Eschew

sumasiangirl, sorry for the late reply. Hope you will read this before you leave.

You should book the Tracy Arm fjord with the ship. They will take you from the ship directly while sailing into Tracy Arm.

I'll take a pass on Dog mushing. I have seen some pretty bad things ... almost cruelty to the animals. And if you are fixated by it, book on line. You won't find many of them selling this excursion at the dock.

Best excursion for Skagway is Misty Fjord and do it yourself walking tour around Creek street. Fishing is great.

Juneau would be Mt Roberts and Mendenhall Glacier. Whale and Eagle watching is good as well.

You can find the dining room menu posted daily. There is no such thing as a bad day for menu items. There are always something good as the selection is good.

You can check the MDR menu daily and decide if that is the day that you want to go to your "extra fee" restaurant. They have Sabatini and Crown Grill so you have a choice as well unless your voucher is for a specific one. Be forewarned that the meal portion at those places are larger than large.

Good lucK!

Gina_M

Great information!

Eschew

Thanks Gina! Feel free to ask questions!

vivy

Thanks for the tips....We'll be heading there in August and will be travelling with an infant. You mentioned quite a few trails, do you recall if they might be stroller accessible? Otherwise we can always just wear her. Have you been to Seward with a cruise? I'm wondering what the options are for the Seward/Anchorage stop...

Eschew

Hi Vivy, sorry for the late reply. Haven't logged in for a while as work was relatively busy. Definitely no strollers on the trails. It is possible, but the grade and steps would make it difficult.

As to Seward/Anchorage, it all depends what you want. Plenty of trails around town if you are looking for something to do before heading off to the airport for a late flight. The cruise line's transfer will drop yo off downtown and they will check your luggage through to the airport so you an pick up your luggage there. They also provide a free shuttle from downtown to the airport if you purchase their "transfer" package. It is very close to walk to the waterfront from downtown and access many of the trail heads.

If you are staying for more than a day or two, I would recommend moving onward to Denali.

batn21

Hi Eschew,

Thanks for being so helpful & answering my questions!

Eschew

Hi Batn21, you are most welcome. With your trip coming up soon, love to hear about your adventure after the trip. Maybe a trip report is in order?

Originally, we have planned for another trip to Alaska this summer, it is not going to happen now will and have to wait till next year.

Things really have not changed all that much for Alaskan cruises in the past 10 years; maybe a few new "adventure" shore excursions like zip lines and more jeweler stores.

And I have no idea why people shop for diamonds or jewelry in Alaska or Caribbean for that matter. At least the rumor is that price is cheaper than the mainland in the Caribbean.

Feel free to ask if there are more questions!

Faloola

Hello - After thoroughly enjoying your TR again and responses to all the other questions I have one more - do you recall seeing, or know, if one can rent a fishing pole?
Thanks in advance

Eschew

Hi Faloola, the answer is yes, and you should probably rent them (and if you book a fishing excursion, they will provide it) rather than bring your own unless you are picky about the pole you use.

You can get out of state fishing licenses and permit information for Alaska on this link.
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=license.main

zwozniak

This was such a great read. My wife and I are taking a cruise on NCL on the 20th of this month. We had heard that being the end of the season, excursions would be even more discounted. Any truth to this? My wife really wants to take one of the plane trips to see bears in the wild, but NCL charges around $400-500 for those trips.

Eschew

20th of September for an Alaskan cruise is pretty late. The weather could be so unpredictable at that time of year. With that said, the forecast was a mild winter this year so you maybe okay!

Celebrity was charging similar fare for the Misty Fjord seaplane adventure years ago. On this particular trip (on this trip report), we paid less than $200 each when we "shop at the booth" and bargained a bit with the operator.

I would rank the Misty Fjord seaplane over the flight to "bear island". The tour operators at the dock typically have both at the same price, around $250-$300 for a 2 to 3 hour tour for either one of them.

Xootsnoowú (or Admiralty Island) has the highest density of bears per square mile so bear sighting there is almost a certainty. There are more bears than humans on that island.

Those flight seeing is weather dependent so have a backup plan if the weather (visibility) is poor. That happened to us 5 or 6 years ago and we did not have any backup plan and ended up walking around town doing the "souvenir tour", but we also discover the Cape Fox Lodge quite by accident that day. I would say it is worth a few hours up there to look around the displays and the trails.

I believe the seaplane will take you to the "secure" bear viewing area at Pack Creek where you will observe bears in the wild close up. Be aware that it is a bit of a hike to get there and back.
http://www.recreation.gov/permits/Pa...O&parkId=72356

Misty Fjord tour will take you over the glaciers and landing on a lake in the middle of nowhere.
http://www.visit-ketchikan.com/Thing...ty-Fjords.aspx

LDANNA

So glad I found this....

