Second guessing my excursion choices - reassure me?

[Virga]

Finally got our excursions nailed down, but I'm fretting a bit - worrying is my superpower.  

 

We booked the Tracy Arm fjord excursion and the helicopter with two hour glacier hike from Juneau through the ship, booked Island Wings for the Misty Fjord seaplane trip in Ketchikan, and rented a Subaru to do our own wildlife search in Icy Strait Point / Hoonah.  We're excited about it all, but it's stretching the budget a bit.  We have enough time left that I can set aside some extra funds, but I just want to make sure that everything we've chosen is a good value. 

 

I had really intended to book a whale watching tour - we've always enjoyed these elsewhere - but I sold myself on booking two flightseeing tours instead.  In my mind, that hedges my bets a bit against bad weather, and is also something we likely wouldn't spring for if we returned for a land vacation in the future.  

 

Anyway, I think we're pretty content to explore Juneau and Ketchikan on our own - maybe hit some museums, definitely get some fresh seafood, find a short hike or two accessible by public/tourist transportation options...  Do you think that sounds like a reasonable plan?  I don't know when we'll return, so I don't want to look back wishing we'd done something - but I've already spent more than I'd really expected to before we even set foot aboard!  Please reassure me, or tell me if any of our plans should be reworked.  Thanks so much!

 

 

 

 

[rkacruiser]

I offer assurance that your flightseeing to Misty Fjords is an excellent choice.  In Juneau, you mentioned exploring on your own.  I can recommend a visit to the Alaska State Museum.  It's a nice walk--not too far--from the cruise ship docks.  Also, if interested a tour of the Alaska State Capitol was interesting for me.  And, was free.  Then, a nice seafood lunch at one of the fine cafes/restaurants, I recommend.  

[SightCRR]

To save some time and energy if you don't have a bunch of gear to drop off after the helo ask the driver to drop you off near the Museum and Capitol. The whole planning sounds great. Never heard of the ISP part but that sounds great but study road map to see where you can go and more importantly where you can't go. sightcrr

[strickerj]

I hear Icy Strait is a great place for whale watching; you could do that instead of exploring on your own if you're regretting not doing that. I'm not sure what's there in town to see.

 

I've also heard Juneau is very walkable; we're planning to do that there after a trip to Mendenhall Glacier.

[oaktreerb]

How long is the Tracy Arm Excursion?  Do you transfer from the cruise ship to a smaller ship or Catamaran? You should see glaciers, possibly wildlife along the shore, most likely whales if your boat returns you to Juneau.  It’s a great excursion.

 

Remember the flights may not happen if the weather is not favorable.

 

In ISP you can walk or drive to Hoonah, a native village.  The cruise port has a cannery, some shops and a zip line.  

 

You can definitely do Ketchikan on your own.  

 

[Virga]

45 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

How long is the Tracy Arm Excursion?  Do you transfer from the cruise ship to a smaller ship or Catamaran? You should see glaciers, possibly wildlife along the shore, most likely whales if your boat returns you to Juneau.  It’s a great excursion.

 

Remember the flights may not happen if the weather is not favorable.

 

In ISP you can walk or drive to Hoonah, a native village.  The cruise port has a cannery, some shops and a zip line.  

 

You can definitely do Ketchikan on your own.  

 

 

As I understand it, the Carnival Tracy Arm excursion is not from Juneau, it's actually the day the ship visits the fjord.  You transfer to a smaller boat that takes you further up the fjord, getting much closer to the glaciers than the ship can.  I'm very excited about this one, and since we've heard such wonderful things and there are no other excursion options that day, I don't think there's any chance we'll decide to cancel this one.

 

The possibility of a flight cancellation due to weather is exactly why I booked two different flight excursions, despite the high price.  

 

I'm thrilled to hear that Ketchikan is easy to do on our own - an old classmate curates a museum there so we definitely want to stop through.  We'll probably largely take her advice on how to spend the day.

 

1 hour ago, strickerj said:

I hear Icy Strait is a great place for whale watching; you could do that instead of exploring on your own if you're regretting not doing that. I'm not sure what's there in town to see.

 

I've also heard Juneau is very walkable; we're planning to do that there after a trip to Mendenhall Glacier.

 

As for Hoonah, we'll probably get food there (the Office Bar, maybe?) and poke around a bit, but we're planning on spending the day driving the old logging roads looking for wildlife.  If we did whale watching, it would probably be from Juneau. Glad to hear it's walkable, as renting a car there looks awfully expensive.

[J0Y0US]

Where did you hear about renting a car at ISP? 

 

I would be pretty nervous about logging roads unless I read a fair amount about them. 

[Virga]

2 minutes ago, J0Y0US said:

Where did you hear about renting a car at ISP? 

 

I would be pretty nervous about logging roads unless I read a fair amount about them. 

 

It came up when I googled after seeing that the self driving jeep tour offered by the ship would be more than $350 for a couple hours - and we'd have to share it with another couple.  The folks that run the lodge (and rent out vehicles and boats) have great reviews from people who have done both.  The person I made the reservation with assured me that they had maps marked for good sighting chances, but we'll definitely be doing our own research before we leave as well.  I obviously can't recommend them until we've done it, but I'm pretty excited.  

[karatemom2]

Not necessarily trying to discourage you but just thought I could offer some perspective on exploring the backroads of Hoonah. The logging roads can be pretty rough and based on our two experiences going with a guide on past trips, you will not have cell service. He carried both a satellite phone and a gun and he checked out with the local forest service before heading out which he said was a requirement when heading out on those roads even in a 4 wheel drive vehicle. We also looked at renting a car, but based on prior experience thought better of it. The cars they rent are older and see pretty rough use and we just didn’t want to risk the potential of having an issue and not having cell service. Also, if you are planning on getting out of the car and hiking around looking for wildlife you should probably have bear spray. Our guide was at the ready with his gun any time we got out of the car. It’s a wild and rugged place with an extremely high bear population so you just need to be cautious. The locals understand the area and know how to navigate it and take the safety precautions required. Just good to be aware so you can be prepared. 

Edited March 12, 2022 by karatemom2

[donaldsc]

4 hours ago, Virga said:

 

It came up when I googled after seeing that the self driving jeep tour offered by the ship would be more than $350 for a couple hours - and we'd have to share it with another couple.  The folks that run the lodge (and rent out vehicles and boats) have great reviews from people who have done both.  The person I made the reservation with assured me that they had maps marked for good sighting chances, but we'll definitely be doing our own research before we leave as well.  I obviously can't recommend them until we've done it, but I'm pretty excited.  

 

Maybe the owner of the lodge can put you in touch with a local who would like to earn some money for a few hours work.  The local would know where to go, how to get there and how to shoot if necessary.

 

DON

[Virga]

7 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

Maybe the owner of the lodge can put you in touch with a local who would like to earn some money for a few hours work.  The local would know where to go, how to get there and how to shoot if necessary.

 

DON

 

That is an excellent idea - we are willing to rent a satellite phone, and had every intention of purchasing bear spray, but didn't know how we could possibly find a gun to rent.  A local guide would be perfect, and leave both of us free to take pictures at a moment's notice!  So grateful for the suggestion!

 

[alohayall]

Other than questioning your driving around bear country on tour own, it sounds like you will have a great time (especially since you picked out the activities).

 

I have gone whale watching four out of five cruises to AK.  And Hawaii and Massachusetts. It’s something you love or could be a been-there done-that experience. I think my ISP experience was better than Juneau.

 

Ketchikan is totally walkable.