Alaskan Cruise, are the day tours worth the expense in your experience?

Question

Are the day tours the cruise line offer worth the cost and are they/were they pleasant for you?
Any particular tours you liked and why?
We (2 of us) are kinda thinking of just getting off the boat when it docks and finding our own adventures, maybe renting a car etc for the day and checking things out. Whatever. Being spontaneus. Is this a good way to do it or do you have any other insights/awarenesses or suggestions? Thanx!

Thanx to all of you for your sage advice and for sharing your expereinces. It has helped a lot!

Answer 1

In Juneau, I'd skip the ship tour to Mendenhall glacier. There's a bus you can take there after you get off the ship that's a lot cheaper. When we went, the driver did a guided tour around Juneau on the way back.

I agree the White Pass Railway is worth the money.

Be careful of booking ahead for tours on your own. It's not real unusual for a port to be cancelled. We were supposed to dock in Haines and it was skipped - I've heard other people say they had similar issues.

Some of the towns are small, and most of what you'd want to see are close to the dock anyway, so you probably don't usually need a car.

Have a really great time. It's beautiful.

Answer 2

We went on an Alaska cruise on Princess about 4 years ago. Our stops were the usual and we did tours in each stop. One that we did was a tour of a Totem Pole and Clan House exhibit. It was interesting, but not really that exciting. Then next stop we did a tour that took us to the Mendenhall Glacier (see one ya see them all). Then we went to a fish hachery (kinda like watching grass grow) and the place also had some eagles. Again, It too was interesting but not really exciting stuff. The next stop we did a bus tour that took us up the mountain pass that the gold rush folks took to get to the gold fields. It was beautiful scenery, as there was snow on the ground up there. All of that was pretty.

The Alaska cruise is not the type where you will have the opportunity to do the same type exciting things that you can do in the Caribbean, like go scuba, snorkle, horse back ride, climb a falls, etc. The Alaska tours did include one where you go on a bush plane and land on a glacier, and another where you go someplace and go on a dog sled ride. Another tour was a lumberjack demonstration.

We decided on our Alaska cruise to do a tour on the stops, but not spend big bucks on them; we did whatever was cheapest. On hind sight we probably could have skipped the tours and just walked around town.

Answer 3

You can do as you say but don't just randomly rent a car. Most ports have tons of stuff in walking range and free or nearly free buses & trams.

One tour I would book out of Skagway is the White Pass & Yukon Railroad. It isn't cheap - about $70 a person but worth every penny. Take the rail up & the bus back. That way you get different sights on the return trip. Buy your tickets ashore for a savings. The rail station is about three blocks from the pier. Most things are cheaper if you go right to the attraction yourself & cut out the middleman (ship).

In Juneau - For the best Salmon bake in Alaska go to the Gold Creek Salmon Bake and don't miss having a drink in the Red Dog Saloon. Bring your camera.

Answer 4

haven't been on the alaskin cruise but i heard the views are breathtaking but i have been to a few in the caribbean and boy where they great. but i got to go for free. other then that if your looking for the cruise remember to check out www.cheaparmytravel.com thats my website. i'm a self employed travel agent but the benifits are worth it. and i offer cheap travel.