I just booked a cruise to Alaska on the Carnival Legend for July 5-12 2016
I am traveling with my husband, 2 daughters in their 20's, a fiancé, and twin 12 yr old sons.
After booking, I've heard that Alaska is NOT a good vacation for children and really started worrying that I made a bad choice.
I've also heard how expensive the excursions are.
I was thinking of maybe one or two excursions but yikes...I just looked at the prices and realistically don't think I can afford all of this.

If I had to choose one...which would you recommend. Originally, I was thinking that the dog sledding would be the best. Although it is extremely expensive. I then read that you have seen unpleasant things regarding the dogs. UGH... I certainly don't want to support anything inhumane. And yet, I really think my boys would love that. I also was looking at the "float" plane?? and bear watching...
With a party of 7, what are your suggestions? What should we book on the ship and what can we do outside of the ship costs?
I really appreciate your trip report and help!

Also, regarding ship costs like unlimited sodas, beer etc..
Are those worth buying into? My kids aren't really soda drinkers, not to say they wouldn't like to be... Is wine only served during dinner? Is it just one glass per person? We aren't big drinkers and yet I hate to think that I will have some huge tab at the end of the trip X7!!

Looking forward to your answers and suggestions! I really want this trip to be a trip of a lifetime for all of us!

Laura

marlene_

My DH and I ( in our mid 60's) and daughter and son-in-law (in their late 30's) are taking a Princess cruise from Whittier to Vancouver from July 2-9, 2016. This is our first (and probably our only) time to visit Alaska.

We have signed up for the land tour on our own and need advice on the not to be missed sights and the best way to travel.

Here is our itinerary:
Jun 28--travel to Fairbanks arriving around 7:30pm (hotel to be determined)
Jun 29--Fairbanks
Jun 30--Denali (Princess Wilderness Lodge)
Jul 1--(McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge)
Jul 2--catch cruise in Whittier

We are outdoorsy people, interested in photography and wildlife.

I would love any input on the best way to see Fairbanks--should be rent a car?...and what to see?? I know it is often iffy on the visibility of Mt Mckinley (...errr...is it called Mt Denali, now??) and if we had a car in Fairbanks and we had great weather, would you suggest we drive down to Mt Mckinley?

Also, I read somewhere that shuttle buss in Denali need to be booked 6 months in advance...true?? What stops in Denali would you suggest?

Thanks for any input you may have.

Also, as I delve more into our excursion options, I'll be sure to check in with this thread.

Eschew

Wow! Two and a half year later, people still read this TR. Obviously, the topic struck a chord with many. Alaska is probably one of the more expensive cruise destination for excursions but yet, you can do it so cheap if you look around.

Laura, July is peak season so you will not find too much bargains in the excursions. I think the itinerary will include Tracy Arm, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Victoria.

I am not sure who told you that Alaska is not a good vacation for children. There are lots of families on cruise ships to Alaska. Even Hollands of America ships carried loads of children. On an Alaskan cruise with Celebrity a few tears back, I was told there were 600 children on board! Funny, I didn't notice them until they were gathered for a "performance". I guess it all depends on how the children were brought up. If they spend 99% of there time in front of tablets, computers, TVs and video game consoles, there is NOT going to be any good vacation spot for them any way.

For the two 12 year old, and if this is their first cruise, they will absolutely love it and cherished it. And what an educational opportunist as well!

Not knowing what your budget on excursion, I am giving you what I felt was the best bang for the buck excursions, as well as the most frugal way for each port.

I highly recommend buying or borrowing from your local library a book by Joe Upton: The Alaska Cruise Companion. You will find this book most helpful for your cruise preparation and on hand for your cruise.

Eschew

Fort whatever reason, I am having problem making a long reply post here. I hot the submit button and it doesn't go anywhere!

Laura, stay tuned. I will try tomorrow.

Eschew

Marlene, Fairbanks is a small place. There are plenty of good walking trails with the city, and close to the downtown core, where most of the nicer hotels are located.
There are some very nice park area along the water front which is really minutes walking distance away from the downtown core.

I think you would like the Angel Rocks / Chena River Hot Spring hike. The trailhead is about an hour from Fairbanks. You can find info on the official Alaska government web sites.

Eschew

Laura, the most majestic part of any Alaskan cruise has to be the ocean /sea glaciers. I am not sure if your itinerary includes other ocean /sea glacier stops, but you will need to find out.

There is a 1 in 3 chance that the ship will not reach the Glacier at Tracy Arm. It has a lot to do with safety. You don't want to go to Alaska and did not see any "calving". You want to see and hear the ice falling from the Glacier. Unless your ship stop by Hubbard Glacier, or College Fjord, or the Glacier National Park (the best!), you will want to book the "boat tour / close up view of the Glacier" for Tracy Arm. And it is only available from your cruise line.

