Scott Barronton (00:00)
Alaska is one of those bucket list destinations that travelers talk about for years, but too often put off for some day. The truth is there's no better time than now to experience it. Cruising through Alaska gives you front row seats to glaciers, mountains, and wildlife right from your balcony. But the adventure doesn't stop there. And in this episode, we're going to go beyond the balcony to share some of the excursions you can choose in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway.
From flight seeing over fjords to riding a historic railroad to spotting whales and bears, these are the kinds of experiences that can make your Alaska trip unforgettable.
Speaker 2 (00:44)
We're Scott and Melissa, The Sunshine Travelers.
Speaker 1 (00:46)
We're all about exploring the world and sharing the journey with you. Whether you're a seasoned traveler, dreaming of your next adventure, or just here for the stories.
Speaker 2 (00:54)
No matter where you are on your travel journey, we've got first-hand experiences, tips, and plenty of inspiration from some of the most amazing places on Earth.
Speaker 1 (01:03)
So buckle up and get ready to travel with us.
Scott Barronton (01:11)
So Scott, let's talk first about why we wanted to share this. So there's like five reasons. So let's just go through them. So number one, we definitely encourage you to get off the ship and explore, especially in Alaska. I mean, you do, think compared to a lot of other cruises, you get to see a lot of scenery, but it's just a whole different experience about what you get to see once you go into the interior.
as well. So whether you do that on your own or you book a tour or you book a shore excursion from the cruise or book it on your own like from through Viator, you're gonna get to see and experience so much more. So full disclosure, we booked all of our shore excursions this time through our cruise, but we have used Viator in the past to book these.
It is a great option, especially for the main ports in Alaska because of Viator. Is there like a buzz? You don't hear it? Okay, well I hear it, but is it gonna, do you think it's gonna show up in that? No? Okay.
So what you can look for when you book through Viator is the back to the shore guarantee.
it sounds like you're saying something totally different now. Yeah, I think you can just cut that. OK.
I'm going back into Start Back. So full disclosure, for our recent cruise to Alaska, we booked all of our shore excursions through the ship. But we have also booked shore excursions in the past on other cruises through Viator, which is a great option. And I would say especially for the main ports in Alaska, you can definitely, you can look for their back to the shore know that most people are visiting
especially these cities from a cruise, is they know they're going to need to get back on the ship in time. And that's where most of their business comes from. just know, look at the timeframes and except for one, we have longer in the port until the evening. So just make sure, but gives you a lot of different options. And I think it's interesting because we're going to...
talk about some ports this week that yes, they have the traditional characteristics of being a port city where it's very touristy, but then built into those ports is a lot of cultural and historical sites and attractions. So as we talk about
these excursions know that you're probably going to want to spend at least a little bit of time inside these port towns as well. Yeah. And that's what I going to talk about. actually, I mean, we felt like there was plenty of time really to do both. Ketchikan was probably the tightest, but there was really time for us to really do everything that we really wanted to do. And we could even spent longer. Like we would get back on the ship and have dinner, whereas you could have had dinner out if you had wanted to.
So number two, there are so many things that you can do from each port. So we would say before you start looking, what are the main things that you would like to see or do or experience? Some of them you may end up only finding in one port. So that would be the one that you would need to prioritize. And then some of them you'll see some similar things in different ports. So for example, just kind of make a list.
Do you want to do a helicopter or a float plane? Do you want to go whale watching? Do you want to go kayaking? Do you want to make sure that you can see glaciers or try to see bears? Or are you really more interested in the history or the cultural type of things? Kind of start with a list like that. And then as you dig into those, you can see, okay, this port would be the best for this one, et cetera. And then number three, know that some things are going to end up being weather or condition dependent.
