Favorite / Recommended Alaskan Excursions

[Jeter02]

I'm curious from others, what your favorite or recommended Alaskan excursions are. I'm cruising the Inside passage on the Ruby in a few weeks for 2 weeks.

 

I've heard some great things about the helicopter / dog mushing, whale watching, Mendenhall Glacier walk, and salmon bake. I would l love to hear from all of you from your prior experiences,

 

Stops on this cruise include the following:

 

-Juneau

-Ketchikan

-Skagway

-Glacier Bay (I can't wait to sail along this passage t oget some great photos of the glaciers)

-Victoria

[MCC retired]

Any Helicopter tour that lands on a glacier will be a highlight [emoji6]

 

 

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[Sacto Rick]

On our last cruise, we really had a great time on the Glacier Point Wilderness SafarI out of Skagway . Check it out, there is a lot of info about this on the Alaska boards. There's also some videos on YouTube.

[saraandnick]

I enjoyed the kayaking excursion in Ketchikan.

 

 

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[soccergang]

"The Deadliest Catch" excursion in Ketchikan is a favorite of ours.

[xlxo]

Skagway.... love the train combo's. Yukon, Liarsville, Red Onion.... can't decide.

Juneau.... Mendenhall and whale watch for me. Make it a combo there too.

 

Here's some excursion vids for inspiration....

 

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[Kamloops50]

In Glacier bay as high as possible to get great pictures.

[sunsetbeachgal]

We enjoy active excursions so our favorites were kayaking in Ketchikan and a canoe excursion in Juneau. Enjoyed the railway excursion in Skagway too.

 

 

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[Jeter02]

I'm loving all the favorites mentioned so far.

[satxdiver]

In Skagway most will opt for the train. You can go to either end of the car and have a great place to take a picture but it may be crowded. Liarsville and Red Onion were total ripoffs to me as they were only for tourists.

 

Most going to Juneau go to Mendenhall Glacier do go before it totally disappears. Each time we go back, we are amazed at how much it has shrunk. There also is a really nice Alaska museum in Juneau that is relatively cheap. Watch for the many bald eagles by the city dump as you go out to the glacier.

[ckb104]

Now that I've gone, I can officially recommend excursions. Hurray!

In Juneau, we did the Taste of Juneau walking tour. So much fun! I don't think most people realize that Juneau has quite the food scene. We visited about 7 places for various tastings and they were all incredible. If you like beer, you'll have fun. We ended at the Alaska Hotel and had glasses of three different Alaskan Amber beers. My mom and I don't like beer, so our tablemate had a really good time.

Great food, fun stories and history of Juneau. I highly recommend it. Plus we got a couple goodies to take home and a shopping bag. Juneaufoodtours.com is the company. We booked through Princess, but I believe the price is the same if you book directly through the company.

 

Our other excursion was the Train ride in Skagway, which I'm sure you'll get recommended from many. It was beautiful and the bonus of going in May is that there is still snow.

[KreinKrunker]

Harv & Marv Whale Watching in Juneau.

[coopco]

We did Tracy Arm Fjord with Allen Marine in Juneau since our cruise did not include Tracy Arm. It was beautiful and Allen Marine was great. If you have kids, they net a piece of glacier and let people touch it. My daughter thought that was great. We were fortunate to see a pod of Orcas on the way there. In Skagway we did the mandatory train -- beautiful scenery. Read the posts in Cruise Critic on which side of the train to ride because I can't remember. We took a van back with Frontier Excursions and loved being able to hop in and get on the road before the buses. In Ketchikan we walked around but on our next Alaska cruise we will go fishing. Princess has an excursion (if booked through them), Cook My Catch. They will cook up what you catch for dinner. I only remember who we booked our excursions with because I pulled out my scrapbook! Have fun on your cruise!

[Jeter02]

Oh my, what great suggestions. I love the sound of the food tour in Juneau. Also the fishing, where they cook your catch sounds awesome too.

[akgomer]

Ketchikan - Zipline

Skagway - White Pass Railway

[KruzeKrazy!]

Ketchikan - Misty Fjord floatplane.

 

Juneau - Mendenhall and whale watching.

 

Skagway - White Pass Line.

[casofilia]

If you are joining in Alaska fly to Fairbanks from where you live and spend 2 or 3 nights there. If it is at the beginning or end of the season you may see the Northern Lights. Fairbanks has a wonderful Museum. Look at this site for ideas:- http://www.alaska.org/destination/fairbanks/day-tours

Then take the train back to Anchorage possibly spending some time in Denali on the way.

[notentirelynormal]

I'm curious from others, what your favorite or recommended Alaskan excursions are. I'm cruising the Inside passage on the Ruby in a few weeks for 2 weeks.

 

I've heard some great things about the helicopter / dog mushing, whale watching, Mendenhall Glacier walk, and salmon bake. I would l love to hear from all of you from your prior experiences,

 

Stops on this cruise include the following:

 

-Juneau

-Ketchikan

-Skagway

-Glacier Bay (I can't wait to sail along this passage t oget some great photos of the glaciers)

-Victoria

 

Whatever you decide to choose hurry up and book as the best ones sell out. There are some capacity controlled ones. For example, there are only so many helicopters landing on that glacier with lots of cruisers. Same goes with Bear feeding in the creek or flying your hearts out .... they do go quick. I booked my August excursions starting last November.

[wishfulone]

The White Pass Railway excursion from Skagway is a must but you have to take the full day trip. You go up by train, join a coach into the Yukon for lunch then back down the opposite side of the Pass to Skagway.

 

Walking the paths at the Mendenhall Glacier we saw a few bears. One crossed the path within a few metres of us. Back in Juneau you must visit the famous Red Dog Saloon for a celebratory beer!