I started this site to share my travel stories and inspiration to help you complete bucket list trips. Run in a zigzag, get behind a tree, and keep the tree between you and mama. Read our, Ways to Experience Juneau Tours & Whale Watch, Boat Tours, Nature & Wildlife Tours, Dolphin & Whale Watching, Boat Tours, Private Tours, Sightseeing Tours, Nature & Wildlife Tours, Dolphin & Whale Watching, Boat Tours, Fishing Charters & Tours, Private Tours, Dolphin & Whale Watching, Nature & Wildlife Tours. The only time I was cold was when we spent time in Glacier Bay National Park out on the deck. For other evenings, dinner dress is smart-casual, which includes slacks and collared shirts or sweaters for men, and skirts or trousers with a sweater or blouse for women. St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church - A historic 19th century church. These Alaska wildlife tours take you close (but not too close) to these iconic Alaska animals on their home turf, to watch their captivating and sometimes amusing behaviors, like fishing or splashing in streams. This was the day we were served Holland Americas famous pea soup out on the deck as well as hot drinks like coffee with optional Grand Marnier, Jameson Whiskey, or other liqueurs.. The regular train from ANC to Seward is perfectly timed for that tour. Book this trip if you visit Juneau. If youve never been on a cruise before, you may be surprised at how many activities there are on board the ship. Given how many cool things there are to do in Juneau and how many cruise companies offer a number of interesting and unique shore excursions in Juneau, it was hard to choose which ones to recommend. Seeing wild Alaska is not enough; you must get out and experience it. The Best Alaska Shore Excursions | Holland America Line Shore Excursions for Holland America Line sailings - higher quality I am having trouble finding the excursions available at these 3 stops. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Fly in a classic de Havilland seaplane over five breathtaking glaciers flowing from the Juneau Ice Field, deep blue crevasses, snow-capped mountains and the lush Tongass National Forest. Who Offers This Shore Excursion in Juneau? Koningsdam Alaska Cruises 2023 ship schedule - Alaskan Cruises We booked the whale watch and Tongas Rainforest hike to the glacier. Some of the best Alaska shore excursions don't take place on shore, but in the skies. Carnival, Disney, Holland America, Norwegian, Oceania, Princess, Regent, and Royal Caribbean. He helped make the trip better by giving us information about the land, the past, how to take amazing photos, and what we can do to help impact what we believe in. Due to weather conditions, the peak of Denali may not be visible all the time. Harvs and Marvs is a popular choice. Paddle across Mendenhall Lake and enjoy the immense glacier from the water. Crew were friendly, helpful and fun. The best time to see the northern lights in Alaska is during the Aurora Borealis viewing season, late August through late April. Read on to learn more about our Holland America Alaska Cruise excursions review. Honestly, it sounds brilliant, plus youll burn off some of those buffet calories. Saw around 8-10 humpback whales and even bubble net feeding! We saw a few whales (fewer than I expected) but just being out on the water was nice. In total, the tour ran for about five hours and cost $194 per adult. We didn't spend much time in port. if you are able. Griffin was our guide. If you've been a reader for any length of time, you know how much I've enjoyed the luxury train travel in Canada. Don't hesitate to split up as a group, if there are different interests. Many thanks. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a2a34cfa836633e5c1b832ff22e1f3a8" );document.getElementById("d8810a8721").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Welcome! tips on choosing Alaska cruise excursions, The Best Juneau Cruise Excursions in 2023, 1. On the Nieuw Amsterdam, you will find stage shows, live music, a casino, onboard movies, the Greenhouse Spa & Salon, and clubs for the kids to attend so you can fully enjoy your relaxation time. Children are required to sit between adults because there are no doors on the tour vehicle. Go into brown bear territory via an Alaska bush plane. We went at the perfect time! One of the must-see attractions in Juneau is Mendenhall Glacier. The 9 Best Juneau Shore Excursions for your Alaska Cruise in 2023 1 Mendenhall Glacier 2 Whale Watching 3 Mount Roberts Tramway 4 Dog Sledding 5 Helicopter Tour 6 Float Plane 7 Gardens/Hatchery 8 Whales, Bears and Glaciers 9 Best of Juneau 10 City Tour 11 For similar reasons, we don't publish our names on this website because we don't want special treatment at the resorts in which we stay. Start here. The main Dining Room, poolside Dive-In grill, New York Pizza, casual dining at Lido Market, and even 24-hour room service are included in your cruise fare. You list Mendnhal, but is the Norris excursion roughly equivalent? Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. My eBook, Alaskas Best Cruise Excursions, will help you wade through all the excursions in each port to make the best choice for each stop on your Alaska cruise itinerary. What more could you ask for?!?! The tour before us got to see moose and brown bears and we got to see squirrels and groundhogs!The area was still beautiful. I share travel resources and stories based on my personal experience and knowledge. With so many Alaska shore excursions to choose from, which one will you pick? All very helpful suggestions. Just got back from our Alaskan cruise yesterday. Our Alaskan cruise was on the cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam. One feature of a Holland America cruise that has to be mentioned is the incredible staff. Ga op een cruise naar Juneau, Alaska, en bezoek de meest afgelegen, mooiste en vreemdste staatshoofdstad in de Verenigde Staten. For our time in Skagway, we took the Skagway Street Car City Tour. I was particularly impressed with their knowledge of the whales, and the hands on interaction with the Double Ugly fish, hermit crabs, and sea urchin. I force-ranked the excursions by uniqueness. In particular, Alaska cruises often start, end, or travel to Canada for one port of call. Highly recommend - best bang for your buck - you get to see a lot of Alaska in one tour. Everything on this website (including the photos) reflects our travel experiences, but your experiences and opinions might be very different than ours. Carnival, Celebrity, Disney, Holland America, Norwegian, Oceania, Princess, Regent, Royal Caribbean, and Seabourn. Glacier Gardens specializes in floral displays that are planted in the root system of upside-down trees. However, a mama moose is the most dangerous animal in Alaska. Mendenhall Glacier - Located 12 miles from downtown Juneau. You could (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Have other questions about visiting Juneau, taking an Alaska cruise, or choosing Alaska cruise excursions? I was very excited to cruise again! Our Take When everyone is outside, the viewing platforms can feel a little crowded or narrow -- especially as everyone rushes to. Relax in a warm cabin while you look out for that signature spray or tail fluke. Tour Saxman Totem Park and then get your heart racing at the action-packed lumberjack show. Stopping in Haines, Ketchikan, and Juneau. To break ties, I used the top Uniqueness score, since I want to encourage you to try new things in Alaska. You can find this quintessential Alaskan meal all across the state so where better to try it the first time (or first of many) than in the capital city of Juneau? Our tour stopped at the George Inlet Cannery and we were able to explore the interactive exhibits before taking a tour to learn about the history of the cannery. The excursions offer something for everyone and let you see and experience unique things in each port. Here is a link to many options for Haines: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g31005-Activities-Haines_Alaska.html. On our sailing, we visited Walden Rocks where seals hang out. Alaska Capitol Building - Possibly the least majestic capitol building in the U.S. Mount Roberts Tramway - Travel 1,800 feel above Juneau's cruise port terminal. Your email address will not be published. Be sure to admire the wide-angle view of Mendenhall glacier, and learn Alaska history from your guide, too! First and foremost the bus driver with long hair, beard and mustache was extremely rude and unprofessional. Here are some highlights: In Port. De meeste bezienswaardigheden en walvistochten zijn te vinden in het noorden bij Auke Bay. Of course, you will see glaciers on the ship, too. This particular cannery was built near Beaver Falls on George Inlet in 1914. We also learned that Skagway high school graduates have their graduation on Holland America, even if theres only one graduate, and they can bring a date! This glacier is about thirteen miles long and dates to around 3,000 years ago! We saw:Porcupines, Orcas, Humpback Whales, Sea Lions, Bald Eagles, Salmon swimming up stream, a mamma Black Bear with two cubs, a rain forest, and a glacier. EXC Tours Booking & Confirmation Your email address will not be published. Cruising Back to Alaska with Holland America Line - YouTube During this half-day excursion, youll paddle around the waterways of North Douglas Island. Such a fantastic crew. