Ketchikan - Ketchikan Outdoors? Any experience?

[Assateague Island Princes]

Has anyone ever used "Ketchikan Outdoors" for their Zodiac adventures? I found a website showing all these great options for going on individual self-drive Zodiacs (in a group with a guide) exploring local coves, rivers, secluded beaches etc. They even offer a "Romance" package where a captain takes you to a deserted island, drops you off with a picnic lunch, a tent, VHF radio, chairs, etc. for several hours to leave you to your own devices beachcombing, hiking, etc. then picks you up. We're interested in the 4-hour Zodiac adventure (DH is dying to get behind the wheel!) and have requested rate information, but haven't gotten a response yet. Haven't heard about this company on CC yet, and am a bit fearful that there may be a reason for that. Anyone ever heard of them, taken an excusion with them, or know about them? This is our third time to Ketchikan, so we're looking for something "different" than what we've done before (Misty Fjords flightseeing and Canoe/Jeep excursion) that takes us out of the town's touristy area, and provides a more Alaskan experience. Thanks for any and all comments!

[Miss Bigglesworth]

i'm interested in this tour as well. hopefully someone can post some additional advice. all i could find on CC was this thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=921243&highlight=ketchikan+outdoors

[Assateague Island Princes]

Thanx for the link to that thread. I did get an email back from them with the prices. The Romance package is $299.00 per couple. The Zodiacs are $139.00 pp for the 2.5 hour tour (with no beach landing), and $239.00 pp for the 4 hr. tour with the beach landing included.

 

I love the idea of the Romance package, just a little nervous about being left there on our own for a few hours. We love the great outdoors, beachcombing, hiking, etc. so that part of it is fine, but the thought of running into a bear....well, yikes! The cost of the 2.5 hour zodiac isn't bad, no beach landing though. And as Wolfie said on that review you attached, it could make for a miserable ride if the weather is bad - and having been in Ketchikan twice, he wasn't kidding! So we're still on the fence. I'd still like to hear from someone else who has done this excursion recently. Anybody?:o

[sammcgee]

This tour is sold on NCL, and they have lots of reveiws on their website . . . www.ncl.com

[Assateague Island Princes]

Thank you, thank you Sam!!! The NCL website excursion list was most helpful - and love the fact that they list reviews! Wish HAL would follow suit!

 

All the reviews of the zodiac trip were very positive and I feel we got a real feel for what that adventure might be like. Wish I could find someone who tried the "Romance Package" thru that same company. I did get two quickly-returned emails from the company itself providing the cost, etc., so I may just email them back with my questions and concerns about the Romance package. If the responses don't make me feel more comfortable, I think we'll go ahead and book the zodiac excursion thru them. Sounds like lots of fun, and a real change of pace from all the hustle and bustle of the port of Ketchikan.

 

Again thank you for pointing me in the right direction. Appreciate it!

[PennyAgain]

I have done Zodiaks but not with that company. They can be rough and darn chilly when the weather is the same. Also no potty!

 

The Romance package sounds interesting, but I would get an iron clad guarantee that they would return for you immediately if the weather started to go bad.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Thanks for that advice PennyAgain. I'm going to compose an email to the company later today to get more information, express my fears and concerns, and as you said, get a guarantee that they will be back if weather goes south.

 

I agree that the zodiac ride could be a bit wet and uncomfortable, but I think if we know that going in, the experience would override any discomfort. We could also take the 2.5 hour trip instead of the 4 hour trip if our concerns were that great. Half the time of discomfort is certainly more appealing than 4 hours of hell on the water! LOL! Thank you again, I so appreciate your advice, as always.

