Favorite Port in Alaska

[Kendall James-Vargas]

Which is your favorite port of call in Alaska and why? 

[FJB]

Juneau for the whale Watching and helicopter tours landing on the glaciers - on of the best days ever on a cruise vacation! 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@FJB Thanks for sharing! Whale watching sounds so exciting. I have done lots of dolphin watching but never whale watching. I bet they are easier to spot than dolphins. When you did this experience, did you use binoculars? I also haven't been on a helicopter or a glacier. It sounds exhilarating! 

[Woody14]

I really enjoyed Icy Straight Point.  very undeveloped compared to Juneau, Skagway or Ketchikan.  the people were great and the whale watching was awesome.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Woody14 I had to look up where this location was. It looks like it's near Port Frederik. When you visited Icy Straight Point, did you stop in Port Frederik or Juneau? It seems you can access the area from either port pretty easily. I love quaint spots, especially if the people are great! 

[Woody14]

20 hours ago, Kendall James-Vargas said:

@Woody14 I had to look up where this location was. It looks like it's near Port Frederik. When you visited Icy Straight Point, did you stop in Port Frederik or Juneau? It seems you can access the area from either port pretty easily. I love quaint spots, especially if the people are great! 

This trip I was on the Celebrity Eclipse this past summer and we docked at Icy Point, Juneau & Ketchikan

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Woody14 Thank you for informing me. Now I know Icy Point has its own docking area. I didn't realize that! Celebrity Eclipse holds up to 2,850 passengers. It seems the port has the capacity to host some pretty large cruise ships! 

Edited January 18, 2023 by Kendall James-Vargas

[Woody14]

19 hours ago, Kendall James-Vargas said:

@Woody14 Thank you for informing me. Now I know Icy Point has its own docking area. I didn't realize that! Celebrity Eclipse holds up to 2,850 passengers. It seems the port has the capacity to host some pretty large cruise ships! 

in fact the day we were there it was a 3 ship day.   one was leaving a couple hours after we arrived and had to leave the dock and the passengers were then tendered out.   The main dock holds 2 ships.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Woody14 That's impressive! I guess you aren't the only one who really enjoys Icy Point! You are very knowledgable on this are. It almost seems like you have visited Icy Point more than once. If I ever travel to this area and visit Juneau I would love to visit a Salmon Hatchery. I always wonder what a hatchery would be like, considering it's where the food we eat derives from. There is one in Juneau called Macaulay Salmon Hatchery. Have you visited something like this before? 

[Woody14]

11 minutes ago, Kendall James-Vargas said:

@Woody14 That's impressive! I guess you aren't the only one who really enjoys Icy Point! You are very knowledgable on this are. It almost seems like you have visited Icy Point more than once. If I ever travel to this area and visit Juneau I would love to visit a Salmon Hatchery. I always wonder what a hatchery would be like, considering it's where the food we eat derives from. There is one in Juneau called Macaulay Salmon Hatchery. Have you visited something like this before? 

I did a salmon hatchery tour many years ago.  We actually got on bikes at the port and rode to the hatchery.  It was a fun tour there were lots of eagles on it as well.   Did this i Juneau I believe (it was in the early 2000's so the memory is a bit foggy).

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Woody14 That sounds like a true adventure! Were you ridding bikes in the snow? Lately, it has been very snowy where I live and riding on bikes in the snow/ice is not easy. Eagles are so majestic! I hope they let you stop off during the tour to snap some photos. Also, what was the temperature like? I'm thinking you were likely biking Juneau with gloves and a snowsuit! 

[Woody14]

On 1/20/2023 at 7:34 AM, Kendall James-Vargas said:

@Woody14 That sounds like a true adventure! Were you ridding bikes in the snow? Lately, it has been very snowy where I live and riding on bikes in the snow/ice is not easy. Eagles are so majestic! I hope they let you stop off during the tour to snap some photos. Also, what was the temperature like? I'm thinking you were likely biking Juneau with gloves and a snowsuit! 

No snow for that trip.  If I remember right the temp was in the mid to upper 60's that day.   On my 3 cruises to Alaska other than on the glaciers no snow to deal with.  Rain yes but not snow.   most of the temperatures were in the 60's.   Which I think for Alaska is t-shirt and shorts weather.

[3Sisters]

@Woody14 It's so difficult for me to imagine Alaska without snow! I also can't picture wearing shots and a t-shirt there. When packing did you know this ahead of time? I would likely be packing all of my heavy snow gear.

[Woody14]

11 minutes ago, 3Sisters said:

@Woody14 It's so difficult for me to imagine Alaska without snow! I also can't picture wearing shots and a t-shirt there. When packing did you know this ahead of time? I would likely be packing all of my heavy snow gear.

I think what is the weather going to be like and what to pack are the most popular questions about Alaska.   The answer is usually layers are needed.  it can go from beautifully sunny and 70 to raining and 50 in the span of an hour.     The biggest factor is what month you are going and where you are going.   If you are there in April, May, Sept or October it will be colder than July & Aug which are quite nice.    You also should remember the ports are coastal so the weather is generally a touch milder and rainier than the interior.    If you are heading to the interior like with a cruise tour add on you may need to prepare differently.     All that said never needed my heavy snow gear for an Alaskan cruise.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Woody14 Did you experience any heavy rain or was it mostly just drizzly? Thankfully, I have never experienced any sort of heavy rain while on vacation, but the elements can certainly dictate what you are able to do while at a port of call.

Thank you for clarifying how the temperatures correlate with each month for an Alaskan itinerary.

This is very helpful! I would likely want to try it in differing seasons. It would be like visiting two completely different sceneries depending on the time of year you cruise!

[Woody14]

So far 3 cruises to Alaska and only a little rain/drizzle but I have only gone in July/August.     I have had heavy rains in the Carribean a couple times and had St Thomas totally rained out on my last cruise there (in November 2022),

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Woody14 It sounds like the summer is your preferred time for an Alaskan cruise! When it's heavily raining do you usually get off the ship? If it's a tender port, I would imagine the tenders don't even operate until the weather improves, but I'm not quite sure about that since I haven't experienced it before. It would be such a shame to have to miss out on exploring St. Thomas!

[Woody14]

I would not say that it is my preferred time but I am married to a school teacher so we travel with that schedule.   I would love to do a May/June or Sept/Oct Alaska but that would be with out my favourite travel partner (at least until she retires)

St Thomas was a  day we were docked so no tender worries.   We got off the ship and walked around the port but all ship excursions were cancelled, and most private tours were as well. So we went back to the ship and played games.

 

[Cruising Caribbean]

@Woody14Well when you are bound to the school system, it's definitely a challenge to find cruises at a reasonable price. In fact, having children in the school system makes cruising much more costly. Hopefully retirement comes soon so you can enjoy those offer season experiences and better rates! The Caribbean is honestly beautiful year round; so you can't go wrong. St. Thomas is so much fun! I guess you can't control mother nature. What are some of your favorite games to play? My family has really loved the card game "sevens" lately. I enjoy playing card games on a cruise ship because it's convenient to bring along anywhere and doesn't take up any space to pack in your suitcase. 

[Baowen]

Sitka and Skagway are my favorite.  The bears in Sitka are amazing to look at and the White Pass Train in Skagway is not to be missed.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Baowen Thanks for sharing your feedback here! I have heard some really wonderful things about Skagway, but I would love to hear more about Sitka. How often do you spot bears in Sitka? I'm not sure if I would enjoy these sightings or feel terrified! Do you usually notice these bears while on an expedition? I don't think I would want to get too close without being in a car or train!