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. For this excursion, we took a motorcoach to Denali National Park from Whittier. Evergreen Cemetery - Juneau's main cemetery until the 1970s. In addition, the food was good on the railway, and drinks were included.. The Holland America 11-Day Double Denali cruise and land tour is the perfect way to see Alaska. The itinerary includes stops in Fairbanks, Glacier Bay National Park, Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, as well as a three-day land tour of Denali National Park. Please note the cost will be per mode of transportation (not per person), so only one person in the party needs to make the reservation. Click on the name of a ship below to find the excursions available for each sail date. What you are saying is that if I am booked on Norwewgian and I want an excursion that the ship does not offer, I cannot get it.Ban I not get an excursion from Juneau itself once we arrive? In fact, this excursion is often chosen by past guests as the top excursion on their whole Alaska cruise (source)! Juneau staat bekend om zijn recreatie in de open lucht, verse vis en verfijnd dineren. Within minutes of your departure from downtown Juneau, youll soar over Alaska wilderness. First, are you taking the 6 hr. And, Holland America has been operating Alaska cruises longer than anyone. Begin your excursion as you board the train in Skagway and travel 20 miles from tidewater, to the Summit of the White Pass - a 2,888-foot elevation! De slaperige, mistige stad van ongeveer 32.000 inwoners, voornamelijk vissers en kleine ondernemers, heeft de sfeer van een kolonistenplaatsje, maar verwelkomt elke zomer meer dan een miljoen bezoekers van zijn natuurlijke bezienswaardigheden, en bevestigt daarmee Juneau als de nummer een toeristenbestemming van Alaska. Visit Dredge Town, where you will enjoy an authentic barbecue lunch including ribs, chicken, and various side dishes. In many ports, availability is extremely limited. Just returned from HAL inside passage (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Shore Excursions - Holland America Line Vehicle size and luggage space may limit the number of guests in the vehicle. This was the only part of our tour where we wish we had more time. Which are the best shore excursions in Juneau? The bus to get to the boat was in front of the (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Many excursions begin early in the morning to take full advantage of the long hours of daylight in the summer. Youll undoubtedly realize quickly that not only is Juneau a popular port stop; its also one of the ones with the most excursion options. Holland America provided us with a Juneau port guide. Every wild encounter will warm your heart. This shop and exhibition space stay open year-round and are staffed by the artists themselves. For the rest of the time, casual attire is appropriate. Rather, we booked an excursion that brought us to three notable attractions: Food: Food is not allowed on tour because of bears, however, we packed sandwiches and ate them on the bus. But no matter what, you should opt for 1. local crab, 2. anything foraged, 3. some animal you never thought humans should eat before (reindeer, mmm), and 4. local beer. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-94214773', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Mendenhall Glacier. Why We Love Cruising with Holland America, Our Holland America Alaska Excursions Review, Best of Ketchikan: Totems, Wildlife Cruise & Alaska Appetizers, How to Get to Your Final Destination in Alaska, best time to cruise to Alaska to see whales. Many like Saxman Village, or Totem Bight State Historical Park. We saw 2147. This excursion takes you to Mendenhall Glacier by way of a narrated tour of downtown Juneau. Allen Marine Tours: Best of Juneau Tour via Holland America Cruises - See 1,180 traveler reviews, 1,198 candid photos, and great deals for Juneau, AK, at Tripadvisor. Or, hike Juneau at your own leisure. 