Need help with excursions!

[LG61]

Sailing the Pearl in early June to Alaska. :) What excursions do you recommend for Alaska cruise first timers at each stop:

 

Juneau

Skagway

Ketchikan

Victoria

 

How far in advance should we book?

 

Thanks! :D

[CruisingAgain]

The excursions are pretty pricey in Alaska, but well worth it. We loved the float plane (or whatever it's called) - a plane that lands on water. We flew over the beautiful forests, landed on a lake and walked out on the pontoons of the plane. Unforgettable!! Others in the family enjoyed helicopter to a glacier and kayaking in Ketchican. We took a train ride that was fun - dont' remember where, sorry. And we did a fun raft trip in Haines, but that's not on your itinerary.

[rlmlcb6]

First cruise--last Sept==Pearl to alaska. In juneau we just walked off the ship and went to one of the booths nearby and got a heliocoptor ride to the Glaciers. Sitting here with hubby now arguing how much we paid!! he said about $100 apiece and I say closer to $200 apiece. But worth EVERY penny. My first heliocoptor ride--not too scary at all and on return I sat in the front. Us and another couple. Keep in mind they WEIGHED you before to figure out where you sat!! LoL... Gave you special "grip" BOOTS TO WEAR WHILE ON THE GLACIER. so a 10 minute ride and landed RIGHT ON THE GLACIER!! you will be sooo freaked out at the color of them. BLUE. TOTALLY... landed right on them and got out and walked around for about 15 minutes... was way cool.......:D

[terrymtex01]

I honestly do not think I could go on an Alaskan cruise and miss Misty Fjord excursion and Tracy Arm (Sawyer glacier) excursion. I do not know if these are offered for the Pearl, we did them on the Star, but they were worth every penny. As already said, the excursions for Alaska are probably the most pricey overall of anywhere else, but worth every penny.

 

In Skagway, we did the tour where you go to the Yukon by bus then took the train back. If I had to do that over again, without a doubt I would not take the bus portion, but rather take the train both ways.

 

No matter what you decide to do, you have made the right choice for Alaska. Even if you never get off the boat the sights you see will amaze you. You also, JMHO, picked the best time of year to go since May/June has daylight until 11PM or midnight and again at 3:30 or 4AM. With that long of a day you basically get to see stuff from the ship every waking hour.

[joyy7403]

Sailing the Pearl in early June to Alaska. :) What excursions do you recommend for Alaska cruise first timers at each stop:

 

Juneau

Skagway

Ketchikan

Victoria

 

How far in advance should we book?

 

Thanks! :D

 

Hi! You will absolutely LOVE Alaska! We did a cruise/land tour last August. In Ketchikan we did the float plane over the Misty Fjords. The plane took off & landed in the water & was the smoothest flight I have ever been on! And breathtaking! In Juneau we went on a whale watching tour. Saw a lot of seals, otters, & a few whales, also beautiful scenery. We got off the ship in Skagway & took the train then bused the rest of the way up to Fairbanks & back down to Anchorage. The mountains are beautiful & the glaciers you really have to see in person. Since we were with a tour group, we didn't book our excursions until we received our papers from NCL. You can book them any time after you have made your final payment. Don't forget, dress in layers!! Have fun!!

[WhansaMi]

Sailing the Pearl in early June to Alaska. :) What excursions do you recommend for Alaska cruise first timers at each stop:

 

Juneau

Skagway

Ketchikan

Victoria

 

How far in advance should we book?

 

Thanks! :D

 

 

I loved our Alaska cruise:

 

Juneau: in the morning, we went whale watching with Captain Larry. in the afternoon, helicopter ride to Mendenhall glacier with dog sledding. Wouldn't change a thing about that day!

 

Skagway: we took the railroad up. honestly, we didn't enjoy it as much as others did. I would probably do something else.

 

Ketchican: we didn't have anything planned, so we got off the ship and found a bus driver named Woody. He was great -- had spent over 20 years at Ketchican, was a local. he took us to areas that the ship's guided didn't know about, and we even picked up a chief of one of the local tribes (he needed a ride), and were rewarded with a story and a song.

 

Sheila

[pengu1n]

Our Alaska cruise was with a different line:o, but here's my take on excursions:

 

Whale watching & Mendenhall Glacier tours were great in Juneau, as was a dog-sledding tour (on land, not snow)

 

In Ketchican, we saw the lumberjack show (cute but corny) and Totem Bight park; we also did a Misty Fjord boat tour which I thought was a huge waste of money for us, but others have enjoyed it (we were so bored, most of my family slept through it, and while I stayed awake, it wasn't worth missing a nap for) (we saw no wild life except a few eagles in distant trees & one seal, boat sped up the fjord & back down again - all my pictures were blurry as they never slowed for pictures:()

 

Skagway, we did a walking tour with one of the ladies of the evening from the Red Onion Saloon, it was an easy walk & a good history lesson

 

If you're interested, here's a link to my pictures:

http://www.pengu1n.smugmug.com/gallery/5442087_2fhtx#335371025_CV3gm

[beckster94]

The float plane in Ketchikan to the Misty Fjords is at the top of most people's lists - certainly of mine.

 

I made this photo of a tiny island in the Fjords:

 

 

In Juneau we took an NCL excursion, a helicopter to the Mendenhall Glacier. I thought it was worthwhile but I didn't dress warmly enough and was uncomfortable.

 

In Skagway we took the train up to White Pass - and back down again. The scenery was lovely, but if I go again I will rent a car and drive up the highway that parallels the railroad, so we can spend a little more time in the Yukon before returning to ship. We had a long time after ending the train ride to shop along Skagway's one major street.

 

In Victoria we toured Butchart Gardens, which again was worth the cost, but I wish we had had more time. The six hours isn't really long enough to do the Gardens justice.

[beckster94]

Oh, and here's the link to my Alaska pictures:

 

http://gallery.me.com/beckyallison#100255

[garycarla]

lg: Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I would STRONGLY suggest visiting the ALASKA Ports of Call message boards. See the link below to find them. Also hit the Roll Call for your cruise.

 

And, on your next posting, try to be more descriptive in your title. NCL visits many ports around the world.