We are booked on a Alaskan cruise liner ( couldn't afford the smaller ships) for 14 nights on 11 May (return trip) all the way to Seward. We will be visiting each port stop twice.
Any sugestions on places to visit at the day ports. Does anyone know if there are plenty of opportunities to book tours when you arrive at the towns on the day. The cruise liners are far to expensive to book with.
any other sugestions would be great.
We would love to see wild life. Will this be possible at this time of year.
We are from Australia North queensland. How cold will the weather likely to be.
How much daylight in early may will there be.
Thanks folks
Mystic
mysticview32
1
froude1
Yes you can book tours at the ports.I rented a car at 1 stop (Skagway) and drove up to Whitehorse it gave alot more flexibility then a tour and was alot cheaper.You will have plenty of sunlight I would guess 16 hrs or so.You can go to the Mendenhal Glacier in Juneau on the public bus and it gives you a chance to meet the locals
2
living
Check to find out how long you have in port each time. I've never taken an Alaskan cruise but have taken them in the Caribbean and sometimes you only have 4-6 hours in port - which may not be enough time to find your way around, book a tour and take it in time to be back. The tours that the cruise ship offers use the same vendors as you can engage privately, but the vendors are waiting at the cruise ship, whisk you away immediately and have you back in time. More expensive yes, but less stressful and more certain.
I will be in Alaska in June/Jul/Aug this year myself and have been looking at booking boat tours, kayaks etc. There are lots of options and lots things to do and see. We'll be looking to avoid the times when cruise ships disgorge their passengers because there will be too much competition for limited numbers of tickets. Do your research online and if you can get an exact itinerary from the cruise, pre-book and get instructions from the tour company of exactly where to go.
3
maseru
Go to cruise critic. com and go to the message boards. check out the ports of call area for Alaska and you will find wonderful information on Alaska. You can ask questions, read the comments or both.There is also a thread called Roll Calls where you can talk or read messages from people going on the same cruise you are. They often form tours of their own . etc. Have fun !!!
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