Need help with Alaska excursion recommendations - 8 adults/3 kids

[Joy62]

I've booked a RC cruise from Seattle for mid Sept and need some recommendations for excursions and/or tours. We've never been to Alaska, so are naive about what's best to do. We had a change in the itinerary, and are now going to Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau, and Victoria, BC.   I'm looking for some activities that good for different interests and ages.  There's some interest in seeing a Glacier or simple hikes (adults), possibly gold mining and dog sleds (for the kids).  I'm hoping costs will be more reasonable if we book private tours. We are a large group so I'm not sure about transport. Also, the kids are 2, 5 & 6, so I'm not sure about car seats?  I would be soooooo grateful for any tips or advice.

[1025cruise]

For Alaska, there really is no difference in cost between the cruise line pricing and private tours. Given the volatile nature of Alaska cruises this year (ports being skipped, the issue in Skagway, and multiple itinerary changes) I would just book through the cruise line.

[JT1962]

2 hours ago, Joy62 said:

I've booked a RC cruise from Seattle for mid Sept and need some recommendations for excursions and/or tours. We've never been to Alaska, so are naive about what's best to do. We had a change in the itinerary, and are now going to Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau, and Victoria, BC.   I'm looking for some activities that good for different interests and ages.  There's some interest in seeing a Glacier or simple hikes (adults), possibly gold mining and dog sleds (for the kids).  I'm hoping costs will be more reasonable if we book private tours. We are a large group so I'm not sure about transport. Also, the kids are 2, 5 & 6, so I'm not sure about car seats?  I would be soooooo grateful for any tips or advice.

Ketchikan is very easy to do on your own. You can pick up a walking tour map at the Visitor Center at the pier. The Lumberjack show might be of interest to the kids. The Bering Sea Crab Boat tour is excellent, but relatively expensive.

 

In Juneau, check the whale watching & Mendenhall Glacier combo with Juneau Whale Watch. They have boats that hold around 25 people and have plenty of outside deck space for viewing the whales. They go to the glacier after the whale watch and allow you to decide when to return (buses run every 30 min). You can take your time and hike some of the trails at the glacier.

 

The Mt Roberts / Greenbelt tram is a less costly option in Juneau  that also has some hiking at the top. I would wait until you arrive to buy tickets since rain / fog would make it not worth doing. 
 

If everyone in your party has a Passport or Passport Card, renting a car and driving into the Yukon is a good option. Look up Tom’s Guide online for a good guide of where to stop along the way.  You can drive to Emerald Lake, stop at Caribou Crossing for lunch and take a dog cart ride and play with the husky puppies. Chilkoot Charters offers a similar bus tour if you prefer not to drive on your own, but a bus may not be the best option for younger children if they get bored easily. 
 

The White Pass & Yukon Railway is another good option, but relatively expensive and the children may get bored before it is over. There are some good local hikes as well. 
 

Here is a link to some good options in Skagway: 

 

https://familydestinationsguide.com/fun-things-to-do-in-skagway-with-kids-ak/

 

[tetleytea]

Mid-September I am not familiar with, but for a party of that size I would just rent a big car every time (except Victoria).

 

Rent a car in Skagway and go to Carcross.

 

Rent a car in Juneau and go to Mendenhall (cheaper than paying the shuttle per-person).  Just drive to Auke Bay and see some whales.  There should be a gold panning/gold mining tour in Juneau still.

 

Rent a car in Ketchikan and go to Totem Bight, Saxman, the Raptor Center, the bear viewing area down south (I forget what it's called).  Lumberjack show is good for kids and Bering Sea Crab is good for the whole family, but prices are per-person and you don't really need a car for those.

 

Victoria has tons of cool stuff for kids, but I doubt they will be open during the hours you will be there.  They would probably find riding the water taxi in the inner harbor to be fun (and it saves you a little time walking from Fishermans Wharf to Inner Harbor).  You might be able to whale watch in Victoria, if you wind up having to slash that from your schedule in Juneau.  If I'm completely wrong about the kids' stuff being open, they have the Miniature Museum and the Wax Museum.

