Six ships in Ketchikan on the 2nd of August.

[TheLizardHouse]

I’ll be on the N. A. in the Ketchikan on this day, along with thousands of other people. 🤨 This is a first Alaskan cruise for us, so not wanting to miss anything, but six ships in one small port seems nuts. I’d like to hear from anyone who has been in this position, is it worth the effort to battle the crowds? Is there a ‘must see’ for Ketchikan?  I’m starting to think of having a ship day instead (especially if the weather packs up). It’s all aboard at 2.30pm anyway, and I’m not an early riser 😉

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

I haven't been in this position, 4 is the max number of ships I have experienced there, however, I think Ketchikan is worth it if you do the local walking tour about 3 blocks back from the docks. I suspect most passengers will take a ship's tour and that I would avoid. A printed walking tour map used to be at the tourist office in the center of the docks. Last year, I think they went to a phone app. If you like to walk, and see local stuff as opposed to Diamonds International shops, etc. I would do a walk and then return to the ship before the crowds return.

 

There is a locally owned book store called Parnassus Books a few blocks from the docks which is fun and has many books about Alaska, fiction and nonfiction, by Alaskan authors.  Behind it is a tiny tram which goes up a hill to a small hotel which has a nice restaurant for lunch.

[TheLizardHouse]

Great advice, thanks.

[Dancing Shoes]

Are you talking about the funicular that goes up to Cape Fox Lodge?  I thought I read that it is still under repair.  Anyone know?

[HatRez]

9 minutes ago, Dancing Shoes said:

Are you talking about the funicular that goes up to Cape Fox Lodge?  I thought I read that it is still under repair.  Anyone know?

I can confirm it's still under repair as of three days ago.

[HatRez]

Ketchikan was a huge letdown for me. We were there eight years ago and other than the area immediately surrounding the berth, it has really suffered. Everything looks weathered and haggard, and probably low funds from no tourism to restore/maintain things. We were sorely disappointed. Wandered around for two hours then went back on the ship. 

[quack2]

Soho Coho store on Creek Street is a must for me.  Ray Troll art is great.

[HappyInVan]

I would ignore the town if there's a crowd of tourists. 

 

I was very pleased with the Misty Fjord tour ($200). Operated by Allen Marine Tour, the souped-up boat cruised at 25 knots on parts of the 100 mile route. Surprisingly, the boat was quite quiet and smooth on the calm sea.

 

We were lucky to have good weather that day. Ketchikan has 140" of rainfall per year. The highlight was in Rudyerd Bay; the turnaround point. The boat (Melinda Leigh) docked next to the Koningsdam; near the gangway. The tour ran from 1pm for 4.5 hours.

[kochleffel]

I had a great time in Ketchikan in August of last year; it was a non-cruise using the Alaska state ferries and I was there for three days. There are two tours that a recommend very highly if you haven't done anything like them:

https://alaskashoretours.com/excursions/ketchikan/black-bear-wildlife-exploration/ -- a small-group tour to a preserve with outstanding opportunities for seeing and photographing bears, from the safety of an elevated boardwalk.

 

https://www.islandwings.com/mistytours.html

Misty Fjords by air, specifically with Michele Madsen (Island Wings) -- Six-passenger tour in a DeHavilland Beaver. One of the few tours where you get to leave the plane in a mid-tour stop.

[kochleffel]

If you have any interest at all in photography, I also recommend https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g31030-d17808792-Photo_Safari_in_Ketchikan_Alaska_Spend_3_hrs_off_the_tourist_beaten_path-Ketchikan_.html.

 

[Sir PMP]

12 hours ago, TheLizardHouse said:

I’ll be on the N. A. in the Ketchikan on this day, along with thousands of other people. 🤨 This is a first Alaskan cruise for us, so not wanting to miss anything, but six ships in one small port seems nuts. I’d like to hear from anyone who has been in this position, is it worth the effort to battle the crowds? Is there a ‘must see’ for Ketchikan?  I’m starting to think of having a ship day instead (especially if the weather packs up). It’s all aboard at 2.30pm anyway, and I’m not an early riser 😉

Don't worry that's only 10,000 pax in town that day.

