posted 06-22-2004 12:07               

LiuBruin, I took a peek at the Island Wings' website. They claim they offer the same tours as the cruise ships but are cheaper, longer, and better. Did you find this to be true since your comment about the Skagway Street Company's tour suggests just the opposite.

So far, my wife and father in-law "initially" selected the following excursions:
1) Sitka: Captains Choice Wildlife Quest + Historic Russian America and Raptor Center
2) Skagway: White Pass Scenic Railroad + Ghost & Goodtime Girls
3) Juneau: Grand Bus of City, Glaciers, & Gardens
4) Ketchikan: Saxman Village & Log Show

posted 06-22-2004 13:11               

Since we had done a similar cruise (including Skagway) 20 months ago, we did all our arrangements on our own.

First, I like the Misty Fjords floatplane idea in Ketchikan. We used http://www.familyairtours.com/ They are a one plane operation and have a great reputation as does Island Wings. Our flight was 2 hours long and included a 30 minute landing on a back woods lake. The only issue might be that getting in and out of the plane requires some agility. My wife made it so not too much agility is required.

In Juneau, there are a number of busses that will take you out to Mendenhall glacier for $10 round trip. There is a nice visitor center plus a lot of level area for walking if one so chooses. A lot more time to explore than if you go on a tour that stops there for 45 minutes. Adjacent to the cruise ship pier is the base station for the Mt Roberts Tram ($21.95). Get a great view (as long as its a clear day). Unless the bus tour includes a stop at the Alaska Brewery, I wouldn't pay extra for it

In Skagway, we did a combined helicopter flight over a glacier, hike to another glacier, and White Pass railway ride back into town. The railway ride is an excellent choice. Skagway has a population of less than 1000 so you can guess how big the place is. There is very little need a guided tour of town to see everything.

Sitka is a little more spread out. We did a 5 mile walk on our own out to the National Historic Site, Raptor Center, and National cemetery. Pretty sure there is a trolley that makes the same loop for about $7 a day. The raptor center is well worth the $12 admission, just to support the good work they are doing. Some people on the Infinity did the wildlife quest; it was windy that day so nearly everyone was sick because of the turbulence.

In all your planning, remember that more likely than not, you will run into rain. Be prepared for it because most of the tours run even if it rains so your prepayment is history if you are unwilling to get wet. The only exception is flightseeing which won't go if it gets foggy. However, since they fly inland a considerable distance from port, the weather conditions in port are not what determines if flightseeing is a go on a particular day.

posted 06-22-2004 17:50            

quote:

---

Originally posted by spoon:
LiuBruin, I took a peek at the Island Wings' website. They claim they offer the same tours as the cruise ships but are cheaper, longer, and better. Did you find this to be true since your comment about the Skagway Street Company's tour suggests just the opposite.

---

posted 06-22-2004 19:20               

The cruise line flights are more like two hours from the time you get picked up at the ship. The net effect is that flight time is a little over an hour as opposed to the 90 minutes with one of the independent operators.

If going further into the back country and the pilot having more flexibility to choose the most scenic areas on a given day means that the flights are better, then Island Wings and Family Air are better than the ones booked thru the cruise line. One of the neat touches when we did the lake landing was that Dave said he picked a particular spot so that we could walk in an area where there were no footprints.

We paid $199 (less a $20 early booking discount) each for a two hour flight. The cost for the shorter flight booked thru Celebrity was $217 - those people working at the shore excursion desks have to be paid I expect that LiuBruin saw a similar pricing differential.

posted 06-26-2004 21:05               

We had adjoining mini-suites on the Veendam, with a door in between. We used our balconies a lot, especially in Glacier Bay. Seals were giving birth and we had a closer view of them from our verandah and we could run into the room and warm up inbetween views.

We took all "easy" excursions because we were supposed to have our brother-in-law with us. His last wish before dying was to go on a cruise to Alaska, but his lung cancer took him on May 3 (he was only 46). We decided to go with my sister anyway, in honor of his last wish. It was a wonderful cruise despite our sorror. Anyway, all of the excursions we took are suitable for anyone, nothing terribly strenuous.

We did the Duck Tour in Ketchikan, which was a lot of fun (amphibious vehicle), then spent the rest the day walking around town.

In Juneau we did "the Best of Juneu" which was fabulous. First we had a 3 hour whale watching tour on Auk Bay. We were very lucky. Saw bald eagles, humpback whales and two huge pods of killer whales which swam right under our boat. Then they took us to Mendenhall Glacier, and finally a Salmon Bake next to a stream. Excellent food.

In Skagway we took the famous streetcar tour, yellow buses that look like trollies. Company has been in business since the early 20th's century. Our guide was excellent.

In Sitka we took the semi-submersible, we really liked that. Highly educational and the only way to see the life underwater in Alaska without snorkeling, etc.

We took the glass top train ride from Seward back to Anchorage, that was well worth the extra $50 per person. Saw black bear, lots of moose, Dal Sheep, etc.

