Tell me about your favourite Alaskan excursion

[cruise_newbie]

I'm taking the round-trip seattle in early July on the Princess Sapphire. What do people suggest are the best excursions to book? Are the float planes/ helicopters worth the price? The flying time seems pretty short.

[cruisergrandma]

Our favorite shore excursion by far was whale watching in Juneau with Capt. Larry. He is quite a character and very knowledgeable. We saw humpback whales, sea lions and eagles so close we could almost reach out and touch them. It was fantastic.

[judytata11]

Seeing the scenery from the air is unbelievable.We had 2 clear days for our flights....over the Juneau ice fields and the mountains in Ketchican. The flights alone were worth the price but of course we loved the bear viewing and glacier walk!!!

[mscloyd]

On the cruisecritic homepage, there is a link to the top excursions in Alaska.

[Host Caroline]

Love Capt. Larry and the glacier helicopters but one of my favorites was the Chilkot Trail Hike n' Float.. The hike up the trail wasn't that long and on a beautiful June morning but it really gave you a perspective of how difficult the trek was along the trail for the miners.. and the float trip wasn't "white water rafting" but a beautiful float down the river to Dyea with great salmon snacks.. it was about 4-1/2 hrs.. just 2 couples and a guide.

Host Caroline
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[Budget Queen]

Yes- flights are worth it. They get my top vote for Alaska touring. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[CaribbeanBound]

We did Alaska on a budget, and wouldn't change a thing if we did it again!

Juneau: we rented a van for $65 from Rent-A-Wreck in advance and were met at the pier. We drove to Mendenhall Glacier Park where we took in the glacier and two self-guided trails: Photo Point and Nugget Falls (Free). Toured the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery ($12 for our group of 6). Highly recommend both. Hit Safeway for an early afternoon snack and souvenirs. Upon returning the van we were given a gratis tour of downtown. We elected to be dropped off in town to shop. Red Dog Saloon was too crowded so we just checked out a few shops in route to the ship.

Skagway: Rented a van for $75 from Avis which is located very close to the piers. We drove to Carcross, Yukon Territory, Canada (130 miles roundtrip). As it turned out, there’s really nothing in Carcross, but the trip was [I]incredible[/I]. (It’s not the destination —– it’s the journey). There was almost no traffic at all. We saw but one bus, a truck, and maybe 2 dozen cars the entire trip. We saw bears, caribou, mountain goats and bald eagles. We saw snow capped mountains and crystal clear lakes, numerous water falls, sweeping valley and mountain views, raging rivers, the White Mountain Pass Train. We got back into town about 2pm and shopped. Many interesting stores. The place was packed with 4 ships in port. Enjoyed an Alaska Amber Ale at the Red Onion Saloon and were driven back to the ship by the folks at Avis.

Ketchikan: the skies were clear. Short-sleeved shirts were the dress of the day. We simply walked around town. They experienced an electrical power shortage for about 1 hour around 8am. Some shops closed temporarily. Not much time to do anything special in Ketchikan other than visit the National Park Service’s museum which was quite informative, and shop. The town had some really fun shopping opportunities. Three places to stop in... "Good God" and ask for a sample of his Special Reserve smoked salmon; "Sockeye Sams": a nice all-around store; check out the ancient whale bone carvings. Look for the awesome (and reasonably priced) fossils and gemstones at "Poker Creek Gold" , and ask for a taste of the Birch Syrup at “Sam McGees” on Creek Street. We enjoyed another Alaska Amber Ale in a 3rd floor pub overlooking the dock. We didn’t leave the bar until the lines, to get back on the ship, got short.

[cruise_newbie]

is Captain Larry really so much better than the other whale watching tours? I feel more comfortable booking with the ship tours, and the cost is the same. Has anyone out there done a non-Capt. Larry whale watching?

[cruise_newbie]

CaribbeanBound, thanks for the low-budget ideas I might try some of those.

[Folladori4]

Just returned from a b2b cruise and it was awesome! Best tour we took was with Capt Larry . The people that went with Princess whale watching saw whales from a distance but we were in a much smaller and faster boat and we saw many whales up close. One whale came up next to ship went under us and back up on the other side. We could see into the blow holes and it made whale calls. Unforgetable!!Capt Larry can also tell you all about the whales and id them from their tails. Don't miss this tour!!! The Guided Wilderness Fishing tour was also a must if you like fishing. While the Salmon fishing charters were not that great. The other must is the Heleicopter to the glacier. It seems expensive but well worth the expense. Also the bus into the Yukon is great since it makes many stops for photos. No matter what you do you will have a great time just take twice as much film as you think you will need.

