First time to Alaska

[idiebabe]

33 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

We were there in Sept, 2019 and it was fantastic.  We went on a ship's tour, which departed close to the ship's docking area (5 minute walk?).

Thank you and thanks for posting the Pics!  They are wonderful! 😀❤️ We'll be there on the July 24th Cruise so will definitely do the Whale Watch in Icy Straight and pick something else we haven't done before in Juneau.  

[Crew News]

14 minutes ago, idiebabe said:

Thank you and thanks for posting the Pics!  They are wonderful! 😀❤️ We'll be there on the July 24th Cruise so will definitely do the Whale Watch in Icy Straight and pick something else we haven't done before in Juneau.  

Note that whales do come close to the pier in Icy Strait Point so keep your camera ready and your eyes on the harbor while in port.

[idiebabe]

9 minutes ago, Crew News said:

Note that whales do come close to the pier in Icy Strait Point so keep your camera ready and your eyes on the harbor while in port.

Thanks, will do!  😀

[zelker]

1 hour ago, idiebabe said:

Thank you and thanks for posting the Pics!  They are wonderful! 😀❤️ We'll be there on the July 24th Cruise so will definitely do the Whale Watch in Icy Straight and pick something else we haven't done before in Juneau.  

 

Something to keep in mind when deciding ...

 

I guess it's always possible since the sun doesn't set until 9:30 the day you're there but the ship is only in ISP from 6-10 PM so excursions may be quite limited with that arrival-departure time.  For the life of me, I can't figure out why they've cut it so short and so late.  What's the point? 

 

We, on the other hand, aren't there until later August and the sun sets shortly after 800 PM so sadly, we might be hopping of to visit the shops, buy some of my favorite Tlingit Botanicals Devil's Club Salve (made locally), grab an adult beverage, watch the sunset from the the pier and call it good.  

[idiebabe]

3 hours ago, zelker said:

 

Something to keep in mind when deciding ...

 

I guess it's always possible since the sun doesn't set until 9:30 the day you're there but the ship is only in ISP from 6-10 PM so excursions may be quite limited with that arrival-departure time.  For the life of me, I can't figure out why they've cut it so short and so late.  What's the point? 

 

We, on the other hand, aren't there until later August and the sun sets shortly after 800 PM so sadly, we might be hopping of to visit the shops, buy some of my favorite Tlingit Botanicals Devil's Club Salve (made locally), grab an adult beverage, watch the sunset from the the pier and call it good.  

Thanks!  They briefly had the Excursions posted one evening last week and then pulled them back.  They’re supposed to put them up again, hopefully, this week.  I thought they offered Whale Watching for ISP but maybe thinking Sitka.  
 

We were in ISP on Amsterdam and did a Private Tour but were in for the day.  Agree, odd hours but happy to be stopping there again.  

[NCteacherlovescruising]

On 5/31/2021 at 2:13 PM, Jeremiah On a Cruise said:

You've got good advice above.  Here are my two cents:

 

To see glaciers:  Glacier Bay is typically talked about as the best choice for glaciers, and you can't really go wrong here.  It's a day long event with a park rangers walking you through everything.  You get great viewing of multiple glaciers, and it's truly amazing.  With that said, I do prefer Hubbard glacier over Glacier Bay. Hubbard is a single, larger glacier.  But, you can't go wrong with either.  Note that there are many others ways to view glaciers, but any of these are tier below Glacier Bay and Hubbard in glacier viewing.

 

For wildlife?  Whale Watching is amazing out of Icy Straight Point (also called Hoonah) or Juneau.  If you spend time outside, you are all-but guaranteed to view a whale from the cruise ship - but these are from afar.  If you want to get close and see some great whale behavior, a whale watching tour from one of these ports is a great option. 

 

While both Juneau and Icy Straight point are both amazing for whale watching, I find Juneau slightly less convenient as it requires a 20 minute bus ride, and a bit of time on the boat to get to the good grounds.  However, you often get more companies that do tours our of Juneau (Harv and Harvs are forum favorites).  The company that serves Icy Straight Point is fine.  Minor points, but points.

 

For Cruise Line:  Holland America is a great great option for Alaska.  The ships are well designed for the area with the best observation decks in the business (IMO) and a great promenade.  I've also had good experiences with their naturalists and itineraries.

 

I slightly prefer Celebrity to Holland America, but that's personal preference - and largely mood dependent (Celebrity is considered more lively).  For relaxing and watching the beauty of Alaska go by, you can't go wrong with Holland.

Thanks!  We went with Celebrity. We love them, their entertainment, and suite perks. I believe we’re going to do whale watching in Icy Straight.  We won’t get to see Glacier Bay, but will see Hubbard Glacier. 

[DAllenTCY]

One of my favorite memories was the split pea soup served on deck on Holland America Line while Glacier watching.

 

Of course an Irish Coffee too.

 

David

 

 

Edited June 4, 2021 by DAllenTCY

[NorskyGal]

If you are stopping in Anchorage at any point in your land/sea cruise, please try to spend at least a couple of hours visiting the Anchorage Museum (downtown).  It has wonderful displays of Alaska Native artifacts as well as fine Alaskan Art.  There are also good exhibits about the March, 1964 Earthquake and Alaskan Aviation.  I've been to the Museum many times over the years and it is always time well spent.

[rsldonk]

18 hours ago, NorskyGal said:

If you are stopping in Anchorage at any point in your land/sea cruise, please try to spend at least a couple of hours visiting the Anchorage Museum (downtown).  It has wonderful displays of Alaska Native artifacts as well as fine Alaskan Art.  There are also good exhibits about the March, 1964 Earthquake and Alaskan Aviation.  I've been to the Museum many times over the years and it is always time well spent.

When I was in Anchorage last year, it was only open like one day a week, if even that.  Is it open again?

 

Add to this, the Alaska State Museum in Juneau is pretty awesome too.  It was like a mile walk from the pier and like $5 a person.

Edited June 4, 2021 by rsldonk

[NorskyGal]

rsldonk - I was just in Anchorage last week and visited the Museum on 6/10/21.  The museum was open most days I believe.  The Earthquake and Aviation exhibits are no longer there, they have been replaced by other short term exhibits, but the Native Alaska and Fine Arts sections are still there and are very worthwhile.  The gift shop is also good.

Edited June 19, 2021 by NorskyGal