Best port for fleece jacket/hoodie and ulu knife???

[CherylsCaribbeanTravel]

I am wondering if there is any one port that would be best to do my shopping in. In particular, I am looking for an Alaska fleece jacket/hoodie and an ulu knife.

 

I am also interested in jewelry, but I have read that Homer would be the best place to pick up unique pieces. Can anyone confirm? Deny?

 

This is my itininary:

July 26: Depart Seattle 5:00

July 27: At Sea

July 28: Ketchikan 7-5pm

July 29: Sitka 8-5pm

July 30: Skagway 7am-9pm

July 31: Glacier Bay 7-4pm

Aug 1: At Sea

Aug 2: Anchorage 7 am-11pm

Aug 3: Homer 10am-6pm

Aug 4: Kodiak: 7am-1pm

Aug 5: Hubbard Noon-4pm

Aug 6: Juneau 8am-5pm

Aug 7: At Sea

Aug 8: Victoria 4pm-11pm

 

 

Also, does anyone have a particular store they would recommend for the ulu knife?

 

Thank you in advance,

 

Cheryl :)

 

[Keith1010]

I don't think there is a best port for this. Ketchikan and Juneau have a lot of stores so probably would have some of the better selections.

 

Keith

[Assateague Island Princes]

Yes, Homer definitely had the most unique, interesting, and often hand made items for sale in their shops on the Spit. Bought myself a gorgeous jade bracelet and lovely amber earrings w/hand hammered silver in Homer. Each shop seemed to have really different selections in different mediums. Loved, loved, loved Homer! BUT, with that said, I did find a beautiful jade ring and a stunning handmade amber necklace in Sitka as well (which has now slipped a bit in my rankings to tie with Homer for my favorite port in AK;)!).

 

As far as the jacket - each and every port will offer you pretty much the same choices and selections, all w/good prices, so pick one!:p

[tartertwo]

if you are looking for only 1 skagway, ketchiken had buy one get one free on a lot of items so if you are looking for multiple, that was the best way.

[floridafolks]

I am wondering if there is any one port that would be best to do my shopping in. In particular, I am looking for an Alaska fleece jacket/hoodie and an ulu knife.

 

I am also interested in jewelry, but I have read that Homer would be the best place to pick up unique pieces. Can anyone confirm? Deny?

 

This is my itininary:

July 26: Depart Seattle 5:00

July 27: At Sea

July 28: Ketchikan 7-5pm

July 29: Sitka 8-5pm

July 30: Skagway 7am-9pm

July 31: Glacier Bay 7-4pm

Aug 1: At Sea

Aug 2: Anchorage 7 am-11pm

Aug 3: Homer 10am-6pm

Aug 4: Kodiak: 7am-1pm

Aug 5: Hubbard Noon-4pm

Aug 6: Juneau 8am-5pm

Aug 7: At Sea

Aug 8: Victoria 4pm-11pm

 

 

Also, does anyone have a particular store they would recommend for the ulu knife?

 

Thank you in advance,

 

Cheryl :)

 

There is the ulu factory in Anchorage near Ship's Creek--you can see them being made and watch videos on how they can be used--they had both first quality and seconds there. --BUT be sure to know the policy of your ship on letting knives back on board--we had no problem, but I have heard that some ships confiscate them and give them back at end of cruise. Every souvenir shop had them, but it is nice to see them made at the factory.

[Cheryl H]

Yes, Homer definitely had the most unique, interesting, and often hand made items for sale in their shops on the Spit. Bought myself a gorgeous jade bracelet and lovely amber earrings w/hand hammered silver in Homer. Each shop seemed to have really different selections in different mediums. Loved, loved, loved Homer! BUT, with that said, I did find a beautiful jade ring and a stunning handmade amber necklace in Sitka as well (which has now slipped a bit in my rankings to tie with Homer for my favorite port in AK;)!).

 

As far as the jacket - each and every port will offer you pretty much the same choices and selections, all w/good prices, so pick one!:p

 

I would love to find a jade bracelet. But we aren't going to Homer or Sitka. Do you remember if there were any stores in Skagway, Ketchikan, or Juneau that had any unique jewelry? I'd like it to be a local artist if possible.

[cruisingmimi]

You will find all of what you are looking for in most of the ports. Ketchikan has lots of stores to browse in. We saw fleece jackets everywhere. I bought a nice warm sweatshirt w/ Ketchikan logo on it on Creek St. in one of the little shops. My sister bought a nice fleece jacket in the same store. The store was on the left hand side of the little alley where the shops are on stilts. You have to walk by the Dolly Varden attraction! LOL Every store had the same prices so don't bother trying to better the price. There were lots of jewelry stores in Ketchikan, from the local Alaska shops to the international jewelry stores. Jade was everywhere also. I would have like to purchase something Jade but don't know that much about it so passed on buying anything.

