First Alaska cruise - which excursions ?

[pearl12970]

We are sailing in July on Rhapsody of Seas from Seattle ( roundtrip ) with my parents ( both are over 70+ yrs old ) & our 6 year old.

We will cruise the Inside passage, Juneau, Skagway, Tracy Arm & Victoria .

 

This is our first cruise to Alaska and would appreciate recommendations on shore excursions that are an absolute MUST .

[rain1018]

juneau is a must for whale watching!! its always more personable and smaller boats to find tours not thru the cruise ship! we are booked with harv and marv for whalewatching. orca does tours too!

[bonvoyagie]

Take a look here www.cruiseportinsider.com to help guide you through the various AK ports and their offerings both in the ship excursions and DIY.

[texasnana]

I looked at the tours offered by our cruise line and picked what we like to do. That is what I say for you all. If sightseeing is not your thing then pick what is.All I know when I booked our tours for August in early May they were filling up fast. Have fun.

[PlanoDebbie]

As others have said, read through all of the excursions offered for each port and pick something that everyone in your group would enjoy. I'm thinking with the older ones, and the younger one, things like zip-lining would be out.

 

Not sure how long you have in Victoria, but if you have time go see Bouchart Gardens. It is spectacular. We had beautiful weather when we were there the last time and really loved it. There is also a glass enclosed merry-go-round in the gardens that your little one may enjoy.

 

Ketchikan - We enjoyed the Lumberjack Show, right near the pier. You may also enjoy taking the Funicular to the top of the hill and walking down the Married Man's Trail. Along the way there are some benches to rest and enjoy the view. You will also see a sign for a Salmon Ladder. Starting in late June, the Salmon begin swimming back upstream. Your little one will probably enjoy this.

 

Juneau - Last time we rented a car for the day. You can drive to Mendenhall Glacer. It's free to see, unless you want to go into the Visitor Center. We also went to the Alaskan Brewery for a quick tour. The salmon hatchery is also interesting. Glacier Gardens is on our list to see this next time. That costs $25 for adults. Other than the rental car, that would be our only other expense.

 

Skagway - Did the train ride the first trip. Nobody liked it. Everyone in your group would probably enjoy the Skagway Street Car City Tour. Only costs $39 pp. We loved it!

 

Hope you all enjoy Alaska. It's our favorite destination, and our 3rd trip there.

[stewartmamone1]

Take a look here www.cruiseportinsider.com to help guide you through the various AK ports and their offerings both in the ship excursions and DIY.

 

Thanks for sharing this website. It is very helpful information.

[Budget Queen]

First suggestion- split up with different interests. A 2 year old is not really going to be appropriate for some touring, other cases, costs may be an issue, along with time with no way out.

 

There are more "must" do tours than you can do in 10 trips. So YOU need to narrow down your interests, depending on the budget. It doesn't matter what other's have chosen. You are going to get a "list" of what people have done, and you are going to find, just about all get raves. There are few tours in Alaska that aren't worthwhile- again depending on YOUR interests.

 

I am always one, to go with any tour I wish to do, I never skimp here. It's the reason I go to Alaska. But this is my choice. Many people don't travel in this mode.

 

A suggestion- have each adult look over a shore excursion list, and make their own choices. No need to stick together in my opinion. This is a guide. Some independent tour vendors offer superior tours although may have small price differences. Don't be afraid of using them, there are never reports of anyone missing any ships due to them. Always, disclose your ship, port times and go with their scheduling. They know what they are doing.

 

It would also be of benefit to head to the library and get some Ports of Call books.

[SusanL10]

We just got back from the Solstice and those same ports. We were traveling with a group of 17, three generations of family, from age 6 to 75. Everyone in our group enjoyed the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour in Ketchikan. My family of four of also did a floatplane thru Misty Fjords. Beautiful scenery. Exciting for the young ones, but I also felt safe and secure, very smooth ride including landings and takeoffs.

 

We did whale watching in Juneau with Harv and Marv, another fun one for all ages and the boat ride itself was smooth, not bumpy at all. Some in our family rode up Mt. Roberts tramway. And another part of our group went white water rafting.

 

In Skagway, we rented a jeep and drove at our leisure out to Emerald Lake and back. This was by far our favorite day, just because we were on our own time and the scenery was breathtaking. Car rentals are also an option if you don't want to do the jeep.

[Alaska0799]

We are sailing in July on Rhapsody of Seas from Seattle ( roundtrip ) with my parents ( both are over 70+ yrs old ) & our 6 year old.

We will cruise the Inside passage, Juneau, Skagway, Tracy Arm & Victoria .

 

This is our first cruise to Alaska and would appreciate recommendations on shore excursions that are an absolute MUST .

 

How great that you all get to enjoy an Alaska cruise together! I cherish the memories of our first Alaska cruise also with family in 1999. We're looking forward to our 7th Alaska cruise in late July. Every time we've done the whale watching excursion out of Juneau--NOT to be missed! The first few years we were on Allen Marine (arranged through the ship) and thoroughly enjoyed it. The large boats are comfortable for folks with physical limitations or who are not too steady on their feet and are great for little ones who need space to walk around a bit. Harv and Marv's small boats are certainly our preference but they can be a bit rough depending upon the conditions and not quite as comfortable for older folks. You won't regret whale watching out of Juneau from ANY size vessel!