169 from $134.10 $149.00 $14.90 savings Juneau, Alaska Juneau Shore Excursion: Helicopter Tour and Guided Icefield Walk 344 from $368.00 Juneau, Alaska You really cant go wrong with either if youre doing the helicopter + dogsledding tour. Holland america cruise excursions - Juneau Forum - Tripadvisor This whale watching trip guarantees spotting whales, and we did see whales on our trip. The salmon that were born at the hatchery find their way "home" by jumping up a manmade fish ladder. Love food? Never had to fight for a view. Alaska Cruise Shore Excursions offerd by Holland America visit Carnival, Celebrity, Disney, Holland America, Norwegian, Oceania, Princess, and Regent. Many Juneau first-time visitors mistake one bear for another. View Cruises. Hike alpine trails. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. We were able to see plenty of whales including a full breach. We sailed out in Stephens Passage on a catamaran that was ideal to maneuver this area. The folks on the St. Aquiline not only made sure we saw whales but were extremely knowledgeable about the behavior of the whale. Even the most basic inside stateroom still has plush Euro-Top mattresses on the queen-size bed and premium massage shower heads. The price of the dogsled is expensive, $500.00 dollars, but how many times are you going to go to Alaska and dogsled? This is a relatively short excursion, but it hit some neat locations, like the Gold Rush Cemetery. They vary in terms of tastings vs meals, the stops youll make, and what youll try. Make new friends, eat new cuisine, and watch wildlife hunt and play in their home turf. This train is similar, though not quite as luxurious. Summer is the best time to cruise to Alaska to see whales. read more. Although this tour is not known to be one causing motion sickness, I would recommend precautions for those prone to motion sickness. What to Expect on a Holland America Alaskan Cruise - Bucket List Journey Zip up the Mount Roberts Tramway, treated to mountain vistas along the way. But the one thing i would recommend is to take the helicopter up to the glacier and dogsled. Not for the tenderfoot, Mount Roberts Trail is another popular Juneau hiking trail that goes up to 1,760 feet. The staff, including the drivers were amazing. Captain Jack raced us out to see Orca Our family of five celebrated July 4th in Juneau doing the Whale Watch and Rainforest Trails Amazing whale watching and glacier viewing experience. Ervaar deze adembenemende stad tijdens een cruise naar Alaska. Near the bus depot, red salmon can be seen swimming up Steep Creek as they venture home to mate. It is a must-see, but the only question is from what angle. We booked through Princess. This cemetery is a short distance from town and is the oldest cemetery in Skagway. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Cruising Back to Alaska with Holland America Line | Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, Juneau, Icy Strait Point Cruise and Travel With Bill Panoff 7.86K subscribers Subscribe 588 41K views 1 year ago Sail. Taku Glacier Lodge - Hunting and fishing lodge built in 1923. This tour was excellent, wish we had more time at the glacier, i would suggest passing on the salmon - your going to eat a ton of it while on this trip in every location. Stay still.. There are 250 miles of Juneau hiking trails, so youll have plenty to choose from. This was a great time! Bears, moose, and wolves also frequent these grounds, Fly in a classic de Havilland seaplane over five breathtaking glaciers flowing from the Juneau Ice Field, deep blue crevasses, snow-capped mountains, and the lush Tongass National Forest. Witness all that goes into harvesting crabs with experienced crab fishers, some you may have seen on the Deadliest Catch. Its actually the largest forest in the world. It was a fun day and the excursion boat was very comfortable and easy to move around in. Visitors are taken on a two-mile guided tour in a golf-cart-like vehicle. Explore colorful Argentina and other beautiful sights on an unforgettable journey in South America with our most popular amenities - Beverage Package, Wifi and more - plus free prepaid Crew Appreciation a low 50% Reduced Deposit, and more when you book with our Have It All fare. JUNEAU. 