Shore excursions in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan

[lilymae]

We will be going on the Golden Princess at the end of June - our stops are in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria. We would like to do mostly hiking, wildlife observation, whale watching excursions.

 

Looking for advise of whether to book the excursion through the cruise company or on our own - if on our own - any recommendations on the tour companies would be great.

 

And I would appreciate any recommendations on what which excursion to pick.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Lucy 'n Lenny]

Hi,

 

We just got back and our excursions were so much fun! We went whale watching in Juneau with Orca Enterprises (fun purple jet boat), took the rail/bus trip in Skagway with Chilkoot Charters and booked a Princess tour for horseback riding in Dyea (outside of Skagway).

 

All were amazing. We probably should've booked something for Ketchikan, but focused mostly on shopping at Creek Street due to limited time. I think you need an excursion here to get out and see something exciting.

 

Enjoy!

[Putterdude]

For sure you want to do the WP&YRR trip in Skagway, it is a spectacular trip.

[Budget Queen]

There is plenty of hiking in Alaska, that you don't need a "tour" for. Mt. Roberts, Mendenhall, Lower Dewey Lake, are a few easy access ones that are popular.

 

Your "wildlife" going just on the inside passage is about whales. Consider a tour out of Juneau for humpbacks. Several excellent independent vendors to consider. I am a long time customer of Orca Enterprises.

 

Eagles are everywhere, keep looking up. :) A good pair of wide angle binoculars are necessary for touring Alaska, be sure to have a pair.

[lilymae]

thank you for your replies...i'm a novice traveler (and this will be my first time on a cruise) and appreciate any help i can get! I will look into Ocra enterprises (i've also seen this company recommended several times on this discussion board). Our ship will be at the Juneau port from 12pm - 10pm....i would like to do a whale watching trip and Mendelhall glacier...what would be the best way to coordinate that - meaning whales first or glacier first? is it easy to get to the glacier without prebooking an excursion through the cruise line - do you have to arrange transportation ahead of time or can this be done efficiently after getting off the ship? thank you again for the advice!!

[lilymae]

Lucy n' Lenny, since you are just off the the same ship we will be on, i would love to read more about your experience if you don't mind sharing - what your thought of the ship, any tips, etc.

 

also for Orca enterprises - how did you get there after getting off the ship? how did you get back to the ship? what time did you book?

 

sorry about so many questions, but i can use all the help i can get :)

[Lucy 'n Lenny]

Hi Everyone,

 

Orca Enterprises coordinated our tour to include Mendenhall Glacier. It cost $18 per person extra and you can do whales/glacier in either order.

 

We were in Juneau from 12 to 10 (I think). We got a 1:00 shuttle to the dock and ended up at Mendenhall around 3:30 or 4:00. I enjoyed the whales more than the glacier but I was tired at that point and it was raining.

 

The Golden Princess was beautiful and the staff were incredible. The Kids' Fun Zone could've used more creative activities, but there weren't many kids on board.

 

It was drizzly the day we went to Tracy Arm but we got all the way to the glacier and saw lots of icebergs.

 

On the way to Victoria, we followed a pod of orcas (or they followed us).

 

I still feel like I'm on the boat.

Kim

[Lucy 'n Lenny]

I forgot to mention this. Their office is only about 2 blocks from the ship, an easy walk. I think they'll adjust your tour time if your boat is late but you may want to check.

[kaudrey]

Just to offer another option for whale watching - we have booked Harv and Marv. They were booked in the morning so we have an afternoon tour. Since we also wanted to go to Mendenhall, they offered to pick us up there for whale watching at no extra charge. We'll take the shuttle bus out there, hike, then go whale watching, and they will drop us off back in port.

 

Hiking - Dewey Lake in Skagway and Deer Mtn in Ketchikan are options (and free!).

[parasol]

Just to offer another option for whale watching - we have booked Harv and Marv. They were booked in the morning so we have an afternoon tour. Since we also wanted to go to Mendenhall, they offered to pick us up there for whale watching at no extra charge. We'll take the shuttle bus out there, hike, then go whale watching, and they will drop us off back in port.

 

Hiking - Dewey Lake in Skagway and Deer Mtn in Ketchikan are options (and free!).

Did you hike Deer Mtn.? I'm trying to decide if I want to spend my day doing that or kayaking.

[jmk Illinois]

My husband and I just returned from Alaska on May 11-we were on the Star Princess. We loved it.

