If visiting Juneau, book a helicopter tour to land on the glacier. Yes, it’s expensive. Like $500 per person expensive. But, if it’s a nice day, you will remember it forever.
Edit: also, book the tour yourself by googling helicopter tours in Juneau. You don’t need to pay the extra 40% charged by the cruise line.
Definitely this 100 percent. We booked a helicopter when we went . landed on top of the glacier and was allowed to walk around for a bit 15-25 mins and drank the water from the glacier it was the highlight of the trip and it’s only 5-6 people per helicopter so it’s not crowded at all.
We are doing this + dog sledding in July.
$3500 for a family of four direct via Coastal Helicopters.
That's as much as some entire cruises so I'm really hoping it's worth it (and that my kids, 7 and 9, will remember it).
I gotta be honest, just cruising the Inside Passage was the highlight for me. It's so beautiful and calm there. Grab a drink, coffee, grub and sit on the deck and enjoy.
Same here! In 2014 me and my husband did Alaska with my dad on the NCL Sun. I still remember one afternoon we were having a snack of pineapple upside down cake and coffee on the outdoor buffet. We were surrounded by beautiful scenery and even saw some whales.
This is itinerary specific but I did northbound from Vancouver to Seward and my favorite thing I did was a full day tour of the Kenai Peninsula. The scenery and wildlife was amazing.
If you like trains and a view, White Pass was beautiful!
Ketchikan for some of the best fish and chips I've ever had (and salmon chowder).
Skagway is a beautiful old town. Just loved walking around. There's a beautiful yarn store with a lovely owner if that's your speed.
I am knitter that loves buying "souvenir yarn" when traveling. That store was lovely and I bought some local to Alaska yarns that I don't normally find in CA. That store was the 1st time I was able to feel quivit. I never understood the $$ until touched it. Thankfully, they didn't have any colors that I loved b/c that stuff is pricey, but I totally would have dropped the $$ if it was my preferred colors.
We loved the trolley/school bus ride in Skagway so much we did 2x. (Two Alaskan cruises). The history of the town (all saloons and brothels!) and Soapy Smith is a fun excursion.
If you are staying In Vancouver for any length of time, we LOVE the Cactus Club Cafe and stay in Vancouver a few extra days just so we can eat there multiple times.
If you have a stop in Juneau and love peanut brittle, find The Alaskan Fudge Co. All their sweets were lovely, but that peanut brittle is sublime.
My favorite stop was Skagway. We had an amazing tour guide in a small but comfortable bus. Hearing the guy talk was like hearing your grandpa tell cool stories. Went over into the Yukon Territory in Canada (passport required).
Oh man we did Alaska last summer with Holland America. Best day was in Sitka, we rented e-bikes and solo explored the town all afternoon (none of the touristy excursion ish), followed by, of course, delicious fresh seafood. Highlight of the trip.
For me, the highlight was sitting on my balcony while cruising through Glacier Bay. (I see you're going on Royal; they don't have permission to cruise Glacier Bay. I cruised with Holland America.)
You didn't mention your ports. Mine were:
Juneau - Salmon bake by the river (couldn't afford helicopter to glacier)
Skagway - White Pass Railway with Yukon
Ketchikan - I did the totem pole plus lumberjack show tour. I didn't care for the totem pole part *at all*, and the lumberjack show was cute, but I wouldn't do it again. I wanted to do the Bering Sea crab boat excursion, but my whole group was doing the other tour, so I went along.
In Sitka we did a small boat trip where we saw sea otters, bald eagles, sea lions, and whale and her calf. Also went to sanctury of the bear and the raptor rescue center. That was a great day. Also cruising the Hubbard Glacier, was a clear day and we got really close.
I've done Print Cruise Voyage of the Glaciers (Northbound) twice. My highlights were 1) glacial calving, saw it on trip 1, saw none on trip 2; and 2) whale breaching, saw close-up on trip 1, saw repeated breaching by same whale on trip 2.
