Just Back - Excursion Reviews

[CruiseIsGood]

I'll give an overview of my excursions first, and write the full review later. I know people are anxious about the excursions. I did take a lot, but we were in ports for a total of five hours more than we were supposed to be, thanks to Carnival making up for the horrid delay at US Customs.

 

This was my third trip, so I didn't do any town walking.

 

Juneau

 

Mt. Roberts Tram

 

The tram is within easy walking distance of the pier, and you can see it from all over. It's easy to find. For $23.95 you get an all-day pass and yes, your hand stamped. At the top they have a partially blind eagle, restaurant, shop, mini theatre and nature center. There are hiking trails, but it was still snowy and some were 'at your own risk' or closed. I thought it was a beautiful view from the top. During the CD's excursion spiel, he said that even if it's foggy, it may not be at the top, and showed a lovely picture of a view of the clouds from the top. I'd probably still go if it was foggy.

 

Pilot's Choice Helicopter Tour (Temsco thru ship)

 

Since it was so early in the season, our helicopter pilot seemed very excited about being out and about. This was only his third run. We saw not only glaciers and spectacular mountains, but some very interesting things going on with a couple of them. The pilots know where the neat stuff is. Herbert has blown a giant hole in its terminus, and water is pouring out at the rate of one olympic swimming pool per minute. We actually landed right at the terminus to see it. We landed on another glacier which had a gigantic hole in the top of it. Everyone agreed it was well worth the money, but it does seem to just fly right by and soon you're back to reality.

 

Evening Whale Quest (Allen Marine thru ship)

 

For the third time, I set out on a large catamaran to see the whales. Once again, we had a real character for a bus driver. I do like the ship's excursion. The captain and naturalists narrate it well. They had a large appetizer spread including a steaming roast beef, crab dip, cheese tray, etc. etc. They also have a bar, and a glass or three of wine in the evening is a great way to take off the chill of the deck. :) There are two inside viewing areas, first and second level, and two outside viewing areas, second and very top level. The very top is not opened while we're moving. Most people chose to stay indoors and not go out on deck.

 

We saw a group of transient orcas, some humpbacks, eagles, stellar sea lions and a bear speck. I do say speck because as soon as you get close, they get up and leave. That happened three times on my trip. Shy bears!

 

The earlier group saw the transients teaching the young one how to kill a seal. They were tossing it in the air and... just eww. Kinda glad I missed that.

 

I was talking with the naturalist and told her about my experience with bubble-net feeding and she wanted pics, but I wasn't able to snap them fast enough, so she asked for my Email and will Email me pics if she sees it this season. She has a list of passengers' Emails and said that some of her best pictures have come from passengers. Very sweet ladies.

 

Skagway

 

Eagle Preserve Float & Scenic Cruise(thru ship--dunno!)

 

This was the most special excursion this trip, and it's hard to explain why. This was my third time in Alaska, and I do many excursions, but I just felt like I got to know the area, the history, the current residents of Alaska so much better, and had a feeling of being there.

 

We walked to the catamaran ferry, where we were met by Scott, one of the rafting guides. He comes over from Haines to escort us back to Haines. The catamaran ferry is owned by a native Tlingit tribe, and fully narrated for 45 minutes along the goreous Lynn Canal by a native Tlingit. He spoke about his tribe and culture, and it was really fascinating.

 

When we arrived in Haines, we hopped in a bus to the river. Scott narrated the bus ride, and he's quite a character. This is his 13th season in Alaska, mostly in Haines, and he's wintered there also. He has ALL kinds of fascinating trivia. He's a great speaker and has a fun sense of humor.

 

When we got to the river, we suited up with life jackets and boots and met Liam. He's the other raft guide. We had two out. I went with Liam. He's also very knowledgeable about the area. We floated and watched eagles with the background of gigantic snow-covered mountains. We did see two active nests, one with momma inside and dad watching from a nearby tree.

