Which Alaska cruise excursions are worth doing? — featuring Griff & Alyssa

0:00 If you're thinking about going on an Alaska cruise, and you want to have the best experience possible with incredible excursions, you're probably asking yourself when's the best time to go to Alaska? Should I do an excursion locally or through the cruise ship itself? Or maybe even which excursions are safe for

0:17 you and your family? Well, you're in luck because I've been to Alaska several times on cruise ships, and we've done tons of cruise excursions both with local companies and with the cruise line itself, and I've compiled a list of like the top 10 cruise excursions you can experience in Alaska. And whether you

0:33 want something low impact, maybe slower paced, leisurely driven, or maybe you want something like super fast paced, adventure, adrenaline rush, this list here has everything you need and more. Don't worry, these tips will make your bucket list Alaska cruise a great one. Starting off with when's the best time

0:50 to cruise to Alaska, this one's easy, let's go through it. If you're thinking about cruising to Alaska, typically between May and September are the best times to go. This is really when you get that sweet spot for the weather. However, July and August are typically the warmer months with some of the best

1:06 time to see the wildlife. We went in August last year and it was some of the best weather we had seen since cruising to Alaska a couple times before. If you want to see those episodes, those vlogs are right here, okay? Lastly, if you prefer less people and maybe better deals, you can go through September, but

1:22 be warned, it can be a little bit chilly at that point. Also, fair warning, you should probably bring a jacket for Alaska, the weather could be a little bit unpredictable, so just you've been warned. Pack for everything, rain, cold, maybe even snow in some cases, just saying, be ready. All right,

1:41 so let's jump into cruise excursion number one, you're going to love it. Deep sea fishing in Ketchikan was absolutely amazing. I believe with this short excursion, up to six people, we took four, it was 1,600 bucks, you can split that with you and your family. It's so good, like the halibut fishing,

1:58 the king salmon fishing, like you're not going to regret it. I guarantee you're going to catch something. If you find a good captain like we had, um he's going to make sure you catch some fish. But the views were absolutely amazing. Some of the best memories I've had out on the water. It really felt

2:14 just like we were sitting on like a lake. It was so still. Great memories. By the way, um we booked this one through Shore Excursions Group. It's a third-party off of the ship. Um they were kind enough to offer a discount link for you guys up to 40% off of your shore excursion with them, and that

2:33 extends to Alaska and the Caribbean. Links in description box below. Let's continue. Shore excursion number two is a self-guided tour through Juneau. If you're stopping in Juneau, these are some must-dos you have to try. Go check out the Alaskan Brewing Company and get you an oxtail or an ox mule burger. Oh

2:52 man, it is so good. It's like a little barbecue sauce with Ooh, we had some good eating with a pretzel bun, washed down with a nice ice-cold beer after an excursion. It's really, really nice. But just being able to sit back, people-watch, enjoy the views, it's good. 10/10 recommend. And

3:11 if you love beer, wait until I give you another beer tip a little bit later in this video in Icy Strait Point. Trust me, you want to stay on to the end of that. Excursion number three is a self-guided tour walking in the downtown Juneau. Lots of restaurants there, but you have to go get tacos and crepes.

3:28 They're so good, guys. I got a cinnamon roll crepe, freshly made. It was absolutely delicious. I'm convinced anytime I go to Juneau, I got to go get crepes. And like it's it's a must. It's called the Alaskan Crepe Escape, or you can get tacos at Deckhand Dave's. There is a taco flight, comes with three

3:48 different tacos. Again, these flavors are good. Anytime I go to Juneau, I'm going to stop here for a nice little light snack, maybe get some beer. Again, you're here, you're enjoying the city, you might as well just get some local food. Shout out to you guys if you're watching this video. But, if you want to avoid

4:05 like the hustle and bustle of just like downtown tourism, I do have a short excursion that I can give you guys in Ketchikan that's a little bit more slower paced. We'll check that out in a few. Excursion number four is whale watching in Icy Strait Point. This was without a doubt one of the best whale

4:24 watching tours I've ever experienced. Pro tip, bring a 360 cam, bring your bring your binoculars, make sure you got your phones ready. I've never seen so many royals just breach out of the water. I've been on whale watching tours before, sometimes only one or two pop up or you miss it, but these they were just

4:42 popping up everywhere. Whales are just breaching all over the place, but it was really cool to see some sea lions as well. What I really liked about this tour is that one of the staff was really friendly, and but they drove us around several different spots, just explore the Bay of Alaska.

