Alaska Cruise shore excursions

This was more than 10 years ago, and at that time in Skagway the US Parks Service offered a free town historical tour. After that we were happy to wander the town for the rest of the day. Skagway has a fascinating history.

In Icy Stait Point I was going to use Glacier Wind Charters for whale watching, largely because of the Youtube videos by PARODEEJAY. unforunately I had to cancel that cruise so I don’t have first hand experience.

I don’t think you have any worry about excursion companies being at the dock.

The train in Skagway is the same ride for everyone except I guess there is a fancier coach available. If you do round trip then you see both sides of the landscape. I did the train both ways. I have seen videos where one way is via bus and I might consider that exvept for my train crazy son !

I haven’t been to Mendenhall Glacier but was going to do it on my own if I hadn’t cancelled my cruise

When I went on an Alaskan cruise with a land tour first - more than 20 years ago- I did the Skagway free parks service tour. It was very interesting. I had no interest in shopping the main street. I wandered the side streets to get a feel for the real part of the town and saw some lovely gardens.

Our train ride was over the White Pass from Canada- it was very interesting and great scenery, with a stop part way through to have lunch at the historic town- the name is escaping me. I learned cruises aren't my thing. The train journey over the White Pass was the most interesting part of the trip. Second most interesting was Dawson City. I'm sorry I didn't seen Pierre Berton's childhood home.
Among his many books, he wrote a great memoir of what it was like for his parents/him living in Dawson City.

It's been a while since we were on an Alaskan cruise. A couple of your ports didn't even exist back then.

At the time it was easy to do Mendenhall Glacier on our own. Our ship was in port all day. So we did a Glacier flightseeing tour by seaplane, went to Mendenhall Glacier and then explored the town afterwards.

If you haven't looked at the Cruise Critic forums, here is a recent post discussing excursions. Scroll past the first few responses to get to the excursion responses.

Request advice on selecting excursions

We were able to visit both Mendenhall Glacier and go on a whale watching tour during a one day stop. Both were ship excursions so everything was coordinated. In Skagway (?) we took the White Pass rail tour and the scenery was fantastic and we highly recommend it.

Juneau- While it is possible to get to Mendenhall Glacier by public transport, the bus takes some time and drops you a good .75 mile from the visitor center. The Blue Bus is a shuttle that takes you from the pier to the visitor center and has been operating for years. It is not inexpensive but you can compare it to any ship excursion costs. It does include your admission to the park site. Once at the visitor center there really isn't any further guiding done at the location. The visitor center has displays. There are series of walks to view points. Some are close, some are a bit farther but still quite accessible with the falls being the most popular. Many people, after comparing costs, end up renting a car for a day to go to Mendenhall if they have very many people in their party. Do some price comparisons.

There is also a nice museum a short distance from the dock. Many people do choose Juneau as their location for whale watching.

Skagway: The train and bus trips there are expensive. I think it really depends on where you are from if those excursions are worth it. All go up the pass, just either on one side by rail and on the other by road. If you are from the Pacific Northwest as I am, you will not find the scenery really anything out of the ordinary. If you are from Florida it will seem impressive. You can buy train tickets directly from the White Pass Railroad, but I am not sure if they are less expensive or not.

Skagway is more than "saloons" and gift shops. Half of the Klondike Goldrush National Park is located there. The other half is in Seattle so if you are departing from Seattle, take a look. It is worth checking out and offers some guided walks. There are several very easy and enjoyable hikes/walks in Skagway. One popular one starts at the bridge across the river by the airport.

We took a cruise with a similar itinerary this last summer. Also took a cruise in 2017.
Comments are based on our experience and tastes. Yours might be very different. Some excursions can be very expensive, I try not to tell people how to spend their money....

Your first port might be Ketchikan. It's a fairly built up and nice town to walk around. We did a whale watching/ wildlife boat excursion that was good, but not the best we have ever seen. On an earlier cruise we did the Misty Fjord flightseeing that was a real highlight.

Juneau. As others have said, a good reputation for whale watching. Years ago we did the Glacier by Helicopter Walk. It was very expensive but really great.

Skagway is small and touristy but nice. Either the bus trip or train is the one opportunity to see some of the inland as you follow the Yukon trail. We really liked seeing the very different land when you get away from the coast.

I hated Icy Straits. In my opinion, it is just a jumping off point for excursions. Be aware of the season. We went on a bear watching excursion that was a bust, probably luck of the day. People who signed up the Zipline waited hours. Again, could be luck of the draw.

If you are planning to spend additional time in Alaska there are so may things that you could see on your own. As one example, there are some very nice small boat Glacier Cruises out of Whittier. If you have an evening flight out of Anchorage, you could fit it in. However, without a car I don't know what the logistics would be to get to the airport.

We loved our Alaskan experiences. Enjoy your trip.

I went on a similar cruise by Holland America in the summer of 2023. We made port at Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan.

In Juneau, i booked a Mendenhall Glacier and whale watch tour. We walked through the woods to view the glacier. Lots of bald eagles swooping around. Then on to the boat docks. The whale watching took place about 30 minutes from shore. I have been to lots of watching tours in Southern and Central California. I have never experienced anything like this. We watched humpback whales do their bubble net fishing for over an hour in several close locations. The closeness, the sounds and smells are amazing. See videos on YouTube? I booked directly with the same company that the ship uses and saved a little cash. I almost missed my tour because I walked to the state capital building and lost track of time. I had to hustle back and narrowly made it.

I took the round-trip White Pass train from Skagway to just over the Canadian border. I bought the tickets at the train depot. Upon return, I had time left to see an old time dance show in town and visit the Red Onion Saloon. The saloon has a brothel museum on the second floor. The guided tour there is a unique experience. There is an excellent gold mining museum in town.

In Ketchikan, i did a cruise excursion to a previous lumber mill and the Alaska Raptor Center. A great experience to see these anazing birds within several feet of you. Afterwards, i attended the popular lumberjack show in town. It was entertaining enough. I then walked around the rest of the town, visited the Creek Street shops, did salmon tasting and bought some canned salmon. There is an interesting taxidermy shop in town that I got to see. I chatted with the shop's owner too. He even let me touch the exhibits (cougar, wolf, bobcat, etc.).

If you want the glacier and whale watching outfitter contact information, send me a private message.

We got great weather for our excursions. It only drizzled in Ketchikan.

I booked my Juneau excursion before leaving home. There are kiosks for private tours at each port, close to where you disembark. Lots of choices there. If you book with the cruise line, buy as early as possible as the preferred excursions and times sell out fast.

Juneau, we did the M. Glacier as well as a whale watching tour it was great.
Skagway, we did the train up to Canada and back, that included a hike in a rain forest. Loved it.