So maybe say, okay, this is my top choice and this is my second choice. And I would say if you book through the cruise, they are going to let you know. So we had one, for example, maybe a month before we went, they were like, hey, this one something's happened. This one is canceled. if you want to, pick something else and we can go ahead and book it for you. And then what was so interesting is we got on the ship and there was a note that was like, this one's back on. If you want to switch back to it, come see us and we'll switch you back.
and a lot of people ran into this with the Mendenhall glacier. So while we were there, the Mendenhall glacier was experiencing the heavy rains as well as the glacial melt. And so there's really bad flooding that was occurring from that and they couldn't go and do the excursions that had been planned because it was just too dangerous.
we actually talked to one couple that we had met and they were like, that one got canceled for us. We ended up doing whale watching. It was great. Anyway, so there was a backup option. So just know, for example, if you book it through Viator, how are they going to handle that and how are you going to contact them? That kind of thing. But I also felt like, again, it wasn't like you were just high and dry. There was plenty of things that you could pick from.
Probably from the cruise ship too, because again, you have to remember that Alaska is such a short season and they rely on this tourism and people doing these excursions. So I think you would be able to, find something if it gets, canceled or whatever, but just kind of be prepared that that is definitely probably more of a possibility in Alaska than a lot of other places. Number four, just know that we didn't do all of these, but
like you will, we researched a lot of them, chose the ones for our port days. But like Scott mentioned, we felt like we ended up having enough time in the towns to mill around and we'll share some of those as well. And then lastly, we're going to add some of these links to the show notes just so that it's easy for you to go and look at it, kind of organized by city. And then you can also compare, to what the cruise ship is offing and just make the best option for you.
So Scott, let's talk about these three main port towns that most people stop at. You might have some other ones too. And a couple of other things. If you are also stopping in Victoria, when you finish here, go back and listen to episode 126 and we give some recommendations of what to do there, even if you only have a few hours. That episode was geared toward a couple of days, but we do talk about if you only have a couple of hours.
go into port and do a couple of things. And then also, since this episode is more specific to what you'll do in the cruise port, be sure to go back and listen to episodes 128, the four biggest questions people ask before booking an Alaska cruise, and our honest answers. And then 119, what you need to know before planning a cruise to Alaska. So go listen to those before you book your cruise. Okay, so Scott, let's get into it.
Yeah, we want to start with the first port and I did these in order of how our ship stopped. And so the first one is Ketchikan It's called the gateway to Alaska's wilderness and it's also known as the salmon capital of the world. So Ketchikan is surrounded by lush rainforests, steep mountains and a lot of
native heritage. And while you're there, there's going to be lots of things that you can do. And so we'll talk about some of the excursions today, but just know that there's activities like zip lining, you can rent Jeeps or ATVs
but these are the most popular excursions and activities that you'll find in Ketchikan, which we're going to talk about today. And the first one being the Misty Fjords flight seeing Now, Melissa, I have to say, if you were going there on our trip and you were looking for Misty Fjords, you probably didn't get what you were looking for.
Yes, if it's like the mist from the rain and stuff like that, because we had the sunshine. So maybe coming from waterfalls and stuff like that, but you definitely we're not going to get the fog in the mist. Yeah. So on this Misty Fjords flight seeing you're going to do a scenic float plane.
you're going to go and see the granite cliffs and the glacier carved fjords. And matter of fact, that was something that I learned on this trip is that a fjord is basically,
an area that's carved by the glacier and then it fills up with water. Yeah. It was also interesting to hear our naturalists talk about is that a lot of these are named bays because it was really before I think that word fjord kind of came over to us maybe from the Nordic.
That's kind of where you think of them because she was actually saying even like Glacier Bay is actually a fjord and there's some different characteristics, but I just thought that was really interesting. so I think here you're mostly going to see waterfalls, valleys, just really an untouched wilderness that you'll be able to see on this float plane and
Most of them include some type of water landing in a pristine cove. So then you'll be able to experience that landing, see the sites maybe a little bit more up close and personal before you head back to the ship. And if it's like a cove or a little lake or what, like that's that glacier water, and you and you have some sun and stuff, that color of that water is just phenomenal.
