Hi: we are a group of people going on a cruise doing the Inside Passage. As a many-time cruiser, I know the cruiselines overprice the tours. In the Caribbean I'm a pro and know there are cabs and vans waiting at the pier. In alaska, I'm a novice and know nada, nothing, nil! Can anyone suggest places to book tours without the cruiseline or give me any info on what's available when you disembark in ports? The one thing we definitely want to book is the helicopter tour to Mendenhall Glacier.

[This message has been edited by Marysunshine (edited 05-11-2003).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Marysunshine:
give me any info on what's available when you disembark in ports? The one thing we definitely want to book is the helicopter tour to Mendenhall Glacier.</font>

The glacier tours will probably operate from JNU which is about 5+ miles away from "downtown" where the cruise ships dock. The last time we looked (for April 2002), the flights (15 minutes or so in duration) were going for $130 or so depending on how many in your party.

By far, the best part of our trip was taking a small-boat tour in Seward (at the end of the cruise) from Kenai Fjords Cruises (http://www.kenaifjords.com). It was a 3- or 4-hour wildlife trip, and we had incredible, close-up views of sea otters, dolphins, puffins, and several others. But the most incredible and unforgettable time was at Aialak Glacier, with seals and their newborn pups a short distance away on little icebergs. The small boat could of course get way closer to the glacier than the cruise ship could, and the silence (again impossible on a big ship) was broken only by the occasional calving of the glacier. We did not take the bus back from Seward to Anchorage, but instead got to Anchorage on the daily train trip on the Alaska Railroad. This had a double benefit: we missed th lousy bus ride, and we enjoyed a delightful train trip. Well worth the train fare. (And as for practical issues, the people at Kenai Fjords cruises picked us up at the cruise ship, stored our luggage for the day, and then dropped us off at the train station in the afternoon.)

I agree with Wideman completely re: Kenai Fjords. I've done Alaska camping, and I've done Alaska cheezy-tourist. A KF day"sail" will fit into either nicely. Very professional, and pretty nice ships. It can be *very* cold and wet in the Fjords, so be prepared. The aquarium in Seward's nice also. This is not a particularly "cute" Alaskan town. Not really anything else in town, except for Exit Glacier, which I think is pretty cool - you can walk right up to it. No idea how you'd get there w/o a car, though.

You'll also do well just to conduct an Internet search for the cities you'll be visiting. Alaska tourist businesses seem to be pretty well "wired," and I've never been disappointed in any Alaska services I've pre-arranged over the web. Good luck.

I was quite excited to read the suggestion until I realized we don't go to Seward http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/frown.gif. We go to Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan! The other days are cruising the inside passage and Hubbard Glacier.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Marysunshine:
Hi: we are a group of people going on a cruise doing the Inside Passage. As a many-time cruiser, I know the cruiselines overprice the tours. In the Caribbean I'm a pro and know there are cabs and vans waiting at the pier. In alaska, I'm a novice and know nada, nothing, nil! Can anyone suggest places to book tours without the cruiseline or give me any info on what's available when you disembark in ports? The one thing we definitely want to book is the helicopter tour to Mendenhall Glacier.
[This message has been edited by Marysunshine (edited 05-11-2003).]</font>
Mary,
Temsco offers helicopter flights/tours to the Mendenhall Glacier.
http://www.temscoair.com/
Era Aviation offers helicopters flights/tours to that land on Norris Glacier and flyover the Taku Glacier and others.
http://eraaviation.com/
Coastal Helicopters lands on the Herbert Glacier (iirc) during their tours.
http://www.costalhelicopters.com/
The local paper publishes a guide each year that lists a number of activities:
http://juneaualaska.com/

In Juneau, the tour companies have kiosks on the dock so you can visit them and compare prices.

MGT (Mendenhall Glacier Transport - the blue school buses) offers cheap bus tours that go out to Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, the state museum, and other stops.
jerry

Thank you for all the information. We are studying it all and I appreciate all the help.

Arlene

I marysunshine, I wanted to thank you for starting this discussion. As a result of what I read here, I found a Kenai Fjords Tour that works perfectly with my schedule. They're going to meet me near where my cruise ship pulls up, take me on a 6 hour glacier tour, and take me straight to the train to Anchorage. They have a 10% discount code at their website, i think you can get 2 for 1's with that $100 coupon book you hear talked about.

Sure, make me jealous! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/biggrin.gif. I ask the question and you get the great tour! Just joking of course. Hope we both love our cruises. What cruisline are you on and when are you going?

I lived up there for seven years...here are the recommendations...

Kenai Fjords runs a great tour! That's what we took visitors on every time someone came up. There's also a pretty good seafood restaurant on the docks in Seward...and if you see beer batter halibut on the menu, do NOT pass it up! I'm thinking of having 10th and M Seafoods in Anchorage ship me frozen halibut cheeks so I can make my own.

As far as the helicopter tours in Juneau...let me give you one word of caution. These guys have a track record for crashing on the glacier that should make you very nervous. Most glacier flights come out OK, but all it takes is one weather shift and you're in big trouble.

Mark