Sitka, Juneau, Ketchikan, Vancouver

[erinsmom03]

We will be cruising from Vancouver in July 2022. We have stops in Sitka, Juneau and Ketchikan. Would love some insight on whale watching and kayak tours, as well as favorite tours from any of these four cities. We have been to Juneau once and did whale watching and Mendenhall. Thanks!

[wvufan]

In Sitka, go to the Fortress of the Bear

[erinsmom03]

2 hours ago, wvufan said:

In Sitka, go to the Fortress of the Bear

 

I am intrigued!

[erinsmom03]

3 hours ago, wvufan said:

In Sitka, go to the Fortress of the Bear

 

I checked out their website, looks like a great place to visit! I will definitely share it with our friends who are traveling with us. Thank you!

[Italy52]

In Juneau, there are a lot of choices for whale watching.  Our favorite is Jayleen's Alaska. 

https://jayleensalaska.com/

[erinsmom03]

4 hours ago, Italy52 said:

In Juneau, there are a lot of choices for whale watching.  Our favorite is Jayleen's Alaska. 

https://jayleensalaska.com/

 

Thanks for the tip! Do you think Juneau in late July is the best option out of the four for whale watching? I only ask because we did a whale watching tour in Juneau in 2019, loved it, but were thinking we should try something different in Juneau if whale watching is good in one of the other ports we will be in. I especially am wondering if Vancouver is a good choice for a whale watching tour, since we will have more time there than anywhere else.

[Northern Aurora]

We live in Alaska so our interests tend to be somewhat different than those who visit our state.

 

I have been to Sitka on business, and my husband and I have been there as tourists too.  If the day is nice we generally walk along the waterfront to the Sitka National Historical Park and then through the trails visiting the park's totem poles.  We've also enjoyed the Alaska Raptor Center.  If the weather is rainy then visits to the Russian Bishop's House and the Sheldon Jackson Museum are in order.  We generally dine at the Bay View Pub.

 

I also have been to Juneau on business, and my husband and I have been there as tourists as well.  If the weather is clear than we enjoy the Mt.  Roberts Tramway.  A visit to a local restaurant is generally high on the priority list, but in all honesty, I find Tracy's Crab Shack over rated.  I love earrings so a visit to the Sealaska Heritage Institute gift store is on order, and the cultural displays are well worth the price of admission.

 

My husband worked out of Ketchikan many years ago, and we have visited a number of times.  At this point we generally seek out a good meal.  We enjoy the George Inlet Lodge for crab and Annabelle's for chowder, fish and chips, and more crab.

 

When visiting Vancouver I always check the Vancouver Art Gallery website as they host very interesting special exhibits.  And a walk along and through Stanley Park is so enjoyable.

[Italy52]

erinsmom03:

 

Juneau:  We have gone in May, June, July and August and have never been disappointed in our whale watching experiences.  We always go with the expectation that we will see whale tails and blow holes and if we are LUCKY enough to see breaching and bubble net feeding then we are truly blessed.  As far as one month being better than another, I don't think the answer is that simple.  Even day excursions can have a good morning but a so-so afternoon. The one thing I can tell you is that we have always seen whales in Juneau.

 

Ketchikan:  Have never seen whales there.

 

Sitka:  We did one of those combo tours that mentioned whales and all I can say is that the only whale we saw was far away.  Don't think we will do that again.

 

Vancouver:  Haven't done a whale watching tour in Vancouver but agree that Stanley Park is a nice place to visit.  We also enjoyed going over to Granville Island and walking around.  There is lots to do in Vancouver so we always try to book a few days pre-cruise if we can fit it into our schedule.

 

Enjoy your trip planning and cruise.

[erinsmom03]

22 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

We live in Alaska so our interests tend to be somewhat different than those who visit our state.

 

I have been to Sitka on business, and my husband and I have been there as tourists too.  If the day is nice we generally walk along the waterfront to the Sitka National Historical Park and then through the trails visiting the park's totem poles.  We've also enjoyed the Alaska Raptor Center.  If the weather is rainy then visits to the Russian Bishop's House and the Sheldon Jackson Museum are in order.  We generally dine at the Bay View Pub.

 

I also have been to Juneau on business, and my husband and I have been there as tourists as well.  If the weather is clear than we enjoy the Mt.  Roberts Tramway.  A visit to a local restaurant is generally high on the priority list, but in all honesty, I find Tracy's Crab Shack over rated.  I love earrings so a visit to the Sealaska Heritage Institute gift store is on order, and the cultural displays are well worth the price of admission.

 

My husband worked out of Ketchikan many years ago, and we have visited a number of times.  At this point we generally seek out a good meal.  We enjoy the George Inlet Lodge for crab and Annabelle's for chowder, fish and chips, and more crab.

 

When visiting Vancouver I always check the Vancouver Art Gallery website as they host very interesting special exhibits.  And a walk along and through Stanley Park is so enjoyable.

 

Thank you for such great advice, I appreciate it!

 

[erinsmom03]

4 hours ago, Italy52 said:

erinsmom03:

 

Juneau:  We have gone in May, June, July and August and have never been disappointed in our whale watching experiences.  We always go with the expectation that we will see whale tails and blow holes and if we are LUCKY enough to see breaching and bubble net feeding then we are truly blessed.  As far as one month being better than another, I don't think the answer is that simple.  Even day excursions can have a good morning but a so-so afternoon. The one thing I can tell you is that we have always seen whales in Juneau.

