Pearl Alaska port logistics / excursion questions

[hoopics]

We're sailing on the Pearl in June, and some of the port times are very short -- notably Ketchikan (6 AM to 1:30 PM) and Victoria (6 PM - 11:59 PM). I typically book shore excursions directly rather than through the cruise line (lower price, smaller groups, and higher quality). The downside is that it inevitably takes longer to exit the ship if you aren't in an excursion booked through the cruise line. The length of that delay seems to vary greatly by vessel and port.

 

1. Can anyone speak specifically to how bad the lines are to exit the Pearl in Ketchikan and Victoria when the ship first arrives, and how much cushion you'd want between arrival time and a private excursion? There's a trip in Ketchikan at 8 AM that interests me, but does it mean getting in line at 6 AM to be sure I make it?

 

2. Separately, can anyone recommend a good gold panning excursion in either Juneau or Skagway that isn't totally touristy? I recognize this is a bit of a contradiction, but I'd like something where I can scoop up and pan my own dirt rather than being handed a salted bag in a building by some guy in costume.

 

3. Anyone have good kid friendly activities in Victoria that require physical activity? We'd love to find a zipline, but our 5 year old seems to be under all the applicable weight and age limits. She's disappointed by this. Anything similarly adrenaline-lite focused that is kid appropriate?

 

Thanks for any thoughts.

[ProfessorandtheGeek]

It has never been my experience that you leave the ship after those that have cruise ship based excursions. We were in Ketchikan and Skagway last May, and at both ports we were literally some of the first people off the ship, and both of our excursions were not ship based. We simply got up early and met our tours at 7:00 a.m. If you have not chosen your excursions, I highly recommend Ketchikan Taxi Cab Tours for a complete tour of Ketchikan. We did a private tour with them and loved it. Also in Skagway, rent a jeep or car, and head off into the Yukon. We rented a jeep from Alaska Green Jeeps. The unspoiled beauty there is breathtaking! So worth the drive.

 

Good luck and enjoy your cruise!