But I can just imagine these, cliffs that are covered in a low hanging mist or fog would be absolutely beautiful from a photography perspective. I know one thing for me is I was going back through all of our pictures and I have a lot of pictures of the landscape and of the mountains and these cliffs. But after a while, like
it's hard to tell one from another. If I hadn't broken them down into different places, I wouldn't be able to know where that's at. I think it would have been neat to have the different perspective with those low-hanging clouds and the mist and stuff like that in some of the pictures. But we brought the sunshine. That's true. It's just interesting. don't know that part of it with the weather. You just don't know what you're going to get.
So popular in this area are the Totem Park and Native heritage. There are several Native tribes that settled here. And so you can actually see the world's largest collection of the Totem poles, have cultural performances and...
If not carving demonstrations, at least like when we went in, like the Carver was there. So there's a couple of ways to visit this. One of them, there's just like a trolley tour and you go by and you see the totems. We actually did one that was a little bit more immersive to where we actually had a demonstration for the dancing. and then a very in-depth, like he was telling us the stories of the totems. And what I really, I think I appreciated more
than anything was the kid that was our tour guide. He was 19, but very interested in not only learning his heritage, but I think passing that on. Before we left, he was like, thank you for coming to like learn and hear about and send, you know, please send other people, tell other people about this because that's kind of the way that they can then just, you know, pass on that tradition so that it's not completely lost.
So it's neat and he had a twin brother that, you know, was involved as well. And so that these kids are, learning about being connected to their heritage. What I think sometimes is rare these days. And I learned that the totem pole was really a story pole, where the symbols had a meaning. then usually there was a oral story that went along with that, because this people group didn't really have it written.
I don't know if it's a fact that they didn't have a written language or they just didn't have a tradition of writing these stories. Instead, they passed them down from generation to generation as stories. And he even said, it's like the game telephone. was like, I'm sure that the story changed from time to time. And in some places it got embellished and other places it might've been kind of
diminished a little bit, but at the end of the day, it's these totem poles, which have the stories attached to them that have deep meanings to their culture and to their families. And so it was a really neat, cultural exhibit to go and see.
One of the other options you have in Ketchikan is to go and view bears. And so there is a not too far away, they have the Herring Cove.
So this is a seasonal activity where the black bears come into these coves and you have all of the salmon who are collecting and starting the salmon run to go back up and spawn. And as they do, these bears are coming in and they're just having a virtual buffet, like a feast. And so this is a great opportunity, especially for photographers wanting to catch black bears and bald eagles in the wild.
You know, you will see the bears there. Every once in a while you will even see a seal come up in the creek feasting on the salmon. But here you get a nice close wildlife encounter. Of course, not too close. They're going to keep you safe. But I would say for photographers, this is one of your great opportunities to catch that.
And even if you don't go and do that excursion, the thing about Ketchikan is they have the river that runs through and the salmon ladder right there in town that you can actually go to for free. It's a short walk from the cruise port. You can follow the signs and you'll see it and everybody's kind of going there. And at first it's like a wooden walkway.
But we would say like keep going and keep following the river. Kind of turns right and goes up this road. And we were actually able to see a good bit of salmon, running up that and then people fishing. So we almost went like as far as you could walk up that and had plenty of time. didn't even, it wasn't like we even got off the ship early. We went and did that for a while. And then had our other excursion as well.
speaking of fishing,
Here's your chance to do a guided fishing tour. And so the guide will take you. They provide all of the equipment that you need. They know all of the hotspots. I know when we hired a guide to take a salmon fishing, in Alaska a few years ago, the guide told us, said, listen, the fish aren't, they're not spawning. They're not making the run up the river. He said, the numbers are really low. He's like, so.