Eschew

Skagway is an interesting stop. Most will take the Whitepass & Yukon Railway as part of their excursion. There is no easy way out for this one. Booking direct is not that much cheaper, and for the convenience factor, book through the ship as it will cost a touch more. The difference is that if you book direct (and pay less), you will have to make your way to the train station on your own, which is quite a distance away. If you book through the cruise line, the track was extended to the dock to pick up ship's excursion passengers. Depending on what you wanted to do, it will cost upward of $100 to $150 per person to include any part of the Whitepass & Yukon Railway.

If you are on a tight budget. Buy the unlimited ride day pass for the bus. It runs on a schedule, and on a loop, so make sure you get a map and a schedule. The time is actually posted on each bus stop.

Take the bus to the ranger's station and get the tickets for the free guided tour, which takes about an hour. Be there early and get the earliest ticket possible to maximize your day. Once you get the ticket, wander around town and make sure you get back on time for the tour. They will take you around town and talk about the Klondike gold rush era, the Chilkoot trail etc. Very informative and educational.

You may also want to look into the Ghosts and Goodtime Girls Walking tour. It is relatively inexpensive (about $15 per person) and is a lot of fun. This is a great complimentary walking tour after the free ranger's station walking tour.

By the way, there are "activities" for children at the ranger's station. They can be deputized as a ranger for the day, and there are free stuff that they can take home.

Jewell Gardens is a hidden gem located at the far end of town. If you remotely interested in flowers or vegetation, it is worth a visit. They have guided tour as well and we were surprised at what we saw. They also have a very nice tea house for lunch and snack.

Eschew

Juneau is an easy port to do on your own. Everyone, and I mean everyone, goes to Mendenhall Glacier. You really need a few hours there. Here is your best bet. You can walk, or take the shuttle to the Mt. Roberts Tram Station. At the station, you can buy a pass/ticket that will give you a round trip bus ticket to Mendenhall Glacier, and a round trip Sky Tram ticket to Mt. Roberts. I think it is about $50 per person and it is well worth it. Make sure you stop in the interpret center at the Glacier and take in the exhibits. Depending on how much time you have for the day, those 2 stops will be a good 6 to 8 hours, if not more, especially if you take in the trails. MAke sure you stop by the Raptor rehab center at Mt. Roberts. I think the boys will enjoy that.

Regardless of season, Ketchikan is the cheapest souvenir. Do your shopping there. There are plenty of things to do and see and experiment in Ketchikan. With a group your size, you can probably book a private float plane excursion for 7, which maybe cheaper than through the ship. They will meet you at the doc,pick you up. Drop you off at downtown Ketchikan after the excursion and you can easily walk back to the ship. (15 - 20 minutes away and with many souvenir shops in between). Just go to the Ketchikan tourism web site and they will have a list of "certified" float plane operators. Email or call all of them and see what they can offer. Be prepared to pay at least $1000 for the 7 of you if you want to "charter" a private plane.

One caution about the float plane: it is very weather dependent. There could be low fog and they cannot get you in, So you better bet maybe elsewhere. If you recall elsewhere on this TR, we love walking through Creek Street and went up to the lodge: all for a cost of $2 per person.

A lot of people goes to do silly things such as zip line, fishing, whale watching etc., You can do those elsewhere. When in Alaska, do what is uniquely Alaska and can't be done elsewhere!

Victoria is what I would call a Jones Act stop. You don't have much time there but it is a easy stroll or short cab ride to downtown from the dock. Depending when you are stopping, you can go see the museum, aquarium, walk through the Empress hotel, enjoy the inner harbor front and the street performers. Or aletrnately, go to Butchart Gardens if you like flowers.

Feel free to ask more questions. If you can share your budget, the groups' likes and dislikes, I (and others) may be able to make better recommendations.

I think you made a great destination choice, and everyone will have a great time!

LDANNA

Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond!

We are still paying off the cruise itself and my daughter got engaged on Christmas so I'm a bit worried about the finances! Ha!
We are sharing rooms in the ship 4+3 and paid a bit extra for balcony rooms.
I can probably muster up $500-650 per person for excursions.
So let's just say $4000 is my budget.

We have all cruised before and my boys are very mature.
I just hope not to bore them. I'm thinking they would not appreciate flower gardens unfortunately.
But T hey will be up for whatever treks we decide on. The chartered float plane is an excellent idea. Would that be flying over glaciers and back or do they drop us somewhere and then take us back?

You didn't comment on the dog sled idea and I'm thinking that you are not a fan of that excursion.

We definitely don't want to zipline or whale watch. Also, my husband is approx 300lbs
Will we encounter weight restrictions for the float plane etc?

Laura