We were on our own in Anchorage for two days afterward, went to Portage Glacier and took the boat tour, and Gold Panning at a mine nearby. In Anchorage be sure to eat at Simon and Seafords, excellent sea food. We had a great time, and wonderful weather, as it was still the dry season and it was in the 70's. There is a little restaurant near the ski resort outside anchorage called "Chair Five". Wonderful food, we had a delicious lunch, and they have their own web site.

posted 06-29-2004 00:04               

Use your auto club card for a discount on the Mt. Roberts tram in Juneau. We took the cheapie bus to the Mendenhall Glacier in the afternoon and had a good guide who gave a running dialog.

DH regrets not taking the Whitehorse RR in Skagway. Altho it snowed, those who took the trip enjoyed it immensely.

posted 06-30-2004 11:38               

Skip the go-kart tour in Ketchikan...while the boat ride to the departure area was enjoyable and the crew friendly, the ride itself was EXTREMELY bumpy, dusty, and not healthy for pregnant women or folks with medical conditions. Their 'delicious' snack consisted of a candy bar and bottle of water. We all returned covered in a thick layer of dust! One of the members in our group had their jacket stolen from their "secured" area. This was a new and popular tour. Obviously they are in the 'learning' phase, and hopefull will make some improvements

In Juneau we took a helicoptor ride to visit 4 glaciers, landed on one and walked around near a 150 foot crevice. The striking blue color of it was like a gem. It was a nice smooth ride which took about 1 hour total.
Then we took a last minute whale watching tour (humpbacks)very late in the day. The skipper of the boat was a rather grungy looking fellow, and his assistant a bouncy 40+ gal in pig tails! It was kind of an 'after hours' trip but they agreed to take the six of us. We nervously boarded their boat and litteraly shot away from the pier hanging on to the rails and our hats!
After a quick (REALLY quick!) 15 minute ride we saw whales, very closeup! Three of them! One with twin spots on the underside of it's tail breached 6 times! As an added treat, we saw a brown bear shuffling along the edge of a small island, bald eagles soaring above and sea lions clustered around a lonely buoy.
Unlike our departure, the skipper took his time returning us to the pier, with an occassional whale breaking the surface.
Miss Pigtails served us generous portions of delicious smoked salmon, cheeses, tasty crackers and adult beverages. Woo - hoo! We left them a generous tip for one heck of a deal!

Now, try the river rafting tour to the Eagle Preserve out of Skagway. The ferry takes you thru the fjords to Haines. Then you board a bus for a scenic ride to the river. There's a delicious luncheon set up along the shore for you (on white tablecloths no less). Afterwards, you board the rafts and enjoy a lazy ride down the river, taking in the bald eagles, their nests, and maybe some bears (shucks! we didn't see any). The river shifts course all the time, so the scenery will change with each ride. The guides were cheerful, very informative and genuinely enjoyed their job. These folks were well trained,
organized and focused on safety.

On our return to SF, we cruised to Tracey Arms. You stay on the ship and look at the glaciers and a few chunks of ice floating. The cruiseline could have skipped this and replaced it with something more interesting, like another port.

In Victoria, we took the Orca tour. The ride out to the area is freezing cold, but they provide warm jackets, gloves and stocking caps! You'll need them! We did see a family of Orcas, but unlike the tour in Juneau, we were a considerable distance away from them and had to use binoculars to really see them. We were served hot chocolate, which we welcomed. Now that we've done it this once, we won't do it again.
We hired a pedalbike to tour Victoria which we enjoyed, and spent the last few hours walking in and out of the many shops.

posted 07-01-2004 17:00            

Judi Z

posted 07-06-2004 11:09               

We did not do the cruise thing. Our friends took us all over Alaska and we will be coming back for more.

For all of you, do whatever it takes to visit this great land. You will be inspired by the grand landscape in front, back, and side of you. Whatever you do when here will be enjoyable. My buddy got me to do at least 4 things I thot I would never do - fly in bush plane over the glaciers out of McCarthy airfield in the Wrangell St. Elias National Park (biggest in nation), climb a mountain on horseback, climb a trail that I swear was on a 90 degree slope, and raft a river that had several level 4 waters.

Can't say enough about this state and all of you should do whatever it takes to get here.

Wife has a Nikon D100 and buddy has a Canon Rebel. Between the 2 of them, they took over 3500 photos at full resolution. Had a laptop with us and we had a great slideshow of our day each evening.

posted 07-07-2004 10:14               

We also flew by plane around Mt McKinley (Mt Denali) and that too was awesome. You will love Alaska. I fell in love with the Bald eagles....they are so majestic.

Edited to correct spelling.

------------------
Kay H

posted 08-11-2004 21:45               

If you like beer there are two places to checkout.

Alaskan Brewing Co. in Juneau. All the free tasting you want for a $15 taxi ride. World class beer, lots of awards, fun place.

Also the Haines Brewing Co. in Haines (if your ship goes there). The brewery does not taste or serve but the Fireweed Restaurant in town has it all on tap. Great barley wine, plus the usual others.