 

Juneau has lots of nice stores as you get off the ship so your best bet might be there. Again, if you see something just buy it because it might not be in the next port. Uulu knives are everywhere in Alaska and the prices don't vary that much either.

 

Ketchikan had 3 Tongass Trading Post stores right near where the ships dock that you can find all sorts of souvenirs. I bought hats and T shirts for our grandchildren there and they are reasonably priced. They had the uulu knives there as well.

 

They should give you a coupon book when you embark your ship that will have all sorts of bargain items in it. I didn't see them anywhere else in the ports.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Mary

[KAYEF]

We were on a b-2-b last year and realized Ketchikan was THE place to shop for this reason:

:) In the coupon book (free, and everyone receives one at check-in........or SHOULD) Tongas Trading has a coupon for $9.99 shipping. Someone on CC told me they have this again in 2010.

Maybe someone can verify this.

On our way UP we shopped their three stores and noted special things.

On the way back, we bought almost all of our souvenirs there; you can take your receipt to their other two stores and they connect purchases via the # on the receipt.

The huge box came right after we arrived home and things were packed beautifully. Even our boxed mugs had bubble wrap around them.

This year we plan to do the same; it's our first stop.

If quality and loyalty are important...........watch carefully for ulu knives made in the USA. All that were on "coupons" (that we saw) were Made In China.

There is a "fine knife store" in Juneau right across from the ships' dock but you can get Made in the USA in every port.

Those knives work best with their little "carved out bowl shape" cutting board so the purchase can be heavy.

You'll find bargains everywhere..........

I can't remember if you're going to Sitka, (duh!.....you're on "our" cruise, of course you are) but there's a young couple there who sell outside their tiny place.........from a table...........and their original jewelry pieces are amazing..........tiny sterling silver clamshell earrings with either a black or white pearl in them..........etc. I bought several of their originals. They were on the street behind St. Michael's and on the way back to the tender area.

[floridafolks]

"If quality and loyalty are important...........watch carefully for ulu knives made in the USA. All that were on "coupons" (that we saw) were Made In China.

There is a "fine knife store" in Juneau right across from the ships' dock but you can get Made in the USA in every port.

Those knives work best with their little "carved out bowl shape" cutting board so the purchase can be heavy."

This is why I suggested going to the ULU factory in Anchorage- they are made there and they also will ship home since the purchases are heavy -especially if you buy more than one set for gifts-(and you do not have to worry whether ship will allow the knives through security when getting back on ship)

[runner5]

Does anyone know the name of the coupon book? I just want to make sure I get one. Ketchikan is our first port, I think my husband my kill me if I do alot of shopping right away, but if I find that coupon, I may have to :)

[CherylsCaribbeanTravel]

Thank you everyone for the replies!!

 

Floridafolks: I will positively visit the ulu center! This is exactly what I needed to know. I want to purchase 2 pockets and a bowl/knife combo. I don't mind if they take them when I get back on the ship and bring them back the next night. I would prefer shipping though, so I will look into that.

 

Kayef: Thanks for the heads up on 9.99 shipping. Will they ship anything for 9.99?? If so, that is a great deal. And thanks for the reminder to watch for the made in Alaska seal :).

 

Cheryl :)

[runner5]

Not to sound to ignorant, but what are pockets? the knives?

[Cruizer Bill]

Yes, check the Ship policy about bringing knives on board. You may to mail them home or the ship may hold them for you. Just a heads up.

Bill

[CherylsCaribbeanTravel]

Not to sound to ignorant, but what are pockets? the knives?

 

Yes, pocket knife. The men in my life like anything that even slightly resembles a weapon (not that these are weapons :)).

 

Here's a link to a photo. There are some really reallly cool ones out there that are less than 3 inches, so you don't need a CWP.

 

http://www.alaskawildberryproducts.com/mercantool/catalog/alaskan-gifts/

 

Cheryl :)

[KAYEF]

Thank you everyone for the replies!!

 

 

Kayef: Thanks for the heads up on 9.99 shipping. Will they ship anything for 9.99?? If so, that is a great deal. And thanks for the reminder to watch for the made in Alaska seal :).

 

Cheryl :)

They shipped anything/everything..............sweatshirts that took a lot of space...........heavy things................breakable things.............and included the purchases from all three stores. It's up to you, the customer, to ask/tell the cashier if you go to one of their other stores and to show them your original receipt so things get shipped together. We had two boxex and everything was there............plus bubble wrap. They even shipped the "free" items we'd picked up in each of their stores (courtesy of the coupon book).

I purchased a knife once on P, I think............and had one HECK of a time getting it at disembarkation.:(

They had all sorts of things people had bought that had been confiscated and we were in line and the guy couldn't find my item in his "closet" and it held up the line and peolpe were getting upset and, and, and...........all they'd done was tape a piece of paper with a person's name onto the item. Some of the "labels" were upside down, so they had to remove the tape to read the name.