 

The river is very shallow, and even as more glacier melt arrives it spreads out instead of deepens, so don't be concerned about falling out. You could stand up and get back in. ;)

 

We ended with some sandwiches and cookies, no big thrill. Scott stayed with us on the bus back, then we boarded the catamaran back to Skagway.

 

Please don't do the jet boat. It's harming the environment.

http://www.aptalaska.net/~lcc11/erosion.html

 

On the catamaran on the way back, the kayakers said they had a great time, the jet boaters said they did have fun but were disappointed with the noise.

 

Ketchikan

 

 

Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show

 

If you've seen it on TV, it's about the same. The children really enjoyed it. I liked the displays of skill, and they really are skilled, but I found the narration silly and drawn out. I'm still glad I finally saw it.

 

 

Misty Fjords Wildlife Cruise (Allen Marine thru ship)

 

This cruise was 4 1/2 to 5 hours long, and we didn't really see much wildlife. But it was well narrated by someone who grew up in Alaska. We saw another bear spec, and some sunning seals. We cruised by some absolutely fantastic waterfalls and other scenic areas. We had a light snack of clam chowder or veggie chili on the way back in. I much preferred the float plane trip, but this is a great way to see just a small part of how big and wild the area is and hear more about living in Ketchikan.

 

 

Glacier Bay

 

Well, it's not an excursion, just a destination. I'm going to get flamed alive for this, but I didn't understand all of the hype. We were only able to view three glaciers, Lamplugh, Marjorie and the Grand Pacific, which is so dirty from moraine it doesn't even look like a glacier. John Hopkins inlet and thus John Hopkins glacier was closed off due to seal mating season. Or was it sea lion. I forget. ;) Anyways, we were able to stop in front of Marjorie for a long while and observe some calving. The Grand Pacific would be impressive if it even looked anything like a glacier. The bay itself is very beautiful, with high snow-covered peaks. But I liked College Fjord (with its 16 glaciers) and Hubbard Glacier just as well. They're all somewhat different experiences, but all good.

 

Kids

 

I noticed that kids liked doing anything with anticipation, participation, spotting. The only time I heard kids were whale watching, where they squeeled with delight when a whale surfaced after waiting for it, and watching the Marjorie glacier calve, after they'd been waiting for it. Notice a trend? :) They also liked the lumberjack show a lot.

[camaj]

Do you know if the sea lion / seal mating is supposed to last a while. We will be in Glacier Bay in two weeks and I would like to see as much of it as possible.

[CruiseIsGood]

It's harbor seals I found out and yes, I believe they said it would last another month. Glacier Bay is still lovely, though. We stopped a little into the inlet and couldn't see much because it was rainy, but on a clear day you may be able to see farther inside.

[Stacym]

Hi,

 

South of Katzaheen Flat there is a sea lion Rookery. You can book a boat with Chilkoot Charters out of Skagway to visit the rookery. We booked the trip in

late June 2003. The visit to the rookery was an awesome surprise! There were whales, goats on the hill side, even found a black bear feeding on a seal!

[K.T.B.]

CiG, I'm going to ask a personal and possibly rude question here: How much was the helicopter tour?? I'm dying to book it, but the price may be cost prohibitive.....

 

Looking forward to the review, too!! :)

[CruiseIsGood]

That's not rude at all. It was $345 through the ship, 2.5 hours total, supposed to be 50 minutes flying time but was more like an hour. Two landings. Temsco direct might be cheaper. I wouldn't hesitate to book them directly.

 

I finally have pictures up. They're untitled and in a bit of disarray because I kept getting knocked off line, but they're separated into albums for easier viewing.

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/cruisindenise

 

It helps to view them as a 2-sec slide show.

[momthecruisedirector]

great photos! Thanks for posting.

[brunolvr]

That's not rude at all. It was $345 through the ship, 2.5 hours total, supposed to be 50 minutes flying time but was more like an hour. Two landings. Temsco direct might be cheaper. I wouldn't hesitate to book them directly.

 

I finally have pictures up. They're untitled and in a bit of disarray because I kept getting knocked off line, but they're separated into albums for easier viewing.

