Ketchikan - Two crab excursions - Which one?

[marazul]

Experience Alaska Tours (https://catchcrabs.com/) and the cruise lines offer two excursions in Ketchikan. They go in opposite directions out of Ketchikan. If you have taken both, I would appreciate your comments. I am not concerned about the meal itself, but would like to know which trip is the most interesting and scenic.

 

1. Wilderness Exploration and Crab Feast - Drive to George Inlet Lodge. Board Catamaran. Sail past the Mahoney Glacial Cirque and River Valley. Go to the crab pots. Return to George Inlet Lodge for all-you-can-eat crab feast.

 

2. Alaskan Lodge Adventure and Seafest - Drive to Clover Pass Resort. Board adventure boat and go past eagle nest and Back Island Naval Testing Facility to the Silver King Lodge. Walk an elevated walkway through the rain forest. Go to the Lodge for an "Alaskan Seafood Boil" meal.

 

Thanks for your comments.

[biojeep]

Wilderness Explorer & Crab Feast is a great excursion. We have cruised Alaska twice & it one of the few excursions we would repeat. You take a short bus ride to the George Inlet Lodge where you board a small boat that travels to the crab pots where they harvest Dungeness crabs. You even get to take your picture with one of the crabs from the pot. Captain Gill called resident eagles & fed them bait fish only a few feet from the boat. They swooped down within feet of the boat. Back at the lodge we had an all you can eat Dungeness crab boil & blueberry cheesecake dessert. Great excursion that I highly recommend.

[Dcoy]

Wilderness Explorer & Crab Feast is a great excursion. We have cruised Alaska twice & it one of the few excursions we would repeat. You take a short bus ride to the George Inlet Lodge where you board a small boat that travels to the crab pots where they harvest Dungeness crabs. You even get to take your picture with one of the crabs from the pot. Captain Gill called resident eagles & fed them bait fish only a few feet from the boat. They swooped down within feet of the boat. Back at the lodge we had an all you can eat Dungeness crab boil & blueberry cheesecake dessert. Great excursion that I highly recommend.

 

Thanks for this review. We're booked for this tour during our trip in August. The only down side for us is that our tour starts at 6:30 AM :eek:. Guess we'll have a crab brunch.

 

Don

[marazul]

Thanks. I am really hoping to find someone who has done both excursions to get a comparison.

[wolfie11]

I've been to the George Inlet crab feast a number of times - it's one of my favorite tours! I've never been on the other one because quite frankly I've never been interested. A seafood boil is a bunch of fish and seafood tossed in a pot and cooked. I much prefer fresh Dungeness crab legs to seafood soup.

[marazul]

I've been to the George Inlet crab feast a number of times - it's one of my favorite tours! I've never been on the other one because quite frankly I've never been interested. A seafood boil is a bunch of fish and seafood tossed in a pot and cooked. I much prefer fresh Dungeness crab legs to seafood soup.

 

I understand the difference in the meals (a crab boil is not a soup) and I intend to eat crab often while in Alaska. My question is not about the meal itself, but about the sightseeing, scenery and other things that are part of either excursion. I was hoping that some of the "frequent cruisers" to Alaska could compare both excursions.

[Crew News]

Experience Alaska Tours (https://catchcrabs.com/) and the cruise lines offer two excursions in Ketchikan. They go in opposite directions out of Ketchikan. If you have taken both, I would appreciate your comments. I am not concerned about the meal itself, but would like to know which trip is the most interesting and scenic.

 

1. Wilderness Exploration and Crab Feast - Drive to George Inlet Lodge. Board Catamaran. Sail past the Mahoney Glacial Cirque and River Valley. Go to the crab pots. Return to George Inlet Lodge for all-you-can-eat crab feast.