[zelker]

I just quite literally finished looking at their web site and DH thought it sounded like a ball, too, IF they really take you out to find wildlife rather than just always going to the same spot everyday and hoping for the best. AIP, if you haven't written them yet and see this, would you ask them how they determine their routes each trip? (we're probably most interested in the 4 hr rather than the romantic, just because it seems like there would be more opportunity to spot wildlife than if sitting at one spot for a few hours)

 

BTW, assume you read the one review on TA but in case not, here's a link:

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g31030-d1526063-r46392711-Ketchikan_Outdoors-Ketchikan_Alaska.html

[Assateague Island Princes]

Zelker - have been corresponding via email with Sarah at Ketchikan Outdoors all day today (Yes on a Sunday! They've certainly provided excellent customer service - she's always responded within hours to my emails!). Anyway, after asking 101 questions, we're booking for the Romance Package. Oh my gosh, it sounds heavenly!

 

With respect to wildlife, I'll quote some of what she wrote about the Romance Package, but as you can see - it applies to the zodiac tours as well:

 

"We will give you a mrine radio, and Tab, my husband, is always nearby. Tab's role in the company is tha the is our safety boat. He will sit out in Tongass Narrows watching weather and waves. He makes sure the inflatable boat tours are running smoothly and searches for whales and wildlife to show them. He will be dropping you off on the island and showing you how to set up. He will also pick you up. If the weather begins to look questionable, he will come and pick you up at the first sign of change. He has a great Hewescraft that can take rough weather well."

 

And she also wrote this about what wildlife we can expect to see from the island for the Romance Package:

 

"The island has plenty of room to explore. You can go inland, walk around the beach, explore coves, etc. You have an excellent chance of seeing eagles, whales, seals, sealions, all kinds of wildlife. Its probably one of the most beautiful places in the world in my opinion. We designed this tour for people who just want to get away from all the people on the cruise ship. Its an opportunity to hang out on a beach, explore around and have some peace and quiet."

 

She provided me with tons of information about the Romance package in particular, and really calmed my fears about running into a bear on the island. Turns out she and her family, w/three small children, often camp on the island and they have never, ever seen bear sign. There are no salmon streams on this island (not that the salmon would be running in early June anyway, but hey, I had to ask!:o).

 

If you'd like me to post my email address, I can - I'd be happy to forward you all of the email correspondence we've had so you can see for yourself what the Romance Package is all about. Just let me know if you'd like my email.

 

I'm psyched now about this excursion - Ketchikan will be our first port on this 14 day HAL Amsterdam cruise, so we wanted to start it off in a big way. This one seems to fit the bill!:p

 

PS - Thanks for that link to Trip Advisor review - no, I hadn't seen that. But I did see about 7 reviews on the NCL website, as one of the previous posters alluded to - click on the excursions link, type in Alaska, then click on Ketchikan in the drop down box, then scroll down thru their list of excursions. Once you find the zodiac one, there is a section to "read reviews". Found tons of happy customers for that excursion!

[PennyAgain]

At this point it sounds very good and has the safety back up that I appreciate.

 

The safety plan seems reasonable and appropriate.

 

Looks like I'm going to make a shorter HAL trip in 2011 (the price is really right) and save the longer 14 day one for retirement.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Yes, I'm very comfortable with the responses I got regarding safety, getting back to the ship, etc. She also said that her husband, Tab, is often in direct sight of the island we are dropped off at, so makes me even more comfortable. Still VERY glad there isn't much chance of bears - makes me feel a whole lot better!

 

Sorry you can't make the 14 day HAL cruise next year, PennyAgain. But a 7 day is better than nothing, right? And my, won't you have some wonderful Alaskan cruises planned once retirement rolls around! Good for you!

 

Thank you again for all your help on these boards. Sometimes just a passing comment you make is good, sound advice - makes me wanna hit myself in the forehead and say "Duh! Why didn't I think of that??" You're truly a wealth of information and no-nonsense advice, which we all appreciate and benefit from!

[PennyAgain]

I've learned a great deal by making plenty of mistakes myself. Now and then I've trusted the wrong people (assumed they would do the job they were hired for) and sadly found out how disappointing it can be when people don't do what they should do.

