Reservations for sight seeing tours??
I am planning on going to Alaska in late May via the ferry system. A couple questions. 1) is there any problem with moving things up so as to arrive in Skagway mid May. 2) Ive read somewhere that...
Forum Discussion
Yeti plus wrote:
We took the AMHS ferry this summer ( 2016). We started in Prince Rupert, went to Ketchican, Wrangell, Juneau, Petersburg, Haines and Skagway. Due to the ferry schedule it took us 12 days. We were there early June about 10 to 22.
We had no problems getting on any of the side excursions. All the cruises are timed to leave early A.M. and get back to the docks in time for the cruise ships to head out to their next port, usually about 4 P.M.
Most of our ferry rides were boarding at 11 PM and exiting about 7 AM so we grabbed a cabin and slept and were ready to go as soon as we got off the ferry.
I don't remember the cost but it was a do it once , don't need to do it again trip.
As far as arriving in Skagway mid May, might be a little early. The border crossing to the Yukon doesn't open until the snow is off the road, so it depends on snow cover. Check to see when the attractions open for the season.
We didn't go to Sitka, but Wrangell and Petersburg were good stops.
Enjoy the north country!
Brian
The border crossings from Skagway to Whitehorse is open year round except when the highway is closed due to storms. You will need to check if it will be closed at night.
Here in Juneau there are many little booths next to the cruise ship docks for booking tours. Usually at a lesser cost because they cut out the cruise ship kick backs. For example, there are several bus companies that will take you out to the Mendenhall Glacier for about 10 bucks each way. The bus drivers give the same info talks as the cruise ship buses.
Since cruising to Alaska has become so popular, most cruise ships only stay in town for half a day. As soon as one ship leaves another is ready to dock. Really cuts down the time a visitor has in each community.
If you want to know when cruise ships are in town in order to avoid busy days, the Juneau Chamber of Commerce posts a calendar showing which ship and how many passengers/crew will be in town each day. I don't know if the ships schedules have been finalized at this time.
