Royal Caribean an Exclusive Blue Waters Beach Escape Shore Excursion Review

Many Alaska cruise visitors ask us, "Alaska cruises offer hundreds of shore excursions-which are the best and almost unique?"

Well, we've done the legwork for you, and y'all observe the answers to that question hither. Since our movie crews have shot more than 150 Alaska cruise excursions in the by few years, we know them intimately.

But we aren't the only experts-so are the thousands of passengers who take taken Princess shore excursions, Holland America shore excursions, Carnival excursions, and all other send excursions. Since prowl lines track client satisfaction through surveys, we talked with senior Alaska cruise line executives for their thoughts on which tours consistently please their guests. We also asked Alaska shore excursion operators the famous question, "Of form, your shore excursion is best. Only if yours is best, what's 2nd best?"

Below is the result is our listing of recommended cruise ship excursions.

Or bound to excursions by town: Ketchikan | Juneau | Skagway | Haines | Sitka

Ketchikan Shore Excursions & Tours

Ketchikan'southward Fishing Charters operates May til September with trips starting at 2 hours. Photo by The Alaska Catch

Fishing

Listen upwards, anglers (or not-anglers): There are a lot of fish in Ketchikan, so your chances of catching one here are excellent. The best fourth dimension to cast your line is when the pinkish salmon are running, in mid-to-late summertime. In fact, they render to the streams around Ketchikan by the thousands. While many Alaskan "fish snobs" turn their olfactory organ upward at pink salmon and prefer king or sockeye salmon, cypher beats the excitement of catching your showtime wild Alaskan salmon.

If y'all're an avid fisherman and your cruise itinerary as well includes Sitka, fish at that place likewise! Sitka faces the open Pacific Bounding main, then there's often a wider variety of species, including rex salmon and halibut.

Helicopter Flightseeing

Get a thrilling, bird's-centre view of Alaska'southward snow-capped peaks, mountain lakes, waterfalls, and more on an unforgettable helicopter flightseeing tour from Ketchikan. The steep terrain in this area makes for perfect flightseeing in a helicopter, where you can become closer to scenery than you could in a fixed-wing aircraft—and y'all tin even touch down on a stunning mountain or at the base of a waterfall.

Zodiac Tours

Explore the gor­geous, dynam­ic scenery and wildlife around Ketchikan past get­ting out on the water in a depression-affect Zodi­ac with Out to Sea Expedition Visitor — an authen­ti­cal­ly Alaskan style to trav­el! Every expe­di­tion is dif­fer­ent every bit there'southward flex­i­bil­i­ty for some spon­tane­ity. You lot can spend extra time in a place if in that location's a mag­i­cal, Nation­al Geo­graph­ic-blazon moment happening!

Sea Kayaking

Expe­ri­ence kayak­ing in Alas­ka the way it should be — away from the crowds — with these unique Ketchikan pad­dling tours offered by Alaska Kayak Company. They'll make you feel like a true explor­er. Your modest group (usu­al­ly just four peo­ple) will board the company's com­fort­able boat and set off from the Ketchikan cruise-transport dock, leav­ing the big ships and the crowds backside. Cull from a 3‑hour tour, or 5‑hour kayak and hike tour.

Canoe Adventures

Pad­dle all around a shim­mer­ing lake, look­ing for wildlife on the shore and rev­el­ing in the spec­tac­u­lar moun­tain views that sur­round you on the Rainforest Canoe Hazard and Nature Trail Tour offered by Alaska Travel Adventures. You lot'll stop off at a shore­line campsite to enjoy a snack over an open up fire. When y'all're fin­ished, you'll go along a short walk through a dra­mat­ic old-growth forest.

Or, opt for the Backcountry Jeep and Canoe Safari. You'll dri­ve your own jeep along pri­vate log­ging roads that wind upwardly into the moun­tains, on your way to an alpine lake. Pad­dle across the shim­mer­ing lake to a shore­line army camp for a cafeteria­cious snack over an open fire. Relish some sto­ry­telling, then go on a curt nature walk through a beau­ti­ful erstwhile-growth forest.