 

Ketchikan:  Have never seen whales there.

 

Sitka:  We did one of those combo tours that mentioned whales and all I can say is that the only whale we saw was far away.  Don't think we will do that again.

 

Vancouver:  Haven't done a whale watching tour in Vancouver but agree that Stanley Park is a nice place to visit.  We also enjoyed going over to Granville Island and walking around.  There is lots to do in Vancouver so we always try to book a few days pre-cruise if we can fit it into our schedule.

 

Enjoy your trip planning and cruise.

 

Thank you so much for the great advice!

 

[Jacobs Ema]

On 10/22/2021 at 8:15 PM, Northern Aurora said:

 I love earrings so a visit to the Sealaska Heritage Institute gift store is on order, and the cultural displays are well worth the price of admission.

 

.

I collect earrings! I will definitely make a stop while we are there!!

[SightCRR]

 Look at the web site and reviews of Fortress of the Bear carefully. Basically it is rehab and zoo for bears. Lots of better ways to use your time in my option. I concur with what Northern Aurora (in message #7 above) said to do. sightcrr 

[Ashland]

Ketchikan...look at the Bering Sea Fisherman tour...We've done this twice and enjoyed it.

[hathaway42]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a hotel pre-cruise in Vancouver, we need are going to spread two days there as we want to see the city . Just starting to plan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Traveller20074]

On 10/21/2021 at 2:54 PM, wvufan said:

In Sitka, go to the Fortress of the Bear

open for cruise ship passengers on "remaining" (?) ship days.  ?

Weekdays: CLOSED
Weekends: 10am-2pm
LAST ADMISSION: 1:30pm

NOTE:
WE WILL BE OPEN
FOR CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS ON
REMAINING SHIP DAYS!

[Traveller20074]

On 12/5/2021 at 4:18 PM, Ashland said:

Ketchikan...look at the Bering Sea Fisherman tour...We've done this twice and enjoyed it.

I wanted to do that with my grandchildren (3 of them) but the cost is prohibitive.  ($275/person) I dont remember it being that expensive when we've been on it before.

[Ashland]

15 hours ago, Traveller20074 said:

I wanted to do that with my grandchildren (3 of them) but the cost is prohibitive.  ($275/person) I dont remember it being that expensive when we've been on it before.

Wow....I think I remembering paying $165 booked directly with them. That is really a jump in pricing.

I'll be looking at pricing for our Sept 2022 cruise. We also want to take our grandkids...last time they were too young.

 

Just checked our dates:

Adults $209...Kids (13 under) $129

Edited December 9, 2021 by Ashland

[Traveller20074]

NCL gave us that price  $275   ugh

[Ashland]

13 minutes ago, Traveller20074 said:

NCL gave us that price  $275   ugh

The price I gave above was booking directly. However I just checked booking it with RCI:

Adults $178.99...kids $112.99

 

I'm completely shocked that it's less booking with the cruiseliner. The last two times I booked it was cheaper to book directly with Bering Sea than through the ship.

[kochleffel]

22 hours ago, Traveller20074 said:

open for cruise ship passengers on "remaining" (?) ship days.  ?

 

 

That's from this past summer, when there were no cruises at all until August.

[kochleffel]

I spent three days each in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Sitka this year (not on a cruise). For Ketchikan, my top recommendation is a Misty Fjords flight with Island Wings. Juneau is particularly good for seeing whales and there are many tour operators, some using six-passenger boats. It happened when I was there that there were small-craft warnings and only larger boats could go out; my small-boat tour was cancelled but I made it onto a 48-passenger boat, which was also a good experience. A Tracy Arm Fjord tour is also worthwhile, but from Juneau it takes all day. Some cruise itineraries include Tracy Arm, although a cruise shop won't be able to go as far into the fjord.

 

At Sitka, if your time on shore is long enough, you might be able to get back-to-back sea and land tours. I took a boat tour with Sitka Adventures (Cpt. Gary Downie) and recommend it; he also offers a package with a van tour of sights on land. If you're interested in history you should visit St. Michael's Cathedral,  built as the Russian Orthodox cathedral for the -- wait for this -- Diocese of North America, and the Russian Bishop's House. Both are right in the center of town.

[Italy52]

20 hours ago, Ashland said:

The price I gave above was booking directly. However I just checked booking it with RCI:

Adults $178.99...kids $112.99

 

I'm completely shocked that it's less booking with the cruiseliner. The last two times I booked it was cheaper to book directly with Bering Sea than through the ship.

RCI has been offering discounts on their excursions as well as other items.  Perhaps that is why the pricing was cheaper. 

[TiiiSailor]

On 12/9/2021 at 3:36 PM, Ashland said:

The price I gave above was booking directly. However I just checked booking it with RCI:

Adults $178.99...kids $112.99

 

I'm completely shocked that it's less booking with the cruiseliner. The last two times I booked it was cheaper to book directly with Bering Sea than through the ship.

That's how I found the price difference for our 2021 cancelled cruise and our upcoming 2022 cruise.  It was the regular RCL price, not a sale price.  Hope you jumped on it before it sells out.

 

[Ashland]

3 hours ago, TiiiSailor said:

That's how I found the price difference for our 2021 cancelled cruise and our upcoming 2022 cruise.  It was the regular RCL price, not a sale price.  Hope you jumped on it before it sells out.

 

Yes I booked it for the 6 of us...My two grandchildren are looking forward to this tour.

Of course I'll keep checking prices but if not happy with the price point.