If you don't want to do this, we can refund it. Or I know a place that isn't closed off and you are able to fish. And he said, we can go out there and try to catch some fish, which that's where I caught the King salmon. And then the bald eagle came and stole it from me. Yeah. sounds like a joke, doesn't it? It almost sound like a joke. That was crazy.
and if you catch stuff, there's a way for them to pack the stuff and have it shipped home to you as well. So this is probably one that you're going to want to book on your own or through Viator, just to do to the nature, small group as well. it's not just salmon, it's halibut as well. Yeah. So if you're, if you're into fishing, I mean, this is an experience that is very specific to Alaska.
And so then the other one that's going to be very specific to Ketchikan is the Great Alaska and Lumberjack show. So you're not going to find this in the other towns. And this is just kind of a fun thing to do. Ours was in conjunction with the other Native heritage. So it's kind of booked as a combination tour. So just kind of a fun, high energy competition show.
almost Disney-esque, you know, in some of their jokes. And so just for families, very fun, I think, for kids would be something that definitely kids would enjoy. A fun introduction to the heritage, but also the fact that some of the people on these, like in some areas of like Canada and stuff like this is actually a thing. Like there would be real competitions where they would do this, whereas this was geared, to be more of a show. I was surprised at that. So that was...
a lot of fun. Yeah, as they were introducing the lumberjacks, they talked about that they were, back home where they came from or the university they went to, they were the top lumberjacks.
competition specialists, I don't know what they call them, athletes. Because they really are all of that, right? It's a bit of showmanship, it's a bit of athleticism. And so it's a really neat program that they've put together. They have, of course, an MC of the event, and he's kind of like the ringmaster of all of the different competitions that are going on.
And he kind of weaves a little bit of a story into the competition as well. Yeah. So it's a competition, right? And they kind of divide the audience up. So it just, made it, really fun and something just very different and very
unique.
The other thing that we would say too is yes, you're going to have all your shops close to the port. But if you go back, it's kind of like near.
the end of the bridge where you go watch that salmon spawn. Keep walking and you'll see more of almost the traditional, I would say, Alaska colorful houses along a boardwalk. There's the old, well, I mean, the old brothel, I guess, is back there. I would say that's probably the local shops and the buildings built like that are things that we have seen in other towns in Alaska. And so definitely take...
a few minutes and walk through that. I think between those, like you just have plenty of time, I think, to see the town.
So the second port that we're going to take you into is Juneau. And it's interesting because Juneau is the capital of Alaska. However, it's only accessible by air or sea. so, you you have to either fly into Juneau or come in through a boat and it combines, really rugged landscapes with a lot of vibrant cultural and culinary experiences.
We saw when you go right into the port, you immediately have tons of restaurants and little micro or craft breweries, lots of places where you can get Alaskan crab. mean, it was just a lot of activity going on there, but we kind of walked outside of that a little ways as well.
We sure did. So let's start with some of those excursions specifically, and then we'll talk a little bit more about if you wanted to stay in town, kind of some other things that we found. So this is a big place for whale watching by catamaran. So you'll find a lot of these options, comfortable boats with heated cabins and open decks, lots of frequent sightings for humpbacks and orcas. I mentioned briefly at the beginning.
The people we had met were supposed to go to the glacier, but then they said, we had a fantastic day seeing the whales. And this is a unique chance where you might be able to witness the bubble net feeding as well. And so while we did see a little bit of the whales on the ship, I think going out like this is more of an opportunity maybe to see them breach the water So if that's higher in your list, this might be a place to book that.
So the next thing is taking a helicopter ride and landing out on a glacier.
The most popular one is the Mendenhall glacier. And while we were there, this one was closed off because they were having, glacial flooding and that's caused by excessive rain that they were having, the ice melt. And so it had created pressure, that was backed up in the glacier and all of a sudden it just broke loose. And so they experienced a lot of flooding from there. but you go out with a guide.
you're going to get some really great views of the Juneau ice field. And we saw that for the first time as being able to fly over the glaciers, when we were in the float plane, but how expansive these glaciers really are. But they land out there in a place where the crevices are not like really deep and, really wide. a guide will take you, and I'm sure you're going to put
crampons on your shoes or something like that. But they're going to go for a little hike out there on the glacier and just see some really blue ice from that glacial ice that's just been there for thousands of years.