Get up-close to unique body of water creatures with Snorkel Alaska in Ketchikan

Misty Fjord Floatplane With Landing

With huge granite cliffs ascent straight upward from the bounding main and the sheer beauty of the area, Misty Fjords offers a unique Alaskan flightseeing experience—very unlike from other Inside Passage areas similar Juneau or even a Denali flightseeing tour. This is a neat chance for a truly Alaskan feel: to ride in a floatplane and state on a pristine wilderness lake.

Begin with an aerial overview of Misty Fjords National Monument and those granite cliffs. Simply beyond is a serial of small, remote mount lakes that would be side by side to incommunicable to reach on foot. Your pilot picks out one of the lakes, lands the floatplane, and turns off the engine. You tin can stride out on the pontoon, exhale in the fresh air and listen to the silence.

Saxman Totem Village with Lumberjack Tour

A visit to Southeast Alaska is not consummate without an introduction to the area'south original inhabitants. Their fascinating history and culture is one reason Ketchikan is such a special place to visit. Another of import element of the town is the logging industry, which was one of the mainstays of the Ketchikan economy through the 1990'southward. This tour introduces you to both.

The Saxman Hamlet tour offers a deep look at the culture overall, and particularly their totem poles. In fact, Saxman Totem park is one of the world'southward largest collections of totem poles, and your guide will aid explain the stories and symbolism behind them. The Lumberjack show is an entertaining wait at the globe of logging and the skills needed to survive in this dangerous industry. Lumberjacks compete in a dozen events including sawing, chopping, axe throwing, and log rolling.

Snorkel Tours

Don a wetsuit, mask, fins, and snorkel and get an upwardly-close look at the unique sea creatures of the 49th state: urchins, ocean stars, crabs, body of water cucumbers, and peradventure even a whale, seals, or sea lions with Snorkel Alaska. That water may be dank—the boilerplate temperature in summer is 55 degrees—but don't worry: Your wetsuit volition keep you lot warm. You'll spend threescore to 90 minutes pond and resting while taking in the majestic underwater kelp woods that's teeming with life and looking for the occasional orca or body of water lion. So head back to the office for a hot shower and hot drinks!

View all shore excursions in Ketchikan.

Juneau Shore Excursions & Tours

Canis familiaris Sledding with TEMSCO Helicopters

Virtually folks place Alaska with dog sledding. Merely since dog sledding is a wintertime activity, cruise ship visitors in the early days never had a chance to experience it. That all changed when helicopters became readily bachelor to travelers. On this wildly popular tour with TEMSCO Helicopters, you travel to the Juneau Ice Field past helicopter and go a chance to travel by dog sled on a stretch of gorgeous glacier. Sure, it's expensive—it's too unforgettable.

Canis familiaris Sledding with TEMSCO Helicopters

Glacier Trek

Explore a glacier on foot! On this tour, you'll travel to the Juneau Icefield past helicopter, don your crampons, larn to apply your ice axe, get for a walk in this beautiful, surreal environment. At that place are dissimilar activity levels depending on how active you want to be.

Rafting the Mendenhall River

If you're looking to go whitewater rafting in Southeast Alaska, the Mendenhall River rafting trip is your but option. Then don't miss out! You kickoff with a float in Mendenhall Lake with a view of the blue-tinged Mendenhall Glacier. The electric current picks upwardly, and before long you're bouncing through some mild, Grade III rapids with ice common cold water splashing in your face. The river winds through the wood, and you lot end the trip floating through a Juneau neighborhood. Scout for real Alaskan wildlife, similar a family barbecuing salmon in their backyard!

Taku Lodge with Salmon Bake

This long-running favorite tour combines a number of appealing activities into i trip: a scenic glacier flight with Wings Airways, a bladder plane landing, a visit to a remote guild with a take a chance for a guided nature walk, and a barbecue of male monarch salmon (the favorite of the five species of salmon for many Alaskans).

That remote lodge is the Taku Lodge, built in 1923 and located simply beyond the river from the advancing Taku Glacier (that's right… information technology's one of the few glaciers in Alaska that's actually advancing). Leave and bask the lodge and its wilderness ambient. Local guides offering a brusque nature walk on a wilderness trail, or y'all may cull to relax. Then savor a time-honored Alaskan tradition—the salmon bake. The delicious grilled salmon attracts bears, of course, and you lot may be lucky enough to spot 1!

