Shore Excursions

[TJtoronto]

we are cruising to Alaska in July with Celebrity. I am looking for good private shore excursions:

 

Helicopter Glacier in Juneau

White Pass Railway in Skagway

Whales & Wildlife & Brown Bear Search in Icy Strait Point

Misty Fjords Float plane in Ketchikan

 

can you recommend private companies?

 

Thansk

[mapleleaves]

there is only one train in Skagway so no alternative. Or are you looking for a one-way train with one-way bus/van ?

 

Look thru some past trip reports posted in STICKYs above. Many are detailed photo journals with information on activities, excursions, and VENDORS. Nothing better than a first hand recommendation as well as a photo to bring the experience to life.

 

Look at tripadvisor reviews in each town.

 

I'd be cautious about an activity that's called a 'bear search'. If you're going to spend money on a bear viewing excursion, go to a location that has a blind or viewing platform where your chances are good at actually seeing bear. I personally don't want to spend my time and money searching for one.

[phillygirl63]

We were on Celebrity Millennium in July of 2015. This is one of the few cruises where we found some of the ship's excursions to be worthwhile. This is what we did:

 

Juneau -- Ship's excursion -- myself and another lady did the Mendenhall Glacier & Whale Watch. Guys did the Halibut fishing trip. The whale watch cruise was awesome! We saw a group of humpbacks and even witnessed a full breach. Also saw a family of Orcas, which they extended our cruise so that we could see.

 

Skagway -- DIY -- White Pass Railway -- the train and ticket booth is right next to the pier, so you don't need a private excursion and you don't need to book an excursion through the ship. Just make sure to get your tickets as soon as you can.

 

Icy Strait Point (Hoonah) -- Ship's excursion -- ATV tour -- got to see a couple of bears -- We also did the cultural show, which was cute. There is also a zipline there. Not much else in the town.

 

Ketchikan -- We booked directly with Island Wings for our floatplane tour. It was very nice, but the best floatplane ride was in Anchorage. I'm sorry but I forget the company that we used as it was a last-minute decision, and we booked it when we were there.

 

Like I said before, Alaska was one of the cruises where some of the ship's excursions were not much more expensive than DIY.

 

We did book a private transfer from the port to Anchorage with a stop along the way at the wildlife preserve, where we got to see all of the animals native to Alaska. We enjoyed it very much.

[TJtoronto]

Thanks so much for your advice!

[Budget Queen]

we are cruising to Alaska in July with Celebrity. I am looking for good private shore excursions:

 

Helicopter Glacier in Juneau

White Pass Railway in Skagway

Whales & Wildlife & Brown Bear Search in Icy Strait Point

Misty Fjords Float plane in Ketchikan

 

can you recommend private companies?

 

Thansk

 

All the vendors do a great job in Juneau with the helicopter tours. I enjoy going out with Teckk Outfitters in Hoonah, I highly recommend South East Aviation in Ketchikan for Misty Fiords.

[xlxo]

White Pass Railway in Skagway

I encourage getting a bus combo to see more of area. Yukon (Carcross)? Liarsville? Best of Skagway? These typically offer a train option.

[notus]

Skagway: small van up to Emerald Lake and then train back through Chilkoot Tours was great!

Booked a flightseeing over Misty Fjords right off the ship but don't remember the name of the company....it was amazing!

Went on a Bear Search in Hoonah with Misty Bay Lodge.....NO bears! it was around mid-July.....did see bear scat on the road and some gigantic footprints by the river, but......NO bears.