Ketchikan

Eph60 · April 6, 2013

I see this section of the board is pretty quiet, however the Alaska cruise season is coming up quickly, so I thought I would post some information on some of the ports. I will start out with Ketchikan.

Ketchikan is a rainforest. It is one of the wettest places on earth. Bring rain gear because you will most likely get some rain. Ketchikan also has a tide that raises and lowers up to 30 feet. What does this mean? It means you may get on and off the cruise ship on different floors as the tide changes during the day.

Ketchikan at one time was a big logging area. This is not the case today due to regulations. Ketchikan is an excellent place to go fishing. The totem parks in Ketchikan are very interesting and full of history.

Flight tours are great here and it can actually get quite interesting watching the ships dock or leave with all the sea planes flying in and out of the area.

Ketchikan has a very interesting and fun lumberjack show that is close to the pier. It is well worth seeing especially if you are with kids or a family.

One of my favorite tours here is kayaking. It gets you close up to some sea life as well as some beautiful scenery. Riding the Ducks can also give you a good perspective of the town from the sea and the land.

Ketchikan is an easy town to walk around. Walking Creek Street can also provide a lot of history. My biggest complaint about Ketchikan is that it has been taken over by the cruise line related gift and jewlery shops. After all I do not go to Alaska to see Caribbean Jewelers as I step off the ship. If you want some true Alaskan products I suggest you walk farther into the town and find the true local shops.

mercedes · April 6, 2013

Thanks for the info, I will be there next June.

WeCruiseToo · April 8, 2013

The first time we visited Ketchikan we took a float-plane to go bear watching – plane ride and sightseeing were fantastic but we didn’t see any bears at all. :sad2:

The second time we didn’t plan anything and just explored on our own – loved the Totem Museum! – and really saw some great scenery and had a fantastic hike! :smile:

Jan115 · April 8, 2013

I hope my flight this August to see bears proves to be more of a success, Michael & Amy.

WeCruiseToo · April 9, 2013

According to the guides our experience was very unusual (of course).

We had much better luck on our second Alaska cruise bear watching at Icy Strait Point!

Jan115 · April 9, 2013

According to the guides our experience was very unusual (of course).
We had much better luck on our second Alaska cruise bear watching at Icy Strait Point!

Where was your bear excursion - was it Traitor's Cove? That's where we're headed.

WeCruiseToo · April 10, 2013

Where was your bear excursion - was it Traitor's Cove? That's where we're headed.

We were on the Neets Bay Bear Watch, but this was on our first Alaska cruise way back in September 2005. Hope you have a great time and get to see lots of wildlife!

dmoten · April 19, 2013

I haven't decided on my Ketchikan excursion yet. Any suggestions?

Eph60 · April 19, 2013

Dmoten what type of excursion are you looking for? Do you want something active or just easy going? One of my favorite active tours in Ketchikan is kayaking. I like this because you get up close with some of the sea life and the views from the kayak of the various islands are great. A flight tour is always great but expensive.

For easier going tours a trip to one of the totem parks is both educational and beautiful. You are in a rainforest so you will see some great plant life as well as seeing totem poles, lodges and learning the history of the totem pole and lodge.

If you have a little time going to the lumberjack show is fun for a family and does not take that long. This is near the ship right in town.