Itinerary Help Appreciated

[SLSL]

We would love to have feedback on what we are planning for our first time to Alaska! We arrive in Fairbanks around 2am, have the rest of that day to sleep and catch up. The land tour begins the next day. We haven’t received any optional excursion choices yet for our land portion so we don’t know what we may do in addition to what the landtour includes. What we are wondering is if we should do the whale watching tour in Juneau or the glacier landing & dog sled? We are already familiar with dog sledding as a dear friend raises and races dog sleds – obviously not on a glaciers – but here in PA (they travel wherever the races are)! So, that part of the tour really isn’t what we cared too much about, it was the flight and landing on a glacier. But it seems all glacier landings include the dog sled experience. Is it more awesome to land on a glacier or are we planning enough just flying by. As you see, we have another flight planned to fly by other glaciers.

In addition, any feedback on any of our choices will be highly appreciated! Thank you experienced Alaskan cruisers!

Susan

 

RCCL Land Tour 8B: Fairbanks; Denali; Talkeetna; Anchorage; Seward – Cruise begins

Hubbard Glacier (cruising)

Juneau (9-9) 9:30 – 2:00 Harv & Marv’s Outback Whale Watching Tour

OR 10:15 – Coastal Helicopter Flight and Glacier Landing & Dog Sledding on Herbert Glacier

4:30 Taku Lodge & 5 Glacier Seaplane (50 minutes flight time over 5 glaciers; salmon bake)

Skagway (7-8:30) 8:30 Chilkoot Scenic Highway – Bus to Fraser; transfer to railway to Yukon – Emerald Lake, Caribou Crossing (BBQ Lunch);

Icy Strait Point (7-4) 8:00-3:00 Misty Bay Lodge Whale Watching and Bear Search

Ketchikan (9-6) 10:00- 12:00 Island Wings – Misty Fjords air taxi and 30 minute of time on land

Walk around Creek Street; Visit Totem Heritage Center

Arrive in Vancouver – Landsea Tours for City Highlights Tour

Two nights in Vancouver

[Budget Queen]

Juneau=- all three of the helicopter vendors, offer glacier landings without dog sled tours. A forth vendor offers glacier trekking tours. Not sure why you may be missing it, but descriptions are clearly listed what each tour includes.

 

Your Skagway description is wrong, you either are on the White Pass RR, first or last, not in the middle.

 

You have chosen the common tours, hopefully you gave them all a look. :)

 

With you having a full day in Fairbanks, you may not want to, "do nothing". It's a great area for varied touring, depending on your interests. http://www.explorefairbanks.com

 

There is an alternative available, if you wish to take advantage of touring in Seward, especially the varied wildlife Kenai Fjords boat tours.

[SLSL]

Budget Queen - I'm so excited you responded to my questions because you are so knowledgeable re Alaska: I have read your many posts.

Juneau - yes, you are right -- but I feelthat everyone talks about their favorite excursion is always the dog sled and if we are to do the glacier walk should we include the dog sled since it is highly rated? Even though we are familiar with dog sled races, would it be different on a glacier? Would our experience be better/longer flying around and walking on the glacier if we didn't include the dogs? Should we even do the glacier walk -- is it better to do the whale watch -- we are flying by glaciers with the Taku Lodge excursion - is that enough glacier sightseeing? Is it better to include whale watching in Juneau, or is whale watching in Icy Strait Point enough? I also wonder if when on the land portion of the tour, will excursions be offered to walk on glaciers there?? Then we can do that, and whale watch in Juneau. It's overwhelming because I do want to make use of our time and choose the best options for us.

Skagway - sorry...I didn't mean our lunch was last. We have the bus first and RR last.

Does your comment about me choosing common tours mean I should look further? I thought we were choosing tours based on good recommendations, please let me know if you think differently.

Fairbanks - we will do something but we will have been traveling a long time so I am not booking anything in advance. I will have lots of options available for us to do based upon how we are feeling.

Thanks so very much for your feedback!

Susan

[Budget Queen]

Budget Queen - I'm so excited you responded to my questions because you are so knowledgeable re Alaska: I have read your many posts.

Juneau - yes, you are right -- but I feelthat everyone talks about their favorite excursion is always the dog sled and if we are to do the glacier walk should we include the dog sled since it is highly rated? Even though we are familiar with dog sled races, would it be different on a glacier? Would our experience be better/longer flying around and walking on the glacier if we didn't include the dogs? Should we even do the glacier walk -- is it better to do the whale watch -- we are flying by glaciers with the Taku Lodge excursion - is that enough glacier sightseeing? Is it better to include whale watching in Juneau, or is whale watching in Icy Strait Point enough? I also wonder if when on the land portion of the tour, will excursions be offered to walk on glaciers there?? Then we can do that, and whale watch in Juneau. It's overwhelming because I do want to make use of our time and choose the best options for us.