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/cruisindenise

 

It helps to view them as a 2-sec slide show.

Thanks for sharing your pictures with us, CruiseIsGood. We'll be in Alaska in two weeks and are also doing a Misty Fjords Wilderness Explorer excursion but through NCL so I'm not sure if it's the same one. It appeared that you took most of your pictures from inside - any special reason why? We also want to go up the Mount Roberts Tram in Juneau (rain or shine) since we've never done that. And we're looking forward to seeing Glacier Bay!

[cruise memories]

Thanks for all the information on different excursions. It was very informative. I loved the pictures. I look forward to my trip to Alaska this summer.

[CruiseIsGood]

Brunolvr,

 

Misty Fjords was my last excursion, and I'd been out on the back of the catamaran off and on a lot, and by the time we got to that lovely waterfall area, I decided to just sit inside and relax and enjoy. :)

[CEWayfarer]

Did you, by any chance, peek at the restaurant at the top of the tramway? Was it crowded? Is the view amazing? Is it just a snack bar kind of restaurant?

Thanks for the reviews!

[CruiseIsGood]

We were the first ship in port and one of the first groups up, so I don't know how crowded it would get. I just passed by, but it looks like a real restaurant and smelled heavenly. There's also a snack bar for light snacks/sodas.

[brunolvr]

Brunolvr,

 

Misty Fjords was my last excursion, and I'd been out on the back of the catamaran off and on a lot, and by the time we got to that lovely waterfall area, I decided to just sit inside and relax and enjoy. :)

Thanks, CruiseIsGood. I just wanted to make sure we'll be able to go outside to take pictures. Was that excursion very crowded? How rough was the ride on the catamaran to Misty Fjords?

[CruiseIsGood]

Plenty of room outside, most wanted to stay inside. It did get a little crowded when we were near the sea lions, but everyone moved to let others take pics. The ride can get bumpy if you're outside--I had to constantly hold onto things, but it was fine inside.

[CEWayfarer]

We were the first ship in port and one of the first groups up, so I don't know how crowded it would get. I just passed by, but it looks like a real restaurant and smelled heavenly. There's also a snack bar for light snacks/sodas.

 

So there are two seperate places to eat at the top? Thanks for the info! I'm hoping that it won't be too crowded late in the afternoon/early evening. I'm thinking about having dinner there instead of on the ship that night....

Thanks again!

[Love Cruis'n]

CruiseIsGood.

Thanks so much for the reviews and Pics – we aren’t going till late July and I just can’t wait.

We’re also doing the ship’s (Coral Princess – but I assume they are all fairly similar) sponsored Float Trip. Was it is smooth and non-threatening experience. None of us are much of the outdoorsman / wilderness type – and I assume the ship knows this – but your confirmation would be nice.

Just wondering – what is the optical zoom on your camera? I realize you can only get so close to the eagles (and you got some great shots). As time allows, will you try to crop in closer on the eagle shots? (That is a trick I learned after I got the digital camera for our Hawaii trip in 2/04, and the whale shots I got needed that extra treatment one I got them back home on the PC. )

[CruiseIsGood]

If you're doing the float trip at the Eagle Preserve out of Skagway (Haines), yes it's very smooth. No white water. You can see from some of the pics how shallow it was, and Liam said that even as more melt comes down, it spreads instead of getting deeper. The roughest part was having to "shuffle" in some of the shallower spots. That's their word for bouncing up and down on the raft to get it going again. ;)

 

If it's the Mendenhall float trip, the comments over the years here are skip it. You won't get a good view of Mendenhall and you float by backyards.

 

I just have a Nikon Coolpix 2100. I'm a very amateur photographer--rookie almost. I took all the pictures in normal quality so I don't think they'd blow up well. Even if I knew how.

[HCASTRO500]

Thank you for taking the time to provide such helpful information. I've been reading endless reviews and yours have answered most of my questions.

[CruiseIsGood]

Bump for Almagetty.