Whale Watching

The combination of plentiful marine plankton and favorable currents makes the waters near Juneau a popular feeding area for humpback whales. And Juneau has a reliable number of humpback whales feeding in the nearby channels.

Captains and Guides know where to notice them, and you lot'll learn a lot almost these gentle giants along the fashion. Bring your camera: you may even catch a whale "lunge feeding" or "breaching." And while humpbacks are the highlight, you may also see orca whales, harbor seals, sea lions, and baldheaded eagles. See recommended whale watching tours in Juneau.

Breathtaking Tram

Have a v-minute ride on the Goldbelt Tram from the cruise ship pier to the Moun­tain Firm, 1,800′ up Mountain Roberts, where the Chilkat Moun­tains, the Gastineau Chan­nel, downward­town Juneau, Dou­glas Isle, and Admi­ral­ty Island spread out before you. Vis­it the gift shop, restau­rant, live bald eagle dis­play, and nature cen­ter. Check out the wildlife view­ing plat­forms and fol­depression the self-guid­ed trail marked by Native totemic carv­ings for access to upper alpine hiking surface area.

Canoe & Mendenhall Glacier Hike

Both Liquid Alaska and Higher up & Across Alaska offer the unforgettable experience of a canoe trip to the glac­i­er, followed by a trek almost the gor­geous blue ice. Paddling on the lake gives you an incredible vantage point to view the glacier and its enormity. And then, stepping on land, you'll run across the effects of glacial erosion and mind for the movement of this living river of water ice.

Bear Viewing

When cruising, taking a dedicated bear viewing tour is your best chance of seeing a bear.

Pack Creek Bear Tours offers ful­ly guid­ed adven­tures to Admi­ral­ty Isle or Chichagof Island, each home to more 1,500 chocolate-brown bears! After a fellow­ti­ful 20- or 25-minute float­plane ride, you'll country on a remote beach. Take a short walk to the behave-view­ing area, where you lot tin can watch these mag­nif­i­cent crea­tures for hours in their nat­ur­al environment.

Higher up & Beyond Alaska also offers tours on Admiralty Isle. You'll board a floatplane for a dramatic, 20-infinitesimal flight to see the brown bears. From mid-June through the end of August the aeroplane lands nigh Windfall Island, where you'll kayak across the area's shimmering waters for about an hour, before landing on the beach at your bear viewing location. (From May 15–mid-June and September one–10, even so, you'll fly straight to Pack Creek Acquit Sanctuary, kayaking not included.)

Sightseeing & History

The Juneau-Douglas City Museum sits on the site where Alas­ka offi­cial­ly became a state. View the exhibits and watch an honour-win­ning doc­u­men­tary nearly the city. Plus, the City Muse­um doesn't cease at the building's walls. From May to Sep­tem­ber, you tin can take walk­ing tours of his­toric downwardly­boondocks Juneau and the Alas­ka State Capitol.

Take a spin through Juneau on a fun cycle tour with Bike Alaska. Information technology's a dandy way to explore Alaska's cap­i­tal urban center, with lots of scenery and his­to­ry along the way. Choose from ane of sev­er­al options. At that place's a wheel and brew tour, which includes see­ing the Menden­hall Glac­i­er as well as a tast­ing of Alaskan beers. Or ride your wheel out to Dou­glas Island for a tram ride, 1,800 feet up Mt. Roberts for some spec­tac­u­lar views.

View all shore excursions in Juneau.

Skagway Shore Excursions & Tours

Enjoy the views upon the White Pass Train and Yukon Route

Train with Liarsville

The White Laissez passer and Yukon Route train is the most popular tour in Southeast Alaska, and rightfully then. It's a comfy, scenery-filled trip: yous'll pass glistening glaciers, snow-capped mountains, and crystal clear lakes surrounded by spruce copse. It'southward likewise a take chances to pace back in time: This is the same road traversed in the winter of 1898 by thousand of gilded-hungry stampeders. You can still see remains of the famous "Trail of '98" from the train.

Best of all, at that place are dozens of options to combine the train tour with another activeness. History buffs can add a visit to Liarsville, a re-created gilded rush camp complete with Vaudeville entertainment and a salmon bake.

