Have anyone tried to take cruise sidetrips not using what the ship offers, but booked instead using a tour once they got off the ship in either Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway?
cruise sidetrips: Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway?
You can easily find side tours in Ketchikan and Juneau. Just research their chamber of commerce or pick up a traveler%26#39;s guide which will ist all the companies. It%26#39;s getting later in the season and there will be more spaces open. Be aware that most ships will tell you that they don%26#39;t guarantee they%26#39;ll wait for you if you go on a tour that they don%26#39;t offer. Any reputable operator in any of these towns will be perfectly aware of the ship schedule and will meet your time constraints.
cruise sidetrips: Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway?
Thank you for that reply. I tried to post a reply to this post last night and perhaps I got a little strident and got dropped off as I tried to send........... It seems to happen when we locals try to get a bit too truthful about this ';cruise industry'; so maybe the best way is to keep encouraging people to check with the reputable, onshore, authorities, [like the National Park Service, in this town] and find the reality of things in this morass of hype and hardsell!?! caveat emptour! DD
We got a shuttle to Mendenhall Galcier on the dock. There are several booths for this but 1 of them is much cheaper 5$ round trip as opposed to $6 each way. This was a good trip and no tour is needed - we saw bears here feeding on salmon by the stream so if you go be sure to take the trail on the opposite side of the parking lot from the visitors center!
We didn%26#39;t book other trips due to the weather when we were off ship but it looked as though you easily could.
In May we did all our land tours with local companies and all via the internet
Prices were usually a little cheaper or had a better variety of choice but the main difference was the smaller group size and personalised approach .... Really enjoyed it
and was happy not to pay for any of the ';recommended'; 30% kick back tours from the cruise company
Also the same goes for those rather dreadful jewellery stores often owned by ';cruise'; associates and again the mighty 30% kick back
there are heaps of posts that give various local alternatives ....
We did book through the ship, but I just had to recommend the Adventure Kart Expedition in Ketchikan. It was BIG FUN!
We are booked on a cruise to Alaska next August and are considering the Kethikan Adventure Kart Expedition. Can you tell me more about it?
I was there in July, and we succeeded well with local guides, found at or near the docks. One warning, if yours is the only ship in port that day, a lot of the smaller companies will not open. In Juneau, when we first got off the ship, no one was open, but a little later a few of the guided tour vendors opened and we got a tour in a mini-van. In Ketchikan we had a disappointing mini-van tour, we just should have shopped the vendors a bit more carefully, because there were lots of good things to see.
If you get a good guide book, you can determine what you want to see, and make sure to negotiate for those sights. BUT, wandering around is also a great way to really see an area. Skagway was great for that, as it was quite small. In your wanderings, get away from the jewelry and souvenier shops, and see the churches, homes, and smaller businesses on the side streets, including restaurants where the locals dine. We had great roaming in both Skagway and Ketchikan.
I also think you save time by booking on land. Otherwise you have to stand on line on the ship to make your arrangements, if you don%26#39;t do it beforehand on line.
DBigfoot can give you very good advice about Skagway, so listen to him when he posts.
Good luck, have a great trip. Love2
The Ketchikan Adventure Kart Expedition starts off with a gorgeous speed boat ride to the karts.
You grab a helmet and a kart (two people per kart) and drive 5miles out on an old logging trail. You stop once on way to see a waterfall and hidden lakes. At the end of the trail, you have a little snack and visit the river. (A few hardy kids knew of a deep spot and took a jump in...it was warm that day!) Then it%26#39;s back in the kart for the drive back. It can be a bit dusty, so dress accordingly, but it%26#39;s really a lot of fun. My husband and I took our 8 %26amp; 6 year old girls and had a blast. *Had* to get the T-shirt, too!
A bus drive back through beautiful trees and town, and you%26#39;re back at your ship.
Enjoy!
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