Mercury Shore Excursion Question

[JuneauWhatIMean]

I know that it's very common for port times and dates to change so I'm wondering what people do about their pre-paid shore excursions/tours that they've booked themselves. (Not through Celebrity.) Do the operators keep track of your vessel and automatically issue a refund if need be?

 

Also, any and all info on the Mercury would be greatly appreciated. We're doing a round trip Seattle to Alaska on September 8th and we're newbies to Celebrity. Heck, we're newbies period. Our first and only cruise was on the Sun Princess in 1986. 686 passengers- Can you believe it????? (I've read tons of info on this board but just can't seem to get enough.:) )

 

We've got a Sky Suite on the Sky Deck and I can't wait!!!!!

[fynnmelton]

We always book our excursions through the cruise line. It is a little more expensive, but if the ship is delayed or misses a port, I do not have to worry about refunds. Also, if you book your own excursion and your excursion is delayed in returning to the ship, it is Celebrity's responsibility to make sure you get back on the ship. You will love the sky suites on the sky deck. My wife and I had one last year on the sister ship Galaxy. The balconies are gigantic. We loved sitting on the balcony, in the morning, and have our butler serve us eggs benedict.

[Fredr]

hello,

 

I am not anti ship excursions because there are times when the ship does have the best program in terms of money, time, and seeing the most in a short time or something special. However, for Alaska, you should consider renting a car in Juneau and Skagway because you may be able to see more at less cost that a ship or local excursion. Ketchikan and Sitka can be seen on foot. You need to do your homework in terms of car rental prices, where to pick up and drop off the car, and if you can walk back to the ship or if there are shuttles and so on. I have been to Alaska twice and the last time all of our family of four went on the cruise and renting a car is one of the very best ideas that we have come up with. My son and I went back to the Mendenhall Glacier (after seeing the Glacier in the morning) and we climbed the East Loop trail while my wife and daughter went to the Alaska State Museum. Having a car gave us this flexibilty.

 

The same is true for Hawaii because you will have no trouble with the language, the roads are excellent, and if you get in any trouble you can easily make it back to the ship.

 

Hope that this helps,

 

Fred

[Chorts]

I cannot speak for other excursions, but for the one we have reserved on our own for the Misty Fjiords, this is an excerpt from our reservation response.

 

We will guarantee your reservation at this point in time for the date of your booking. The exact time of your tour may have to be moved slightly depending on the final cruise ships schedule. This will be determined when we receive the final cruise ship docking schedule in late February or early March that is posted by the Alaskan Sea Pilots Association. The sea pilots of Southeast Alaska are the folks who are actually driving the cruise ships while in Alaskan waters. They are in complete control of the docking schedule and are making small changes throughout most of the winter. We will gurantee our tour reservations for a time slot that is appropriate for the arrival and departure of your cruise ship.

 

This would be something you would need to check to make perfectly sure there will be no scheduling problems. I don't know if it is just this excursion that is this conscientious, or if they would all be like this. I know you must be very anxious and excited. I know we sure are. This will be our first to Alaska and when I get to thinking about it, I really do get excited!

[JuneauWhatIMean]

Wow, thanks for all of the great information! The car rental idea sounds good, Fredr. And as far as ship vs. self-booked excursions go, I've noticed that some of them are quite close in price such as the Whitehorse Pass train in Skagway. The difference is only $11. So I guess a lot of homework is needed to compare prices, reliability, etc.

 

While I'm on the subject, can any of you please provide some info on your favorite Inside Passage excursions? I guess I should add that we won't be doing any kayaking or heavy duty hiking because my B-I-L and S-I-L wouldn't be into that. Even a float plane or helicopter would be questionable which is a shame. (I might be able to talk them into it;) ) I'm thinking about the small boats that take you into Misty Fjiords, whale watching, salmon bake, that sort of thing. Anything you loved or are sorry you missed or sorry you took?

 

Thanks for the review, Fynnmelton. I get misty-eyed just thinking about it..........:p

 

Chorts- Have a great cruise, I know you will! And let us know how it went as soon as you get back, please.:D

[Chorts]

Chorts- Have a great cruise, I know you will! And let us know how it went as soon as you get back, please.:D

 

I will definately give a review or at least let you know what I thought, when we return. The float plane and helicopter rides should be a blast. Hubby and I aren't into kayaking and hiking (we're both in our 60's) but the flights should be wonderful. Since the expense of those two excursions is pretty high, we'll no doubt be doing a lot of walking around on our own in the other ports. But, that's OK too. At least we'll be doing a couple really neat things instead of saying when we get home, "I wish we had done something more exciting".

[Gawga Girl]

We have been to Alaska 3 times and on Mercury each time. There are taxis in each port for a reasonable price and they know the area and are experienced in getting back to the ship on time.

 

Our favorite shore excursions have been: The Misty Fjords Boat and Sea Plane. If I was brave enough to do it, I believe anyone will be. It was one of the highlights of our travels. I was nervous about the sea plane, but I was so proud of myself for doing it and it was worth every penny. We booked through Celebrity. The train ride in Skagway is a feast for the eyes. It is expensive but worth it. Booked with Celebrity. DH did Salmon Fishing in Sitka and caught a really nice salmon. At that time the ship's dining staff would prepare it for your table, so we ate the salmon the next night. I don't believe they still do that.

 

The Mercury is our favorite ship. The staff is better than any we have found on any other line including on Celebrity.

 

Have a wonderful trip, we have been in May, June and July and it was cold in May as it may be In Sept.

[trcori]

Hi - we sailed to Alaska on Mercury late last August, and sailed to the same three ports in August 2003 on Infinity. Besides the great info you've already gotten here, be sure to check out the Alaska port board here on CC, one of the busiest and most helpful port boards, at least in my experience! Also check the Mercury *reader* reviews (member reviews, I believe they're called) here on CC -- including mine from last year.

 

As for what to do in the three ports -- Juneau is not a good place to rent a car, as most (if not all) of the rental agencies are out at the airport, which is a costly cab ride away (we found this out the hard way), and the only place really worth driving is Mendenhall Glacier, which you can reach by relatively inexpensive shuttle bus (we did that last August). In Skagway, if you rent a car, book it early with Avis, since the non-national agencies may well rent you a beater (happened to us in 2003) that will scare you (at the very least) on the drive up White Pass. Last year, weather caused us to relinquish our car reservation, so we just walked around Skagway and saw some great sights (salmon stream, city museum) OFF the main roads.

 

Ketchikan is a place where I **would** recommend renting a car, because it's a great way to get to two parks well worth seeing at your leisure -- Totem Bight and Settler's Cove (the latter is at the literal end of the road, north of town). Alaska Rent-a-Car will come get you in town and take you to their location on the north end.

 

Just a few thoughts for folks like us who are not necessarily inclined to take ship-linked excursions (our grand total of those on 6 cruises, Caribbean and Alaska -- one) -- TR

[JuneauWhatIMean]

Wow, thanks again everyone. You've been wonderfully kind and informative. I'll go check out the port boards now, guess I missed those. :rolleyes: