First time cruiser in Alaska - Port Stops

[giraffez]

Hi all,

 

This is my first post here.

 

I will be doing a cruise with Holland America (first time cruising) in Alaska doing the standard inside passage route and very excited!:)

 

I've read that the helicopter glacier tour is expensive but is a must!! If I was to do that, where would be the best place to do it in?

 

My ports of call are:

Skagway

Ketchikan

Juneau

Tracy Arm???

 

I'm on quite a tight budget after spending a fortune for the cruise itself. The shore excursions can be quite pricey. If I don't do the shore excursions, what can I do to pass the time at the port? Does the ship stop in the city centre where there are lots to explore on your own? Could I use public transport to get around?? If so, what can I do on my own in each of my port stops? I'm not the adventurous type (eg rafting, hiking, abseiling etc) and prefer more scenic, discovery type stuff.

 

Thanks in advance.

[dvdfreakmc]

Thanks for your post. While I have been to Alaska on HAL twice (once on Rotterdam and secondly on Zaandam) I am saved the helicopter tour for this summer on Oosterdam.

 

However, there is lots to do, if you don't want to spend a significant amount of money on tours in each port. There are several guidebooks that provide walking tours of each port in Alaska that you mention, and you can still have a splendid time.

 

Here are some ideas of things we did "off the grid":

 

Juneau - It is very easy to pick up a bus or transportation from the dock to Mendenhall Glacier. When I went two summers ago it was $5.00 each way, and we saw the same bald eagles by the side of the road that everyone on a fancy coach saw. The bus drops you off at the visitor's center (it is a national park), so you can hike or walk on various nature trails, as well as take in the center and the glacier. They run very regularly - you just go back to the drop off point and wait for your bus to make it's return trip. I haven't tried the gondola to the top of the mountain which is in walking distance, but plan to do that this summer.

 

Ketchikan - This is a walking city as well, and no trip would be complete without a walk up Creek Street and a visit to Dolly's. At the top of Creek Street there is a salmon run, and with a map you can find your way to the Totem Center and the Fish Hatchery where you just pay the price of admission and then walk back. Within walking distance of the dock is the Lumberjack show as well as a great regional museum on the area.

 

Skagway - The White Pass Railroad is fantastic, but if you can't handle the expense, the National Park exhibits are fascinating and just a few steps from your ship. There is a "pioneer" style show that is fun, which is again just a few blocks from the ship up the main drag.

 

Alaska is a great destination, as the beauty of what you are seeing is all around you, so while the tours are fantastic (we have done river rafting off the Mendenhall, canoeing in Ketchikan and other city tours) there is much fun to be had by just seeing what transportation is available at the dock and checking your watch often to ensure you get back to the ship on time. :-)

[vanrhyn]

 

Ketchikan - This is a walking city as well, and no trip would be complete without a walk up Creek Street and a visit to Dolly's. At the top of Creek Street there is a salmon run, and with a map you can find your way to the Totem Center and the Fish Hatchery where you just pay the price of admission and then walk back. Within walking distance of the dock is the Lumberjack show as well as a great regional museum on the area.

 

Mom and Dad did Alaska last summer and they said one of thier highlights was in Kethikan was something called a "Duck" Tour. This is a city tour from both land and water. The Vechile (or Boat) is an amphibious (Sp?) that takes you through the town and then along the water front. Both Mom and Dad said it was a blast and informative.

:)

[Jade13]

Mendenhall glacier in Juneau. Last year they were $199.00pp vs. $250.00pp if you paid through HAL, so a $100 savings for two people. You need to book right away as they sell out.

 

 

http://www.temscoair.com/

 

Unfortunately there was a storm that day in Juneau and all tours were cancelled. They were waiting in a van outside the ship to tell us but we already knew since the HAL shore execursion was cancelled. Our credit card was credited before we got home. It was supposed to be the highlight of our trip but we knew this could happen since it happened to my parents.

 

So, we went shopping and also to the Museum of Art which was excellant. We made a mistake not to take a cab to the glacier which we never did see. It was really miserable out that day in mid August too.

 

Another excursion that I heard was great (and always good in bad weather) was the whale watching. We didn't do this because we had gone whale watching in Seward after boarding and before our 11:30pm departure.

 

Apperantly if we had taken a cab to the glacier we would have seen bears which unfortunatelty we never saw all week.

[Jade13]

Alaska State Museum web site.

 

It was very good.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Juneau -- it's the Blue Bus -- cost the summer of 2006 was $6 per person each way to go Mendenhall Glacier. We did it and loved it. You can stay as long as you want -- keep in mind that there is no restaurant there so you may want to buy some snacks in town before going out to the glacier. Have been to Juneau quite a few times. The helicopter trips are pricey. On the Juneau website you can get a walking map showing the places of interest within walking distance of the ship. Also you can stop by the Red Dog Saloon -- best time is after 2 PM.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Ketchikan -- you can walk over to Creek Street and go through Dolly's House. There are several shops there. May even be lucky to see salmon in the creek. The lumberjack show is near the pier -- $30 per person last summer. There are lots of shops here if you need to buy souveniors. I have found this place to be the best for shopping. You can also book the Totem Bight and Saxmon Village tours off the ship. If you like smoked salmon the best place to get it is Salmon, Etc -- they will ship it home for you -- a HAL approved shop.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Skagway -- do agree that the White Pass & Yukon Railroad is a fantastic train trip -- have done it 3 times!! It is expensive but worth every penny - JMO.

