What to do and Where to do it??

[Mizzoufan]

My husband and I are taking our first Alaska cruise on the NCL Pearl on May 13th. We have several "must dos" for our excursions and would like some advice on what to do and where to do it... Maybe some of you can offere a little help?

 

This is our list of things we'd like to do in order of priority. I have also included our ports of call. Let me know what you think. Thanks!:) :) :)

 

1. Whale watching

2. Flight or boat trip to Glaciers

3. Kayaking

4. Fishing

 

Sun May 13 Seattle, WA 4:00pm

Mon May 14 Inside Passage (Cruising)

Tue May 15 Juneau, AK 2:00pm 10:00pm

Wed May 16 Skagway, AK 7:00am 8:00pm

Thu May 17 Glacier Bay National Park, AK (Cruising)

Fri May 18 Ketchikan, AK 6:00am 1:30pm

Sat May 19 Victoria, Canada 6:00pm Midnight

Sun May 20 Seattle, WA 7:00am

[fti]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

You can do whale watching in Juneau. Lots of threads on this board about it. Three companies that seem to be mentioned a lot are Harvs and Marvs, Orca Enterprises and Alaskan Marine Adventures.

 

You will have glacier viewing at Glacier Bay NP. It might be a bit early for Tracy Arm but you could look into a couple of vendors that do a Tracy Arm trip out of Juneau. One is Gold Belt Tours. Another is Adventure Bound Alaska. You can also go to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau for $6-$7 each way - there is a bus from the cruise pier to the visitor center.

 

I will leave the kayaking and fishing options to someone more knowledgeable than me.

[Toyz711]

did that same route, last year, on the NCL star...great route. you will love glacier bay!!!

juneau: here's where you want to whale watch. several vendors, that don't book through the cruise ship, are available. have heard raves about the cruise ship one, also..but it's a bigger ship and moves to other views (sea lions, glacier through the mountains) i wanted just whales and nothing but whales..got that through orca enterprises. juneau, also, has mendenhall glacier...nice views, easy to get to, cheap to do

http://www.traveljuneau.com/

http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/districts/mendenhall/

http://www.orcaenterprises.com/

if you have 4 or more in your party, there are smaller whale watching vendors that only take 4 to 6. with a party that size, you charter the whole boat for your pleasure.

fishing is good at juneau or ketchikan, but it would be best to see what the fishing charters say about what fish is available that time of year.

http://www.visit-ketchikan.com/

http://www.skagway.com/

skagway is known for the train ride/historic town

http://www.wpyr.com/

many do the round-trip throught the cruise ship, other do a combo trip with train one-way and bus the other. goes further north and longer trips. then many rent cars and drive the highway. just depends on your pleasure.

i would have some plans and bookings made (for the important stuff) before you cruise. many ways to go besides what the cruise ship offers.

if you read down a couple of pages, you will see many discussions on the train/car rentals/flightseeing

have a great time

[OnlyMe]

You might want to consider the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari out of Skagway also - the highlight of our trip in 2005! If you do a search there quite a few posts on it on CC.

[Mrs007]

Well, from my experience, Juneau will be your whale watch and/or glacier helicopter tour stop, Skagway (if you are not doing the train) will be your flightseeing/glacier landing, Ketchikan is great for a Misty Fjords tour either by boat or floatplane, haven't been to Victoria, but hear it is great for orca whale tours. Again, Juneau woul be good for fishing. Others have been there (or live there) and may have many more suggestions. Enjoy, you will be amazed by Alaska!

[Mizzoufan]

Well, from my experience, Juneau will be your whale watch and/or glacier helicopter tour stop, Skagway (if you are not doing the train) will be your flightseeing/glacier landing, Ketchikan is great for a Misty Fjords tour either by boat or floatplane, haven't been to Victoria, but hear it is great for orca whale tours. Again, Juneau woul be good for fishing. Others have been there (or live there) and may have many more suggestions. Enjoy, you will be amazed by Alaska!

Thank you for the information. This is super helpful. It looks like Juneau will be our whale watching adventure. I will check out the recommended companies. Can't wait!