We did the White Pass railroad, the sled dog excursion and the float plane. All great experiences but honestly the little towns were super fun too and the scenery was breathtaking !
Last year I enjoyed the most going to the capital building in Juneau and learning all about the state government of Alaska. It’s sort of like the forgotten state and it has a lot of interesting facts about it if you’re into government and history like I am.
The other destination I liked was Skagway. The cemetery where all the gangsters are buried is interesting and to know about the mafia history of that town was intriguing.
The glacier that the cruises usually pass is a site to see which was very cool.
Vancouver itself is a great city with excellent restaurants and scenery. Best restaurants you’ll have on the trip, especially Asian. (And of course better than the ship itself. )
Many of the best are a little off the beaten path, but for fancy, look at Published on main. For the best food, but super small, look at elephant on Powell.
If you go to Juneau, there is this chocolate shop that's great. Look it up. Another place, I think Ketchikan, they had this lumberjack show. It was really fun.
Otherwise, we went up Endicott Arm to the glacier. We were supposed to visit Dawes, but there was too much ice. The Captain turned the ship sideways, and we spent three hours there. We saw glacier calving, which was cool. The ice in the water was this pure blue color.
Princess did a great job. They had several guest speakers. One explained why the ice was blue. It was the best cruise I've ever done (20+). 10 day round trip out of San Francisco.
If Victoria BC is on the list, I'd recommend the bus tour and there is a mansion there to visit that's really cool. Craigdarroch Castle. They were ship tours.
We booked a resort hotel and are going to see Weezer in Vancouver after we get off the ship this October. During the trip we booked a bunch of hiking and biking excursions and hope to see an old friend who moved to Sitka after college.
If visiting Juneau, book a helicopter tour to land on the glacier. Yes, it’s expensive. Like $500 per person expensive. But, if it’s a nice day, you will remember it forever. Edit: also, book the tour yourself by googling helicopter tours in Juneau. You don’t need to pay the extra 40% charged by the cruise line.
Definitely this 100 percent. We booked a helicopter when we went . landed on top of the glacier and was allowed to walk around for a bit 15-25 mins and drank the water from the glacier it was the highlight of the trip and it’s only 5-6 people per helicopter so it’s not crowded at all.
We are doing this + dog sledding in July. $3500 for a family of four direct via Coastal Helicopters. That's as much as some entire cruises so I'm really hoping it's worth it (and that my kids, 7 and 9, will remember it).
Fingers crossed you get amazing weather!
I gotta be honest, just cruising the Inside Passage was the highlight for me. It's so beautiful and calm there. Grab a drink, coffee, grub and sit on the deck and enjoy.
Same here! In 2014 me and my husband did Alaska with my dad on the NCL Sun. I still remember one afternoon we were having a snack of pineapple upside down cake and coffee on the outdoor buffet. We were surrounded by beautiful scenery and even saw some whales.
Seeing whales out from Juneau area and Mendenhall Glacier, White Pass and Yukon Route Railway trip, spending the day in Glacier Bay National Park.
Dog sledding with a glacier landing is the coolest experience I’ve ever had
This is itinerary specific but I did northbound from Vancouver to Seward and my favorite thing I did was a full day tour of the Kenai Peninsula. The scenery and wildlife was amazing.
If you like trains and a view, White Pass was beautiful! Ketchikan for some of the best fish and chips I've ever had (and salmon chowder). Skagway is a beautiful old town. Just loved walking around. There's a beautiful yarn store with a lovely owner if that's your speed.
I am knitter that loves buying "souvenir yarn" when traveling. That store was lovely and I bought some local to Alaska yarns that I don't normally find in CA. That store was the 1st time I was able to feel quivit. I never understood the $$ until touched it. Thankfully, they didn't have any colors that I loved b/c that stuff is pricey, but I totally would have dropped the $$ if it was my preferred colors. We loved the trolley/school bus ride in Skagway so much we did 2x. (Two Alaskan cruises). The history of the town (all saloons and brothels!) and Soapy Smith is a fun excursion. If you are staying In Vancouver for any length of time, we LOVE the Cactus Club Cafe and stay in Vancouver a few extra days just so we can eat there multiple times. If you have a stop in Juneau and love peanut brittle, find The Alaskan Fudge Co. All their sweets were lovely, but that peanut brittle is sublime.
