Skagway, Juneau & Ketchikan Excursion on our own

[MikeR]

We will be going to Skagway, Juneau & Ketchikan on May 15th on the Sapphire and would like to get any insight into doing excursions on our own. there are 5 of us so it will be diverse however I'm interested in Helicopter and Seaplane excursions on my own.

[Host Caroline]

There is a thread here on the board re tours in these ports of call with lots of good information. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=17915.. I think these would be a good starting point? If you have time suggest glacial helicopter and whale watching in Juneau? one of the best combo tours you can do.

[Budget Queen]

I highly recommend Coastal out of Juneau- excellent personal tours for a glacier helicopter landing. Ketchikan flying Misty fjords via floatplane, I have used Southeast Aviation, Carlin Air and Island wings- all will offer a great tour. VERIFIY the ability to get off the plane on to land. A highlight. With a group I always recommend SPLITTING up. Rarely are everyones interests the same. Be willing to allow this, touring in Alaska is just too good for individual interests.

[Gail Johnson]

We will be going to Skagway, Juneau & Ketchikan on May 15th on the Sapphire and would like to get any insight into doing excursions on our own. there are 5 of us so it will be diverse however I'm interested in Helicopter and Seaplane excursions on my own.

 

MikeR, we will be on Serendae, May 29th taking the same route as Sapphire. We have already booked two tours on our own. The Whale Watching in Juneau came highly recommended with Capt. Larry. It's a 3 1/2 hour tour. The toll free number is 888-733-6722. I talked with Pam who gave me a world of information about other tours as well. She was most helpful. Cost of the Tour is $110.25 per person.

 

Skagway we booked Vally of the Glacier tour with Temsco which was another MUST for our Alaska Adventure. It's about a 55 min. tour and the cost is $199 per person. They have others which are more expensive and will provide more adventure. You might look them up on the net. Their website is very good.

 

I read on the boards that a MUST for shopping is the Alaska Shirt Co. in Skagway. Great gifts of all kinds. I hope this posting has helped you out. This will be our first trip to Alaska and we're most excited. I am on the boards daily trying to read all I can which adds to the excitment.

Gail Johnson

Email: Darlin6372@aol.com

[Yukon]

>>I read on the boards that a MUST for shopping is the Alaska Shirt Co. in Skagway. Great gifts of all kinds.<<

 

That is only if true your tastes are Wal*Mart-style. Their stuff is almost all cheap offshore made.

 

Murray

[CaribbeanBound]

You can do those locations on your own. It'll be a ton less expensive, and you'll experience a lot more than anyone taking a tour!

 

We did exactly that.

 

Here is a very detailed review of our Princess Star to Alaska cruise which departed out of Seattle. It's got lots of great information on how you can thoroughly enjoy Seattle and Alaska on a low budget.

 

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/alaska.html

 

Have a great trip!

[cruisergrandma]

Hi Mike,

 

We were in Alaska in Mid-May 2004 and it was incredible. We booked all of our own excursions. We whale watched with Capt. Larry in Juneau and I HIGHLY recommend him. We did the White Horse Pass (by bus) and gold panning in Skagway. We did not book an excursion in Ketchikan - just walked around town. However, there is a building right at the port where you can just walk in and book any kind of excursion you want. We were even offered float plane for $99 ea.