4 ships at once in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan??

[newbie51]

Hi all,

 

New to this forum but long time member of Trip Advisor so hello to all. Planning our first ever cruise and thought we had decided on the HAL Zuiderdam return out of Vancouver on 13 September 2014 but have just checked for the number of ships in port in our itinerary and see that there will be 4 ships docked at once when we are there. My question is, does the number of passengers descending on these small towns spoil the experience, or are these towns and the activities they offer very experienced to subsume all of the ship passengers?? My alternative if you think it is too busy would be to look at the Pacific Princess for the same trip, but which docks in the same ports with only a maximum of 2 ships total?? Any advice would be appreciated.

[Keith1010]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

When you go on your excursions in general you won't be impacted by the number of ships in port.

 

Where you do see the impact is in the towns themselves and that mostly is in the area where people shop. If you get off the ship early to walk around the towns before your excursion then often they are not crowded the first couple of hours. Midday they tend to be crowded.

 

The good news is that when you are sailing most kids are in school so it is just the adults so that will cut down on some of the pedestrian congestion in town.

 

I would go with the itinerary that works best for you in terms of not only the ports and glacier cruising but also the specific times in each port.

 

Keith

[1025cruise]

If you are cruising that late, you will probably be on one of the last cruises for the season. That would be my concern over the crowds. Some of the seasonal stuff will be closing down, if not closed by then.

[Budget Queen]

Were you planning on just spending your time shopping, or walking around the dock area? Actually, that is a low number of ships for Juneau. I've been there when it's been 7. :) 4 ships are the norm for both Skagway and Ketchikan. For some visitors, Alaska is about Alaska. So these people are not going to be hanging around, just the dock areas. There are many excellent tours to consider. You might want to take a look at shore excursion lists and determine what your priority is going to be with your port time. In my opinion, this isn't the place to skimp.

 

With your date of cruising. You HAVE to be well prepared in your attire, bring a wide range, including good rain gear and warm layers. This timeframe has the worse potential of the season. It also will be dark by 7pm, impacting on evening scenic sailing and some tour availability. A few tours will not be operating. Glacier Dog Sledding is one of them.

[donaldsc]

Hi all,

 

New to this forum but long time member of Trip Advisor so hello to all. Planning our first ever cruise and thought we had decided on the HAL Zuiderdam return out of Vancouver on 13 September 2014 but have just checked for the number of ships in port in our itinerary and see that there will be 4 ships docked at once when we are there. My question is, does the number of passengers descending on these small towns spoil the experience, or are these towns and the activities they offer very experienced to subsume all of the ship passengers?? My alternative if you think it is too busy would be to look at the Pacific Princess for the same trip, but which docks in the same ports with only a maximum of 2 ships total?? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Only 4? That is normal or low for the number of ships in port.

 

DON

[Jenbo57]

Only 4? That is normal or low for the number of ships in port.

 

DON

 

In my opinion, even four sucks. I was up there in April; first cruise of the season and the only ship in each port. Heavenly! Ketchikan especially is horrible when there are multiple ships in port, especially on Creek Street.

 

More than any other cruise destination, I think your experience in the Alaskan ports suffers the most by having multiple ships in port. But, it is what it is. We're going back up again the middle of next summer; not my choice, but we're cruising with teachers, and that's when they can go...

[newbie51]

Thanks for your responses. I feel more comfortable now with the fact that 4 ships are in port at once, but now a little apprehensive about being on one of the last cruises of the season. Unfortunately, this is the time that suits our working schedules here in Australia. We have 6 weeks holiday and we are intending to see the Canadian Rockies and also see some autumnal colours in eastern Canada. So, fingers crossed for decent weather in September 2014!

[phabric]

Being near the end of the cruise season, there are great sales in the stores.

[DougH]

I'd change to the Pacific Princess. I love the small ship experience, no lines anywhere and much more "up close and personal" with the scenery.

[DaveOKC]

Thanks for your responses. I feel more comfortable now with the fact that 4 ships are in port at once, but now a little apprehensive about being on one of the last cruises of the season. Unfortunately, this is the time that suits our working schedules here in Australia. We have 6 weeks holiday and we are intending to see the Canadian Rockies and also see some autumnal colours in eastern Canada. So, fingers crossed for decent weather in September 2014!

 

We were just there Sept 21-28, 2013. No problems with being late in season, except for rough weather out of Seattle caused us to miss Sitka and changed the dates we were in Juneau and Ketchikan. Was a great cruise - and lots of bargains in the shops and onboard!

 

DaveOKC

[bonvoyagie]

Yes 4 ships in those ports is very normal - and the towns are used to the influx. Yes there will probably be some crowds in the downtown areas - but most people will be off on trips that will take them outside of town. As long as you are flexible with your excursions and travel plans you should be fine.

[dyeadave]

Hi all,

 

New to this forum but long time member of Trip Advisor so hello to all. Planning our first ever cruise and thought we had decided on the HAL Zuiderdam return out of Vancouver on 13 September 2014 but have just checked for the number of ships in port in our itinerary and see that there will be 4 ships docked at once when we are there. My question is, does the number of passengers descending on these small towns spoil the experience, or are these towns and the activities they offer very experienced to subsume all of the ship passengers?? My alternative if you think it is too busy would be to look at the Pacific Princess for the same trip, but which docks in the same ports with only a maximum of 2 ships total?? Any advice would be appreciated.

At the time of your visit, there should be still bright fall colors up in the Yukon!

As for the crowds, they will almost all confine themselves to that seven blocks of Broadway, (known locally as trinket alley), which has forty one jewelry stores for you to peruse, but only in summertime......

So....if you are one of those few who are bold enough to venture off into the real town, our gardens should still be in bloom and only a block away from those bloomin shoppers you will find solace and serenity and nary a crowd!

DD