Yeah, because seeing those glaciers from the air is just really something extraordinary. And so that's what I was most excited about, about the one that we chose, which was the float plane to the Taku Lodge. It was basically like a scenic flight, maybe 35, 40 minutes, maybe, over five glaciers to where you really could get a good view. And of course, like we've mentioned, we had the sun, which just made it just dramatic colors.
and so, I mean, I was most excited about that, but I really didn't know what was in store for us at Taku Lodge, which was just the traditional salmon feast, cooked over, that Alderwood fire. He was out there cooking when we went, he has like a special spice blend. have recipes that they've collected over the years, that they use. And, it was like their special baked bean recipe. And then you had, like.
a of kinds of bread and coleslaw. so, I mean, was just, the food was phenomenal. They go out and, the fish is, local caught, they have chicken as well, if you don't eat fish, but then also they go collect that glacial ice and, let it melt. It kind of helps them keep their things cool, but they use it, for the beverages as well. There's a couple of little trails that you can do.
So it's just really a phenomenal day where you feel like you're just away from the city. That's the thing. You don't want to go like completely out in nature, but there's no cell service out there or anything like that. But you do have, can like to a waterfall, you can hike, you're like a mile from the other glacier. if you're just, you know, I don't want to be with a bunch of people or huge crowds or in a city, like this is a great one. Really enjoyed it.
Every once while they do see bears there. Matter of fact, they said as they're cooking that salmon, sometimes the bears will show up and, be interested in what they're doing. but once again, with any wildlife that we're going to talk about today is there's no way to program these wildlife, like to make them show up and be in different places. So it is always a risk. We didn't see quite as much wildlife on this trip. but it was mostly, according to the
different people that we talked to because of the sunshine. so, you know, as temperature is a little bit warmer than normal. And so they were hiding out kind of in the woods and staying in places where it was a little bit cooler. So, we didn't see quite as much, wildlife on this trip.
So one of the other things that you can do is right after you get off the cruise, there's in the town, right in the center, there is a tram that will take you up to the top of Mount Roberts. And that is about an 1800 foot above sea level scenic view. And so you look down the channel and over Juneau, there's lots of hiking trails that you can go as well as some cultural exhibits up at the, at the summit.
and you can just kind of spend some time out there, have a cold Alaskan beer, hang out, and then come back down later in the day. if you don't want to go on any of these other excursions. Yeah. And you really would have time to do that even if you did the other excursions. but you're right. It is kind of pricey. Now I did read a couple of things about this. I read one girl said that it's definitely worth the views if it's clear.
And because you can buy a ticket to this like last minute, she mentioned that if you can't really see the peak, then it's probably not worth going up. But if you can, that it's definitely worth going up and definitely worth the splurge. You can also go up multiple times. So like, let's say if you wanted to do that, especially probably Scott, if you're a photographer, so get off the ship, go up and do that, go do other stuff, shore excursions.
because it's only like a five minute ride and then go up later and you might have you know a different a different vantage point. The other thing is that you can also hike up this but she did mention it's like two miles and it's pretty rough and you would need to have hiking boots and just be aware that there could be bears and stuff like that as well. So just a couple of things about that but if you are do like observation type things that that would be a great thing to do.
And then I would just say finally that, in Juneau, like I mentioned at the very beginning here was a lot of different places to eat and to, get local Alaskan beer And so, Tracy's king crab is one of the places they have the fresh Alaskan king crab, and other local seafood specialties.
It is a bit pricey while we were there. I think the average price for the Alaskan king crab was about 80 to a hundred dollars per pound. So, just keep that in mind.
