Spidergramps Posted October 26, 2017 #1 Share Posted October 26, 2017 First time trip to Alaska, cruising with Princess. Am I better off booking excursions through the cruise line or finding a local excursion on my own? Also any ideas for great places to visit the first week of June are welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyboy Posted October 27, 2017 #2 Share Posted October 27, 2017 You can post on the Alaska Port of Call Forum for more response https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?55https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?55 Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMLady Posted October 27, 2017 #3 Share Posted October 27, 2017 First time trip to Alaska, cruising with Princess. Am I better off booking excursions through the cruise line or finding a local excursion on my own? Also any ideas for great places to visit the first week of June are welcome. Join your Roll Call. Someone might be organizing a tour. I agree that you need to ask your question on the Alaska forum. Lots of good information there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haladdict Posted October 27, 2017 #4 Share Posted October 27, 2017 The White Pass railway trip in Skagway is our favourite. Your choice if you prefer to book with the cruise line or not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ronrick1943 Posted October 27, 2017 #5 Share Posted October 27, 2017 It kind of depends on you, do you at OK doing things yourself or better having someone else book for you. You pay more to have the cruise line book-you save if you do it yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted October 27, 2017 #6 Share Posted October 27, 2017 The White Pass railway trip in Skagway is our favourite.Your choice if you prefer to book with the cruise line or not We enjoyed that one too, breathtaking scenery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted October 27, 2017 #7 Share Posted October 27, 2017 There are many excursions offered by the cruise line that one could also do on their own. It really comes down to your comfort level. With the cruise line you pay more but you know they will take care of everything for you. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted October 27, 2017 #8 Share Posted October 27, 2017 In Skagway we have also enjoyed the White Pass railroad excursion. Juneau -- Orca Enterprises for whale watching. You can also take the Blue Bus to Mendenhale Glacier on your own. Helicopter to the glaciers, Float plane ride over the glaciers. Ketchikan -- Totem Bight, Saxman Village, Lumberjack show, Walk to Creek Street. Sitka -- Raptor Center, St Michael's Church, National Historical Park/Totem Park, Fortress of the Bear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopherpharm Posted October 27, 2017 #9 Share Posted October 27, 2017 We did small our excursions privately on Coral last year and had no issues. Ketchikan - hike in the Tongess, walk around town on own Skagway - white pass railroad (train up, bus back), impromptu plane ride over Glacier Bay (totally worth the money! Amazing) Juneau - whale watching and short hike to Mendenhall glacier, town/lunch on our own Whittier/Anchorage - animal sanctuary, then lunch and dinner on our own (Anchorage Brewing Company for dinner) Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kawagama Posted October 28, 2017 #10 Share Posted October 28, 2017 We booked stuff on our own, but in the end, because the ports are small and rely on tourist dollars, we didn't find that it saved us much money. Our choices were comparable in price to the ones on our ship. However, we did do some cool stuff. Hiked the Chilkoot Trail and then floated down a river on a rubber boat. There were only 4 of us on this trip, so it was very personal. This was in Skagway. Did the bus to Mendenthal Glacier in Juneau. Nice trip. In Ketchikan we went kayaking. Again, there were only 2 of us and a bunch of guides, so it was quite personal. Saw some humpbacks up close too. Unfortunately, it started to rain quite heavily, so our trip was a little shorter than originally planned. Do your research. There's lots there and these ports are not big, so it's easy to find your driver, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlp20 Posted October 28, 2017 #11 Share Posted October 28, 2017 Princess may cost more, but there is an IMPORTANT difference. If for WHATEVER REASON the excursion is delayed in returning, the ship will wait. Our favorite sport when visiting Mazatlan, is watching pax arrive to the dock AFTER the ship's push back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatbush Flyer Posted October 29, 2017 #12 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Princess may cost more, but there is an IMPORTANT difference. If for WHATEVER REASON the excursion is delayed in returning, the ship will wait.Our favorite sport when visiting Mazatlan, is watching pax arrive to the dock AFTER the ship's push back. Ship's never guarantee "waiting" (too many variables. Their excursions will, however, pay the reasonable cost for you to catch up at a future port should excursion issues cause you to miss the sailing. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlp20 Posted October 29, 2017 #13 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Ship's never guarantee "waiting" (too many variables. Their excursions will, however, pay the reasonable cost for you to catch up at a future port should excursion issues cause you to miss the sailing. Sent from my iPhone using Forums From Princess.com: Maximize your exploration time and minimize the hassle by booking your shore excursions through Princess Cruises. Guaranteed Return to Ship is our promise that the ship will wait if your tour runs late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatbush Flyer Posted October 29, 2017 #14 Share Posted October 29, 2017 From Princess.com: Maximize your exploration time and minimize the hassle by booking your shore excursions through Princess Cruises. Guaranteed Return to Ship is our promise that the ship will wait if your tour runs late. The key phrase above is "runs late," which does suggest there is a finite limit on the duration of "late." There's fine print somewhere in that ticket contract that says they'll do their best and that they only really"guarantee" to get you "back to the ship" eventually (though that may be in the next port). There's many situations where a ship cannot wait for more than a few hours at best: tide, weather, scheduled ship arrivals, the list goes on.... Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooch47 Posted October 29, 2017 #15 Share Posted October 29, 2017 I do remember reading about an Alaskan cruise ship having to leave port before their own tours returned. Tides, or wind, or something like that. They had to transfer the tour passengers to the next stop. Not such a big thing in Alaska as other places, I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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