4 ships in Ketchikan????

[tjcletsgo]

On my May 20th sailing on Volendam, there will be 4 (yes, four) cruise ships in Ketchikan!!!!!!!!!!! Considering it's such a small town, how can that be??????????????? We'll be there from 10:00-6:00. Should we bother getting off the ship? We aren't doing any excursions.....:confused:

 

I really wanted to go get some smoked salmon............:(

[Yukon]

It going to be extremely crowded in town and at least one ship will be tendering. It's pretty easy to get away from the crowds, but you won't be able to move at places like Creek Street.

[Iwannabeatraveler]

How can you find out how many ships will be in port the same day?

[kk-l]

It's entirely possible to get away from four (4) cruise ships in Ketchikan. We were in Juneau when there were six (6) large ships in port. There were several smaller ships in port at the same time...which "didn't count" according to the retailers. Needless to say...the town was "rockin". The "big four"...Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway and Juneau...are the proverbial "party centrals".

To head out of the crowds in Ketchikan...head up to Creek Street. Take the funicular to Cape Fox Lodge and take a look around. Walk the Married Man's Walk and look at the rushing creek. Take time out at Annebelle's or the Artic Bar. Even the second floor of the Tongass Trading Company is a "trip". BUT...be prepared for rain in this little "slice of paradise". I found the "little shopping shawls" as I called them...the flimsy plastic ponchos the cruise ships must hand out...will severely hamper most cruisers...which will help the more well prepared visitors experience what Ketichikan has to offer.

This website worked in the past to let you know who was in port each day (I don't think they've updated it for the 2009 Alaska cruise season):

http://www.claalaska.com/schedules.html

[dreamcruiser216]

How can you find out how many ships will be in port the same day?

 

I am sure there are probably other places to find this information but here is one site for you: http://www.cruisett.com

 

Have a fantastic cruise.

[LoisGriffin1]

Thats a handy site. Thanks!

[bottom-dragger]

i've started this note about four times and realized each time it sounded kind of snarky. maybe being stuck in jnu this week is really bringing out the curmudgeon...........so here's a little story

 

a couple of falls ago, mrs b-d and i were ferrying back from spending three weeks backpacking in kluane national park (murray'll know where this is), okay, two weeks backpacking and a week reading trashy paperbacks in front of a fire and drinking grower's cider. we were both getting anxious as we got closer to tiny town and started seeing familiar sights; whales at five fingers lighthouse and the brothers, rounding cape strait, beacon point, past 12 mile creek (named as it's twelve miles from tiny town, oh those norwegians have a poetic way of naming things), then past 5 mile creek (named because it's, well you figure it out), and then the mouth of the wrangell narrows and somewhere in the fog was tiny town. mrs b-d and i were in the observation lounge, she with her face pressed against the glass willing the ferry to go faster so she could get home to the cats, her bath tub, and flannel sheets. i was nodding in my seat thinking about mrs b-d in the bath and flannel sheets when this poster child from an l.l. bean catalog wanted to talk to me.

 

mrs ll bean: your state is just a bunch of tourist stops

 

b-d: (que the sound of me turning toward her and raising one eyebrow)

 

mrs ll bean: your state is just a bunch of tourist stops

 

b-d: oh? (que the sound of thoughts of baths and flannel sheets vanishing into the ozone)

 

mrs ll bean: we went to the arctic circle, the oil pipeline........(fill in the top twenty destinations on the alaska highway system) and there were tourists everywhere we stopped.

 

b-d: oh? are you getting off at tiny town?

 

mrs ll bean: no, there's nothing there. we are getting off at ktn.

 

b-d: good call

 

end of story, fade out, screen darkens, theater lights come up.

 

what you were supposed to learn: there are only four major destinations for the big ships in southeast. there are some well known must do's on the alaska highway system. independants will concentrate on these same sites. there's going to be tourists there. most of the sheeple won't get further than four blocks from the docks so plan your activities beyond that range. in ktn you have to walk creek street but once you are out of the tight tourist district, you'll never notice the numbers. i'm very sensative to throngs and was in skagway on a four ship day. i avoided the core blocks and never felt impacted.

 

but stay on your ship?? where's the adventure in that?

 

english translations of this rambling may be bought in the lobby

[Zoolander]

Try this: http://www.lumberjackshows.com/alaska/show_schedules.html

Once there, double click cruise ship schedules.

 

On May 25th, we will be one of FIVE ships in port.

 

Need to get our excursion booked ASAP.

 

Good luck!

[bearbait]

There is room at the dock for 4 ships. No one will be tendering. I've seen as many as 6 ships in town and it's not that bad. Since Ketchikan expanded the cruise ship dock it took away some of that crowded feeling. Get off the ship and enjoy.

[milokitty]

Thanks for the Cruise TT link--we are going to be 1 of 6 ships in Ketchikan when we travel in August! We have already made arrangements to get out of town and see the surrounding area. We'll also do a quick tour of the town afterward, but I think if you are mentally prepared for the crowds, it helps (or at least it helps me). We've done Disney World twice--once at spring break and once in the summer--when the crowds are at their peaks. I think if you have a realistic plan and prioritize what you want to see, it becomes a less frustrating experience.

[Texas Tillie]

Folks, if you want to get away from the tourists (and the tourist traps) in Ketchikan, take the Misty Fjords floatplane excursion with Michelle and Island Wings. I promise you that the place she lands the plane and lets you walk around on land will not be full of tourists - just the most serene quiet and beauty you'll probably ever experience.

[Yukon]

Folks, if you want to get away from the tourists (and the tourist traps) in Ketchikan, take the Misty Fjords floatplane excursion with Michelle and Island Wings. I promise you that the place she lands the plane and lets you walk around on land will not be full of tourists - just the most serene quiet and beauty you'll probably ever experience.

 

...and hardly anybody takes the city bus out to Totem Bight park. Not as serene as a wilderness lake but very beautiful and only $2

[brunolvr]

Try this: http://www.lumberjackshows.com/alaska/show_schedules.html

Once there, double click cruise ship schedules.

 

On May 25th, we will be one of FIVE ships in port.

 

Need to get our excursion booked ASAP.

 

Good luck!

 

When you look at the schedule of ships in port, though, note the arrival and departure times. Some ships arrive in the morning and leave early in the afternoon and some ships don't arrive until in the afternoon.

[98Charlie]

When you look at the schedule of ships in port, though, note the arrival and departure times. Some ships arrive in the morning and leave early in the afternoon and some ships don't arrive until in the afternoon.

 

Exactly. And also look at the size of the ships in port at the same port times you have. Some are more mega ships and some maybe smaller ships with fewer pax.

 

Have been in ports with up to 6 or 7 ships at times (mostly in Caribbean but we had 5 ships in port with us in Ketchican a few years ago). Never had a problem but sure got to meet some great pax while in port who were traveling on other ships and got some great inside info about how they liked their cruise.

 

Dianne