Alaska Cruisetour June27th - july 6 2008 (Millenium cruise)

Hi everyone,

We are 6 adults mid 50%26#39;s going on the Millenium cruise next year in june/july. We are an active fun group. We can sit back %26amp; relax too!

There are so many sidetrips and additional expenses that we have become totally confused and are looking for some quality recommendations as to which ones to take. Book trips on the ship or wait till we land? Which is best and do we save some $$$ or do we risk not being able to go?

Also is it really necessary to book them thru the ship (or will we miss something by waiting) and isn%26#39;t there any way to save a few dollars? we are stopping in Juneau 12 hours, skagway 12 hours, ketchikan 5 hours, and Icy Strait 5 hours. So much to do and see , yet time is certainly limited and funds will start to be limited to some extent. So if is there a way to save that would be helpful too.

Any help is deeply appreciated and valued.

Thanks,

Philly

Alaska Cruisetour June27th - july 6 2008 (Millenium cruise)

Hi, you%26#39;ve posted on the Anchorage forum and I would suggest you post on the Alaska forum or on the forums for each of the cities you%26#39;ll be visiting. We%26#39;re a long way from the area you%26#39;ll be visiting so are not as likely to know much about the tours in those places as those people who live there.

Have a great trip!

Alaska Cruisetour June27th - july 6 2008 (Millenium cruise)

Hello. I haveonly taken a few cruises, but thought I would let you know a few things. I would look thru the tours from the ship, if there is something you truly want to do, then I would pick it. I would first check out those cities like the pther person mentioned, here as well as websites for that city on the internet. You also may not want to choose some things so far in advance (for example i wanted to take a tram ride in a few places we visited, but was told to wait and see what the weather was like prior to booking since I wouldn%26#39;t be able to see anything if it was bad! ). This made sense to me and tram booking was done right by the ship, so I didn%26#39;t need to book in advance anyway! There are cheaper ways to do tours I have found on all the places we have visited. That said it does take some planning, and research. Sometimes if we truly want to do a tour I book it rather than lose the opportunity! I know Juneau was the city I was talking about with the tour of the tram. I also learned at this forum (actually one on Junea) that you could travel to the local library and take a local bus for a lot less $ than the ship offerred and go to the glacier there. A wealth of info is available here and it is all free! Some truly wonderful, helpful people can give you a lot of tips! I heard that icy straight is one of the best whale watching places if your into that. Hope my 2 cents helps a bit. good luck! When i started looking into our alaska cruise, everyone said stay extra days etc. to see alaska and now we decided to not book cruise and are flying into anchorage and driving around for 2 weeks! I also purchase tour books like frommers/frodors which were also very helpfull. Again best of luck..

I took the Celebrity Infinity just a couple months ago. You ask some excellent questions, and I could go on and on. The excursions are expensive ... and, oddly, Celebrity requires that you pay for them when you book them. This certainly dissuades people from planning ahead!

With the exception of Icy Strait, your ports will be crowded with ships and people. Juneau is fun and there is lots to do. The Mendenhall Glacier is the MUST. Good restaurant -- the Twisted Fish - on the dock. Skagway -- town is not impressive, very touristy - but you must take the White Pass Railroad. Make a day of it! Include your lunch. You are not missing anything in town.

Only 5 hours in Ketchikan ... then I would just take time and walk the town. We really enjoyed it. Icy Strait is small and kinda fun.

Need more info ...

Betty Lou

We are a group doing this same tour on the same ship,same time. Can you give me any tips that helped? Clothing to pack (Temps in different locations) tours you would recommend? Thanks

doing this same tour on the same ship,same time?

In 2008? You%26#39;re too late!

Lol, You kinda missed it if you are going on my trip.

I assume you mean you are doing the same trip in 2009. It was a great trip. Question is are you extending the trip for land tour afterward? The land package and trip to Denali was awesome. We did whitewater rafting there. Denali is beautiful and the wildlife is awesome. Ok here%26#39;s the deal. On the ship...Go to the upscale restaurant for dinner 1 night (make online reservation with ship asap). I think the add%26#39;l cost was about $15-20 pp. Try to do it early like the 2nd or 3rd night on the trip.

