<p>We will be taking a 7-day Alaska cruise this summer with my sister and her family (a bunch of middle-aged adults, with one 14 year-old and two 19-year-olds). There are three ports: Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, with the cruise leaving from and returning to Vancouver. I have looked at the port excursions that the cruiseline is offering, and there seem to be two types–the daredevil kind (ziplining, floatplanes) and the scenery-viewing kind. For anyone who has been to these ports, my question is, what would you recommend?</p>
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<li><p>In Skagway, the railway tour got rave reviews. I arranged an afternoon float trip down the Chilkoot River with the Skagway Float Tour Company. It was amazing; much less crowded than the one arranged by the cruiseline, and way cheaper to boot. She even gave us fresh berries from her berry canes, and locally made cheese. Sea Kayaking was also supposed to be great, but it was foggy that morning, and thus got canceled. </p></li>
<li><p>In Ketchikan, D & H did a mountain bike ride, which they thoroughly enjoyed – saw some bears, cool terrain. </p></li>
<li><p>In Juneau I had an amazing, amazing time visiting the Russian Orthodox church – the priest came out and spent about a half hour talking to us about the history and practices of the church, which was a very important part of Juneau’s history. It is small, but a jewel. </p></li>
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<p>The key (there and at some of the other stops) was that we had brought great rain gear from REI. People who tried to get by with disposable ponchos were frequently really, really unhappy. When you go to a place with 150 inches of rain a year, you ought to plan on some rain, and be prepared. Having some warm gear is also important – at least when we were in the glacier viewing areas it was cold. Hats, jackets, and gloves were very appreciated.</p>
<p>We did this a few years back when the kiddos were 16 & 13. We also did a “land” trip from Anchorage to Denali on our own for about 5 days. The boys (Dad & the 16 year old) leaned toward the daredevil stuff. They enjoyed a ocean rafting excursion and glacier ice climbing. We all did the floatplane (I wouldn’t call it daredevil) and the girls would sometimes opt for the more scenic stuff. We all ziplined in Costa Rica and didn’t in Alaska, but friends did and it was a highlight. PM me if you would like more info. It was a great trip. We got the best possible suite on the cruise ship and it was well worth it.</p>
<p>As mentioned above, you need rain gear. The SE panhandle can be very wet, though this is more likely in winter. Remember, wet = cold = unhappy. Stay dry with good gear.</p>
<p>In my experience, watching glaciers never gets old.</p>
<p>Remember, these are small towns and most cruise ships are big boats. All the people from your ship will be trying to do the same things you are.</p>
<p>Stay flexible depending on weather, crowds, wildlife, etc.</p>
<p>If you can, one thing I’d recommend is hiking in the temperate rainforest. Very, very cool.</p>
<p>We did the Alaska cruise with 6 teenagers (well, three of them were early 20s). All 6 fell asleep on the railway in Skagway, as did my husband. I don’t know how to explain it, because everyone raves about it, but even those of us that stayed awake didn’t find it that exciting. Maybe it’s because we live in BC…YMMV. The helicopter ride up onto the glacier was exciting and the kids liked it a lot.</p>
<p>We went and watched a salmon river, I think it was outside of Juneau. I’ve seen salmon before but it was astonishing nonetheless. We also went to a Tlingit presentation on their culture and history.</p>
<p>Another favorite website of mine besides CC is also CC- Cruise Critic. There are discussion threads there, port specific and also by cruise line. I recommend the site for everything cruise related.</p>
<p>We ziplined in Juneau and walked around the Creek Street shops in Ketchikan. I’m afraid of heights, so the ziplining was a challenge, but the young men guiding us around were cute enough ;). There was a bit of a hike involved.</p>
<p>Definitely check out Cruise Critic - best source of information out there on cruises.</p>
<p>In Juneau, we did an awesome whale watching trip. A humpback breached right in front of our boat and I got a picture of it.</p>
<p>Then we did a Glacier tour where you took a boat out to a Glacier back in one of the Fjords. We were on Royal Caribbean and it was the only cruise ship to offer this particular Glacier tour because you have to take a small boat to get to the Glacier. The cruise ship will pick you up near the Glacier (they can’t get too close because of the cruise ship size). While we were on the tour, the Glacier started ‘calving’ - one of the most awesome sights I have ever see. The tour operator said they have never seen it before and National Geographic happen to have a crew out there at the time and caught it on film. That was quite a day - it was my birthday and between the whales and the Glacier - Wow!</p>
<p>We also took a train ride into Canada (I believe in Skagway) and saw bears. The scenery on that that trip was amazing. Alaska was my husband’s idea and I was only so-so about it but it turned out to one of the best trips we have taken and we have traveled all over the world. Have fun.</p>
<p>We loved the train ride in Skagway, and whale watching in Juneau. Also did ziplining, I think it was in Ketchikan.</p>
<p>If you don’t already have a balcony cabin, you should think about getting one if it’s at all affordable. We spent tons of time sitting out there watching the amazing scenery. One of my best memories of that trip was sitting out there in my bathrobe with my morning coffee and croissant watching a bald eagle fly by…</p>