eyeeye Posted April 8, 2023 #1 Share Posted April 8, 2023 We are doing Solstice in early June. Trying to figure out some decent interesting excursions with our teenagers. Thoughts so far... Skagway....Lower Reid Falls Ketchikan.....Lumberjack Show and Rainbird Trail Juneau...explore Mendenhall on our own to Nugget Falls Random thoughts: The Aleutian Ballard was recommended however crabbing is stopped this season. We arrive to Juneau at 1:30PM so any planned excursion longer than 3-4 hours will cut into dinner back on ship and we do not want to do buffet at dinner. Most whale watches were starting at 4-5:00, so we would be back on ship 8-9:00. Also read on NPS website that Chilkoot trail is closed due to flooding and it needs extensive rehab so those excursions will be probably changed. We did the railroad in Skagway 20 years ago and think the boys will be bored after 20 minutes. Any input or your thoughts are welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruready Posted April 8, 2023 #2 Share Posted April 8, 2023 They may think the lumber show too silly (I enjoyed the silliness and my then 6 year old thoroughly enjoyed it). It was fun for me to see how strong they are, but then again I appreciate the ability to go on any excursion. I now have a teen too and he would more enjoy active excursions like kayaking, dune buggies, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandyq1030 Posted April 8, 2023 #3 Share Posted April 8, 2023 We took 3 teenagers last year to Alaska and they are all pretty active. We did a dog sled excursion in Juneau and the kids all enjoyed it. In Skagway, we ziplined over waterfalls which was super fun. Our Ketchikan stop got canceled but we looked into kayaking. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted April 8, 2023 #4 Share Posted April 8, 2023 The crab fishing season may be closed but the Aleutian Ballad does not keep the crab that are caught. They are returned to the water. The highlight of this excursion is photographing the eagle grabbing fish with their large talons. Mendenhall Glacier trekking via helicopter appeals to all ages. Dogsledding via helicopter in Skagway is my favorite Alaska excursion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slidergirl Posted April 9, 2023 #5 Share Posted April 9, 2023 I think the lumberjack show would be pretty cheesy for teenage boys (too cheesy for me and I'm an old lady). did you show your boys some ideas and see what they think yet? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfie11 Posted April 9, 2023 #6 Share Posted April 9, 2023 Skagway - Chilkoot Trail hike and float, Glacier Point Canoe or ATV, Tagushuk Mountain ATV, hike to Dewey Lake on your own Juneau - Mendenhall Glacier, tram and hiking on Mt. Roberts, summer dog camp, Taku lodge seaplane($$), Taku Glacier by air and boat($$$) Ketchikan - rain forest hike, Alaska fossil exhibit, sea kayaking, hovercraft tour, canopy adventure, salmon fishing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyeeye Posted April 9, 2023 Author #7 Share Posted April 9, 2023 I read the Chilkoot Trail was closed but I will follow status. I think the Whale Watching may get boring for the teens. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfie11 Posted April 9, 2023 #8 Share Posted April 9, 2023 5 hours ago, eyeeye said: I read the Chilkoot Trail was closed but I will follow status. I think the Whale Watching may get boring for the teens. Thanks The hike and float only utilizes the first few miles of the 33-mile trail. Also forgot to mention the "drive your own zodiac" tour in Ketchikan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted April 9, 2023 #9 Share Posted April 9, 2023 I personally would not take teens to the lumberjack show. I think it is fine for those under 8. You can watch videos and see if it s appropriate. As an adult, I did not enjoy it. I agree with landing on Mendenhall. Going to Mendenhall and the hike is underwhelming IMO. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitkat343 Posted April 11, 2023 #10 Share Posted April 11, 2023 (edited) You'd need to contact the Bering Sea crab tour directly, but I believe they told us they sail to waters that are under Native Alaskan jurisdiction (one tribe negotiated water rights as part of their treaty with the federal government and the tour pays for the right to use their water) so they may be able to run this season. If so, I'd highly recommend it but you'd need to contact them to see if they are planning to run this season https://alaskacrabtour.com/contact/ . IT would be extremely expensive, but you can consider Temsco helicopter tour to a Dog Sled camp in Skagway (please note that Temsco is the subcontractor for the helicopter tours for the cruise ships, and you can save 10% by booking directly through their company. Also, if you choose to visit a dog sled camp, please make sure you do it in Skagway, not Juneau since the weather is a bit more stable in Skagway. Also, please try to book your helicopter tour in the morning, since helicopter tours are often cancelled due to inclement weather. If your helicopter is scheduled for the morning, you will have a better chance of it being rescheduled for the afternoon, instead of the tour being cancelled outright. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that you will be able to participate in this amazing activity due to the unpredictable Alaskan weather). Edited April 11, 2023 by kitkat343 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashland Posted April 11, 2023 #11 Share Posted April 11, 2023 The Bering Sea Crab tour is open and running...You shouldn't miss out on this amazing tour. A big mistake to do the Lumberjack show with teens. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare lyndarra Posted April 11, 2023 #12 Share Posted April 11, 2023 In Skagway I have done the Grizzly Falls (private) zipline tour. Teens would love it. My late wife and I did this when we were in our mid 60s about eight years ago. It also stopped at a dog sled camp where we changed over from mini bus (from the ship) to a Unimog for an exciting ride up the mountain to the zipline starting point. In Juneau there is the Five Glacier float plane and Taku Lodge salmon bake. I imagine teens would enjoy flying in the updated, 10 passenger, Sea Otters. Expensive, yes, but for us it was a bucket list item. We have nothing like it in Australia. Lumberjack show was enjopyable for us, pretty much as described by others here. There was a kayak trek at one port, possibly Ketchikan. It looked interesting. Will be back there again this June. Can't wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boo's Mom Posted April 11, 2023 #13 Share Posted April 11, 2023 On 4/8/2023 at 12:52 PM, eyeeye said: We are doing Solstice in early June. Trying to figure out some decent interesting excursions with our teenagers. Thoughts so far... Skagway....Lower Reid Falls Ketchikan.....Lumberjack Show and Rainbird Trail Juneau...explore Mendenhall on our own to Nugget Falls Random thoughts: The Aleutian Ballard was recommended however crabbing is stopped this season. We arrive to Juneau at 1:30PM so any planned excursion longer than 3-4 hours will cut into dinner back on ship and we do not want to do buffet at dinner. Most whale watches were starting at 4-5:00, so we would be back on ship 8-9:00. Also read on NPS website that Chilkoot trail is closed due to flooding and it needs extensive rehab so those excursions will be probably changed. We did the railroad in Skagway 20 years ago and think the boys will be bored after 20 minutes. Any input or your thoughts are welcome. I would not recommend the Lumberjack Show for your teens. It is a canned production. Cheesy. How about a fishing excursion/charter? You can book one independent of the cruise ship and save a lot of $$. The fish can be shipped home. Makes a great "souvenir". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erienetuser Posted April 12, 2023 #14 Share Posted April 12, 2023 On 4/8/2023 at 1:52 PM, eyeeye said: We arrive to Juneau at 1:30PM so any planned excursion longer than 3-4 hours will cut into dinner back on ship and we do not want to do buffet at dinner. Most whale watches were starting at 4-5:00, so we would be back on ship 8-9:00. I wouldn't pass on a whale watching tour (or any tour really) just to be back for dinner. I agree with others to pass on the lumberjack show. Depending on your ability, you can hike to the top of Mt Roberts (free tram down!), if not then do the Gold Creek Flume trail. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pluto_fan Posted April 12, 2023 #15 Share Posted April 12, 2023 5 hours ago, erienetuser said: Depending on your ability, you can hike to the top of Mt Roberts (free tram down!) Thank you for this suggestion; I was wondering if this was possible. This is what we did in Bergen, Norway, and it was perfect for us. Does anyone have any idea if the hike up is comparable? 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cw2go Posted April 12, 2023 #16 Share Posted April 12, 2023 6 hours ago, erienetuser said: I wouldn't pass on a whale watching tour (or any tour really) just to be back for dinner. I agree with others to pass on the lumberjack show. Depending on your ability, you can hike to the top of Mt Roberts (free tram down!), if not then do the Gold Creek Flume trail. 100% Agree! Ships Food vs Alaska Adventure, no contest! Patty 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare eileeshb Posted April 12, 2023 #17 Share Posted April 12, 2023 (edited) On 4/8/2023 at 6:52 PM, eyeeye said: We are doing Solstice in early June. Trying to figure out some decent interesting excursions with our teenagers. Thoughts so far... Skagway....Lower Reid Falls Ketchikan.....Lumberjack Show and Rainbird Trail Juneau...explore Mendenhall on our own to Nugget Falls Random thoughts: The Aleutian Ballard was recommended however crabbing is stopped this season. We arrive to Juneau at 1:30PM so any planned excursion longer than 3-4 hours will cut into dinner back on ship and we do not want to do buffet at dinner. Most whale watches were starting at 4-5:00, so we would be back on ship 8-9:00. Also read on NPS website that Chilkoot trail is closed due to flooding and it needs extensive rehab so those excursions will be probably changed. We did the railroad in Skagway 20 years ago and think the boys will be bored after 20 minutes. Any input or your thoughts are welcome. I’m kinda surprised at the timing for the whale watching, my cruise will also arrive at 1.30pm and there are a