118 reviews #27 of 61 Boat Tours & Water Sports in Juneau 4WD, ATV & Off-Road Tours Nature & Wildlife Tours Rail Tours Air Tours Kayaking & Canoeing Closed now 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM Write a review See all photos About We are a team of local Alaskans who want to share our home with you, the real Alaska, at local prices. It reminds me of the Seattle Underground Tour (one of my top Seattle cruise excursions); it also shows a bit more of how tough it was to strike it rich and how rugged the men had to be. Adventure Bound Alaska Tracy Arm Glacier Cruise. I cannot go on enough about this trip! Walk winding pathways up into the mountainside to gaze at cascading waterfalls and carefully manicured gardens. Perseverance Trail, an out-and-back trail from downtown Juneau to Silverbow Basin and an abandoned mine. Our tour there was the Tundra Wilderness Tour. After our time in Denali, we took the Alaska Railroad McKinley Explorer to Anchorage before flying home. The two guides on the boat were excellent.Because of the shuttle driver and captain making rude comments, this only rated as average. Juneau, Alaska, US. Your email address will not be published. Who Offers This Shore Excursion in Juneau? You'll have plenty of time to take in the majestic views of the famous Mendenhall Glacier. The area has the worlds largest collection of standing totem poles as well as abundant wildlife. Small boat with whale watching expert Monroe and naturalist Katy aboard. Libby Cannery would operate until 1958. Skagway White Pass Railroad Summit Excursion & Train Tour [Notes: While there is no age minimum, children must be old enough to understand the rules of interacting with the dogs. They have a very worthwhile visitor center to go to as well as many trails.You could also rent a car in Juneau and drive to Mendenhall and include a stop at the very tranquil setting of the Shrine of St Therese. Some people will take the Fast Ferry over to Skagway from Haines and take the White Pass Railroad. Food, Fun & Faraway Places participates in the Amazon Associates Program and other affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and other affiliated sites. I have a disability. Because this excursion is shorter, we had a great experience visiting other locations in town. And remember, there are usually more kids during school breaks, like spring break or over the holidays. Best Juneau Excursions & Tours | Alaska Shore Excursions On the Nieuw Amsterdam, you will find stage shows, live music, a casino, onboard movies, the Greenhouse Spa & Salon, and clubs for the kids to attend so you can fully enjoy your relaxation time. Im also a not-so-secret space nerd and speak fluent emoji! We did the same in Ketchikan. This is an independent blog published by our family. On some Juneau, Alaska excursion seaplane tours, you can view five different glaciers from the air: Norris, Hole-in-the-Wall, Eat and West Twin Glaciers, and the biggest, the Taku Glacier. You will enjoy an hour of flightseeing over this massive wilderness area outside of Ketchikan, accompanied by your expert pilot guide. This cruise excursion is as "Alaska" as it gets. Traipse through lush meadows, past waterfalls in the Tongass National Forest on a guided hike. Macaulay Salmon Hatchery - Operational hatchery that spawns and releases salmon. You should only consider this Juneau cruise excursion if youre not continuing up to Denali. What would one recommend if there are those in my small party that get sea sick on the smaller boats, ie no whale watching probably. Auke Bay is a favored destination for humpback whales, but you may also spot orcas, sea lions, Dalls porpoise, and other marine life on Juneau whale watching cruises. From the stateroom attendants to the dining staff and every role on board the ship, the staff is incredible at providing excellent service and willing to help with any needs you might have. That was an amazing day as we were able to stay for hours to watch the glacier calving when the pieces of ice crash into the bay. Holland America Sees Highest Bookings for Alaska Since Pre-Pandemic REVIEW: Our Alaska Cruise with Holland America PLUS our Excursions Shore Excursions and Tours for Juneau, Alaska - Holland America Line Juneau 2061 Reviews Skagway 1552 Reviews Ketchikan 1458 Reviews Alaska Interior Icy Strait 261 Reviews Victoria 140 Reviews Multi-Port Packages Whale Watching Tours 890 Reviews Vancouver 253 Reviews Sitka 143 Reviews Seattle 62 Reviews Haines 39 Reviews San Francisco 22 Reviews Astoria 1 Review Ward Cove Details But I feel confident that this list is both impartial but also informed by my expert advice. He even put a microphone into the water and we heard the whales we were watching. NOW, we were VERY lucky to have witnessed such an event but let me say that we saw a ton of whales regardless. However, the logistics (timing, transport) are usually a lot more complicated if you try to do an excursion on your own, which is why the cruise companies discourage people from doing it. Tracy Arm Fjords - Wildlife viewing area and access point to Sawyer Glaciers. Eventually, these salmon will be released into the wild. A Holland