We also went to the Alaskan Brewing Company. We sat out, by the dock and had a beer while we were killing a little bit of time. I think the others might've gone in and we're doing some shopping and stuff like that. but lots of places that, you can go and grab something to eat or, maybe even a craft cocktail.
So there's actually several brewing companies here, even as so much as that you can book like a beer tour, like a walking, like beer hopping tour. And we did see like a distillery type place where you could go in and have cocktails as well. Another restaurant that we heard recommended was Hangar on the Wharf, which is actually close to where we took the float planes. You'll see them going and coming
kind of at the end of the pier, if you have time and want to walk a little bit further, take a stroll away from the port up the hill. And not only will you pass like almost a little like their downtown area, which is almost like maybe their old main street, because what you're going to find close to the port is going to be just like the newer shops and stuff like that. So I felt like those looked like more local.
But then you can also follow the sign. just a few blocks up to the Capitol building. And then we also kept following the sign and kept walking a few more blocks to the Governor's Mansion, which is really smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood. There were just like houses across the street. They were kind of on the side, but this is kind of neat because you're kind of walking up, the side of the hill as well. There's also the Alaska State Museum that we passed. So lots of local things that you could see. Now we didn't go in any of these places.
but we just got pictures of them and it just gave us a chance to walk. But I mean, we were able to do all that, walk around, have a beer, do our excursion, which included lunch, and then walk up to that and still had plenty of time.
So the last port that we're going to stop in is Skagway. And this is where the Gold Rush history meets kind of Alpine adventure. Skagway was once the gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush.
And with its proximity to Canada, be aware that there are some short excursions that may require you to take your passport since you may pass into Canada and then back into the US. Yeah, and those will be noted especially, well, I'm sure they're noted on the cruise excursions as well or the cruise line will let you know. But definitely the ones that I saw on Viator was like, you need your passport.
Yeah. So the first one is a white pass in the Yukon route railroad. It's a historic narrow gauge railway built during the gold rush. got these magnificent views of glaciers, gorges, waterfalls, and then different peaks.
and as you're going along on the railroad, they have someone who is narrating what you're seeing, helping you spot wildlife, that may be along the path. And so this is a really good, option if you have somebody who, is into.
railroad history as well as the scenic part of it. And then you're in these double-decker cars. And on the top, they've got these bubbles, I guess is the way to say it, these glass domes where you kind of get a 360 view as you're going along. Yeah. And I would say this would be especially good, if you're not going to be doing a train.
like after you finish your cruise or something like that, a land tour, this would be a good option to do the railroad it leaves from right there, right near the port, but then be able to get out and see a little bit more. So the next one is a helicopter and glacier dog sledding. We've talked about that, you you're have many different opportunities, so you can choose different ones at different ports.
But here you're going to take the helicopter on a scenic flight out to a remote glacier camp. and then once you get there, you have the opportunity to ride behind a team of huskies across the snow. And while we've seen, sled dog, shows and, and camps before we've never had the opportunity to actually go sledding. So this would be your opportunity to do that.
you'll have an opportunity to meet and hear from the mushers and then learn about how the dogs are trained for the purposes of pulling these sleds.
So if you've got a dog lover, I would say that doing one of these would just be a unique experience because it is very unique to Alaska in this area.
All right. And so then the one that we did, and there's actually a couple of variations of this, was a jet boat wildlife safari tour. And so we actually got on a ferry first
Over to the town of Haynes, Alaska. And then we got on a bus, and went to where we were going to do, the jet boat, that was near an Eagle preserve. So we did see some Eagles, unfortunately again, because of the sun, we didn't see some of the other things I think that they, normally would see. but it did give us again, a chance to see.
a remote area that we otherwise wouldn't have access to. Yeah. so on this trip, can watch for bears and moose, sea otters and lots of eagles. as Melissa said, you're going through an eagle preserve. She said, I think normally they have somewhere in the neighborhood of about 300 eagles that live there full time. And then during certain times of the year, it could get up to
1500 or more eagles that are there in that preserve.
