The allure of sailing past glaciers, venturing into the rugged wilderness and admiring the quirky frontier towns entices more than a million people per year to take an Alaskan cruise. An Alaskan cruise is not one of those vacations where you want to skip a port and relax on the ship. There are too many wondrous adventures waiting that make it necessary to plan your Alaska cruise excursions carefully.
In addition to sharing my own experiences I gathered recommendations from my in-laws who have cruised to Alaska multiple times, even taking the land and sea tour once to get their insight on the best Alaska cruise excursions. They always sailed with Royal Caribbean, but many of the excursions are similar, regardless of the ship you choose. You can also book some of these independently (i.e., not through the cruise line.)
For those a bit more adventurous, a friend of mine highly recommends 2 tours she took sailing on Princess with kids.
What Alaska Cruise Excursions Do We Recommend?
The Top 4:
- The train in Skagway – Great way to get away from the cities and see more nature.
- Free walk around Ketchikan – A great inexpensive way to explore.
- Whales watching in Icy Strait- I highly recommend, if in your budget.
- Helicopter and Glacier Trek in June – Expensive but an incredible experience.
Ketchikan:
My in-laws did the Saxman Native Village Tour their 1st time in Alaska. Unless it has changed a whole lot, I would NOT recommend this tour.
Instead, (and they did this twice) walk to the area where the famous Dolly’s House Museum is located. There is a cost to go in, but just stroll by if you’re short on cash. A beautiful river runs through the area, plus the history of a well paid lady of the night is fascinating. Ketchikan also has a huge store called the Tongass Trading CO. that is fun to walk through with clothing, fishing and hunting items and souvenirs galore. They also have a lumber jack show, which is a lot of fun.
You don’t want to miss exploring the picturesque historic district, Creek Street. It’s a lovely place to wander, shop and snap some photos.
Our friends did the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman’s Tour in Ketchikan and highly recommend it. The grandparents were able to do this excursion. She said it was an interesting tour and seeing the bald eagles was amazing. You’ll be aboard the Aleutian Ballad, which was on the hit TV show “The Deadliest Catch”. On Princess Cruiseline the tour is called, The Deadliest Catch Crab Fisherman’s Tour.
Juneau:
We splurged and took the Helicopter Glacier Walkabout and it was most incredible experiences we’ve ever had. The helicopter tour and Mendenhall glacier trek was with Northstar but you’ll have to book through the ship as independent booking isn’t available while ships are in port. I wanted to do the 4.25 tour, but it was sold out. Our tour was a total of 3.25 hours. Still plenty of time to explore and appreciate the magnificent views. I can’t recommend this tour enough.
My in-laws did the Glacier Gardens & Mendenhall Glacier tour again, on their second visit, because they enjoyed it so much the first time. The gardens have upside down trees where all the flowers grow out of the roots. You might even see a bald eagle or three! The Mendenhall glacier itself is magnificent! There is also an indoor area with an interesting history on glaciers. We even caught a glimpse of big horn sheep (not always possible to see but they did).
My friend did an Alaska cruise with her family (2 grandparents, 6 parents and 6 tween – teen age kids) and recommends the Glacier Canoe Paddle and Hike in Juneau. This is geared toward adventurers and is a strenuous tour. The grandparents skipped this as it was above their activity level but the children ages 11 – 14 participated and loved the tour as much as their parents. This isn’t booked through the ship as it’s an independent tour. If you enjoy the outdoors and have the fitness level to participate, this is her absolute favorite tour from the entire trip.
*Please be mindful of the amount of time your ship is in Juneau. Our cruise was only in port until 1pm and that could be pushing it a little too close to make it back to the ship on time. Our helicopter tour was delayed and the ship waited for us because it was an NCL excursion.
Skagway:
The White Pass Railroad train ride was a fantastic way to view more of the Alaskan wilderness. It takes you into the Yukon territory, a beautiful ride through the true Alaskan interior. My father-in-law got a picture of a bear right next to our train car. You can even go out on a platform and take pictures if you can deal with the cold.
Once you have finished the train ride, wander around the small, quaint town. Walk by the Red Onion Saloon – the girls dance and hang out the windows as in days gone by. There are little shops and ice cream stores and you can also walk along the street on old fashion board walk sidewalks and take photos on the snow train car and side cars.
Our friends did the Musher’s Camp & Sled Dog Experience in Skagway. The kids enjoyed the tour and seeing the sled dogs. There are several of these tours at different ports, so you can see what fits your schedule.
Icy Strait Point:
The best place to see whales is here! We booked a private excursion on our last visit as the Royal Caribbean tour packs the people on like sardines. This is also a fantastic place to see eagles by the dozens. If you don’t want to spend the extra money to see whales, you can walk along the pathway into a small wooded area, along part of the shore and back around. There is also a small museum showcasing salmon packing info and pictures of the equipment. But if you truly want to see whales…………get off the bucks. My in-laws have done a small group whale watching tour and we did one on our recent visit. It’s an excursion not to be missed!
It’s no wonder that Alaska has become on of the most popular cruise destination in the world. The pristine frontier and impressive glaciers make the 49th state of the United States and ideal vacation. Ride the train in Segway, see the glaciers in Juneau, and go whale watching in Icy Strait Point. The beauty of Alaska awaits you!
Read our Alaska cruise review sailing with NCL from Seward to Vancouver.
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What Alaska Cruise Excursions do you recommend? Share your picks in the comments.
Who did you book your excursion with to Whale watch in Icy Straight point? What month were you there?
Sorry, we didn’t keep that info. There’s lot of people you can find online. Check cruise critic as well. Smaller boats are great since there is less people.
The best time is the end of June – the beginning/mid July. I’m told the bugs get bad in August and by September the weather is getting colder.
When you did the glacier tour, were you able to walk onto the glacier ? My had is about to explod3 with all this info!
With the tour mentioned above (ABAK Glacier Trek and Paddle in Juneau), you are actually on the glacier. Very cool! Have fun!