First timer needing some serious help

[hi08al10]

First time visitor to Alaska & feel I cannot get it all in. We’ll be there in late June & have over 12 family members going (ages 6-65). I’ve looked over so many of the helpful post, but I’m just checking my list twice before committing to any of the excursions. Any advice or insight would be so appreciated!!!

Juneau 12 hours in port– (1) Taku Lodge & Salmon bake, (2) Mt. Roberts Tramway, (3)Dog Sledding ??

Skagway 12 hours in port – Rent a car & horseback ride at Emerald Lake with Yukon Horseback Adventures – stop to do dog sledding in Carcross for the younger ones (will this fulfill the one who wants to dog sled?). Will use Murrays guide for trip. Other group is going on the train ride.

Icy Strait Point 6 hours in port – split into 2 groups, some go whale watching with F.I.S.H.E.S if not already booked & the other go fishing with Glacier Wind Charters (any recommendations on other charters?). Will there be enough time to try & zipline too for those on the whale watching tour?

Ketchikan 9 hours in port – kayaking with Southeast Kayaks & lumberjack show. Some in the group are set on going on the Jet Boat in Ketchikan. Will this be a similar experience to that in Icy Strait? Should the guys that want to fish do it here instead of ISP?

[Budget Queen]

You have a nice varied touring list, that allows freedom. :)

 

Fishing is excellent out of Ketchikan and Hoonah. I would book it where it made best use of time, and didn't conflict with other touring priorities.

 

You are going to have to see, the timeframes for Hoonah with the whale watching and zip line?? If a zip line is available at the end of the port time, you may be better off scheduling this with the ship tour. Allow and hour between tours.

 

Your Hoonah whale watch needs to firmed up now, with your large groups. Inquire on availablity. Teckk, in the past, has also run whale watch tours. http://www.teckkoutfittersicystrait.com/

[MercedMike]

First time visitor to Alaska & feel I cannot get it all in. ...

 

– stop to do dog sledding in Carcross for the younger ones (will this fulfill the one who wants to dog sled?).

 

LOL that is the wonderful thing about Alaska. We do our eighth Alaskan cruise next May and there are still new things to do!! For your first trip you just have to prioritize and choose.

 

Looks to me like you have some wonderful plans. In ISP we did bears with Teckk instead of whales and really enjoyed it. Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/volendam.html

 

The dog camp at Caribou Crossing (just past Carcross) is a lot of fun. However, this camp and all the others not on glaciers are wheeled carts, NOT actual sleds. Whether that will satisfy the dog sledding need is up to you. The only actual dog sleds are very expensive and frequently cancelled due to weather.

 

Check out our trip report and pictures of the dog camp at Caribou Crossing at http://www.bully4.us/alaskaZ.html

 

Check out our trip report and pictures of the glacier sledding at http://www.bully4.us/ct.html

 

HTH

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[hi08al10]

Thank you so much for all the helpful advice...I really think I'm starting to get more comfortable with all our selections. MercedMike, your pictures were great & really helped finalize some decisions!

[mll1013]

First time visitor to Alaska & feel I cannot get it all in.

 

Boy, do I hear 'ya there. I hear a lot of people say that this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip to AK and that they want to see it all. We were similarly inclined at first, and then simply found ourselves frustrated. When we asked ourselves why, we realized the problem. AK is like 1/3 the size of the 48 contiguous states. It would be impossible to "get it all in" in one trip. It would be like saying, "this will be my one and only time to get west of the Rockies, and I have to see it all in one trip." Imagine trying to see Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Cyn, the Redwoods, the Sequoias, Crater Lake, the Golden Gate Bridge, The Rocky Mountains, Disneyland, Las Vegas, the San Diego Zoo, Hollywood, Death Valley, Pike's Peak, Mount Whitney, Mount Saint Helens, Mount Rainier, Mount Hood, or any number of famous mountains, etc... all in one trip.

 

In the end, we decided on a RT inside passage and know that the panhandle isn't even scratching the surface of getting it all in, but we're hopeful that we'll get back some day. I've seen several comment that they though their first trip to AK was once-in-a-lifetime, but have since returned numerous times.

 

Hope you enjoy getting in all you can... we're looking forward to our packed week of AK adventure. :D

[alpal1993]

As above poster states many of us book our first Alaska cruise as it is a trip of a life time.We did a cruisetour on our first trip.Really wasn't thinking about returning again at this time,but when I came across HAL 14 Night cruise which visits many of the ports I didn't get to experience we were excited.That along with our reasonably priced R/T air sealed the deal.

[dazzie25]

Our first cruise was to Alaska last summer. We LOVED it all. I had said at the time it was a once in a lifetime trip but I couldn't have been more wrong. We fully intend to return. We did the one way Whittier to Vancouver and will try the RT Seattle on our next trip. I had hoped to get more time in Juneau than what is currently offered but will absolutely take what I can get! Our whale watching excursion was absolutely the highlight of our whole trip for us. I would dearly love to be able to book back to back excursions on our next trip. We'll see how it all ends up working out.

 

Enjoy your cruise! It will be incredible. As others have mentioned, it is impossible to see it all but you will most definutely enjoy all you will be able to squeeze in! If sleep were not necessary to my poor body, I would have been outside or plastered to a window for our whole trip! :D

[bluehorizonlover123]

You are going to love Alaska. Bring gloves and a hat because sometimes the mornings are cold. We loved our Alaska cruise but I don't think we will do it again. We didn't enjoy going out on deck at night to get a burger or pizza and having that cold wind blowing. I like cruising when the weather is hot. It just didn't feel right. But Alaska is the most beautiful place on earth. The air is so fresh and clean with no pollution in it, and nature is at it's finest everywhere you look. It may also rain so bring a windbreaker with a hood just in case. We pretty much lived in a hoody sweatshirt with a windbreaker on top of that the entire time.