[Budget Queen]

If you want the ship excursion- by all means go with it. Allen Marine is long established and gives an excellent tour.

[columbus]

If you want one fantastic tour which is three tours in one go the the YUKON, the drive is out of this wourld as well it is the YUKON where the Klondike Gols Rush actually took place. The drive to Carcross is great as I read in one on the comments from CaribbeanBound mentioned. One very increadable tour they forgot to mention was the Yukon Horseback through Southeast Tours.

The Yukon Horseback goes past Carcross to ENERALD LAKE which is breathtaking. This tour takes you up into the highcountry in the backhills behind Emerald Lake for the view of a lifetime.

The Ranch is set up like a western town with antiques from the gold rush days and rustic old cabins ect. The guides are Yukon people who are actually born up there and have a great wealth of history and stories to share. We got to spot for wild animals and saw the white mountain sheep as well as bear through the spotting scope.

I have read great reviews off the boards about the tour. There is a new web site at [url="http://www.YukonHorses.com"]www.YukonHorses.com[/url] that gives a good idea of what to expect.

The three tours in one is: The drive into the YUKON, two the horseback and the scenery you can see as well as the people our family met made our trip.
Good LUck.

[Winddancer2004]

Columbus, that horseback excursion looks pretty wonderful to me and I can't wait until next year when we plan to take a cruise to Alaska. There was so much information on that website and that guide Joni has done so many interesting things. Whoa - shooting moose with a bow and arrow and packing 621 lbs??? Definitely, has my interest piqued. I am going to e-mail her and ask her about this "kidnapping business." I am curious what that is all about!

[columbus]

Winddancer;

Yes I would recommend the Yukon horseback to anyone I have rode horses a lot and Joni's horseback was the best. I was not aware of the kidnapping stuff but let me know what you find out, sounds like fun!

[Winddancer2004]

I e-mailed Yukonhorses.com and talked to the guide Joni and she was very helpful in answering my questions. I asked her about the kidnapping stuff and she said that anyone can hire them to kidnapp a member of the group as a fun thing. They dress as outlaws. You just have to plan it with her. What a hoot! She told me that they were actually planning a kidnapping that's suppose to be happening in the next 2 weeks or so. I wish I could be there to see it. Has anyone planned such a thing with them?

[Winddancer2004]

I just realized I forgot to mention that the kidnapping event is taking place at Emerald Lake! So some lucky travellers to Emerald Lake maybe able to catch a glimpse at this event...if you see people on horseback that would probably be it! If you see anything tell us about it!

[Michelene]

Hi,

Favourite Alaskan Excursion,

Skagway, Helicopter / Glacier / Dog Sledding

We did this with Temsco booked via Princess on the Dawn last year. They collected us from the end of the Pier, short drive to the Heli terminal, changed our boots, removed layers of clothing, weighed us all, and off we went.

This was without doubt the best day of the trip. I love dogs, love helicopters, and scenery blows me away, so I was in my element. I cannot recommend this highly enough. We spent a full hour and a half on the glacier with the pups, and our musher was wonderful. He rode on the sled in front, and we on the one behind. This is great, as the person on the front has some control and the one on the back is the camera operator. After a good chat with our musher, tour of the sled, intro to all the dogs, off we went. Absolutely brilliant. Too be in Alaska, riding a dog sled on a glacier, well, its hard to beat. After a good ride, and a few stops along the way, it was puppy time. Each musher owns his own dogs, so if you are lucky the one you get will have pups, but they are all so friendly it won't matter. After all of this, back onboard, for the fight back down. We had a pilot from England, and as we are from Australia, a few digs about the cricket and a joy flight was on. I am going to drag out my movies now, sit down with my pup and watch and remember. Do it. Whatever way, ship or direct with Temsco, just do it.

Second Favourite, Mt McKinley, Summit Flight.
Breathtaking - Clear day, wonderful pilot. Really exciting.

Have I raved enough,
Michelene

[tetons]

Denali
white water rafting and longest tundra tour

Skagway
helicopter with Temsco anywhere and the longest you can afford with a glacier landing

Juneau
whale watching with whomever fits your schedule

Ketchikan
anything on the water

Favorite of last trip was the helicopter/glacier landing

This trip, I hope it will be the bear trip. We are going end of August.