Cruised Alaska

7 day Celebrity cruise to Ketchikan/Juneau/Skagway/Victoria-BC

Juneau was definitely the highlight of the trip and helicopter to the Mendenhall or Herbert Glacier is a MUST.

Did a very similar cruise. Great time. Amazing wildlife and scenery.

George

Same cruise on celebrity maybe 8 yrs ago. Had a blast but loved our time spent kicking around Alaska even more.

Did the same 2 yrs ago with my whole family. My first time eating fresh King crab. I’d go back just for that treat.

We just got back from cruising Alaska on Holland America – Vancouver up to Glacier Bay and back down, stops in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan. We really loved it, one of our best vacations ever!!

I’m taking my first cruise this August. Anchorage to Vancouver. Looking forward to the crab and salmon! Any tips welcomed!

Going very soom myself. What kind of clothing would you recommend?

Debbie the place I went to for crab was in Juneau called Tracy’s King Crab Shack. Real pricey, but so worth it. Menu http://kingcrabshack.com/Crab%20Menu%202013%20rev1.pdf

Thank you!

We’re not cruise people but did take an amazing trip to Alaska a couple years ago. We stayed at a remote lodge in the Kodiac islands. Had to take a sea plane in, no cars, more eagles and bears than humans. It was amazing and we loved every single minute of it. Fishing, bear watching, kayaking, hiking. Our bear watching guide was Willy, the dude that found Timothy Treadwell, the guy that was eaten by a bear in Grizzly Man. I highly recommend setting up a bear watching trip, it’s amazing being that close to them and seeing so many. Also a fishing trip if you can swing it. We came back with boxes of fish and crab.

Dress in layers and quick drying synthetics are better than cotton.

Here’s a link to our lodge if anyone is interested. Great family run place and super kid friendly as the owners have 2 kids themselves. One girl was my daughter’s age and the boy was a couple years older. They hung out everyday and were best buds from the start.

Some tripadvisor reviews

We are about to go on this cruise. This thread is very timely. Any suggestions are very welcome.

I did the same cruise some 20 years ago and swore I’d never do another one. Other than Glacier Bay and a couple hours fishing in Ketchikan I was bored out of my mind. There was nothing to do in Skagway and by the time we made it to Mendenhall Glacier we were rushed just to get back to the ship on time. I also hated to be on the ships schedule not mine. I’ve been back to Alaska a few times since and had a great time renting an RV and driving the state. Being on a cruise ship is a waste of my time.

We saw lots of brown bears in Skagway including a mother and cub that was pretty awesome. Ketchikan we took a sea plane to a remote inland lake surrounded by waterfalls which was pretty awesome. In Juneau we took a helicopter to the ice fields and hiked a glacier and then took a boat to watch humpback whales bubble feed which was pretty awesome.

You are right… there is nothing to do.

George

Must be nice to be able to afford renting sea planes and helicopters to take you where you want to go but I’m just a poor man who has to watch how he spends his money. Driving through Alaska I’m sure I saw more interesting wildlife than you, spent more time watching whales than you and hiked more glaciers. All this was done on my schedule vs a boats. But hey, to each his own.

We didn’t do the really expensive side trips – and we considered not doing any of them. But we went to a talk and they said “it takes five minutes to see Skagway, and we’ll be there for nine hours” so we bought tickets on the train up to White Pass. It was overpriced but the scenery was beautiful. In Ketchikan 20 of us rode a big yellow rubber motorboat out to an island and had a nature walk. Louise and I are birders, formerly avid, so every time we saw a duck or a kittiwake we got pretty excited. From the yellow boat we saw Steller’s Sea Lions and a Humpback Whale with her mother, plus various eagles and sea birds. The scenery is just endlessly beautiful on the inland waterway, and the people on the boat were interesting. Very international, I got to speak German a couple of times. As I said I found the food pretty good although fellow passengers said that on Princess or Celebrity it’s even better. Neither of us was bored for one minute, it was all a discovery for us.

Thanks for this, Frank. I’m thinking of the White Pass train, too, as a way to spend the long day.

Did Holland America a couple of years ago. There were three generations of us which makes a cruise vacation ideal. Highlight was at dinner one night. We were sitting at the stern window. I noticed some fins. All of a sudden an entire pod of Orcas started jumping. They followed our wake for most of our meal. It was really incredible. Saw an amazing amount of wildlife on that trip.

that looks badass

We just returned.The weather was in the 60’s most of the time.We were lucky as it was sunny most of the time but it did rain at least 2 or 3 of the days.We had hooded waterproof layered jackets and pants that were not heavily lined.It does not hurt to bring them along but hopefully you will not have to use them.I also had a pair of quick drying pants i got at Eastern Mountain Sports I loved,They are reasonably priced compared to other stores & have both Men and Womens clothing.
We flew into Anchorage,(In Anchorage we had dinner at Marx Bros cafe and it was excellen)t and left from Seward, The drive from ANchorage to Seward is very nice. Our ship was able to get close to the Hubbard Glacier which was just beautiful.Be sure to capture the scenery from your ship if you are on a cruise.I think a balcony in Alask would be a plus.
In Ketchikan we took a Sea Plane to George Inlet Crabfest.The crab was amazing and all you can eat.They also have a boat that takes you crabing to the inlet.The town is overwhelmed by cruise ships but Creek street is worth finding.There are some cute shops buit on stilts and the salmon runs through itt the stream there.not a must do but if you end up in town it is just a block off the main strip.There are also many beautiful parks to hike in that also represent native culture in the area
Juneau-Evening Whale watch and visit to Mendenhall Glacier was so cool,So many whales and a open bar.Sounds touristy but it was a great trip.The Glacier park is also a great place to hike. In town behind the shops there are some great hiking trails as well
We also took a small boat to the Misty Fjords on the way to Juneau.We were able to get pretty close to the Saywer glacier.It was amazing http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g31030-d144340-Reviews-Misty_Fjords_National_Monument-Ketchikan_Alaska.html

Skagway,train is a must,Touristy but beautiful.WE enjoyed it.Skagway is a cute old town but it is only Three blocks long.The train leaves you right in town and it is a five minute walk back to the cruise ship.There is also a state park dedicated to the gold rush but we skipped it due to the rain
Sitka- Really beautiful forests and hiking.We also went on a Sea Otter quest and Bear watching quest.
Hope this helps.There are so many options and side trips to take.Our side trips were included in the cruise so i am not sure of the pricing.i did hear it is less expensive to book on your own but in general the cruise ships contract out to great tour guides.There were so many options so pick what you like to do and enjoy,cruise critic.com was helpful for me when planning.A few people went Salmon Fishing in Ketchikan and had their fish for lunch.They also saw bears,eagles and other wildlife.
We ended our cruise in Vancouver and loved it but that is another thread.lol
Have a great trip

We went last summer for a 12 day cruise and loved it. It was on Regent Seven Seas and the boat only has 490 passengers. I don’t really think I would enjoy “floating cities” with 1800 to 3000 passengers. We departed from Vancouver and returned all the way to San Francisco. Regent is definitely a splurge for us, but I really enjoy the all inclusive aspect. If you like to drink…which I think most of us do; It is a real pleasure to have whatever you want… whenever you want it. I also really like the no tipping policy.
We absolutely lucked out with the weather and the scenery, wildlife, and excursions were spectacular.

Cheers!
Marshall