Cruise booked on Princess, #LB6, suggestions for side trips?

WE booked trip #LB6 on Princess cruise lines and have no idea what side trips to take. It is a 13 night land/sea trip from Fairbanks to Vancouver. Our sea portion includes Skagway,Juneau, Ketchikan, and Vancouver. Any suggestions on ';not to miss'; side trips at these ports?

Cruise booked on Princess, #LB6, suggestions for side trips?

Hi. What time of the year are you travelling? For others looking at this thread, here is the itinerary:

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The land portion you%26#39;ve chosen is not one of the best. Half of it you%26#39;re squirrelled away at Princess Lodges in the middle of nowhere, totally dependent on them for any excursions (which means more money for Princess, fewer choices for you).

What time of day are you arriving in Fairbanks? If early in the day, you might rent a car and drive out to Chena Hot Springs. If you arrive too late to do anything, you do have the next evening free. I%26#39;d suggest either Pioneer Park or U. of A. Museum of the North.

In Denali, the Natural History Tour is worthless. It goes only 17 miles into the park, and you can go almost as far on a free park shuttle. Chances of seeing wildlife going in only that short distance are minimal, and you never get a good view of Mt. McKinley. I recommend ditching that tour (ask Princess to reimburse you) and taking the park shuttle to Eielson instead (if you%26#39;re there June 1st or later), 65 miles into the park, lots more chances to see wildlife, a great view of McKinley if it%26#39;s out, and only $31.45 pp. Best value you%26#39;ll find for your money.

The nice thing about the shuttle is that you can get off almost anywhere to either hike or take pictures, then catch another shuttle along (or if you%26#39;re getting tired, catch one going back to the entrance). Bring binoculars for everyone, since most wildlife is seen at a distance. Also bring your own food and drink as none is for sale during the trip.

Depending on the dates you%26#39;re there, I%26#39;d suggest either the 1 pm or 2 pm shuttle. Your train will arrive at 12:15. If you want time to freshen up quickly at the hotel, then hop a hotel bus back to the park entrance, book the 2 pm shuttle. More info: www.reservedenali.com/shuttles/index.cfm

The train doesn%26#39;t leave until 12:15 pm the next afternoon, so you have the morning free. Possible activities: whitewater rafting, see the visitor center displays %26amp; film, watch the free Ranger sled dog demo at 10 a.m. (free bus leaves 1/2 hr. prior to demo), visit a sled dog kennel.

Talkeetna: this is the part about Princess that drives me wild. You%26#39;re told you%26#39;re going to ';McKinley';. Some people think they%26#39;re actually going to the mountain, but no, it%26#39;s the Princess McKinley Lodge near Talkeetna (but not near enough to walk--you have to take the hotel shuttle). The train arrives about 4:40 in the afternoon. Here are the excursions available via the hotel: www.princesslodges.com/mckinley_lodge.cfm Some that are popular are flightseeing, river float, jetboat. You might have time do do one of these tomorrow; depends what time your bus leaves. You might or might not be able to find that out ahead of time.

Kenai: I%26#39;m assuming this means Kenai Princess Lodge and not the town of Kenai. If so, you%26#39;re near Cooper Landing, but again, not near enough to walk. You probably have an evening, plus the whole next day here, and can choose from the following excursions: http://www.princesslodges.com/kenai_lodge.cfm I%26#39;d strongly suggest the Kenai Fjords wildlife cruise in nearby Seward. If there are any fishermen in your group, Kenai River is a great place for it. Also a nice place for a raft float.

In Whittier: again, depends if you can find out when your bus will arrive there, whether you%26#39;ll be able to fit in either an afternoon glacier cruise or kayaking. This is one place you%26#39;d have some choices if the bus gets you there before 1 pm. If you can%26#39;t find out when you%26#39;re arriving, then I suggest you take the info about the various tours, and if you arrive in time, see if you can still get on one of them (Majormarine, Prince William Sound, Phillips). You might want to print this page out to take with you: whittieralaskachamber.org/business_directory鈥?/a>

Or you could just stroll around the tiny town (population less than 200) for a bit prior to boarding your cruiseship.

As for the ports of call, you%26#39;d have to give us some idea of your interests. Far too many excursions available for us to comment on all of them. I will suggest, though, that if you%26#39;re interested in see humpback whales (which you might or might not see on a Kenai Fjords cruise if you do it), Juneau has near 100% success. If you can still get in with Harv %26amp; Marv, that would be my first choice; others are mentioned in this recent thread: tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g31020-i1190-k2567鈥?/a>

If you want a slightly larger boat (a couple of dozen people), then try Orca Ent, which carries a couple of dozen passengers. No point in going on the large vessel through your cruiseship, as it would be crowded with over 100 people and might make it difficult for you to get a good view.

Oh, and don%26#39;t fall for the cruiseline telling you that excursions not made through them might not get you back in time. That%26#39;s just a scare tactic. No one on this board has ever heard of anyone not getting back on time (except for some people who were busy SHOPPING, lol). You have so many more choices going with the independents, and they are often much more personal (smaller groups) and last longer. Also I find that the cruiseship tours often overlap, so you have to choose between 2 things you%26#39;d like to do. For example, in Skagway there were 3 things I wanted to see. Through the cruiseship, I could do only 2 of them. Independently, I saw all 3, and with a comfortable time in between. So consider what both cruiseship and independents have to offer before making your decisions.

