AK cruise

[Muskeez]

Starting Honeymoon cruise Aug. 13, will be stopping in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay Nat'l park, & College Fjord. Has anyone done this trip that can recommend the "must-see" things in each port? We will also do a 3 day land tour to McKinley and Denali and then Fairbanks.

We definitely want to spend at least one day fishing. Preferably Halibut. Someone recommended Top Dog out of Juneau, and I have emailed them and left a voicemail. Does anyone else have any recommendations of charters to fish with or other shore excursions that were worth the $ and very memorable?

Thanks for any advice!
Clayton

 

[gremcat]

We used Knudson cove but I forget the service. It was setup by the cruise. We didn't follow the rest of the boats and stayed in the cove for Salmon and almost limited on Silvers. We could have brought home a pile of pinks but it was late in the season and the fishing guide said they would be dark and mushy at that point so we let some go. One thing to keep in mind if doing it form a cruise is that it takes awhile to get to the Halibut areas. e could have done it but it would have been 1200 dollars for three of us and the guide said by the time we would have gotten to the area they fished for them we would have had about an hour and a half to fish. We where in Ketchikan for most of the day but they factor in transport and the boat ride into the total fishing time.

 

[big28hunter]

You are in for an awesome trip! Take a good set of binos as there is endless sights and critters to find. We went in September out of Vancouver and hit all the ports you will be hitting.

Ketchikan_hear we did the totem pole and bear viewing tour. Had a great time and was certainly worth the money.

Juneau_took a whale watching cruise and Mendenhall glacier tour. Highly recommend this one. Seen a lot of wildlife on this combined tour. Mountain goats, eagles, seals, sea otters, killer whales, humpback whales, and a few others.

Skagway_my favorite tour of the whole trip. Train to Frazier, BC and then kayaking Frazier Lake. Guides were excellent and tour comes with snacks and drinks after your time on the water. If you do this one make sure you take your binos. Seen goats all over the mountain on the ride to the top. From the lake you take a bus back to town.


Have a great trip and congrats!

 

[Dave N]

Got some spare time to kill? Here's a link to the pics I took on our tour/cruise last year. We went the end of May for a 13 night trip. Can't help you on the fishing but if you have a stop for any amount of time in Talkeetna my "must-do" item is a flight-seeing tour of Denali with the glacier landing. It will bring tears to your eyes, especially if the weather cooperates. I've got a couple pics in my album from that. OK, maybe close to 100 would be more like it! Any questions about the pics just PM me. Enjoy the trip, and congrats!

http://s876.photobucket.com/user/4bobux/library/Alaska?sort=2&page=1

 

[sluggo6850]

If I ever get to Alaska I would like to take this train ride

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=i98q7zOrpcU

 

[Dave N]

Rode the train out of Skagway. Very overcast that day so my pics aren't that great, but it sure was pretty riding up through the mountains from the coast. If not fishing out of Skagway I recommend killing some time on the train. The town is tiny, you can cover the tourist stuff pretty quick. There is a shop there that will make a knife junkie cry!

 

[Muskeez]

Incredible pictures Dave! This is exactly the info I was looking for. Thanks guys!!

 

[big28hunter]

Dave N that was the same ship we would have sailed on but had to change dates. Ended up on the Norweigen Sun. Nice pics!

 

[gremcat]

Also try the spruce tip ale in Skagway. It was quite good and unique. I received a nice knife from that store as a gift from someone on the cruise with us. I still prefer Ketchikan but that is me.

 

[Mike Karkalla]

I've done this cruise twice now. take the yukon train ride. well worth it....try and see/use the locals who have trips outside the Ports!!! watch your time. Almost everything in each town you stop in is owned by the cruise Ship companies..they lease the entire docks. example: Mendenhall Glacier day trip on ship $50 each, at dock from locals $7.00 each way, old school bus and buy a lunch.10 minute ride....
Mt Roberts Tram Car another good day trip. Dungeness Crab dinner or lunch very good!!! book early
If time permits based on what criuse line? Ketchikan will offer best fishing day trips...if your stopping at Sitka? wait for there!!!! much better on Halibut....too bad ships cant go to Petersburg, that time of year the salmon fishing is great for sockey and coho....once you've cruised , do another on own trip. while there make some local connections and find a great area and then spend a week or so fishing, much cheaper. enjoy Denalli Park, take the full day trip...well worth seeing wildlife. hope clear views from south...

 

[Dave N]

YES!!! The long trip in Denali takes you deeper into the park, giving more chances for finding critters.

Mike brought up something I forgot. Lots of shore excursions are LOTS cheaper on-shore instead of booked through the ship. Mendenhall tops my list. Just wait until you get there and take a regular shuttle found at the dock. However, there are SOME advantages to booking ahead through the cruise line. One is guaranteed reservations. For something special like the train in Skagway you know there will be a spot for you. The day tour through Denali will put you all on the same bus, or group of buses and keep you all organized as a group. We booked that once we were actually on the land tour portion. Your tour guide will have all the options available for you for that part of your trip. The other plus to booking an excursion through the cruise line is if something were to happen to the excursion, like the transport bus broke down or the sightseeing boat gets hung up somehow, the cruise ship will be informed and will NOT leave port without you.