 

As I've gotten older I've also learned what things I just can't do anymore. I'm far from giving up on travel, cruising and hiking, but I've had to set limits and make modifications.

 

Your romantic outing (that's what the tent is for!) will give you memories to last a lifetime. You will also have the benefit of silence which most visitors to Alaska never experience.

 

Listen to the eagles, the otters and the whales. You can't hear them for a ship or a boat. Eagles make an eeeeeeeeeeee sound. Like the very beginning of that long ago tv program Northern Exposure.

 

I've always felt that they wrote that problem after following my husband around for a few days as he had the same reaction to Alaska as the lead character in that show.

 

Have a wonderful time! I know you will!

[Assateague Island Princes]

Thanx Penny, we WILL have great time - no doubt!;) As they say, silence is golden - looking forward to a golden day!:p

[zelker]

Zelker - have been corresponding via email with Sarah at Ketchikan Outdoors all day today (Yes on a Sunday! They've certainly provided excellent customer service - she's always responded within hours to my emails!). Anyway, after asking 101 questions, we're booking for the Romance Package. Oh my gosh, it sounds heavenly!

 

If you'd like me to post my email address, I can - I'd be happy to forward you all of the email correspondence we've had so you can see for yourself what the Romance Package is all about. Just let me know if you'd like my email.

 

I'm psyched now about this excursion - Ketchikan will be our first port on this 14 day HAL Amsterdam cruise, so we wanted to start it off in a big way. This one seems to fit the bill!:p

 

PS - Thanks for that link to Trip Advisor review - no, I hadn't seen that. But I did see about 7 reviews on the NCL website, as one of the previous posters alluded to - click on the excursions link, type in Alaska, then click on Ketchikan in the drop down box, then scroll down thru their list of excursions. Once you find the zodiac one, there is a section to "read reviews". Found tons of happy customers for that excursion!

 

 

That's so cool that you booked the Romance Package. I will be anxious to hear your report as you are doing the 14 day before us (we're booked on the July 26th sailing). What time will you guys head out on the zodiak?

 

DH and I read through all the comments on NCL's site yesterday - great feedback, even from the people in September who got soaked heading back to Ketchikan. :p I glanced through HAL's offerings and it doesn't appear that they offer it, unless I missed something.

 

The only thing that may prevent us from doing it this year is if we decide to fly to Fish Creek to see the bears as I don't think we'd have enough time to do both.

 

And sure, if you want to forward me the correspondence from KO, that would be great.... barb dot h at comcast dot net

[Assateague Island Princes]

Hey Zelker - will forward those emails when I get home today. They will pick us up at the dock at 8AM, take us to the liquor store in the event DH wants to pick up some beer or wine for the excursion (I think not, too early in the AM!) then they will take us to the boat and out to the island by 8:30AM, where they will set up our "camp", provide us w/additional rain gear and binoculars, along w/packed picnic basket/cooler, along w/coffee, hot chocolate, hot cider and tea, provide us with a marine radio so we can be in contact w/them at any time, then they motor off while we begin our 3 hour adventure (just like Gilligan's Island - cool!;)). They'll be back to pick us up at 11:30AM, unless the weather gets bad and they feel we should come back to shore. We actually aren't doing the zodiac tour, just the Romance Package - three hours on a deserted beach away from the hustle and bustle of Ketchikan proper - sounds GREAT to me! Plus the early time frame will allow for about 4 hours in Ketchikan so we can do a walking tour around the town itself, which we haven't had time for the past two trips there. All in all, its shaping up to be a good day in Ketchikan! Will post back after our trip to let you know how it went.

 

No, this excursion is not thru HAL, its booked privately. Given your timeframe in Ketchikan and the time of year you are going - I'd definitely jump on the bear watching trip instead of this. If we were going in a salmon run time frame, we'd be all over a bear excursion from either Ketchikan, Homer or Anchorage for sure! Unfortunately, we're going too early for good bear viewing.:(

[PennyAgain]

Right, you don't need the liquor store.