[kentuckycruiser]

I would look at the times the ships are in port. Ships stagger their arrival and departure. You will see that some are in the a.m. others more afternoon. The first time I went to Ketchikan it was July and it was really fun to see the Salmon jumping upstream. The next time it was early June (2019). The entire town was dead. The fishery was closed because it was too early in the season, no salmon jumping...so we walked around for an hour or two with our boys and went back on ship. But it was also raining and the last port of the cruise.

We are going back in a few weeks and I would like to plan accordingly. 

I looked a the deadliest fish excursion but I just cannot wrap my head around paying $210 per person for it. 

I need to look into whale watching trips that I can book outside the cruise line.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

11 hours ago, HatRez said:

I can confirm it's still under repair as of three days ago.

Yes, that funicular was what I meant. Thanks for letting me know it is still under repair. Perhaps not worth the cost to fix. But always enjoying going up to Cape Fox Lodge for lunch. The Lodge is also on the walking route.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

That is a lot of ships

[RedneckBob]

It looks like two of the ships only totals just over 600 passengers. So you are looking at four large ships. It will be crowded but go place to walk around. 

[rj59]

Juneau tends to be more of a zoo, since it’s more compact. I follow the tourist shops and historical placards of its colorful past, and then go upriver looking for salmon, to a hatchery and park. Avoid plane glacier tours—the NA lost passengers last year in a crash, as did Royal Princess several years ago. 

[Torquer]

The last time we were in Ketchikan, about 10 years ago, we did the Misty Fjords float plane tour with Seawind Aviation.  It was one of the most memorable shore adventures we have done on any cruise.  The scenery was spectacular and we landed in a small lake surrounded by mountains.  It was expensive, but well worth it.

[XBGuy]

I loved our fightseeing excursion on a DeHavilland Beaver.  I'd booked in in 2018, but all floatplane excursions were canceled due to weather the day we were there.  I tried again in 2019 and success.  It was pretty neat.

 

@kentuckycruiserreferences jumping salmon.  In August the creek will be jammed with salmon.  (The later in the month you visiit, the more you will see dead ones.)  If you walk up the creek boardwalk away from the busisnesses you will come to a fish ladder where you can watch the jumping salmon,  I think it's pretty neat, and it's free.

 

If the funicular is running when you visit, there is a nice view up there, and you can take pictures of your ship--and the others.  Lunch up there is fun.  On our last visit my wife wanted to check out the restaurant for lunch.  The ride up was free, but there was a modest charge ($3?) to ride down.  However, if you ate at the restaurant you could ride down for free by showing your receipt.

 

As @HappyInVan reports, Ketchikan does get a fair amount of rain.  However, I have walked around in light drizzle more than once and still enjoyed myself.  Also, though, on one visit--it was in early Septemver--I was sunburned in KetchiKan.

[DaveOKC]

We did the floatplane tour to Misty Fjords and it was a great experience!  We had three previous tours cancelled over the years due to bad weather but the day we went was PERFECT!  Even the pilot was excited to see such beautiful weather.

 

After hearing of a couple of floatplane accidents recently, I would receommend only doing this using a HAL excursion.  

[kochleffel]

52 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

After hearing of a couple of floatplane accidents recently, I would receommend only doing this using a HAL excursion.  

 

Do you think that HAL chooses safer contractors for excursions than Princess does? (HAL and Princess are under the same ownership.) In the 2019 mid-air collision, both companies - Taquan and Mountain Air - were flying excursions for Princess. Taquan was faulted for having disabled a safety feature that could have warned the Mountain Air pilot. Mountain Air was a one-pilot business and closed. It wasn't Taquan's first fatal accident, nor was it the last; Taquan had another fatal accident a week later but is still flying.