 

I highly recommend the Aleutian Ballad from Ketchican especially if you are fans of the Discovery Channel TV show "The Deadliest Catch". This was a four hour tour on a crab boat where they actually pulled up the crab pots and allowed everyone to hold/or touch the catch. A few of the animals were put into tanks for viewing. The rest were returned to the sea. The boat was fitted with stadium seating and it had heaters mounted in the overhang. We were cozy and interested. The best was the owner and the crew. Always interesting to see what others do. This was a slice of Alaska I am glad I got to experience.

 

We booked this tour through the ship.

[jmk Illinois]

I forgot to mention that we saw eagles feeding just off the boat as well.

 

In Skagway we loved the Eagle Preserve float trip out of Haines-I wouldn't do this on your own though, book through the ship-I think we returned with a half hour to spare before boarding.

[lilymae]

Thank you again for everyone's input, it's extremely valuable to my planning process!

 

Lucy n' Lenny - Orca enterprises emailed me back saying that they have an opening for the 1pm whale excursion (followed by glacier later), we are scheduled to dock at noon - in your experience would this be enough time - i'm a little nervous about this!:confused:

[kaudrey]

Did you hike Deer Mtn.? I'm trying to decide if I want to spend my day doing that or kayaking.

 

Hi parasol - no, not yet. But I have it on my list as it was recommended by someone over on tripadvisor. We haven't booked anything in Ketchikan yet and are also deciding between kayaking and hiking. We might leave it open and see what's available when we get there. We are going toward the end of July.

[smitty3000]

Hi' date='

 

We just got back and our excursions were so much fun! We went whale watching in Juneau with Orca Enterprises (fun purple jet boat), took the rail/bus trip in Skagway with Chilkoot Charters and booked a Princess tour for horseback riding in Dyea (outside of Skagway).

 

All were amazing. We probably should've booked something for Ketchikan, but focused mostly on shopping at Creek Street due to limited time. I think you need an excursion here to get out and see something exciting.

 

Enjoy![/quote']

Noticed on Princess website they have a tour called Neet's Bay Bear Tour. I wonder if this would be a good one to take in Ketchikan. Anyone out there take this excursion. I would rather do tour than shop. Thanks for any info.

[buttah75]

We are going to have the exact same stops (once I figure out which date), so I'd like to piggy back on here.

 

However, our interests are land and sea wildlife, whale-watching, dog-sledding (would love to actually drive the sleds), helicopter rides, zip-lines.

 

Thanks in advance!!

[buttah75]

I also wondered if it's ever possible to do two excursions at one stop, for example the dogsled helicopter tour AND the whale-watching tour in Juneau...

or a zip-line and something else in Ketchikan? I fear I already know the answer.

[boingy300]

For sure you want to do the WP&YRR trip in Skagway, it is a spectacular trip.

 

What is the WP&YRR?We are new at this.

Thanks,

Karen

[NayRN]

I hope no one has posted this information yet....I've just been scanning....

 

How is the Duck tour in Ketchikan? I've been looking forward to it but I read somewhere that it's not very interesting or fun! Any thoughts?

 

Thanks!!

Renee'

[mill231]

Yes, you can do that. We are doing whale watching and the dog sledding on the glacier both in the same day and then stopping at Menendall glacier on our way back. Harv and Marv will coordinate with the dog sledding place. They will drop us off at the dog sledding so we don't have to go clear back to the ship.

[Suzanne123]

I took the Duck tour in Ketchikan while DH went fishing, and I really enjoyed it. When we splashed down in the harbor area, eagles were thick as pigeons in the city. I lost count of them.

I thought the tour was fun, and certainly worth the price. :)

[cruisingsaw]

Suzanne123 did your husband to Halibut fishing. We are 2 couples and our dh want to halibut fish. What trip did he do. Thanks

[NayRN]

I took the Duck tour in Ketchikan while DH went fishing, and I really enjoyed it. When we splashed down in the harbor area, eagles were thick as pigeons in the city. I lost count of them.

I thought the tour was fun, and certainly worth the price. :)

 

Thanks! You made me feel much better! :cool:

 

Renee'

[Suzanne123]

In Ketchikan DH did the Guided Fishing and Wilderness Dining excursion three times and has signed up to do it again this year. It's his favorite excursion.

http://www.princess.exclusivefishing.com/

 

He has also fished in Juneau and Sitka, but on those trips he had to share a rod and was a little disappointed.