 

Do take a few baby wipes for tidy personal clean up in a place without running water. Purell dries your hands out too much.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Excellent suggestion - I always carry baby wipes in my backpack on shore excursions and they come in handy! Very refreshing to wipe your face or hands while hiking or beach combing, and certainly after a meal on shore to get rid of that food smell to keep the bruins away! LOL!

[zelker]

Given your timeframe in Ketchikan and the time of year you are going - I'd definitely jump on the bear watching trip instead of this. If we were going in a salmon run time frame, we'd be all over a bear excursion from either Ketchikan, Homer or Anchorage for sure! Unfortunately, we're going too early for good bear viewing.:(

 

Got your emails - thanks! Will read through them tonight.

 

Have been checking out bear viewing and have to say I'm a bit hesitant after reading about fatal plane crashes (2 were within 3 weeks of each other, with tourists on board - one in Misty Fjords, the other picking up people after bear watching in Traitor's Cove). A bit unnerving, to say the least. :eek:

 

We did a helicopter glacier landing out of Juneau last year and never gave it a second thought. Maybe I should have???

[bearbait]

Got your emails - thanks! Will read through them tonight.

 

Have been checking out bear viewing and have to say I'm a bit hesitant after reading about fatal plane crashes (2 were within 3 weeks of each other, with tourists on board - one in Misty Fjords, the other picking up people after bear watching in Traitor's Cove). A bit unnerving, to say the least. :eek:

 

We did a helicopter glacier landing out of Juneau last year and never gave it a second thought. Maybe I should have???

 

No crashes since then. I wouldn't worry about it. Thousands and thousands of tours have departed Ketchikan without incident.

[zelker]

No crashes since then. I wouldn't worry about it. Thousands and thousands of tours have departed Ketchikan without incident.

 

Not true (that there have been none since then). Those crashes happened in 2007. There was one in 2008. The NTSB database shows 225 incidences of crashes for the period January 2008 through March 2010 in Alaska, and of those, 17 involved fatalities. Granted, not all of those were flightseeing but still, that seems like an awful lot in just over 2 years not to at least give it some consideration before booking with somebody, don't you think?

[PennyAgain]

Small plane flying with professional pilots in Alaska is highly regulated and is as safe as possible.

 

Many of the air crashes in Alaska are with amateur pilots (especially doctors!) who are over their heads with the needs of the flight situation.

 

Often in Alaska your choices are fly or not do. The decision is up to you.

 

I no longer do flightseeing now due to the cost not the safety issues. They are out of my financial league.

[bearbait]

Not true (that there have been none since then). Those crashes happened in 2007. There was one in 2008. The NTSB database shows 225 incidences of crashes for the period January 2008 through March 2010 in Alaska, and of those, 17 involved fatalities. Granted, not all of those were flightseeing but still, that seems like an awful lot in just over 2 years not to at least give it some consideration before booking with somebody, don't you think?

 

No, I don't think it's any cause for concern. When you consider how much more air transportation is used in Alaska compared to the lower 48 it doen's worry me. How many fatality car crashes were there in Idaho in the same time period?

 

Comparitively speaking you much safer in a aircraft then you are in an automobile.

[Traveler04]