Alright Scott, so then if you want to stay in town and learn about more of the history, there's actually several opportunities to do that.
So if you don't want to go out on an adventure and have to go anywhere, right in Skagway, you've got lot of opportunity to see history that has been preserved. And one of those places is the Red Onion Saloon. And this, while it is an active saloon, downstairs, it was built in 1898 as part of the Gold Rush era It has been preserved.
with all of the period decor, they have the, the saloon doors, you know, I'm talking about the swinging doors, the swinging doors. and. you can go in, they've got live music, sawdust floors, a lot of historic photos on the walls, very lively. And you'll see a lot of cruise visitors. They're taking that in.
But if you go upstairs, they have the brothel museum and that used to be a 10 room, Bordello that, catered to the miners and the stampeeders during the Klondike gold rush. you can take a guided brothel tour that's, led by costume madams We were going to share some of the colorful stories of the women who lived and worked there and tours can, be a little bit edgy, and humorous.
highlighting the tough realities of the frontier life and the important role that women played in Skagway's boomtown days. And so the red onion is both a bar and a museum. Grab a pint downstairs, head upstairs for the quirky and educational tour. And then, they just really lean into their cheeky history.
But they also provide a genuine glimpse into the rough and tumble days of 1898.
Or another option is to see the days of 98 show. And this is a musical comedy about Soapy Smith. so Soapy Smith was one of Skagway's most infamous con men and outlaws during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. And so the show itself mixes a little of history with humor and music and dance.
It's at a historic downtown theater where they've tried to capture the look and feel of the gold rush era. And so you just go in, it's lighthearted and fun. It's not really a serious history lesson, but it is a lot of history weaved into an entertaining show that helps you connect with Skagway's colorful past.
So, Skagway is also home to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park, run by the National Park Service, and so the visitor center is there, so you could pop in there. I also wanted to share, I felt like Skagway probably had the most local shops of all the ports. Also,
very smaller, like in terms of shopping, smaller footprint. I mean, yes, you found some of the jewelry shops, but then very close by, we're also like, I would say more local. We also had the opportunity to just pop into a local brewery and have a beer and a couple of things before we got back onto the ship. But even with our pretty lengthy excursion, having the ferry and then the bus and then the boat.
And then doing that in reverse, we still had plenty of time. I felt like to really just walk around and see what Skyway was about.
So what we really want to do today was just to share with you some of the options that are available to you, that gets you outside of the port town, go on these excursions. as Melissa said, think about, what is important to you. Do you want to go and see wildlife? Do you want to go on a float plane? Do you want to go to a helicopter? Do you want to go fishing? Think through that. And then each of these port towns, you've got an opportunity to do.
one or more of these activities.
Alaska is truly a bucket list destination. One of those places you don't want to keep putting off, whether you experienced by a cruise ship or a land-based trip, each stop offers opportunities to go deeper into its history, culture, and wilderness. From flight seeing over fjords to watching humpback whales breach, to simply strolling through the historic downtowns, the excursions in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway.
give you options to shape your own adventure. However you choose to spend your time ashore, Alaska will leave you with stories and memories that last a lifetime. The world is full of sunshine and surprises. Make 2025 the year that you explore beyond the familiar and beyond the balcony.
Speaker 1 (37:31)
That's a wrap on this episode. We hope it gave you some inspiration for your next adventure.
Speaker 2 (37:37)
If you enjoyed the show, we'd love for you to leave us a five star review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps others find us and keeps the travel conversations going.
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Speaker 2 (37:48)
and come hang out with us on Instagram or Facebook at Sunshine Travelers Podcast, that's Travelers with 1L.
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Most importantly, share this episode with a friend. You never know, they just might become your next great travel companion.