[DaveOKC]

1 hour ago, kochleffel said:

 

Do you think that HAL chooses safer contractors for excursions than Princess does? (HAL and Princess are under the same ownership.) In the 2019 mid-air collision, both companies - Taquan and Mountain Air - were flying excursions for Princess. Taquan was faulted for having disabled a safety feature that could have warned the Mountain Air pilot. Mountain Air was a one-pilot business and closed. It wasn't Taquan's first fatal accident, nor was it the last; Taquan had another fatal accident a week later but is still flying.

This is what I was referring to:

 

Six people died Thursday when a sightseeing plane near Ketchikan crashed into the side of a mountain, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Teller said the distress signal came at around 11:20 a.m. from about 1,400-feet elevation in a steep terrain area of the Misty Fjords National Monument. Initially, weather hampered the search as helicopters couldn’t penetrate the low cloud ceiling at around 900 feet because of poor visibility.

The Coast Guard, Alaska State Troopers, U. S. Forest Service and Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad reached the site of a downed de Havilland Beaver 8 miles northeast of Ketchikan Thursday afternoon. Two Coast Guard rescue swimmers were lowered and found no survivors at 2:37 p.m., the Coast Guard said.

The five passengers were from the Holland America cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam which was visiting Ketchikan on Thursday, the cruise line said in a statement.

“We understand that notifications of next of kin by relevant authorities are underway, and counseling services from Holland America Line have been made available to guests and crew who would like extra support,” the statement said. “This float plane excursion was independently operated by Southeast Aviation and not sold by Holland America Line.”

[Dancing Shoes]

Randy of Mid Mountain Air was on his own, as is Michelle of Island Wings.  We rode with Randy in 2018, because Michelle couldn't get back in time to take us.  She was behind schedule due to a pickup at Anan Creek bear viewing site.  RIP Randy Sullivan.  He was a great pilot and loved his plane!

[trivia addict]

We were in Ketchikan last week and there was a total of 4 ships. Three docked in town, and our ship was anchored  at Ward Cove.
Although busy, the town did not seem crowded. 

This was our second cruise to Alaska but first time in Ketchikan. We were very pleasantly surprised at how vibrant and interesting it was.  I am sure that the years of the pandemic hit it hard, and one cannot compare it now to what it was like last year. Everything seemed to be open and anxious to see people again.

We had a toddler with us so did not do any excursions. But just walking around the town made for a pleasant afternoon.

[TheLizardHouse]

Thankyou team Cruise Critic for all the top suggestions, it's great to be able to get advice like this. 🙂 Cape Fox Lodge looks good, and we love that it is owned and run by the local Tlingit people, who also sell their crafts on site, (link below if anyone is interested).  We'll manage the track/stairs, although I will complain a lot. I'm likewise a tiny bit nervous of the flying options, which must be to do with getting older, as I've done some crazy, crazy tourist flights in younger days. That said, we are doing the Denali peak flight.

 

A random tip - check your (if any) Alaskan Air flights, as they don't let you know when they've changed them. Well, for us they didn't.

 

Cape Fox Lodge | Alaska Luxury Hotel Accommodations, Alaska Vacation, Ketchikan, Lodging, Adventure, fishing, salmon, hiking, wildlife, hotel

[Lindancer]

On 5/14/2022 at 7:53 PM, TheLizardHouse said:

I’ll be on the N. A. in the Ketchikan on this day, along with thousands of other people. 🤨 This is a first Alaskan cruise for us, so not wanting to miss anything, but six ships in one small port seems nuts. I’d like to hear from anyone who has been in this position, is it worth the effort to battle the crowds? Is there a ‘must see’ for Ketchikan?  I’m starting to think of having a ship day instead (especially if the weather packs up). It’s all aboard at 2.30pm anyway, and I’m not an early riser 😉

Actually Ketchikan is the most interesting stop on the whole cruise, as far as things that can be done from there.  Consider booking your own "Deadliest Catch" tour or a float plane to fly and see bears.