was born in SE Alaska and spent half my childhood there full time and the other half doing the summer thing (went to school in the midwest). I have seen entire summers filled with endless sunny days and I have been up there for summers where I could count on one hand the number of times I saw the sun in 3 months.

SE Alaska is temperate rain forest. In Juneau, you see about 60 inches of precipitation a year while in Ketchikan, the average is somewhere around 150 inches of precipitation. Statistically (at least in Juneau), you will see less rain in June than toward the end of July, but when you go anyplace that gets between 60 and 150 inches of precipitation a year, you better be prepared for rain. IMHO, you need to be prepared for rain and cool weather whenever you go and if you get a sunny, warm day, that is a bonus.

In terms of the salmon run, again this can be a bit unpredictable. I know in different ports, the run timing will be different. I can tell you mostly about Juneau. In Juneau, the bears tend to go for the sockeye run by the glacier. That typically starts the last two weeks of July. There is a second Coho/Silver run that occurs right around the end of August. There are others that can tell you about run timing in terms of bears for the other ports. Hopefully they'll chime in.

I can't tell you when the best time for you will be. I take my family to SE every year to see my family. Personally, I try to time my visits for July to August. I do not care if it rains or not. I go to try and get some fishing in, so I simply book my trip when the prices are cheapest between the first part of July and when school starts.

I hope this helps

Who said "fine dining"?

Just setting the expectation of Juneau restaurants as a whole in my opinion :)

Since we will have a car for the day in Juneau can we drive to a more local restaurant?

Personally, I never felt that the words "Juneau" and "fine dining" should be used in the same sentence. There are some of the more expensive and/or newer restaurants I haven't visited as I tend to stick to my usual spots when I am in town. However, here is the list of the ones I would call a bit off the beaten path for tourists:

1. Sandpiper Cafe: Actually, this is not a terrible walk from the cruise ships. It is a short walk behind the GoldBelt hotel. This place seems to be frequented by mostly locals and occasionally Coasties. I think the person(s) that run it might have actually been to culinary training. While there is nothing really "Alaskan" on the menu, they do put out good food using ingredients and combinations you don't find in most restaurants in Juneau. Personally, it is one of my favorites in town. The downfall is that they are only open for breakfast and lunch

2. The Sandbar: This is a place out on The Valley (toward the glacier) off of Industrial Blvd. It has been quite awhile since I've eaten here. It was kind of a dive the last time I was there and I wouldn't be surprised if it still was. However, they have the best halibut Fish and Chips in the entire town. If you are looking for deep fried halibut, this is the place.

3. The Hot Bite: I recommend this place with hesitation. This is a little hamburger shop at Auke Bay. On a nice sunny day, this is kind of a neat place to grab a burger than go watch the harbor. It was probably been over 10 years since I've eaten there, but they used to have really good burgers in my opinion. Now a days, I'm seeing in reviews that they quality of their food seems to have taken a turn for the worse.

4. McGivney's: This place is actually a sports bar out in The Valley right next to Super Bear grocery store. Again, nothing particularly "Alaskan" about their food, but they serve very solid bar food (burgers and such). By lower 48 standards, the bar is small (especially for a sports bar) and the beer selection is lacking, but it is a nice place to hang out.

These restaurants I like, but there is no need for a car:

5. Twisted Fish: This restaurant is located right by the cruise ships, on the other end of the big lot by the tram. I think they have a decent fish and seafood selection. If you have a seafood hating person in the group, the selection for them is merely adequate. The restaurant isn't knock your socks off delicious, but it is good to very good, depending on the dish. It is enough to keep me coming back when I am in town.

6. Hangar On The Wharf: A nice place if you are looking for decent grub and want to appease the seafood lover and non seafood lover alike. They serve good salmon and good steaks. The windows tend to offer a decent view of the channel (I've had one person say that all they could see was a cruise ship though, but I have not had this happen personally. However, I tend to go there for dinner when some ships have left).

A place I would really like to try:

7. Island Pub: This one is in Douglas, across the bridge. The place looks like it has very good reviews. I was hoping to make it there when I was in town last month, but with my work schedule when I was in town, I just didn't feel like driving all the way to Douglas to try it. I do have it on my places to make it to when I come back to town this summer.

There are a few other places I could mention, but these are the ones that really stick out in my mind

My brother and I have been halibut fishing since we were barely walking.