White Pass Train with Bike Ride

This is the bout to accept if you desire to combine a train trip with some action. Ride this historic railroad train up the White Pass summit. And then, when you reach the superlative, go outside and ride a mountain bike back down. The road drops about three,000 feet in ten miles—it'due south an exhilarating ride.

Dog Sledding or Helicopter Flightseeing

Almost folks place Alaska with dog sledding. But since dog sledding is a wintertime activity, prowl send visitors in the early days never had a chance to feel it. That all changed when helicopters became readily available to travelers. On this wildly popular bout with TEMSCO Helicopters, you'll fly over the Denver Glacier by helicopter, then land there to visit a dog camp. You tin can take a ride on the sled and even learn the basics then that you can take the reins yourself. Definitely an unforgettable experience!

Glacier Bay Flightseeing

Several factors make Skagway an ideal port for flightseeing. One of course is the spectacular view of Glacier Bay from the air: the combination of massive glaciers, iceberg-filled inlets, and jagged mountain peaks brand this a flying to remember. As well good to know, though, is that Skagway is the port in Southeast Alaska with the least amount of rainfall, so your flying is less likely to be cancelled!

Tours to Haines from Skagway

Note: Skagway is slap-up for history and adventure. Simply if it's wildlife you're afterward—or if y'all want to get abroad from the crowds—consider Haines. It's just 15 miles from Skagway, but since there's no directly road connection, you'll take a 45-minute high-speed catamaran.

Chilkat Bald Hawkeye Preserve Float

There are really only ii choices for river float trips in Southeast Alaska: the Mendenhall River in Juneau or the Chilkat Baldheaded Eagle Preserve bladder trip in Haines. The Mendenhall is a fun whitewater trip that starts with a spectacular view of the Mendenhall Glacier. However, if you're looking for a wilderness or wildlife trip, choose the Chilkat float. This trip begins with a scenic, 25-mile drive into the heart of the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, an extremely rich wildlife area. You lot'll board rafts and bladder on the swift current (no whitewater) of the shallow, glaciated Chilkat River through the Eagle Quango Grounds, which are crisscrossed with tracks of bear, moose, wolves, otter, and other wildlife. Keep an middle out for these creatures, simply you're more likely to spot eagles (in fact, every trip has eagle sightings). When the sockeye salmon are running in July, you lot may spot 100 bald eagles or more. And that'south not even peak season. To run into thousands of eagles at once, yous'll take to come up back in November.

Another way to see the Preserve is by jetboat tour, which goes upwards the Chilkat River into a wetland surround that'southward an excellent identify to see moose and bald eagles.

Chilkoot Wildlife Tour and Chilkoot Kayak Tour

The nature tour in Haines—a driving tour with plenty of stops—takes you lot to 1 of the well-nigh wildlife-rich areas in Southeast Alaska: Chilkoot Lake State Park. Expert naturalists accompany you along the mode, taking fourth dimension to fix spotting scopes and bring the wildlife in shut. Look for harbor seals, bald eagles, and mergansers (a fish-eating duck). Later in the summertime, spawning salmon and brown bears add to the mix. The guides follow upstanding wildlife-viewing protocols to keep people and bears safe.

Another fashion to experience the Chilkoot surroundings is by kayak. The surface area'due south lake is mostly protected from wind and currents, and so this trip is suitable for beginners. The views are spectacular, with giant peaks surrounding the lake, and waterfalls flowing downwards from the mountains. Beginning in mid-July, you tin can oft meet sockeye salmon spawning in a shallow tributary stream. In August and September you have a good gamble of seeing brown carry walking along the river and along the lake'due south shore.

Two other popular tours to Haines from Skagway include the Takshanuk Mount Trail 4x4 Chance and Steve Kroschel'south Wildlife Centre.

View all shore excursions in Skagway.

Haines, Alaska

Haines Shore Excursions & Tours

Note: Some ships that dock in Haines offer tours to Skagway. Unless you're a serious history vitrify, we don't recommend it. Instead, have reward of having the town of Haines to yourself. Y'all tin enjoy whatever of the four tours mentioned above: rafting, jetboat, kayaking, and nature tours are also offered from Skagway. Or endeavour 1 of our recommended tours below.