couple of whale watching options at 2pm. There is one company - Gastineau guiding that run a couple of excursions for the cruiselines, it might be worth checking with them for your cruise. Their one with NCL for my cruise is Discover Alaska’s Whales which is a more interactive small boat based excursion but it is more expensive. I actually wasn’t considering it based on NCLs description but Gastineau gave me more info on which completely changed my understanding of the excursion. Earlier in the season they also do a photo safari version which includes Mendenhall glacier if your teens are interested in photography. Unfortunately my sailing is October so there isn’t enough daylight for that one. Edited April 12, 2023 by eileeshb Typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCJack Posted April 12, 2023 #18 Share Posted April 12, 2023 3 hours ago, Pluto_fan said: Thank you for this suggestion; I was wondering if this was possible. This is what we did in Bergen, Norway, and it was perfect for us. Does anyone have any idea if the hike up is comparable? 🤔 Another option is to take tram up. Then hike the trails that go up from the top tram station. Then take tram back down. Essentially only hiking above the tram. We did this and the views are fantastic. Not a lot of trees up there though, and a bit windy. I think the hike from street level to top of tram would have more trees and be a steeper hike (although we did not hike that portion so i am not sure). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erienetuser Posted April 12, 2023 #19 Share Posted April 12, 2023 5 hours ago, Pluto_fan said: Thank you for this suggestion; I was wondering if this was possible. This is what we did in Bergen, Norway, and it was perfect for us. Does anyone have any idea if the hike up is comparable? 🤔 Per All Trails it's 7.6 mi round trip with a gain of 3700', some of that is at 38 degrees, and takes 6-7 hours. But that's round trip, if you took the tram down it'll cut your time but not in half. Uphill is a killer for me cardio wise but downhill is a killer on my knees lol. If you do it let us know! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pluto_fan Posted April 12, 2023 #20 Share Posted April 12, 2023 53 minutes ago, erienetuser said: Per All Trails it's 7.6 mi round trip with a gain of 3700', some of that is at 38 degrees, and takes 6-7 hours. But that's round trip, if you took the tram down it'll cut your time but not in half. Uphill is a killer for me cardio wise but downhill is a killer on my knees lol. If you do it let us know! Thanks for those details! I'm not familiar with All Trails; I'll have to check that out. I'm not sure that we want to devote that much of our time in Juneau to a hike...hmm...🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erienetuser Posted April 12, 2023 #21 Share Posted April 12, 2023 54 minutes ago, Pluto_fan said: I'm not sure that we want to devote that much of our time in Juneau to a hike...hmm...🤔 Ha - I thought the same! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
latebuyer Posted April 12, 2023 #22 Share Posted April 12, 2023 My sister went last summer with 2 girl teens 16 and 18. They liked the sled dog excursion i believe it was in juneau. My sister thought it was a waste of money but they both really enjoyed it. It was the cheaper one not in the snow. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare SuzieQ521 Posted April 12, 2023 #23 Share Posted April 12, 2023 (edited) 15 minutes ago, latebuyer said: My sister went last summer with 2 girl teens 16 and 18. They liked the sled dog excursion i believe it was in juneau. My sister thought it was a waste of money but they both really enjoyed it. It was the cheaper one not in the snow. I'm debating about doing that dog sled camp excursion. I have a 4 year old so I think he would really enjoy it; it just seems so expensive ($149-adults) for what it is. But excursions in Alaska are all expensive! Edited April 12, 2023 by SuzieQ521 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickboxrca Posted April 15, 2023 #24 Share Posted April 15, 2023 We did the dog sled camp last year in Skagway - was definitely a highlight for us and for all of the people that were on our bus - I think the one in Juneau would be similar. And yes, everything in Alaska is much more expensive. I would skip the lumberjack show for sure - the Bering Sea fishermen tour is a blast - we've done it twice. Ketchikan is lovely to even just walk around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted April 15, 2023 #25 Share Posted April 15, 2023 On 4/12/2023 at 6:59 PM, SuzieQ521 said: I'm debating about doing that dog sled camp excursion. I have a 4 year old so I think he would really enjoy it; it just seems so expensive ($149-adults) for what it is. But excursions in Alaska are all expensive! Just prepare your 4 year old for the knowledge that there will be several individual dog houses and the dogs will be tied to their dog house with a short chain or rope. So they are not running freely in a big back yard. Though the dogs get plenty of exercise and can't wait to be picked to be part of the sled runs. This bothers some people. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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