I agree with your husband that your children will likely not be able to play a halibut by themselves, especially a sizable one. I'm not sure what the water depth is in Whittier, but where I fish, it is usually in about 300 feet of water. Pulling 10 pounds at that depth easily feels like 30, 40, or 50 at first.

However. if it is something your kids really want to do, then I would take them. I say this for two reasons.

1. Some of the coolest things I have ever seen in Alaska are out on the water. Eagles fishing, sea lions stealing fish from a stringer, whales playing, whales spraying on you, etc... IMHO, there is so much more to fishing on the ocean than catching fish. The ocean is beautiful and you see beautiful things. Are you guaranteed to see something spectacular? No, the things I can list off that I've seen is awesome, but I've been fishing the waters in SE Alaska for over 35 years. However, you aren't going to see anything you can't see at home in the hotel room.

2. While halibut can be difficult to play and reel in, they can also be very easy, especially the big ones. Again, I cannot comment on the waters of Whittier, but where I fish, there is usually a current with the tides. Once a halibut gets tired, all you really need to do is keep their head pointed up and the current brings them to the surface, like a dive plane on a submarine. If this were my kids out on the boat, I would play the halibut for awhile until it seems to start to tire. At that point, I'd hand off the rod to the younger ones so they can finish the job.

If the kids really don't seem into it, then I agree with your husband and just save the money and not take them halibut fishing. From my understanding, those charters aren't cheap.

Sounds like I need to bring my closet!

Personally, what I pack varies little, no matter if I am going to SE Alaska in summer or the middle of winter. As others have said, layers is key. Long pants, hoodies, tshirts, and light windbreakers in summer. I wear sneakers for shoes and I don't waterproof them personally, though I think that is a great idea. I bring extra socks and change them if my feet get damp. I recommend at least one pair of shorts you can match with several tshirts in case you hit a heat wave. A ball cap is a great idea for the rain.

I have rain gear, but only use it if I am outside for extended periods of time like on the fishing boat.

Any favorites besides Tracey's?

There are some decent dining establishments in Juneau, but none that knock my socks off compared to lower 48 standards.

Tracey's is good, but very expensive. My father and I go there a few times a year and for the two of us, we can spend $120 on the big bucket of legs and still not be full (we are bigger guys though).

In the downtown area, I do like the Twisted Fish, right by the tram. Their menu is mainly seafood based. I've had some of their stuff that I didn't care for, but for the most part, I'd say they are very good. A bit down the road by the Goldbelt, there is a restaurant called the Hangar on the Wharf. I believe the Twisted Fish and the Hangar are owned by the same people. The Hangar has a bit more variety and has a decent steak.

If you want to go off the beaten path, there is a place around the corner from the Goldbelt Hotel called the Sandpiper Cafe. If heading away from the cruise terminals, take the right right after the Goldbelt Hotel (Willoughby Ave). Keep on Willoughby (it'll go left by the Tlingit and Haida building) and it is on the left in the parking lot of a blue hotel complex (the name escapes me...The Driftwood Lodge maybe?). It is a small cafe type place and the decor is a bit rough. They are only open until 2PM I think, but they are the closest thing to a gourmet restaurant I've seen in Juneau. I think the cooks there have actually had training.

Out in the Valley by the glacier is a bit more conventional. There is a pizza place called Bullwinkles. 10 years ago, I would have said this was a must visit place. I believe it has changed owners and it really took a turn for the worse.

There is a bar out on International Boulevard called the Sandbar. It kind of looks like a dive from the outside and the last time I was in there, it looked even worse on the inside. However, they do have the best deep fried halibut in town.

Farther out, out in Auke Bay, there is a small restaurant right by the harbor called the Hot Bite. It has been 5+ years since I have been out there, but they used to make a pretty damn good burger.

At the Nugget Mall, there is a place called Rodfather's. The place isn't fantastic. I'd say it is a step up from a Denny's. However, they got good burgers and decent deep fried halibut. If you are traveling with a group and can't decide on something, that place might be worth checking out.

Juneau doesn't have much for "chain" restaurants. The only chain restaurants they have are McDonalds, Subway, Domino's, and Papa Murphys. If you are looking for something from back home in Juneau, you won't find it.

If you are a family member taking the cruise, I'd recommend The Sandpiper for breakfast and the Twisted Fish for lunch. Just my opinion though.