will be taking an alaskan cruise in May with stops in Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan. Any advice on land tours or must see's in these ports? Either post or B/C me at [email protected]. No PM's pls as I'm temporarily not a VIP. Thanks in advance.
Don't book your on-shore packages on the ship. At the dock there will be plenty of vendors willing to offer you all the opportunities available on shipboard but at about 2/3 the cost. In Sitka, please go see the Raptor Center, a hospital for injured and sick eagles, vultures, owls and other raptors. It is utterly fascinating and the only opportunity you're ever likely to have to reach within 3 feet of an American Eagle.
if you can afford it, I would highly recommend the remote bear watch tour out of Ketchican. Starts off with a seaplane ride out to a bear habitat. Hike about a mile to the observation post. As long as there hasn't been an extended absence of rain you should see lots of black bears.
Dude, do you realize that there are cruises to places that aren't so f'ing cold? Where bikinis are the costume de jour?
Yeah, I used to want to see Alaska too. Last year's Lexmobile was designed to get me from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay... but then I had an epiphany and traded it in on something that would get me from 0 to 60 in 6 seconds. Much more... supervillainy.
I lived in the "real" Alaska - the interior (Fairbanks), not the lower coastal areas where the inlet and sea help moderate the temps somewhat - and let me tell you, the ONLY time I'd ever visit, or recommend a visit, is during the short but beautiful summers.
The only way to really experience Alaska, IMHO, is to drive through the state. I've driven from Fairbanks down to Anchorage, then down the Kenai peninsula, then headed down to Valdez. I've driven up to Circle to see the bend in the river. I didn't make the drive to Prudhoe Bay (not interested in that) but I've had friends that did it. It's beautiful, but again, I'd never go back except in June, July and part of August.
I spent a year in Prudhoe Bay one week. Take a blank sheet of white paper and stare at it for an hour. vThat's what the North slope looks like. There's no "slope" there.
You pretty much just defined the excitement of the Prudhoe Bay. People visit up there just to say they've been there - it's certainly not a place to party. Drive there and drive back. The only excitement is being above the Arctic Circle is:
A. the fact that the sun doesn't set in the summer, or
B. The sun doesn't rise in the winter.
Neither of those was excitement enough for me to want to drive up there. Yawn.
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