Skagway - sorry...I didn't mean our lunch was last. We have the bus first and RR last.

Does your comment about me choosing common tours mean I should look further? I thought we were choosing tours based on good recommendations, please let me know if you think differently.

Fairbanks - we will do something but we will have been traveling a long time so I am not booking anything in advance. I will have lots of options available for us to do based upon how we are feeling.

Thanks so very much for your feedback!

Susan

 

OK, you are specifically asking my opinion- only reason I will state the following. YES you are making a big mistake, being swayed into booking tours, just because they are spoken about frequently. Who is going? :) There are many excellent Alaska tours to choose from, my posts always advocate for searching within yourself, and not choose, just because you have a nice writer, claiming it's the "best" tour ever. Not to sound smug, but many times these are not frequent Alaska visitors or people who have done a lot of Alaska tours. Despite the above sticky, you'll see recommendations from people who haven't even been to Alaska yet. Yes, certainly these popular tours deserve the raves they get, they are excellent. BUT for those specific requirements of the people choosing them due to their priority and interests. NOT because it was enjoyed by others.

 

I've been on a lot of tours with people who clearly should never have chosen that tour. It usually is mentioned that "someone" said they "had" to do it. I will say- absolutely not. :)

 

I have only glacier landing, twice, glacier dog sled tours were canceled that I booked. I have since gone dog sledding out of Fairbanks in the winter- that suits my preferences. i have no interest in booking a summer trip. I do greatly enjoy the helicopter glacier landings. Glaciers are in a constant state of change and there is no better way to see the vastness of Alaska. Walking on a glacier is unique, assumptions are wrong on how it is. :) It is more like concrete and not all that slippery. But looking down a crevasse into that deep blue is a thrill for some. Some people enjoy drinking glacier water.

 

So, ask yourself- what is it that YOU enjoy doing and what YOU want out of this trip you are taking to Alaska. What thoughts did you have when you decided to book, what did you think you would see. What does Alaska mean to you? Then fit in YOUR choices.

[SLSL]

Thanks for your opinion, I do appreciate it. DH and I will continue researching before we finalize our plans. I agree people should not do tours or excursions just because they are popular and highly rated; if you are not interested in them that would be a waste of valuable time and money. We first think about what we want to do and then research other opinions. I personally enjoy the research and planning. Thanks again for your help.

 

Don't want others to feel they aren't welcome to join in with their suggestions...that was the purpose of this thread. The more suggestions and help the merrier!

Susan

[donaldsc]

What I see is a trip that has essentially every minute pre-planned so you have no time at all for impulse stuff. In general, I try to leave a bunch of time at every place I visit for the impulse stuff.

 

DON

[portiemom]

Reading your post reminded me of myself - especially when I was planning for our trip to Alaska in 2012. You love the planning, but you second guess yourself and you're prone to over thinking it.:)

 

I've only been to Alaska once and only been on one cruise, namely to Alaska. :D We're going back this year because the first trip was our "best vacation ever".

 

Here's what I keep thinking when I read answers on these boards that suggest to figure out what you're interested in - how will I know if I never tried it? If I've never been there, how can I possibly know? Truth is you can't, you can only go by what you've done before and how much you enjoyed that and what looks like fun now.

 

Last trip, the one thing I KNEW I had to try to do was the dog sledding on a glacier tour. (I love dogs and one goal for the trip was to get onto a glacier.) Read on here about it being cancelled frequently. Had me freaked out. Luckily we went and it was awesome!

 

Beyond that there are raves about flight seeing, raves about boat tours, raves about train rides. Who knows? You can do all of those on the east coast. You're not that far from me. We go to Maine quite frequently for vacation. I've been whale watching. I've been on train trips and small boats. Usually boats don't bother me, but the whale watching we did out of Bar Harbor had me seasick on the way out, fine on the way back. Same with a puffin watch boat tour we did one year (again in Maine). So who knows what will happen if I do a small boat tour in Alaska? I might love it or I might be sick the whole time.

 

Flight seeing? Lots of posters say it's their favorite thing. Well, there is flight seeing over Acadia National Park. Acadia is gorgeous. I've hiked all over that park. Spent many, many vacations there. You know what? I would never flight see it. I want an up close, in the woods, hiking experience. Fly over it? You've got to be kidding.

 

But maybe in Alaska it's worth doing because there is no hiking in Misty Fjords, for example. This trip we're booked with Island Wings, too!

 

I guess my point is that for lots of people Alaska is a different animal. Go with your gut. Try different things.

 

Last time we did a rafting trip that I'm sure would not be recommended by anyone on these boards. It was our first Alaska excursion after the flight out and I was happy that it be low key, but different. It rained most of the time. The scenery was just so-so and we still had a great time! Wouldn't change a thing. (The flight out was killer for me BTW, so you are smart to play it low key for the first day.)