The test of a good company is what happens when things go wrong. This company failed that test. We travelled with a large group. On the day we got to Ketchikan, all of their excursions were eithr cancelled outright (the float planes didn't go) or were cancelled part way due to weather (other water/boat excusions). Not this company - they picked in my opinion money over safety and our vacation experience. Let me paint a picture response .... we arrive at our first port, excited. Weather is cold, rainy but what do you expect in Ketchikan. They meet us at the dock and take us to their office to get suited up. We look warm and comfortable. So far so good. They give a talk about safety and say that there is a shadow boat, which they ridicule as for guests that get sea sick. We start. The guide seems knowledgeable but aloof. We get to the open water between two land masses and a boat approaches us and tells the guide don't go to one of the areas planned because the weather is getting bad. It starts to really pour and the wind picks up. We travel around but you begin to wonder why its so populated and will it live up to the promises in the write up from the cruise line. But you muster on. Then the weather really starts to turn, they keep going farther away. Fast forward to the ride back - an hour and a half. There are no local fishing boats or any boats on the waters at all, even though they were there to begin with, lots of them. The company, after we later complained to the cruise line, admitted that the swells were 3-4 feet and wind 35-40 mph and we are in 12 foot inflatable rafts with at least 650 pound sof people inside. We are tossed around like ping pong balls. My 6 foot son, as described by the guide, looked like he was "riding a bull". We are hit with waves constantly, the boat gets airborne frequently, it gets thrown side to side, you have to hold on or risk being tossed out, the rain and wind are whipping. The guide, who has been far away a thtis point, gets the safety boat to come to "smooth out" the waves and he gets in front of us to try to ease the trip back. He never offers to let us board the safety boat and we assume that things will get better. It doesn't and their efforts are to no avail, its constant bouncing, getting airborne, getting soaked. We saw absolutely nothing even though they made us, at our protest, go to some silly cove to see starfish, of which there were two. Wasted more time as the weather continues to get worse. This company knew or should have known that the weather was already bad and was going to get worse, instead of cancelling or giving us an option to not go, they withheld that information and went ahead with the multiple hour excursion. By going so, I think they risked injuring us, tossing us overboard. Even more importantly they wasted our day in Ketchikan. By the time we got back, we were wet, cold, sore and had little time or motivation to go do anything else. They really failed in the customer service arena. And when we registered a complaint with the cruise line, who handled this beautifully, they blamed the customer by saying that we said it was a great trip (not true) but that was their go to response and says alot about this company. Their follow up response was to admit and acknowledge the poor weather conditions but that they followed their "safety" protocols. They never once addressed the main issue - why did they go out when all of the locals went back. Or, why didn't they put customers before profits and say, hey look this could be a bad day, the weather is anticipated to get worse, all you may see is rain, wind and swells what do you want to do. Instead they took our money, wrecked our day but fortunately didn't get us sick, hurt or thrown overboard. Even if its a great trip on a good weather day, think twice about whether you would want to grace them with your family, your vacation time and your money. To top it off, the guides at the camp said that July was not a good wildlife seeing time - so all that was apparently for naught.

[rohanbritto]

Yo Folks,

 

We have just done the Zodiac Adventure in July2014 with Ketichikan Outdoors on our port call at Ketchikan - i give them a 10 on 10 for the entire experience right from the pickup in the modified Hummer Limo to the Hot Choc/Warm Cider served at the end of the trip.

 

The entire gear provided for the trip is none to other which we have seen - Absolutely Superb!!!

 

I must not forget our guide "Devon" - He made all the difference ... Passion for what he does in the marrow of his bones! Thank you Devon from Rohan & Family in Dubai.

 

This is one trip with a difference to experience Ketchikan - Weather conditions can play a major role in ensuring a smooth ride but safety being their TOP priority, don't miss out guys...

[Ginnyfyr]

Yo Folks,

 

We have just done the Zodiac Adventure in July2014 with Ketichikan Outdoors on our port call at Ketchikan - i give them a 10 on 10 for the entire experience right from the pickup in the modified Hummer Limo to the Hot Choc/Warm Cider served at the end of the trip.

 

The entire gear provided for the trip is none to other which we have seen - Absolutely Superb!!!

 

I must not forget our guide "Devon" - He made all the difference ... Passion for what he does in the marrow of his bones! Thank you Devon from Rohan & Family in Dubai.

 

This is one trip with a difference to experience Ketchikan - Weather conditions can play a major role in ensuring a smooth ride but safety being their TOP priority, don't miss out guys...

 

So good to hear this! We have booked the zodiac excursion offered through Princess for our stop in Ketchikan and I believe it is with this company - looking forward to it even more after reading this!