 

2. Alaskan Lodge Adventure and Seafest - Drive to Clover Pass Resort. Board adventure boat and go past eagle nest and Back Island Naval Testing Facility to the Silver King Lodge. Walk an elevated walkway through the rain forest. Go to the Lodge for an "Alaskan Seafood Boil" meal.

 

Thanks for your comments.

 

I have done both excursions in Ketchikan.

 

The Wilderness Exploration has two modes, seaplane flight over the mountains with a landing at George Inlet for feasting and a bus ride to George Inlet followed by a boat ride to some staged crab pots. Feasting is strictly Dungeness crab with a time limit. I recommend not eating too much of the free appetizers to save room for lots of crab. I have seen only one person finish the cheesecake dessert. Keep an eye out for black bear around the lodge area. There are lots of steps but with a van drive down/up for those with mobility challenges.

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/place/alaska-2/ketchikan-2/ketchikan-crab-feasting/

The Alaskan Lodge Adventure and Seafest is a high-speed boat ride with a brief stop to feed eagles (have your wide angle lens ready with fast shutter speed setting), a pass by the Navy Sonar Test Station (odds of seeing a submarine are remote at best), a stroll around the forest area of the lodge to see the moss and maybe Sitka deer, and then a seafood feast served on newspaper. The latter has no time limit as you eat different seafood, potatoes, corn, etc. The large chocolate chip cookies were great.

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/place/alaska-2/ketchikan-2/alaskan-lodge-seafest-excursion/

The Wilderness Exploration Crab Feast would be my first priority UNLESS you knew that a US submarine would be at the Test Facility. Both meals were huge but I favor the strictly crab meal.

[marazul]

I have done both excursions in Ketchikan..

Thank you!

[LHARTWICK]

What is the method of transportation for the George Inlet Lodge Crab Feast ($69)? I'm assuming via van or bus? The web site doesn't say. Thank you!

[EeyoreFan1967]

I have done both excursions in Ketchikan.

 

The Wilderness Exploration has two modes, seaplane flight over the mountains with a landing at George Inlet for feasting and a bus ride to George Inlet followed by a boat ride to some staged crab pots. Feasting is strictly Dungeness crab with a time limit. I recommend not eating too much of the free appetizers to save room for lots of crab. I have seen only one person finish the cheesecake dessert. Keep an eye out for black bear around the lodge area. There are lots of steps but with a van drive down/up for those with mobility challenges.

 

 

In your opinion is the seaplane portion worth the difference in price?

 

Thanks! And thanks OP for asking this question. My mouth is watering for crab!

[biojeep]

Transportation is by bus.

[Crew News]

In your opinion is the seaplane portion worth the difference in price?

 

Thanks! And thanks OP for asking this question. My mouth is watering for crab!

 

I have experienced the crab feasting five times since 2008. Definitely the float plane is better. You will either fly or return from the crab feast via float plane with the other leg via van. The plane holds only six passengers so the crab feasting is like a private dinner. The boat version is about 40 guests. The float plane takes off and lands (depending on the wind direction) right beside the cruise ship. The view above the peaks is amazing for photographs and searching for wildlife.

 

 

Last year, the wind was too strong for the plane to take-off so we were taken by van and given an extra 15 minutes to feast before returning back to the ship by van. Our driver was nice enough to drive slowly through the totem area so that we could grab some great totem pictures.

 

 

Since the flight version of this excursion holds only six passengers, book early.

 

 

Hint: Skip the delicious smoked salmon appetizers and devote your appetite to just crab. The record is 12 half crabs.

 

 

View over the mountains of Ketchikan:

 

 

[biojeep]

We booked our excursion through NCL not through an independent operator.

[bUU]

What is the method of transportation for the George Inlet Lodge Crab Feast ($69)? I'm assuming via van or bus? The web site doesn't say. Thank you!

How do you book this? Holland America apparently doesn't offer this.

 

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[biojeep]

You can book directly on Georgia Inlet Lodge website. https://catchcrabs.com/

[bUU]

Thanks.

 

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