America Alaska Cruise Is the Ideal Vacation for Every Traveler This Alaska Cruise Will Convert You To the Cruising Lifestyle With Animal Watching, Quality Food, and Music Alaska Cruises by Morgane Croissant Oct 21, 2022 C ruises can have a bad rap in certain circles. This post was originally published in February 2020, and was updated in October 2022 for the coming season. The Mendenhall Glacier is visible from the roadway. Especially when we spent over $1000 for out family of 11. The building itself is a historical treasure, as the impressive site of the July 4th, 1959, Statehood Ceremony. Our final segment of this excursion was on the water. The Tracy Arm excursion is not an option for HAL one-way trips like it is from (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? We also visited Mendenhall Glacier. On our walk through the woods, we encountered a bear. Owner Midgi offers her tours to work perfectly with cruise ship timing, so you can book directly and know all the money spent goes directly to a local business. more, This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. We saw probably 10 humpbacks. It was leased by Libby, McNeill and Libby in 1926 and purchased by them two years later. Juneau Shore Excursion Reviews - Cruise Critic Like many Juneau cruise excursions, this one gives you a sample of how much the capital city has to offer. You can google any of these for more information. Guests Using a Wheelchair or Other Mobility Aid Device At the cannery, there were fresh pastries and wine or local beer. Wickersham House - Home to one of Alaska's most influential political leaders. Ride the rail over high trestles to uninterrupted views of pure Alaska wilderness. During each week-long cruise, there are usually two formal nights. We only wish that we had more time to spend at Mendenhall Glacier. Top Things to do in Juneau, Alaska | Holland America Line To use our mobile site, please enable JavaScript. I always enjoy them so much! Online Reservations The fastest and easiest way for you to reserve and pay for your Signature Collection experience is online at hollandamerica.com. The food was great - too bad I was too busy looking for wildlife to eat any of it until the end of the trip, when we were heading back to the dock.Overall, it was a nice excursion, and I recommend it. It reopened as a historic landmark in 1996.. There are also specialty restaurants at an additional cost, including Nami Sushi, Explorations Cafe, Tamarind (a pan-Asian dining experience), Canaletto (authentic Italian cuisine), and Pinnacle Grill steakhouse. Of course, it wouldnt be a cruise without so many incredible things to eat. We saw Gastineau Channel from the top of Glacier Gardens' property: a 580 foot elevation. We loved Bronte - she had such a great personality and she made the trip informative and fun. Friendly, attentive to our needs, knowledgeable, imparted so much interesting information. When it comes to witnessing the beauty of the Alaska northern lights, timing is everything. We were fortunate to see a whale breach twice as well as see a pod of three whales together. All words and images 2013-2023 The Kolibro Group LLC. These colorful totem poles are authentic replicas of original poles from the Tsimshian, Haida, and Tlingit peoples. On this tour, youll visit an old mill where mining technology was developed, then descend into an old mine shaft (theyll provide the hard hats!). The Macaulay Salmon Hatchery (also known as Douglas Island Pink and Chum, Inc.) is an operational business that breeds salmon in captivity. Crew were friendly, helpful and fun. There are various paths and lookout points for visitors to explore and take photos from. Captain Mac knew just where to go. In the evening, we opted for another excursion, this time to go out on a whale watching cruise. In this post, I break it down: I looked at all of the Alaska shore excursions in Juneau and chose the nine I think are the best. Whales are a joy to watch because theyre surprisingly acrobatic. The Best Alaska Cruise Excursions in 2023 (One in Each Port!) The 10 Best Alaska Shore Excursions, Tours & Cruise Trips Sealaska Heritage Museum - A heritage museum promoting Alaska's native tribes. Awesome excursion, fantastic guides. This Juneau excursion features both native and non-native Alaska arrangements. We hope this Holland America Alaska excursions review helps you to plan the best bucket list trip to Alaska ever! Its easy to become overwhelmed while trying to choose which one to do. We did stop a couple of times as it's a long day to be on a bus that long.