ATV excursion at an Alaska stop?

[ronswanson]

We are cruising June 30 R/T out of Seattle on Golden Princess. Stops are Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria.

 

We are pretty big outdoorsmen, and we like to do ATV rides here in Michigan. I would assume that there would be a reputable outfitter at one of these Alaskan ports that offers a real trail ride.

 

I have checked through the Princess offerings, the only option is a "mule" ride, which is more of a 4x4 golf cart.

 

I have found independent operators that do such a trip out of Sitka, but due to schedules we are unable to pick a cruise that stops in Sitka.

 

Has anyone ever done this sort of trip and have any recommendations?

[WendyG]

We like ATV rides too and I haven't had any luck finding any in any of our ports! :( The only thing I found is an ATV ride the day before our cruise begins (staying in Anchorage) and either Eagle Creek or Palmer has ATV rides.

 

I've elected to do flightseeing and shopping the rest of the trip! :D

[sr12345]

In general, southeast Alaska and the Kenai Peninsula have very few ATV-legal trails. If your itinerary includes them, along the Parks (Wasilla to Fairbanks) and Glenn (Anchorage to Glenallen) Highways are the areas with the most trails. There are tour operators out of Anchorage and Healy which I know offer ATV tours.

[ronswanson]

Thanks all. Might have to settle for a fishing trip instead. I hear you can go fishing and possibly have your catch prepared for dinner onboard.

I kind of wondered if wilderness areas up there are too protected for ATV riding.

[rditton]

In Ketchikan, there is the Adventure Kart tour, which is a dune-buggy type vehicle. You follow the leader from stop to stop but get to build up some good speed between the stops! We did this a couple years ago and had a great time!

 

http://www.adventurekarts.com/Tours/Kart-Excursion.html

[ronswanson]

In Ketchikan, there is the Adventure Kart tour, which is a dune-buggy type vehicle. You follow the leader from stop to stop but get to build up some good speed between the stops! We did this a couple years ago and had a great time!

 

http://www.adventurekarts.com/Tours/Kart-Excursion.html

 

Thanks. That appears to be the same outfit that Princess is using at Ketchikan. $20 cheaper through Princess too!

[inlinesick]

I would like to know as well

[PennyAgain]

Thanks all. Might have to settle for a fishing trip instead. I hear you can go fishing and possibly have your catch prepared for dinner onboard.

I kind of wondered if wilderness areas up there are too protected for ATV riding.

 

I am not aware of any of the major cruise lines that will prepare a passenger's freshly caught fish on board. They don't have any way to do custom cooking and there are issues about inspections.

 

Most people pay a ton of money to have their catch cleaned, packed, frozen and shipped home.

[chipmaster]

Agreed, all the major lines won't let you bring catch on board, perhaps local resturant will do it for you.

 

FWIW if you do catch say 100lbs of fish or something by the pound compared to line caught it really isn't that expensive, not a "ton" expensive...

 

I am not aware of any of the major cruise lines that will prepare a passenger's freshly caught fish on board. They don't have any way to do custom cooking and there are issues about inspections.

 

Most people pay a ton of money to have their catch cleaned, packed, frozen and shipped home.

[luvlake]

In 2007 my nephew and relatives went on fishing excursion in Ketchikan and caught 2 salmon. Princess did prepare the salmon and delivered one to their room where we all shared and the other one was given to crew. Things may have changed now but I did get to share in the festivities!

[Jkdavid99]

I took a cruise in 2002 with royal Caribbean. We rented a pole and paid $10 for a day license. We caught so many salmon right near the ship. It was in September and the fish were running. It was the most fun we had the entire cruise. We bought a cooler and did take 2 back on the ship. The cooks prepared them for us and presented them at dinner. Granted they were pink but the folks that paid a lot of money to go out to sea caught nothing.

I would warn you of an ATV trip. We did this in Mexico and it was so boring. We couldn't get over 25 mph. We own Atv's and I am sure for people that have never done it, it was fun. The tour guides are too worried about you hurting yourself. We got yelled at a lot for playing around too much.

Hope this helps

[ronswanson]

Currently, Princess lists a Salmon fishing excursion, and states that your choice is either to have the outfitter freeze and ship the fish home, or you can have it cooked for dinner on the ship. You can only keep one fish per person.

 

They do say that due to regulations, you are unable to bring the ship onboard to transport with you.

[rditton]

In Ketchikan, there is the Adventure Kart tour, which is a dune-buggy type vehicle. You follow the leader from stop to stop but get to build up some good speed between the stops! We did this a couple years ago and had a great time!

 

http://www.adventurekarts.com/Tours/Kart-Excursion.html

Thanks. That appears to be the same outfit that Princess is using at Ketchikan. $20 cheaper through Princess too!

 

Here's a writeup of our experience too... :-) It was super fun....