Princess Cruise to Alaska - Excursion Questions?

Question

10 Day Cruise round-trip from San Francisco to Alaska on June 26, 2008. Anyone going on this trip?

KETCHIKAN, ALASKA

The only excursion that interest me is Totem Tradition for $39.00 each. Is this worth the trip? I've been told that this excursion can be boring for some. Any places to go by foot on our own from the port?

HAINES, ALASKA

None of their excursions really interest me, at least according to their descriptions. Are there any notable places to go by walking on our own? Where exactly is the port in Haines?

I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.

Answer 1

I cruised to Alaska a few years ago and did the Totem poles tour.  I liked it and recommend doing it.  The place is kinda like an outdoor museum with totem poles around the grounds and a lodge house.  The guide explained how and what was carved on the poles and then we entered the lodge house and the guide explained how it was constructed and used.

Our cruise did not stop in Haines and so so the only thing I can give you is a web link where you can look at what's available and maybe pick a tour:  http://www.haines.ak.us/index.php

Our cruise ship stopped in Skagway, Alaska which is just a little further up the channel.  Haines is apparently very close to Skagway because this web site:  http://www.haines.ak.us/hainesweb/toandf...

says its only 15 minutes away.  So you may want to look for something to do in Skagway also.  In Skagway we did the bus trip up the Klondike Trail that the gold rush people used.  It was more beautiful scenery and took us a short way into Canada.  You can also take a train ride to about the same location and see about the same things.

The majority of your Alaska cruise will be enjoying beautiful scenery.  You can on some cruises do some really exotic and expensive things, like go on a helicopter ride to walk on a glacier, or go on a dog sled ride.  But these were just too expensive for me/us.  So we basically looked for a low priced quick tour of the city in each port stop and then just walked around the ships near the port.

Answer 2

You can find comments on excursions from experienced cruisers at CruiseCritic.com.  Click on "Boards", then go to "Ports of Call" and find your ports.  You should be able to find the location of any port by doing a search on that city's website, or by using GoogleMaps, etc.

Answer 3

I did the totem pole one and found it pretty interesting, but my favorite by far was taking the white pass railroad. It was a little pricey, but so very much worth it. The sights you see were spectacular, so consider this one too.