In Juneau, we took a float plane to Taku Lodge. It was a great excursion. It is pricey, but we enjoyed it so much that it was worth it. We were on the Coral Princess and booked it online through the ship.
There are so many wonderful excursions and much depends on your interests.
I've been on the White Pass Railroad trip and it's wonderful....I did it once in May and there was still 8 feet of snow up on top...next time was in June and most of it was gone...it's a wonderful trip...You will enjoy it...I'm skipping it this time, but I will walk out to the Historical Cemetery...Happy Sailing...
Sherry, I heard just today that the salmon bake in Juneau (don't forget the "u" ) is GRRREat. We went dog sledding there and absolutely loved it, although we are sorry we missed the Mendenhall glacier. The evening whale quest was fun too, with very good food on the catamaran. No matter what you do, you will love it all!
Sherry, we will be doing the Alaska Salmon Bake in Juneau next month. I'll post my comments when I return. Of course, that won't help you with your decision now...but still gives you some time before your cruise if you book this or something else and then want to change your mind.
Lisa it is very good!! The sauce they used is a little sweet for me, but you can get it with a different sauce, or no sauce. The bake is beside a stream. If you take the little trail upstream a short distance (easy walk), this is waht you will see.
I saw the clam bake but your on a cruise .. you will be eating non stop anyway. The train is great but why not break it up and take the train to the top and a bike ride all the way down? It's a blast !!! Zip line is Jeneau is fun as you fly over an old gold mine.
When we were in Skagway in May we did an excursion which was a bus into the Yukon and returned on the White Pass Railroad. It was long ride, but we really enjoyed it. Our bus driver pulled onto the shoulder to view a bear walking along the road. When we got out at the Yukon sign, we saw mountain goats on the mountains. Emerald Lake was beautiful. The train ride was amazing. We sat at the back of the car, which gave us easy access to the open platform.
Posts: 52 | Location: Maryland | Registered: January 01, 2007
As promised, I'm posting my thoughts on the Juneau salmon bake... SUPERB! We did this as part of a larger tour (booked through HAL) that included Mendenhall Glacier. When we arrived at the salmon bake, we started with delicious chowder, followed by a buffet that included cole slaw, rice, baked beans, and cornbread. There was pie for dessert, and lemonade, water, coffee and tea to drink. Beer was available for a fee. We took the walk Gary suggested and it was wonderful. The stream was filled with salmon (it was spawning season).
We also loved Mendenhall Glacier. We were there for about 75 minutes, and that was enough time to walk a short trail for lots of photos and to view the visitors center. The glacier is impressive. While waiting to board the bus back to the ship, we saw a couple of baby bears and their Mama in the woods.
As for our other tours -- I agree with billybuzzy on the White Pass/Yukon tour -- it was our favorite. In Ketchikan, we took the Misty Fjords and Wilderness Explorer boat ride. We didn't have much luck seeing wildlife, just a few bald eagles, yet we really lucked out with the weather and were therefore had tremendous views of the incredible scenery there.
) is GRRREat. We went dog sledding there and absolutely loved it, although we are sorry we missed the Mendenhall glacier. The evening whale quest was fun too, with very good food on the catamaran. No matter what you do, you will love it all! 