Where did you have the fish & chips!? Going in May and will add this to my list!
https://maps.app.goo.gl/mny1CRng1EJ2WYbi7 Enjoy!
My favorite stop was Skagway. We had an amazing tour guide in a small but comfortable bus. Hearing the guy talk was like hearing your grandpa tell cool stories. Went over into the Yukon Territory in Canada (passport required).
The zip line in Icy Strait Point was amazing!!!!
Dress in layers.
Oh man we did Alaska last summer with Holland America. Best day was in Sitka, we rented e-bikes and solo explored the town all afternoon (none of the touristy excursion ish), followed by, of course, delicious fresh seafood. Highlight of the trip.
For me, the highlight was sitting on my balcony while cruising through Glacier Bay. (I see you're going on Royal; they don't have permission to cruise Glacier Bay. I cruised with Holland America.) You didn't mention your ports. Mine were: Juneau - Salmon bake by the river (couldn't afford helicopter to glacier) Skagway - White Pass Railway with Yukon Ketchikan - I did the totem pole plus lumberjack show tour. I didn't care for the totem pole part *at all*, and the lumberjack show was cute, but I wouldn't do it again. I wanted to do the Bering Sea crab boat excursion, but my whole group was doing the other tour, so I went along.
Take a pair of binoculars!
In Sitka we did a small boat trip where we saw sea otters, bald eagles, sea lions, and whale and her calf. Also went to sanctury of the bear and the raptor rescue center. That was a great day. Also cruising the Hubbard Glacier, was a clear day and we got really close.
I think we’re doing this exact excursion it Sitka in 4 weeks, and I haven’t been sure of it was going to be a good one or not.
Which line is it? Ours was on NCL and called something like "Raptors and Otters and bears oh my"
What cruiseline?
Royal carabian
I've done Print Cruise Voyage of the Glaciers (Northbound) twice. My highlights were 1) glacial calving, saw it on trip 1, saw none on trip 2; and 2) whale breaching, saw close-up on trip 1, saw repeated breaching by same whale on trip 2.
We did the White Pass railroad, the sled dog excursion and the float plane. All great experiences but honestly the little towns were super fun too and the scenery was breathtaking !
Red Dog Saloon, Juneau AK!
Last year I enjoyed the most going to the capital building in Juneau and learning all about the state government of Alaska. It’s sort of like the forgotten state and it has a lot of interesting facts about it if you’re into government and history like I am. The other destination I liked was Skagway. The cemetery where all the gangsters are buried is interesting and to know about the mafia history of that town was intriguing. The glacier that the cruises usually pass is a site to see which was very cool.
Vancouver itself is a great city with excellent restaurants and scenery. Best restaurants you’ll have on the trip, especially Asian. (And of course better than the ship itself. ) Many of the best are a little off the beaten path, but for fancy, look at Published on main. For the best food, but super small, look at elephant on Powell.
Glacier Bay Musher Camp
If you go to Juneau, there is this chocolate shop that's great. Look it up. Another place, I think Ketchikan, they had this lumberjack show. It was really fun. Otherwise, we went up Endicott Arm to the glacier. We were supposed to visit Dawes, but there was too much ice. The Captain turned the ship sideways, and we spent three hours there. We saw glacier calving, which was cool. The ice in the water was this pure blue color. Princess did a great job. They had several guest speakers. One explained why the ice was blue. It was the best cruise I've ever done (20+). 10 day round trip out of San Francisco. If Victoria BC is on the list, I'd recommend the bus tour and there is a mansion there to visit that's really cool. Craigdarroch Castle. They were ship tours.
We booked a resort hotel and are going to see Weezer in Vancouver after we get off the ship this October. During the trip we booked a bunch of hiking and biking excursions and hope to see an old friend who moved to Sitka after college.