 

 

Since you're sailing from Seattle, some of your port stops might be too short for a rental car to make sense.  It's just that with your big party, it also does.  Only one person has to go to the rental car agency and deal with all the rigamarole, and the cost is not per-person.   So I feel like you should do the rental car stuff this trip, in case you go back to Alaska and later opt not to do a car the second time (I did rental car in Skagway first and then White Pass railroad my second time, and I must say the rental car is better).

 

And don't forget to pack binoculars.  Or borrow them from a friend.

[SightCRR]

On any tour you are thinking about make sure the kids are old enough. 2& 5 will be to young to go on 

many of the tours which will mean that at least some of the adults can't go. For sure two will be to young for boat tours (whales crab etc) and maybe the 5 year old.  If Ketch port is Ward Cove make sure you read up about the port transportation. Rental cars is a great idea. Many cities will have beaches to go and throw rocks etc. 

Don't bother with Victoria as it is to short and far away to fiddle with. 

sightcrr

Edited August 12, 2022 by SightCRR

[donaldsc]

One thing that has not been pointed out.  You have a group of 13 people of different ages and probably different interests.  Why does everyone have to do the same things at every port?

 

DON

[tetleytea]

If you were going to drive to a beach and can't do whales anyway, in Juneau you might as well do St. Therese.   Good Alaskan-style beach there.  And you get to see those wild muskrats...pikas...whatever those rodents are in the rocks.

[gvgseg]

5 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

For Alaska, there really is no difference in cost between the cruise line pricing and private tours. Given the volatile nature of Alaska cruises this year (ports being skipped, the issue in Skagway, and multiple itinerary changes) I would just book through the cruise line.

This varies significantly by cruise line. When researching our cruise, I noticed that Princess excursion prices are very close to the prices you would get booking independently. However, Norwegian's excursions are significantly upcharged and you are definitely better booking independent if you are comfortable with that.

[SightCRR]

If Ovation looks like not Ward Cove which is good and likely short tender but long tender lines in Skagway. 

2022 Schedules | Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska (claalaska.com)

Check youtube for any tours you are interested in. Almost everyone will be there. Dog sled on road cart might be fun. Skagway or Juneau. 

If Ovation check Chris Wong Videos on youtube. He works in the casino and does videos on the ports. 

Fun to watch. If not on Ovation never mind. 

sightcrr 

 

[gvgseg]

We just came back from a Seattle-Juneau-Skagway-Glacier Bay-Ketchikan-Victoria-Seattle itinerary with a 10 year old and 7 year old.

 

In Juneau, we took a Lyft from the downtown area out to Mendenhall Glacier and spent about an hour or two exploring the glacier and visitor center. Thankfully, the Lyft driver gave us his cell phone number to contact him directly for a ride back because there was no cell service nor WiFi at Mendenhall in order to request a ride back. The cost for the Lyft was about $40-45 each way. This compares to $45 per adult and $35 per child to take the Blue Bus shuttle. 

 

Skagway - We rented a car through Turo and drove the Klondike Highway out to Emerald Lake and then turned around and came back. It was about 150 miles roundtrip. We stopped several times along the way to take photos. We also stopped at Yukon Suspension Bridge and at Tutshi Sled Dog Tours. We left Skagway at around 10am and got back at around 5:30pm. The scenery is breathtakingly spectacular. I would highly recommend doing this. I think with young kids this would give you a more flexibility then doing the White Pass Railroad. However, with a 2, 5, and 6 year old I could see car seats being an issue.

 

Ketchikan - We did the Rainforest Canoe and Nature Trail through the ship (contracted through Alaska Travel Adventures.) This would be a fun time for the adults, but the kids would be too young.

 

Victoria - We walked from the Ogden Point cruise terminal to the downtown/wharf area. It is about a 1 1/4 mile walk each way. There are enough people doing the same thing that you didn't really need to worry too much about getting lost. The buildings are pretty when they get lit up in the evening. There are also horse-drawn carriages that you use if you didn't want to walk.

[beth1299]

On 8/12/2022 at 3:17 PM, gvgseg said:

We just came back from a Seattle-Juneau-Skagway-Glacier Bay-Ketchikan-Victoria-Seattle itinerary with a 10 year old and 7 year old.

