Ketchikan end of July 7am-1pm

[jennianne]

I recently booked a cruise with my mom to Alaska on HAL the last week of July 2020. I love the beauty and cultural history of Ketchikan, but was noticing our ship will only be there from 7am-1pm! We had talked about doing the lumberjack show along with a crab feed, but the departure time is 7:45am on it. I love a good crab feed, but does anyone have any experience with this early morning trip? Are we going to be served a giant crab feed at 9am? I'm wondering if just doing the lumberjack show and then finding a good totum tour and doing crab/lunch on our own would be a better idea. Also, when it says 1pm departure, does that mean we need to be back on the ship a while before that time? Thanks for any help I can get, i've never visited a port with such an early and short visit!

[CruiserBruce]

HAL's policy is you need to be back on board 30 minutes prior to the scheduled sailing time. So, for a 1pm sailing, be on board by 12:30. This applies to port stops along a cruise, but not the day you first board the ship.

[tina1219]

8 hours ago, jennianne said:

I recently booked a cruise with my mom to Alaska on HAL the last week of July 2020. I love the beauty and cultural history of Ketchikan, but was noticing our ship will only be there from 7am-1pm! We had talked about doing the lumberjack show along with a crab feed, but the departure time is 7:45am on it. I love a good crab feed, but does anyone have any experience with this early morning trip? Are we going to be served a giant crab feed at 9am? I'm wondering if just doing the lumberjack show and then finding a good totum tour and doing crab/lunch on our own would be a better idea. Also, when it says 1pm departure, does that mean we need to be back on the ship a while before that time? Thanks for any help I can get, i've never visited a port with such an early and short visit!

I was wondering the same thing. This gets great reviews, but like you, am curious about crab feast so early. Hope someone can reply that has experienced this. 

[mapleleaves]

Given that it's a 4hr excursion,  and the Show is only 1 hour, and you must return to the ship by 12:30,  it only leaves morning hours for the crab feed.  

Even if you skip the excursion's crab feed to eat elsewhere,  you'll still need to be sitting in a restaurant by 11 at the latest, in order to eat and get back to the ship on time.

 

This is probably the vendor who the ship uses.  Call and talk to them about the timing:

https://catchcrabs.com/portfolio-item/the-great-alaskan-lumberjack-show-crab-feast/

[gatorguy56]

We love Ketchikan (we’ve been there 4 times and are going a 5th time in September).  We’ve always done it on our own. You can catch the public bus by the pier and it will drop you off at a number of locations in the city.  We like to go up Creek St. and work our way back to the pier.  I think Creek St. has the best prices if you want to pick up things made in Alaska.  If the salmon are running you can walk upstream along the creek to the salmon ladder (we found it quite fascinating).  There is a funicular that will take you up the hill to a restaurant/coffee place.  Working back through town there is a nice national forest discovery center.  We like to wind up at The Alaskan Fish House for awesome fish tacos (we get there about 11:30 as it gets really crowded). A short walk and you’re back at your ship.

https://exclusivealaska.com/our-restaurant

[jennianne]

We love Ketchikan (we’ve been there 4 times and are going a 5th time in September).  We’ve always done it on our own. You can catch the public bus by the pier and it will drop you off at a number of locations in the city.  We like to go up Creek St. and work our way back to the pier.  I think Creek St. has the best prices if you want to pick up things made in Alaska.  If the salmon are running you can walk upstream along the creek to the salmon ladder (we found it quite fascinating).  There is a funicular that will take you up the hill to a restaurant/coffee place.  Working back through town there is a nice national forest discovery center.  We like to wind up at The Alaskan Fish House for awesome fish tacos (we get there about 11:30 as it gets really crowded). A short walk and you’re back at your ship.
https://exclusivealaska.com/our-restaurant

Thanks gatorguy56! Great tips!


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[Jimbo]

On 2/22/2020 at 9:41 PM, gatorguy56 said:

We love Ketchikan (we’ve been there 4 times and are going a 5th time in September).  We’ve always done it on our own. You can catch the public bus by the pier and it will drop you off at a number of locations in the city.  We like to go up Creek St. and work our way back to the pier.  I think Creek St. has the best prices if you want to pick up things made in Alaska.  If the salmon are running you can walk upstream along the creek to the salmon ladder (we found it quite fascinating).  There is a funicular that will take you up the hill to a restaurant/coffee place.  Working back through town there is a nice national forest discovery center.  We like to wind up at The Alaskan Fish House for awesome fish tacos (we get there about 11:30 as it gets really crowded). A short walk and you’re back at your ship.

https://exclusivealaska.com/our-restaurant

Will salmon still be there in Mid September ?

[gatorguy56]

There are five types of salmon so I’m not sure if or what they might have late in the season.  That’s one reason to get there early.  They serve it until they run out that day.  Perhaps they catch some of the larger, deep water salmon that late.

[Jimbo]

27 minutes ago, gatorguy56 said:

There are five types of salmon so I’m not sure if or what they might have late in the season.  That’s one reason to get there early.  They serve it until they run out that day.  Perhaps they catch some of the larger, deep water salmon that late.

 

 

I meant in the Salmon Ladder by the bridge?

[Northern Aurora]

When I hear the words "crab" and "Ketchikan" in the same sentence I immediately think of dunegess crab, which is fished out of Ketchikan, and Annabelles Famous Keg and Chowder House restaurant which is located downtown in the old Gilmore Hotel.

[gatorguy56]

Probably not in the salmon ladder.  We saw them in mid July (they ran early that year) and in early August.