Looking for someone who's been to Alaska this season to answer...

[flashdog_1]

It's been 7 years since I was in Skagway. I remember that privately booked excursion buses cannot enter the dock compound, and have to meet you outside the fence. What I do not remember is if there were vendors trying to sell excursions in that parking lot.

 

I have been comparing independent and ship's tours this year and they are not very far apart in dollars for the ones I've looked at. But Skagway's piddling excursions seem very high to me, (I'm not talking about the expensive flight seeing ones) so am wondering if I can take my chance and not book anything with the ship.

 

Please chime in if you noticed any vendors there. I know where to go in Juneau if we decide not to book ship's tours there. Not sure about Ketchikan.

[Budget Queen]

Yes there is a vendor booth at the end of the RR dock.

[MichFish]

I have not been there yet this year - but just booked 2 private tours in Skagway - same company - different tours - in both my confirmations they state they will meet me with a sign with my name on it by the boat - where we get off. And that if we get off early - we can check in at the office at the top of the pier!

[LindaKE]

We just returned. In Skagway there were many vendors at the end of the dock where HAL and X docked. I'm not sure about how the Princess folks entered and exited their dock. It was off to the side where traffic had to maneuver around one-way roads to go from one docking area to the other. I don't remember seeing anyone walking that way, so they may have had another exit.

 

In Ketchikan, there were tours sold through the Visitor's Bureau where most ships docked (not us). I may have missed the usual vendors, especially since we docked a mile off, but we met our Island Wings tour there, and all I noticed other than that were ship tours. Those ships there did sail soon after we met our group, so it may be that the private vendors had all packed it in for the day.

[LindaKE]

I forgot about the tour companies lining the main street. I don't know what kind of tours they were selling, but there were a bunch of them. For 6 blocks there were jewelry stores interspersed periodically with a tour company. I've never seen so many jewelry stores and tour companies all congregated in one small place in my life. There were hardly any souvenir stores in the mix.

[zqvol]

It's been 7 years since I was in Skagway. I remember that privately booked excursion buses cannot enter the dock compound, and have to meet you outside the fence. What I do not remember is if there were vendors trying to sell excursions in that parking lot.

 

I have been comparing independent and ship's tours this year and they are not very far apart in dollars for the ones I've looked at. But Skagway's piddling excursions seem very high to me, (I'm not talking about the expensive flight seeing ones) so am wondering if I can take my chance and not book anything with the ship.

 

Please chime in if you noticed any vendors there. I know where to go in Juneau if we decide not to book ship's tours there. Not sure about Ketchikan.

 

There was a building at the end of the RR dock for vendors last week when we were there but it was empty.

[flashdog_1]

There was a building at the end of the RR dock for vendors last week when we were there but it was empty.

 

Thank you, thank you! Therefore we will definitely book before we go.

[laughing husky]

not as many excursions places outside...I found Ketchican a bit lacking also...but I walked around the stores near the dock and found one called Outside Adventures....and I was so glad that I did. We rented a 14' Zodiak with a guide...He has his boat, you have yours...(very easy to drive) and go look for whales. We had a transient pod of Orca's within 20' of our boat...It was amazing...They came to us...not the other way around....and we were the only people on the 2 hour tour. I think they have 2-4 hr tours...What nice people they were....They provide all equipment...heavy duty commercial rainwear, woolhats that can act as Balaclavas, wool socks, boots, You will be ready for the Artic if necessary.....and afterwards, Hot cider, beer, coffee etc. It was absolutely wonderful...It is a family business....Dad flies out to find out where the whales, orcas are coming through so you go towards them....Mom handles the outfitting and the kids help run the store....Outstanding tour.....I think out tour was around 139..for all of it..