 

You might look into the Yellow Cabs that go to the cemetary -- can't of the name right now.

 

The town has changed quite a bit since we were first there in the 80's -- too many jewelry shops.

 

Red Onion Saloon is a good place to eat.

[Stevesan]

Hi all,

 

This is my first post here.

 

I will be doing a cruise with Holland America (first time cruising) in Alaska doing the standard inside passage route and very excited!:)

 

I've read that the helicopter glacier tour is expensive but is a must!! If I was to do that, where would be the best place to do it in?

 

My ports of call are:

Skagway

Ketchikan

Juneau

Tracy Arm???

 

I'm on quite a tight budget after spending a fortune for the cruise itself. The shore excursions can be quite pricey. If I don't do the shore excursions, what can I do to pass the time at the port? Does the ship stop in the city centre where there are lots to explore on your own? Could I use public transport to get around?? If so, what can I do on my own in each of my port stops? I'm not the adventurous type (eg rafting, hiking, abseiling etc) and prefer more scenic, discovery type stuff.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

I understand your budget concerns, but don't miss out on the opportunity to enjoy the great adventure that is Alaska.

 

There's a ton of things to do, but as a first time visitor you'll often need a guide to fully enjoy the towns and sights. Look into booking independent tours. They're usually a bit cheaper than those sponsored by the cruise line, and you often have a better experience, and in smaller groups.

Since cruise lines and Alaska have been doing business with one another for more than one hundred years, you don't need to worry about the usual fears attendant with booking independent tours such as getting back to the ship on time.

 

The Cruise Critic web site has some good thumbnail descriptions of your Alaska ports:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/area.cfm?area=1

 

We visited your ports in 2002. I wrote a post cruise review. Following are some extracts.

 

Be sure to take full advantage of the lectures and narratives by your ship's naturalist.:

 

A “Naturalist” was assigned to Veendam. He offered daily talks on numerous subjects significant to our trip. Subjects such as “Fire and Ice” and “Glaciers, Rivers of Ice” were explored. He also scheduled “desk” sessions for one-on-one discussions and questions. While cruising glaciers, he provided a running narrative over the PA system. Besides the glorious scenery, the main reason for an Alaskan cruise is, of course, the ports. We scheduled shore excursions both through the ship and with independent operators. All of the ship’s tours were first rate with exceptional guides. Independent tours offer flexibility of schedule as well as a more intimate and personalized experience. They are generally less expensive, as well. Alaska ports make it very easy to book independent operators. I reserved most of ours before departure, but many can be booked right on the pier. Ketchikan, for example, has a shed on the dock with about twenty different tour desks lined up waiting for you. If you’re after a flight seeing or glacier landing type tour, you should advance book. Nearly all the tour operators have web sites. These are easy to find by going to each community’s web page where you’ll usually find links to the tours. Most of the Saxman Village, Gold Panning or Hiking type tours can wait till the last minute. Our best independent tour was a three hour Whale Watching Cruise with Orca Enterprises, aka Capt. Larry, while in Juneau. Capt Larry’s boat is custom built and seats a maximum of thirty-two passengers; however, he normally books only twenty-four, leaving extra wiggle room. The “Awesome Orca” is a forty-two foot water-jet propulsion craft with an enclosed lower deck. There is a roomy and comfortable exposed viewing deck on the aft end. The top deck is totally open for SRO viewing. Up-top limit is eight at a time, so we all periodically rotate. The trip through Auke Bay to the viewing area is at high speed, but the waters are calm throughout. The still waters in the bay combine with the smoother jet engines for a far smoother ride than our Sitka experience. We saw a number of whales, one of whom breeched directly in front of our bow. Two humpbacks were deep diving in tandem as a ballet duo, showing their flukes with each dive. Sea Lions and Dall’s Porpoises were abundant. Alas, no seals or orcas appeared today. Orca Enterprises is a truly first class operation. Capt. Larry provides the narration and finds the wildlife. His web site is: http://www.alaskawhalewatching.com/. You need to book this tour about one month in advance.

For the northbound leg, we had booked a helicopter/glacier landing tour in Juneau. The ship contracts with Temsco Helicopter who is the only operator licensed to land on Mendenhall Glacier. The weather was rainy, but open for flying, so we took off. Unfortunately, when we arrived over Mendenhall the weather shut down. Landings were cancelled and we had to return to base. One advantage of a back-to-back cruise is the potential to make up for lost opportunities. Since I had scheduled Orca Enterprises for the southbound leg, I stopped by their office on the pier and asked Becky to schedule Coastal Helicopter in conjunction with the boat tour. This permitted Orca to coordinate our boat tour and helicopter trip. The shuttle bus from the boat dropped us off at Coastal’s base. Coastal took us flight seeing over a few glaciers and landed on Norris Glacier. We had a beautiful sunny day, so both the boat trip and glacier landing came off great. Coastal is a much smaller operation than Temsco, but our pilot was skilled and an excellent tour guide.