Oh always catch the sunsets on the ship,(like 10:30pm) unbelievable. We had a great time on a lot of sidetrips. Here ya go by port. Ketchican- go to the indian village (join in when then ask for volunteers), totem tour, and lumberjack show combo (booked thru the ship as soon as we got on board). Takes up plenty of time very interesting and leaves time to shop till you drop on tourist items (junk to bring home to family %26amp; friends) in the small town. Can also do this shopping in Juneau (we did a little in both).

Juneau - Mendenhall glacier is wonderful! Do not book the tour thru the ship. Follow other directions on this site to take the bus $7 roundtrip was super. Do the tram up the mtn (just eh.) in the afternoon if you want or shop (lots of stores here. In Skagway we did the Whitepass railway up and did the bus trip back down (we booked this on the ship when we boarded also). We used our ship credit that they gave us for booking to pay for the trips. They did not sell out in advance as the ship sort of leads you to believe, but book these trips as soon as you get on the ship! Other than the Whitepass railway, Skagway was blah.

Icy Strait is the place to do whalewatching! Depending on how many you are (6 or less) book the tour with F.I.S.H.E.S. You can find them on this site. Book them right away (I mean now!) as he always sells out. May cost about $20 more pp than on the ship sponsored trip but well worth it. The ship tour is about 60 people on a boat. This is a privite skipper that knows his stuff! Most he will take is 6 people. We saw humpbacks up real close, i mean really really close. He let us drift into a pod, They were about 30 yards from us. That was the ultimate! If you like fishing this is also the place to do it. We saw a few other couples that we met that went fishing here and had wonderful success.

Hubbard Glacier was absolutely exhilerating! Get out in the morning and drink coffee on deck and view this place. It was like heaven. The royal blue bands in the glacier were unbelievable.

Dress is mostly casual. Suit %26amp; Jacket needed for dinner on the trip. No Tux! Go to the shows on the ship. They were surpringly very good. You will only need warmest clothes for maybe 3-4 days (definately in Icy Strait) temp was 40 on the whale trip with some wind also. Layering is really a good idea since you will be taking stuff off as the day progresses and it certainly will warm up. Rest of the time is like dressing for fall weather in Chi town -can be warm or cool. Been there, I know what your weather is like. Take an inland trip up to Fairbanks. Lots to do and see. If you play golf...you got to go nighttime golfing in Fairbanks. Try the Northstar golf course(northernmost PGA course in the world). They have a visitor package including club rentals for $70 (they are on the web). Call them. You can tee off as late as 9 pm and play all 18. Ain%26#39;t nothing like teeing off, seeing a moose walk across the green you are hitting to and you are on the 15th tee box in bright sunlight at Midnite! Take lots of digital pics and make sure you have plenty of memory. I%26#39;m a little crazy but I shot 1000 pics in 14 days. Oh if you are starting in Vancouver, get there a day early and take a city trip. There is one that picks you up in your hotel the day your ship leaves. It is a 3.5 - 4 hour tour that ends up bringing you to the ship around 1 pm. It was a perfect start to our trip and saw a huge amount of Vancouver. Do Chinatown for dinner. Have a great trip. You will have memories of a lifetime.

Thank you very much for your answer. Yes I made a mistake on the dates. It is actally the land tour first departing the 28 and then getting on the ship July 3 and returning on the 10 OF 2009! Did you happen to hear anyone who took the helicopter to the glacier and then the dogsledding? I have read that the dog sledding camps will let you borrow boots and winter coats. Please let me know if you heard about that. Thanks again.

YES as to the helicopter and dogsled. But it isn%26#39;t really good news.

One couple that was with us did it in Juneau. Husband said considering the cost and the relative short time etc. He felt it was waaaaaaay overpriced and was not really worth it.

';Walking on crusty ice was no big deal at all. The flight up was interesting and pretty. That was the best part and got some nice pics from the copter.'; You get a 2 minute ride on the dogsled and that%26#39;s it.

If you are doing it to see the dogs there are better places in Denali and also in Fairbanks. I hope they are offering a tour in Fairbanks. If not get there one day early and definitely do it.

Thanks. I appreciate the info.

xp