During our 7 night cruise, we visited 4 different ports. Icy Straight Point, Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. They were all so different and had plenty of things to do. Icy Straight Point was probably my least favorite of the 4 because it was so small. It’s not even really a city, it’s more like a camp. It was kind of strange. If I were you, I would stay on the ship for this stop or book a whale watching tour. Don’t waste your time walking around. Plus, they don’t have any service on the Island. No WIFI, nothing. It takes a really special person to want to live there.
In Juneau we went whale watching. It’s a rainforest so of course it was pouring rain the entire time. I made the mistake of giving the kids dramamine as a precaution so unfortunately they were passed out the entire time. I should have just left them on the ship instead of wasting money for them to literally see nothing but the inside of their eyeballs. You can do that by the way, you CAN leave your kids on the ship while you go off ship and explore or take an excursion. I really like this option and I plan to use it in the future. Disney of course takes really good care of the kids so you should really feel confident about it.
Ketchikan was probably my favorite. It was lively, it had things to do, and it had the best phone service! They have their own cell tower so I would take advantage of checking in on everything while you can. While we were there, we took a seaplane out to hunt for bears. I really truly enjoyed this! First of all, I have never been in such a small plane so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I loved it though. The views were incredible! I have never seen so many trees before in my life! The water below was like glass, just gorgeous! It also made for a nice smooth landing. After our excursion, we dropped the kids off at the Kids Club and then my husband and I took some time for ourself to walk around the town a bit.
Skagway was fun little place as well. There was a ton to do there so I would definitely do some research on the best things to see and do to make the most of your time there. We chose to take a helicopter up to a glacier. This was my son’s favorite! I really enjoyed it as well. The ride there was stunning, it was also pretty quick to get there.
Taking a helicopter is the only way to get to this particular glacier. As soon as we landed, it was FREEZING! I am so glad we layered up the way we did. The water was such a deep royal blue, it was something I have never seen before. The guides were educational and encouraged us to take pictures and drink the water. It was great! The only thing is, we did feel rushed. You get about 45 minutes to explore and I feel like the time went by in a flash. We aren’t used to that.
Normally I just plan our own itinerary without guides and with this, I was reminded of why I like to do it myself. I have 2 young curious kids that want to stop and look at everything so this was a little off-putting for me. After our tour, we went back to the ship for lunch. Then we dropped the kids off at the Kids Club and we were back out in Skagway, walking around. We stopped at the liquor store and bought some Champagne and Alaskan beer to take back on the ship with us. It really was a great day.
My personal highlight of the trip was Dawes Glacier. The ship has to go through fjords for about 2 hours to get there. It was just so magical! If you’ve ever seen Frozen then you know what I mean. It literally reminded me of Arendelle. The water was a deep green blue, there were icebergs everywhere, and little waterfalls off the sides of the fjords. It was AMAZING! If you’re lucky enough, you will see whales, eagles, and seals. I poured myself a glass of champagne, grabbed a blanket, and absorbed everything there was to see of this magnificent sight. IT IS A MUST SEE!