 

In Juneau, we took a Lyft from the downtown area out to Mendenhall Glacier and spent about an hour or two exploring the glacier and visitor center. Thankfully, the Lyft driver gave us his cell phone number to contact him directly for a ride back because there was no cell service nor WiFi at Mendenhall in order to request a ride back. The cost for the Lyft was about $40-45 each way. This compares to $45 per adult and $35 per child to take the Blue Bus shuttle. 

 

Skagway - We rented a car through Turo and drove the Klondike Highway out to Emerald Lake and then turned around and came back. It was about 150 miles roundtrip. We stopped several times along the way to take photos. We also stopped at Yukon Suspension Bridge and at Tutshi Sled Dog Tours. We left Skagway at around 10am and got back at around 5:30pm. The scenery is breathtakingly spectacular. I would highly recommend doing this. I think with young kids this would give you a more flexibility then doing the White Pass Railroad. However, with a 2, 5, and 6 year old I could see car seats being an issue.

 

Ketchikan - We did the Rainforest Canoe and Nature Trail through the ship (contracted through Alaska Travel Adventures.) This would be a fun time for the adults, but the kids would be too young.

 

Victoria - We walked from the Ogden Point cruise terminal to the downtown/wharf area. It is about a 1 1/4 mile walk each way. There are enough people doing the same thing that you didn't really need to worry too much about getting lost. The buildings are pretty when they get lit up in the evening. There are also horse-drawn carriages that you use if you didn't want to walk.

This is very helpful information, thank you for sharing. We are taking this same cruise with our boys in May, ages 13, 12 and 9 on the Norwegian Encore. Curious if your kids enjoyed it? 

[Joy62]

On 8/12/2022 at 6:23 AM, Joy62 said:

I've booked a RC cruise from Seattle for mid Sept and need some recommendations for excursions and/or tours. We've never been to Alaska, so are naive about what's best to do. We had a change in the itinerary, and are now going to Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau, and Victoria, BC.   I'm looking for some activities that good for different interests and ages.  There's some interest in seeing a Glacier or simple hikes (adults), possibly gold mining and dog sleds (for the kids).  I'm hoping costs will be more reasonable if we book private tours. We are a large group so I'm not sure about transport. Also, the kids are 2, 5 & 6, so I'm not sure about car seats?  I would be soooooo grateful for any tips or advice.

Thank you very much! I appreciate the help. As an FYI, I'm comparing prices and I am finding some differences for RC. For example the White Pass RR is $30 cheaper if you book directly, but you have to walk to the train station vs. boarding at the dock.  However for 11 people, that equates to $360 short walk.  I really appreciate the tip though and where prices are comparable, I'll definitely go with the ship's excursion.

[Joy62]

On 8/12/2022 at 8:59 AM, JT1962 said:

 

 

Thanks for the awesome feedback. I really appreciate all the tips and details.

[Joy62]

On 8/12/2022 at 2:17 PM, gvgseg said:

Thanks for sharing your itinerary and great ideas. I'm glad your kids had fun too.

 

[Joy62]

On 8/12/2022 at 11:03 AM, donaldsc said:

One thing that has not been pointed out.  You have a group of 13 people of different ages and probably different interests.  Why does everyone have to do the same things at every port?

 

DON

Totally agree. I'm trying to map out what we should do together and where we should split up.  I'm mapping out alternatives so all of the suggestions are super helpful!!

[zyx2008]

We went on a cruise last month with our extended family (three 70 year olds, three 40 year olds and a 9, 12 and 14 year old).  In Juneau (after our helicopter excursion was cancelled on the morning we docked), we booked a last minute excursion on the dock to Mendenhall Glacier (via the blue bus) and Gold Panning.  It ended up being a great day.  In Ketchikan, we walked around Creek Street and then went out on an UTV excursion (booked through Princess).  This was fabulous and enjoyed by all ages.  It got all of us out into the rainforest.  We ended up stopping at a lake and skipping rocks for a long period of time.  I would highly recommend.

[Ashland]

Bering Sea is a great suggestion in Ketchikan...however...children must be 5 years of age.

Opt for the Lumberjack show in that port.