Another first rate independent operator is Ketchikan City Tours who offer a Sea Kayak tour. We were provided with excellent guides and safe, well maintained and easy to operate kayaks. This is another tour you can book dockside. They’re at desk #11 and their web site is: http://citytours.alaskamade.com/.

[giraffez]

Thanks all for your replies!

 

For the helicopter ride, since you have to book in advance there is no way to predict the weather. If the weather is terrible (ie. very cloudy), is it still worth going? Would there be anything to see if this is the case? I don't think you can cancel once booked.

 

Should I do this in Skagway or Juneau? Which has the better glacier?

 

I know it rains alot in Ketchikan so I think I won't do any shore excursions here and save it for the other places. There are two totem parks here, which one is the better one and are they within walkable distance from the ship?

 

With the port calls, what happens with lunch and dinner? Do you go back onto the ship or dine somewhere else?

 

Thanks

[Stevesan]

Thanks all for your replies!

 

For the helicopter ride, since you have to book in advance there is no way to predict the weather. If the weather is terrible (ie. very cloudy), is it still worth going? Would there be anything to see if this is the case? I don't think you can cancel once booked.

 

Should I do this in Skagway or Juneau? Which has the better glacier?

 

I know it rains alot in Ketchikan so I think I won't do any shore excursions here and save it for the other places. There are two totem parks here, which one is the better one and are they within walkable distance from the ship?

 

With the port calls, what happens with lunch and dinner? Do you go back onto the ship or dine somewhere else?

 

Thanks

 

You may have missed my comments about heli trips, I'll repeat here:

 

For the northbound leg, we had booked a helicopter/glacier landing tour in Juneau. The ship contracts with Temsco Helicopter who is the only operator licensed to land on Mendenhall Glacier. The weather was rainy, but open for flying, so we took off. Unfortunately, when we arrived over Mendenhall the weather shut down. Landings were cancelled and we had to return to base.

 

Of course, there's no charge if either the trip is cancelled, or as in our case aborted. If the cloud cover was so low the chopper had to fly in or above the clouds, they wouldn't take off.

 

As to Ketchikan, it rains a lot in Alaska, not just Ketchikan. Just go with it.

 

I doubt that one totem park is better than another, but I also doubt that I could appreciate what I'm looking at without a local guide to explain the history and context of the artworks.

Booking a local tour in Ketchikan is easy, and not necessary to book in advance. Just browse thru the tour shed and sign on to whatever catches your fancy. On the outbound leg, we took the Saxman Village tour which was a totem tour. Although booked thru the ship, it cost a very reasonable $25 per adult and $15 for a child:

 

Ketchikan, for example, has a shed on the dock with about twenty different tour desks lined up waiting for you.

[dare2dream]

DH an I did a cruise tour to Alaska in August 05 on the Veendam for our 25th wedding anniversary. It was everything I imagined and more. These boards were tremendously helpful to me. The suggestions offered here so far are good ones but I would also suggest you check out the Alaska forum in the Ports of call section. The experts there can also offer more advice.

 

PS we booked our helicopter tour online through HAL before we sailed and paid in full at booking. The weather was bad in Skagway and we received a full refund to our shipboard account. We did not spend all the refund on the ship so when we checked out we got the balance on our shipboard account refunded to us in CA$H. We actually went to Alaska and came home with more cash than we left with.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Brenda

[Atomica]

There's plenty to explore in each town - if you do a little hunting!

 

Don't be put off at first when you step off the ship in each port and are greeted by a million and one Diamonds International-style stores. Walking a few blocks away from the port will get you into the 'real' stores.

 

Also, if you google each town, usually the town's webpage will come up. Most will mail you a free visitor's guide, and a few even have printable walking tours with directions.

 

For dinner, we tended to take our time ashore and take most of our dinners in the lido or our cabin via room service, but this won't be everyone's cup of tea. If you can manage it, I'd take the late seating dinner - it gives you more time in port, particularily if you do take a long excursion.

 

As for the weather - like someone posted above, go with the flow. If it's pouring, just open up the umbrella and enjoy!

[giraffez]

Thanks all your valuable input. Can't wait till the cruise.

 

One more question, how likely are bear and whale sightings (not counting shore excursions) in late May?

[Stevesan]

Thanks all your valuable input. Can't wait till the cruise.

 

One more question, how likely are bear and whale sightings (not counting shore excursions) in late May?

 

We went in June and the whale sightings from the ship were frequent.

 

Bear sightings not so much from the ship. Occasionally a bear or two can be seen along the shore line while the ship's in the Inside Passage, which is most of the time. But you'd need binoculars and a sharp eye.

 

BTW - It's a good idea to bring binoculars on the trip. Wild life sightings are always more effective. There are hundreds of eagles almost everywhere. If you take a boat tour you'll see Humpback Whales, sea otters, sea lions, Dahl's Porpoises and if you're lucky maybe an Orca or two.

 

Bears are seen more often when you go a bit inland. We saw a few from the White Pass train.