What’s your BIGGEST tip to tell a first time Alaskan cruiser!

[wendlle]

Don’t discount going private on your excursions. We did mostly private and it was a lot cheaper and only my family. We only did the cruise ones when there was no other options. Our favorite was a private guide in Skagway after our heli glacier dog sledding trip was cancelled due to bad weather. Tip 2 have a back up plan if you do plan to do any helicopter tour. They frequently get cancelled.

I know everyone says to have a back up plan in case the helicopter gets cancelled, but how do you do that?
don't you need to book before the cruise? I don't want to pay for two excursions and only go on one of them.

I'm aware my helicopter excursion in Skagway may be cancelled, but how do I have a back up plan?

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

I know everyone says to have a back up plan in case the helicopter gets cancelled, but how do you do that?
don't you need to book before the cruise? I don't want to pay for two excursions and only go on one of them.

I'm aware my helicopter excursion in Skagway may be cancelled, but how do I have a back up plan?

Find something in Skagway that you'd like to do that does not need to be pre-booked. In Skagway you could plan a hike, plan to eat in the salon. Plan to walk every street in town (it's a small town but walking every street takes a bit). Plan a back up scavenger hunt for fun souvenirs in the stores (find the most unusual flavored candy, find something with a bear on it that costs less than $5.00 etc) and have cash to hand out to each participant. You could also check and see if any train tickets are left unsold etc. It may not be perfect, but the idea is to have some idea of what you'll do if the helicopter is canceled so you're not left standing disappointed and with no idea what to do next.

 

[cschaaf]

In Skagway, we rented a minivan (7 of us) and drove to Emerald Lake. It was a low cost option that allowed us the freedom to do stuff on our own. It was a beautiful drive (~1.5 -2 hours each way).

On the way, we stopped at a dog sled camp. We were able to get there before the cruise busses did and pretty much had the place to ourselves for a while.

We had a helicopter/glacier tour followed by whale watching scheduled for Juneau, but a passenger was injured on our way to Juneau. Transferring him off the ship made us very late for the Juneau port, so those had to be cancelled. I was very nicely surprised that both tour companies had already cancelled and fully refunded the tours before we even got in port and I could get internet.

Ketchikan we did a nice kayak tour.

I agree with the posters that said to bring binoculars and to not forget about the lower decks on the day you see glaciers.

 

[TBLaube]

This is not a popular opinion, but definitely, something to consider if you are on a budget or prefer to spend less on the fare.

You do not need a balcony to enjoy the Alaska cruise. Is it nice? Sure, but it won't ruin your cruise if you don't have one. I am doing an Alaska cruise this summer, and this trip is solo. My inside room costs $2500, which is about 1/3 of the cost of a verandah.

With the savings, I also booked a 7-nt Southern Caribbean and an 8-nt to Bermuda. The three cruises cost me less than one Alaska with a verandah stateroom. This will be my 2nd DCL Alaska cruise. The first one was in 2016.

It also allowed me to splurge on a glacier plane tour in Juneau. The Wonder has many viewing area spaces to enjoy, and I do not feel I am missing out.

 

[sadiecatie]

You do not need a balcony to enjoy the Alaska cruise.

This is always nice to hear, because it feels like everyone says “you need a veranda!” We’re booked inside because we figure we’ll want to spend so much time enjoying the sights, ship, and activities, not hanging out in our room. That way we have more budget for excursions and just not worrying about it if we want to buy another souvenir or order another drink or whatever.

 

[cschaaf]

This is not a popular opinion, but definitely, something to consider if you are on a budget or prefer to spend less on the fare.

You do not need a balcony to enjoy the Alaska cruise. Is it nice? Sure, but it won't ruin your cruise if you don't have one. I am doing an Alaska cruise this summer, and this trip is solo. My inside room costs $2500, which is about 1/3 of the cost of a verandah.

With the savings, I also booked a 7-nt Southern Caribbean and an 8-nt to Bermuda. The three cruises cost me less than one Alaska with a verandah stateroom. This will be my 2nd DCL Alaska cruise. The first one was in 2016.

It also allowed me to splurge on a glacier plane tour in Juneau. The Wonder has many viewing area spaces to enjoy, and I do not feel I am missing out.

I think I'd make that same argument for just about any cruise. We booked our first verandah on the Wish at the end of May. We figured we'd give it a try, but I already feel like I'll end up trying 'to get my monies' worth by hanging out in the room far more than I really should.

The verandah on the Wish, while certainly more expensive, wasn't as big of a difference as we saw for the Alaska cruise on Princess - they really put the screws to you on that itinerary.

 

[auntlynne]

 

[Belle_Ann]

In Skagway, we rented a minivan (7 of us) and drove to Emerald Lake. It was a low cost option that allowed us the freedom to do stuff on our own. It was a beautiful drive (~1.5 -2 hours each way).

On the way, we stopped at a dog sled camp. We were able to get there before the cruise busses did and pretty much had the place to ourselves for a while.

We had a helicopter/glacier tour followed by whale watching scheduled for Juneau, but a passenger was injured on our way to Juneau. Transferring him off the ship made us very late for the Juneau port, so those had to be cancelled. I was very nicely surprised that both tour companies had already cancelled and fully refunded the tours before we even got in port and I could get internet.

Ketchikan we did a nice kayak tour.

I agree with the posters that said to bring binoculars and to not forget about the lower decks on the day you see glaciers.

In Skagway, we rented a minivan (7 of us) and drove to Emerald Lake. It was a low cost option that allowed us the freedom to do stuff on our own. It was a beautiful drive (~1.5 -2 hours each way).

On the way, we stopped at a dog sled camp. We were able to get there before the cruise busses did and pretty much had the place to ourselves for a while.

We had a helicopter/glacier tour followed by whale watching scheduled for Juneau, but a passenger was injured on our way to Juneau. Transferring him off the ship made us very late for the Juneau port, so those had to be cancelled. I was very nicely surprised that both tour companies had already cancelled and fully refunded the tours before we even got in port and I could get internet.

Ketchikan we did a nice kayak tour.

I agree with the posters that said to bring binoculars and to not forget about the lower decks on the day you see glaciers.

@cschaaf - I’m also planning to rent a car in Skagway and would love to stop by a kennel but only see tours to book. Do you remember the name of the kennel and did you need an advance reservation? We actually don’t care about doing the dog sledding but just want to learn about the dogs, how they’re trained and meet some.

 

[DnA2010]

Bring rain gear!
I've done 2 Alaskan cruises and it poured in ports both trips!

 

[cschaaf]

@cschaaf - I’m also planning to rent a car in Skagway and would love to stop by a kennel but only see tours to book. Do you remember the name of the kennel and did you need an advance reservation? We actually don’t care about doing the dog sledding but just want to learn about the dogs, how they’re trained and meet some.

We were there in summer and went to the Tutshi Sled Dog Camp. They have a second location that seems like it might be used for winter tours??

 

[jimmymc]

Budget for good excursions. The little towns are nice to walk in and have good food if you're tired of what they have on the ship, but the most spectacular experiences are out in nature. Whale watching, glacier walks, wildlife viewing hikes, or just hiking in general are all worth the time and money.

 

[MICKEEP]

Hey everyone, I thought I would ask the experts in terms of what you think was your biggest tip and what you would’ve done differently going on your cruise to Alaska I had my final payment due and we’re locked and loaded ready to go

One thing I would have done different would be to have booked an excursion, on glacier day, on one of the boats that gets you real close to the glacier.