I don't want THAT mess again!

[CherylsCaribbeanTravel]

Thanks again for the tip on the ULU factory in Anchorage. Our ship is spending a long time in Anchorage and this looks like a great way to spend an hour or so. They offer free trolly tour and the place looks very interesting. Plus, they also offer FREE SHIPPING on products so no worries about security.

 

Here's the link if anyone else is interested:

http://www.theulufactory.com/default.asp

 

Cheryl :)

[CruisingGoddess]

If quality and loyalty are important...........watch carefully for ulu knives made in the USA. All that were on "coupons" (that we saw) were Made In China.

 

This is incorrect. We shopped around extensively for Made in Alaska ulu knives. There is one in the Destination Alaska coupon book in Ketchikan that is advertised for $19.99 and comes with the bowl-shaped cutting board. It is Made in Alaska and the best deal we could find. They usually cost $35 regular price. Pretty much the same price we found everywhere. By the way, we bought 3 ulu knives and had no problem bringing them onboard Island Princess. (This was last week.)

 

There are also deals on the fleece and jackets in the coupon book too. I think in Juneau or Skagway.

[CruisingGoddess]

I just also wanted to clarify the $9.99 shipping from Tongass Trading Company. It's flat rate shipping for anything you buy at their 3 stores so you can't ship stuff you bought elsewhere. Their stores have a lot of stuff though so it can definitely still be good for a lot of people.

[KAYEF]

This is incorrect. We shopped around extensively for Made in Alaska ulu knives. There is one in the Destination Alaska coupon book in Ketchikan that is advertised for $19.99 and comes with the bowl-shaped cutting board. It is Made in Alaska and the best deal we could find. They usually cost $35 regular price. Pretty much the same price we found everywhere. By the way, we bought 3 ulu knives and had no problem bringing them onboard Island Princess. (This was last week.)

 

.

Please don't jump on me. If you read my quote that you posted, I said, (all that we saw). That's exactly what I said and meant. All the coupons WE SAW last year were for "Made in China" knives.............glad to hear there's one for $19.99 this year. THAT'S a real bargain.

[floridafolks]

I just also wanted to clarify the $9.99 shipping from Tongass Trading Company. It's flat rate shipping for anything you buy at their 3 stores so you can't ship stuff you bought elsewhere. Their stores have a lot of stuff though so it can definitely still be good for a lot of people.

Is there a minimum purchase required? If anyone has mailed a package lately, $9.99 is a bargain!!--especially for heavy or bulky items. Often we are close to max weight on checked bags and can barely get the zipper shut- so this really helps.

[cruisingmimi]

We were just in Ketchikan last week and did some shopping at the Tongass stores. If you get your coupon book when you board the ship then it will tell you the specific terms for shipping in the coupon book. I do remember it said shipping for $9.99 to USA and Canada residents. I didn't buy enough to warrant shipping stuff home. These stores are mostly what I call the "tourist trap" souvenir stores. Most of the items you will find in all the stores in Ketchikan.

 

This is the first time that I did not do a great deal of shopping when we go on a cruise. I found a lot of the things I saw to be of poor quality and not worth buying unless you just want something that you can say you bought in Alaska.

 

They will have lectures on the ships for the different ports and how to buy jewelry in the ports. Just remember that these are paid commercials by those merchants that participate in the ships' program. As Merced Mike indicates, why would you buy something expensive in jewelry if you do not know the quality of the product. There will be many stores that sell the whales tales, gold nuggets, etc. that will be memory pieces for your Alaskan trip.

 

I thought that Juneau offered a lot of nice stores and several had signs in their windows that they were Alaskan native owned.

 

As far as the uulu knives, you do need to read the labels on the back of them to see if they were made in Alaska as I saw many that had the made in China on them. The nicer quality knives were more expensive. You get what you pay for. Have fun shopping.

 

Mary

[runner5]

thank you everyone!!!! we leave in 12 days and plan to try to take advantage of the free shipping :)

[CruisingGoddess]

Please don't jump on me. If you read my quote that you posted, I said, (all that we saw). That's exactly what I said and meant. All the coupons WE SAW last year were for "Made in China" knives.............glad to hear there's one for $19.99 this year. THAT'S a real bargain.

 

I didn't mean to come across as jumping on you. Just wanted to share accurate info for this year.

 

Is there a minimum purchase required? If anyone has mailed a package lately, $9.99 is a bargain!!--especially for heavy or bulky items. Often we are close to max weight on checked bags and can barely get the zipper shut- so this really helps.

 

No min purchase required but I think you do need the coupon from the Destination Alaska coupon book.

[Cruising Quilter]

I'm wondering about hoodies and sweat shirts in Fairbanks. We start our cruistour there. If I can buy them there, I might not buy fleece things before I go. Any ideas? Thanks for any help.

[giuseppes1933]

We found the best prices here for the normal items such as hats, knives, and the such.