I also suggest browsing the forums here for each port, to see what other people have enjoyed.

Cruise booked on Princess, #LB6, suggestions for side trips?

Wow. Thank you! Our tour leaves June 2nd. My Dad has always dreamed of going to Alaska and we almost lost him this past year due to his heart. So, he picked out this trip. Do you think that we choose a bad route? What would you suggest as an alternate? I want it to be the trip of his life.... literally. He is an outdoor fanatic and wants to see as much wildlife as possible. Thank you so very much.

Also, do you suggest not going with Princess at all? If so, what route should we take? We already have our flights?

The cruise on Princess will be great. You%26#39;ll love every minute. It%26#39;s their landtours I object to.

But you said that this is what your dad selected; if that%26#39;s so, make the best of things by being prepared to work within the limits of the tour (eg, doing the shuttle to Eielson instead of the Natural History Tour). The individual tours offered by Princess are fine, just you don%26#39;t have many choices and you miss out on a number of things as well. OTOH, for some people, having a limited choice makes things easier.

Have you discussed with your dad exactly what he wants to see/do in Alaska? Did he pick this specific itinerary because he liked it? If so, don%26#39;t question his choice. But, if he wasn%26#39;t really sure what he wanted and just picked ';an'; itinerary, now is the time to find out.

I don%26#39;t know what physical limitations your dad might have (eg, has trouble walking very far or can%26#39;t do a full day tour). But in general, with his main interest of wildlife, I%26#39;d suggest an all-day Kenai Fjords cruise, another day in Denali to do a second shuttle to see wildlife (just in case you didn%26#39;t see much the first day, and if you did, you can always cut the 2nd trip short), seeing the Wildlife Conservation Center, and maybe doing a bear-viewing tour if you can fit that into the budget (around $600 pp). Is there any specific wildlife your dad is more eager to see? Does he enjoy fishing? Kenai Peninsula is a wonderful place to do that. Is seeing Fairbanks important to him? If so, of course keep that in. If not, gives you more time on the peninsula....

So talk to your dad. If he%26#39;s happy with what he%26#39;s chosen, leave plans as they are except for substituting the shuttle to Eielson. After all, this trip is for him, isn%26#39;t it?

Okay Manitoba Maple - BC Paddler here - you are just a wealth of excellent info - I especially like that you don%26#39;t spare the details! So, you mentioned in Skagway you wanted to do 3 things and you got to - what were they? Also, what the heck is the best thing to do in Juneau? We are thinking the same thing about the private tours vs. pricey princess - I know having cruised in some south american ports and carribean it is more advantageous to go with princess since some of the operators are a little dubious, but I am thinking it%26#39;s private all the way in Alaska - these people%26#39;s livelihood depends on a good reputation so I feel more secure going private in ';my own backyard';. Thanks for all the expert advice.

';So, you mentioned in Skagway you wanted to do 3 things and you got to - what were they?';

LOL, nothing fancy or expensive. I blew most of my money paying for the HAL cruisetour (never again! Just cruises from now on), so didn%26#39;t have much left for excursions. I didn%26#39;t want to do the all-day tour to Emerald Lake (it was raining %26amp; foggy and the people that went didn%26#39;t get to see much). So I just did a couple of ';hokey'; things: Liarsville %26amp; Salmon Bake (skits were quite good, food was mediocre), Days of 98 Show (about Soapy Smith), very well done. Then I took a shuttle to White Pass. Nice scenery, but the clouds were really closing in the last part of it, so I%26#39;m glad I didn%26#39;t do the longer tour. Maybe next time.

If your ID is what you enjoy doing, you might enjoy an excursion called Glacier Pt. Wilderness Safari. That one has to be booked through the cruise ship, however, it%26#39;s not offered privately.

Lots of things to do in Juneau depending on your interests. The whale-watching (mentioned in a post above) is my #1 tour there. If you want a small boat for that, book ASAP. Mendenhall Glacier is another popular activity, you can take a bus from the dock to the visitor center, and even hike near the glacier. If you like hiking, there was a recent thread here with great pointers about doing that: tripadvisor.com/鈥?6058016

If you have the $$$, a couple of popular activities are walking on a glacier or dog-sledding on a glacier (also available out of Skagway). Cost so much because they involve a flight. Also, for the same reason, that tour sometimes get cancelled due to weather, so be sure to have a backup.

Right beside the dock is the tram up Mt. Roberts. No need to buy an advance ticket, wait to see the weather. No sense going up if you can%26#39;t see anything. At the top you can see a short film on the Tlingit culture, etc., plus lots of nice hiking trails, and of course a great view if it isn%26#39;t misty.

Those are just a few of the things to do in Juneau.

Thanks MM - likely not my last question as we don%26#39;t sail until May, so stand by for more.......

As mentioned, your land tour choice is lacking and has some big problems. With the NHT, it is completely worthless, worse, you are all the way there and not seeing what you could be.

In my opinion, if an option, you would be far better off, ditching the land tour portion and going on your own. There is so much stuff, along the way, to explore and enjoy. Cruisetours completely miss it. The fixed schedules are a negative, and way too much time in transit. Perhaps rethink this choice??

For port tours, do your homework, look over shore excursion lists and narrow down your interests. There are 100%26#39;s of tours to choose from. Repost for specific information.