 

Do the best you can with your planning and then relax and enjoy your vacation! It's going to be spectacular!;)

[SLSL]

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP AND SUGGESTIONS!:):)

Susan

[paylady]

I thought I would offer my opinions.

 

I remember the days when whale watching out of Juneau wasn't so overcrowded with tons of tour operators so I'm recommending you stick with Misty Bay Lodge. We thoroughly enjoyed our outing with them. We've done whale watching out of Juneau many times and used another tour operator out of ISP and misty bay is our favorite.

 

As mentioned, a helicopter landing and walkabout on a glacier (Juenau) is an amazing experience. You really get to experience the vastness of Alaska walking on a glacier.

 

Depending on your options in Seward, if they offer an optional tour on Resurrection Bay, grab it. It's a great experience. If there isn't enough time for the boat tour, they will probably offer the Sea Life Center which is a very fine operation, IMO, but isn't the same as experiencing sea life in its natural habitat.

 

With the RCL tour, you will be offered the Tundra Wilderness Tour. Upgrade to that option as its superior to the Natural History Tour. If you have time, you could also opt to tour independently, but you may not feel comfortable with that option.

 

Enjoy your trip!

Edited March 23, 2015 by paylady

[ikirumata]

Flight seeing? Lots of posters say it's their favorite thing. Well, there is flight seeing over Acadia National Park. Acadia is gorgeous. I've hiked all over that park. Spent many, many vacations there. You know what? I would never flight see it. I want an up close, in the woods, hiking experience. Fly over it? You've got to be kidding.

 

 

I agree with this...here is my experience.

 

The only time we were in Bar Harbor, the government shut down Acadia. We were able to drive through parts, but couldn't go in. We decided to do a flight instead. We have never done a flight tour before. Because the park was closed, we were able to fly low and around Cadillac Mountain, so... cool (we thought) we would be able to experience something that most people wouldn't. HOWEVER, this was the trip that I found out that I simply cannot handle flying in small planes. Was sicker than a dog the whole excursion! So...lesson learned. Flight seeing is just not my thing. We plan on being back. Would love to see Acadia from the stable ground. :)

Edited March 23, 2015 by ikirumata

[4cats,1dog]

RCL land tours will have a Flightseeing to Mt. McKinley with glacier landing out of Talkeetna.

While in Denali it is better to upgrade to TWT. There is an optional tour to visit

A Husky Homested of Idirod Champ,(You get to hold puppies.)that you can add.

Your tour guide will give you a list of options when you meet him/her.

They take care of everything.

 

I also did Misty Bay lodge Whale Watching. Awesome.

And Taku lodge Flightseeing and salmon bake.

(When we went it rained later in the day so the afternoon flights were grounded.) If you go to Taku lodge earlier, if cancelled due to weather, you might be able to wait it out. Awesome tour, we saw Balck Bears up close!

[varoo]

We all have different priorities. Since you are already familiar with dogsledding, it does not seem that you would find it worthwhile to pay for an expensive helicopter ride to land and go dogsledding on a glacier.

 

You would get more bang for the buck using that time for actual flightseeing, over Glacier Bay or over Denali, or another area of your choosing.

 

If someone wants the experience of walking or hiking on a glacier, there are places where you can do that at much lower cost, without needing to pay for a helicopter to take you there.

 

I would rather use the helicopter time for flying around to see more spectacular scenery, and save walking on a glacier for another time, without a helicopter.

 

The magnificent views you get by actually flying over Glacier Bay or flying over Denali provide very special experiences that you simply cannot get from a cruise ship or a land tour.

 

You may also want to compare the cost of a helicopter flight with flying in a fixed wing plane.

 

While we enjoy cruising into beautiful Glacier Bay, we are very aware that we get to see only a small part of Glacier Bay that way. hardly the breathtaking views of Glacier Bay that can only be seen from the air.

Both are worthwhile experiences, but very different.

 

[laughing husky]

Coastal does an extended sightseeing trip combined with dog sledding on the Herbert glacier. You can do both....I believe that this trip also has a glacier landing...One of the sled dog guides is sitting at my table figuring out his racing schedule for next year. He believes that they will offer it this year. Most glacier operations have a low, middle and high camp in order to get people up there. They move everything up or down, depending on the weather. That said, most glacier operations closed down in August....It becomes very dicey for people as well as the dogs. I have a kennel and my dogs frequently go on the glacier operations. And BQ, you are right...if you really want to go dog sledding go to Fairbanks in the winter and do a dog sled/northern lights tour...Come early and go see the polar bears in Katovik....:) Guaranteed that you will see polar bears....very close....Anyway, there is lots to do in Juneau, and lots of decisions to make. I also have to say that most of the North East dog sledding is sprint...Most of it in Alaska is distance with the superbowl of them all is either the Yukon Quest or Iditarod....both 1,000 mile races...and if you happen to be on a Princess ship, Libby Riddles comes on to talk about her experiences and life. She is the first woman to have won Iditarod.