Travelers to Alaska often wonder what it's like to live in a small Alaskan town year-round. This tour is designed to show you. Your fun and informative local guide will take you to out-of-the-fashion places, like Svenson's Extreme Dreams Art Studio. You lot'll also visit the Hammer Museum—the world'southward only museum dedicated to human being's get-go tool.

Takshanuk Mountain Trail

Dri­ve your­self on this guid­ed off-road ATV tour in Haines and expe­ri­ence pris­tine wilder­ness, unfor­get­tabular array views, and a deli­cious meal! And at the top, 1,500 feet above bounding main lev­el, you'll take in the sweep­ing vista of shim­mer­ing Chilkoot Lake, ready in the stun­ning Chilkoot Valley.

Guide'due south Pick Photography Discovery

Serious photographers are often frustrated when they find a squeamish spot, gear up for a shot, and the guide yells, "Time to become back on the bus!" This tour is for photographers, then there's ample time to get your shots just correct. Better all the same, your professional photographer guide has the flexibility to have you where the "action" is, whether information technology'south a field of wildflowers past the Chilkat River, brown bears feeding on salmon nearly Chilkoot Lake, or a juvenile baldheaded eagle exercising its wings for its first flight. (Annotation: Juneau also has a photo tour that is very popular. The Juneau tour uses a boat while the Haines tour is by van.)

A Taste of Haines

Much of Alaska touring revolves around stunning visual sights. But this bout gives y'all a chance to experience Alaska with the sense of gustation of aroma. Y'all'll visit the smallest commercial brewery in N America (set in Dalton Metropolis, the former motion picture ready for Walt Disney'south movie "White Fang") and meet the brewmeister, Paul Wheeler. How small is this brewery? They can simply adjust ten guests at a fourth dimension, and Paul likes to quip that Anheuser Busch spills more beer in a day than Haines Brewing Visitor brews in a year! You'll larn about the challenges of brewing in a pocket-size Alaskan boondocks, and sample some of the state's finest brews. Then go along to Dejon Delights to see (and smell!) how the experts fume salmon and halibut. Yous'll learn the whole process—from fresh defenseless fish to vacuum-packed smoked fillet. There are bountiful samples and yous may be tempted to ship home a fillet or two!

View all shore excursions in Haines.

Sitka Shore Excursions & Tours

Detect Wildlife

There are two great stops in Sitka to notice Alaska's wildlife up shut. Visit the Alaska Raptor Heart, where injured bald eagles and other birds are rehabilitated for eventual release into the wild. The Sitka Audio Science Center features a salmon hatchery, aquarium, and impact tank. Both offering tours.

Sightseeing by kayak with Wilderness Sea Kayaking

Sitka Kayaking

Unlike other kayaking tours, where you begin your kayaking excursion in town or alongside a road, this tour starts with a boat ride to a remote "floating camp" for some body of water kayaking. It'south rubber and easy to learn: Your guide will teach you the basics of paddling, then set off on a ninety-minute excursion where you'll explore the protected bays and inlets every bit your guide helps interpret the ecology of this gorgeous area.

Flightseeing

Take to the skies with Alaska Seaplane Adventures. On a flightseeing tour, soar by the impressive Mt. Edgecombe and fly upward among the mountains and glaciers. For a more immersive chance, visit nearby hot springs —like Baranof Warm Springs, where you'll find a public bath and natural hot springs attainable by a curt hike. Or, combine a spectacular flightseeing bout with a twenty-four hours cruise.

Fishing

No doubt about information technology—Sitka is a world-class line-fishing destination. It boasts the shortest rod-hour to catch ratio for King salmon in the entire state of Alaska. So, if you dream of catching an Alaska salmon, this is a great identify. (Your tour operator will process, freeze, and ship the fish back home for you.) Sitka sits straight on the open up ocean, so you tin can go later all five species of Pacific salmon in an easy outing from Sitka. Sitka'south besides a great place to fish for Halibut. The halibut line-fishing grounds are further from shore, requiring a longer tour. All these species, plus lingcod, rockfish, and others feed heavily in Sitka Sound throughout the summer.

View all shore excursions in Sitka.

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Source: https://www.alaska.org/advice/alaska-cruise-excursions

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