Alaska Cruise Excursions

[TallLatte]

We are cruising on Vision of the Seas Aug. 25 from Seattle. We will be in Juneau, Skagway and Icy Strait Point and are trying to decide on shore excursions.
We are near retirement age and moderately fit, but I broke my ankle in June and am cautious about the activity level. Any suggestions?
Thanks.

[vafatboy]

We got back a few weeks ago from our trip on the Serenade. In Skayway we did the Haines Kayak trip. I am a fat lazy guy, but it was still a really neat trip. The mountain lake was really peacful. Being a mountain lake, the water was super smooth. The bus driver was funny as can be. He stopped at a Brown Bear and let us all take pictures.

In Juneau we used AKalaskawhalewatching. We did the whale watching tour on a private boat. The teamed us up with another couple on a 30 foot cabin cruiser. On the smaller boat, we were able to get alot closer than the large boats thru the cruise line. The best part was not having to crowed the railings with 100 other people.

The best stop on our cruise was in ketchican. We used Seawind aviation. We did a flight over the fjord, landing on a mountain lake. The people running this tour were the nices people we have ever toured with. Seeing alaska from the air was the way to go.

I you want to see a few pictures, e-mail me at vafatboy@aol.com

[Parker1]

My husband and I are about your age and are leaving for on second Alaska cruise on the Star, August 6th. We've seen videos of the Yukon and White Pass Railroad in Skagway and are really looking forward to that trip. My husband has very bad knees, so anything with a lot of walking doesn't work for him.

We've done whale watching in Juneau on our previous trip and were a bit disappointed in it. We were there the weekend of the annual Juneau fishing derby and the huge number of boats that were out made finding the whales a challenge. We did find them, but most of the time was spent just looking for them. I do see rave reviews from most people who have done whale watching trips, so my experience was probably an abberation.

On our upcoming visit to Juneau we're planning a Mendenhall Glacier Float trip - again, very easy on my husband's knees! On our first trip on went kayaking in Sitka and am seriously considering letting him do the float trip alone so that I can do a Glacial Kayak trip. The kayaks used in Alaska are flat bottomed and desiged for stability, so there's no need to fear tipping over.

In Juneau the Mount Roberts Tramway is right by the dock. We're hoping the weather is clear so that we can take the tram.

Whatever you decide to do, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. It's an amazing place.