 

Also mentioned was Skagway for train and/or flightseeing/glacier landing, Ketchikan for Misty Fjords tour either by boat or floatplane. Do you have any suggestions for companies (other than NCL) that you would recommend for these trips?

[Mizzoufan]

You might want to consider the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari out of Skagway also - the highlight of our trip in 2005! If you do a search there quite a few posts on it on CC.

Good idea! I will check it out. Thanks!

[Mizzoufan]

did that same route, last year, on the NCL star...great route. you will love glacier bay!!!

juneau: here's where you want to whale watch. several vendors, that don't book through the cruise ship, are available. have heard raves about the cruise ship one, also..but it's a bigger ship and moves to other views (sea lions, glacier through the mountains) i wanted just whales and nothing but whales..got that through orca enterprises. juneau, also, has mendenhall glacier...nice views, easy to get to, cheap to do

http://www.traveljuneau.com/

http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/districts/mendenhall/

http://www.orcaenterprises.com/

if you have 4 or more in your party, there are smaller whale watching vendors that only take 4 to 6. with a party that size, you charter the whole boat for your pleasure.

fishing is good at juneau or ketchikan, but it would be best to see what the fishing charters say about what fish is available that time of year.

http://www.visit-ketchikan.com/

http://www.skagway.com/

skagway is known for the train ride/historic town

http://www.wpyr.com/

many do the round-trip throught the cruise ship, other do a combo trip with train one-way and bus the other. goes further north and longer trips. then many rent cars and drive the highway. just depends on your pleasure.

i would have some plans and bookings made (for the important stuff) before you cruise. many ways to go besides what the cruise ship offers.

if you read down a couple of pages, you will see many discussions on the train/car rentals/flightseeing

have a great time

Thanks Cathi! Good to know that the itinerary on NCL is a good one! Whale watching is what I am looking forward to most!!

[countrygal52]

We will have at least 8-9 hours in Icy Strait Point as part of our cruise-tour in August. I hear it is one of the "newer" ports-of-call and not as "touristy" as some others. Any suggestions for making the most of our time there?

Are there any whale watching tours there or should we just look around and absorb the scenery?

 

Thanks for any suggestions - this is our first cruise but hopefully NOT our last!!:p

[fti]

Thank you for the information. This is super helpful. It looks like Juneau will be our whale watching adventure. I will check out the recommended companies. Can't wait!

 

Also mentioned was Skagway for train and/or flightseeing/glacier landing, Ketchikan for Misty Fjords tour either by boat or floatplane. Do you have any suggestions for companies (other than NCL) that you would recommend for these trips?

 

Misty Fjords flightseeing is popular with Southeast Aviation and Island Wings. Island Wings lands on a lake in the Fjords and you can get out of the plane. Southeast Aviation might or might not land on a lake since they don't have such permits for all their planes.

[Budget Queen]

In Juneau you can combine a whale watch and glacier helicopter landing cobooking independent. You are too early and not enough port time for Tracy Arm.

 

Glacier Point Safari gets consistant rave reviews.

 

Kayaking and fishing are excellent out of Ketchikan, but not enough time to do both. I would contact directly fishing vendors and inquire of the "season" available.

 

I am also on this Pearl sailing 5-13.

[Budget Queen]

We will have at least 8-9 hours in Icy Strait Point as part of our cruise-tour in August. I hear it is one of the "newer" ports-of-call and not as "touristy" as some others. Any suggestions for making the most of our time there?

Are there any whale watching tours there or should we just look around and absorb the scenery?

 

Thanks for any suggestions - this is our first cruise but hopefully NOT our last!!:p

 

This is Hoonah. And just excellent for humpbacks. :) Booking independent will give you more time on the tour, since ship tours seem to be only a couple hours. Longer is always better for wildlife viewing.

[southwardbound]

I would like more information on the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari in Skagway. Where can one book this tour and find out more information? Is this a cruise ship tour or can it be booked independantly. When I google it I don't find a tour operator. Thanks.:)

[Budget Queen]

I would like more information on the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari in Skagway. Where can one book this tour and find out more information? Is this a cruise ship tour or can it be booked independantly. When I google it I don't find a tour operator. Thanks.:)

 

It is completely ship contracted, look at your shore excursion list.