What were your favorite ports on your Alaskan cruise?

[thefamilytravelagent]

I was just wondering what were some of the must-see ports or sights in Alaska. I understand some days aren't "port days", they are "cruising days" so feel free to include those too if they were your favorite. And if a particular excursion made it extra special, please share. :)

[DaKa2002]

#1-Icy Strait Point, #2-Sitka, and #3-Ketchikan on cruises.

 

From land trips out of our home in Anchorage: Homer, Seward, and Haines in that order.

[bonvoyagie]

I love all of them - including the "see days". However if I had to rank them it would be Skagway, Ketchikan, and Juneau - been to each three times now.

[Crew News]

Ketchikan: Both crab fishing and crab feasting excursions

[Putterdude]

Well both Glacier Bay and the Hubbard Glacier are pretty special. As for a port, I have had a soft spot in my heart for Skagway since I first cruised there in 1963....it likely remains the least spoiled of all the Alaskan ports and has the richest history.

[Keith1010]

No a a port but we love Glacier Bay.

 

Each Alaska port has a lot to offer. We enjoy them all.

 

Keith

[MVPinBoynton]

Each one of the ports are most enjoyable, especially if you pick the right excursions for you.

[agabbymama]

Sitka for Alaska, Dawson City Yukon for the cruisetour.

 

Both small towns seemed more authentic Northern life. Quaint without all the huge jewelry stores and touristy attractions (almost like going back in time). Plus the history of each was amazing.

 

I don't do expensive excursions (flight seeing, whale watching, glacier landings, etc) but do enjoy walking and visiting local sights (Raptor Center, National Park, Totem Parks, etc).

 

Have a great trip, Alaska is awesome!

[Hikini]

Glacier Bay is always a favorite for us. My favorite ports in AK flip flop between Ketchikan and Juneau, with my least favorite being Skagway.

 

That doesn't mean I don't like Skagway. It's just my least favorite of those 3.

[Arusha]

From the small portion of Alaska I visited in late May/early June last year:

 

#1 Sitka - My first port in Alaska and a great one for seeing a variety of wildlife within the harbor area: sea otters and their pups, humpback whale and baby, other whale species, seals, sea lions, tufted puffins.

 

#2 Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau - I didn't realize that the glacier is only about a mile from a suburban residential area.

 

#3 Hubbard Glacier

 

#4 Ketchikan - lots of eagles, including juveniles; black bears

 

Haven't been to Glacier Bay.

[oaktreerb]

1--Sitka with only one ship in port. A taste of Russian history. Beautiful port.

2--Skagway is a National Park and has lots of gold rush history, you can drive into the Yukon, also has lots of hiking opportunities.

 

Glacier Bay is a National Park and your most dependable glacier experience. For a first Alaska trip a glacier experience should be a priority.

 

A cruise just barely touches what Alaska has to offer but the above answers your question. There is a big variety of activities to choose from depending on the travelers interests.

[moposh]

Ketchikan was the best weather wise and a nice city. Wish I'd had more time to explore.

 

Juneau was a rainy day, but I still enjoyed our excursions and looking around.

 

Skagway is pretty small, but some shops to walk around.

 

Icy Strait was created for the cruise lines. There is a museum you can look around. Won't take you long.

[gymnast46]

We cruised in July on Radiance of the Seas. All the ports were enjoyable.

 

The least commercial was Icy Strait Point. Depending on weather you can walk to town. There is a bald eagle nest just across from the high school.

 

Ketchikan's Creek Street is a great spot for photography.

 

Skagway is a funky town with a lot of charm.

 

Seward and Juneau each had their plusses.

 

We started off with a land portion before the cruise. All the stops are recapped in this video. The cover photo was taken at Icy Strait Point.

 

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Edited August 29, 2014 by gymnast46

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done quite a few Alaskan cruises and HAL has had some 14 day cruises which have ports that other cruise lines do not do.

SO -- for cruises:

Kodiak

Homer

Sitka

Icy Straight

Anchorage

[epixx]

We also sailed on HAL's 14 day itinerary twice. Both times our favorite ports were Homer and Kodiak, with Sitka 3rd.

[eclue]

WE loved Skagway and the White Pass train ....going back tomorrow on the GRand Princess ...will do fishing this time in Skagway and Juneau...

The glaciers are amazing....

eclue:rolleyes:

[sjmbruce]

Cruising through Glacier Bay was the highlight of our trip.

Going to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau was the best thing we did while in a port.

[ml1411]

We enjoyed a 3 1/2 hour shuttle bus tour in Skagway that took us up to the White Pass Summit and the Welcome to Yukon sign. We took the White Pass Train on a previous cruise. The shuttle bus tour was very scenic with lots of stops and photo opportunities ( much more than what we had on train). We even saw the train running parallel to us for a short while. Only disappointment was that we didn't see wildlife. We walked around Skagway and booked in the last minute with Frontier Excursions. We had to go back to ship for passports and they picked us up at the port. There was only 15 passengers so very easy getting on/off shuttle. Fee was $69/person.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Giantfan13]

I would also say Glacier Bay as the BEST stop on our cruises.

 

for a regular port, I would say Skagway. Not so much for the town itself, but what it has to offer any Alaskan cruiser. You can stay in town and hike some trails, you can do the White Horse RR or you can rent a car and drive into the Yukon. Most cruises have the longest port time in Skagway. We enjoyed it very much.

 

Cheers

 

Len