4:57 Another pro tip here is that you're on a boat, also in Alaska, it does get a little bit chilly. Make sure you bring an extra layer cuz of all that wind on the boat once it's going fast gets a little cold. Just a little heads up. And a beanie. You might want that for your whale watching tour. Better safe

5:12 than sorry. Now, if you hate cold weather, but you still want a little bit of adventure, stay tuned. A little bit later in the video, I've got a perfect excursion for you. It's got great reviews, you're going to love it. So, for excursion number five, you remember earlier I promised you a beer in Juneau. Well,

5:27 when you show up to Icy Strait Point, you got to get an ice cold one at the Cannery. It's good, I promise you. But, let's take it a step further. They have something called a Crabby Bloody Mary, and it's fresh lumps of crab and a crab leg in this thing, and it is a sight. It is huge, but also very

5:50 delicious. My sister and I absolutely loved it. Alyssa loves it. You won't regret it, especially if you like Bloody Mary's. Like seriously, top recommendation. But if beer and seafood really aren't your thing, you remember my promise to you like a nice quiet relaxing shore excursion? Well, let's

6:08 talk about that now. Excursion number six is in Ketchikan and it's a rainforest a guided tour. This one's really peaceful. It's relaxing. You hear the birds chirping on your trail. You hear a little bit of the history and what happened in Alaska and honestly, it's just one of those nice peaceful

6:25 walks that you get to really just connect with nature and learn about the history of Alaska. So, I recommend this one as well. If you want something a little bit more low impact. But if you want something a little bit more fast-paced, a little bit more adventurous, these next two excursions

6:40 are for you. So, stay tuned. Excursion number seven is a helicopter tour in Juneau. Guys, let me tell you my heart was beating so fast during this excursion. You got to watch the full video, but the staff is friendly. Everyone's nice, but you take off in the air and I mean the views are absolutely

7:03 incredible. Simply breathtaking. Cruising through the mountains at that high altitude and just seeing the snowcaps is just it's something that is it's so amazing. Words really can't describe it and it is etched in my memory. Like I am so glad I was able to check that off my bucket

7:19 list. Like I went in a little bit hesitant, but I'm so glad I did it. This is one of the tours that are also up to 40% off uh here at the link in the description box below. So, go check it out, see if it's available for you and good luck. But don't worry, I get it. Some people are afraid of heights.

7:35 They'll never get in a helicopter. Um I've got something else here at number nine that'll keep you a little bit more well-grounded, if you know what I mean. That's at the number nine spot, so stay tuned for that. Excursion number eight, but it's kind of part two to the helicopter tour,

7:51 is trekking a glacier. Wow. Once we got to our destination of trekking on a glacier, again, another bucket list item checked off. Just seeing like how prehistoric everything was, and being able to drink real glacier water. Don't worry. Um the guide said that it was nice and free and clear of bacteria.

8:14 Um how they proved that, I have no idea, but we gave it a taste and it was very, very refreshing and extremely cold. The funny part about all this is that Noah slept through half of that. She's my now 1-year-old daughter, and you know, it is what it is. Well, once your tour ends, it's now time

8:32 to give the train a try. So, let's talk about excursion number nine. The train in Skagway was something that Alyssa always wanted to do. It was like one of her bucket list items in Alaska, and the White Pass Summit, like it rings true to its name of being one of the most incredible excursions in Alaska. So, if

8:51 you're on the fence of whether you should purchase it or not, I promise you won't regret it. Bring your cameras. Also, another tip, I know I mentioned the 360 camera earlier, seriously, some of the stuff that we got with that shot, it just makes it much easier to grab, but you can see all angles of all sorts

9:08 of stuff. Be safe, but I found that camera being more useful than I realized. Ooh, a bonus tip here is after your train ride and you get back up the summit and you come back down in a van, uh stop by the Skagway Fishing Co. I promise you'll enjoy it. Get some like fried halibut, some fries, some fish and

9:24 chips, basically. Or if you want something a little bit sweeter, you can do some fudge at one of the fudge shops. Either way, you can't go wrong, I promise. Get yourself a little snack. If the helicopter ride is too high for you and the train maybe goes too fast for you, maybe it's for you to go a little

9:39 bit underwater. So, let's talk about tip number 10. Now, excursion number 10 is a little bit of a sleeper, but it's one of our favorite excursions in Alaska. And the name is pretty easy to remember, it's Snorkel Alaska. They put you in like this 3-mm suit and you think that once you get into the water in Alaska,

9:57 it's going to be completely freezing, but your body starts to heat up the water in that 3-mm suit and you kind of feel like you're in a sauna swimming underneath, but you can really see some of the marine life that exists in Alaska. And it's really, really cool. I promise you, like you're going to enjoy

10:13 it. But, if these 10 tips weren't enough for you, I did create a list of nine other excursions not listed in this video. Uh so far, 50,000 people have watched it and enjoyed it and they found it super helpful. So, go check that one out over there. Uh I'll see you over there giving you more tips.

10:32 Enjoy the intro. It's nice and slow and cinematic. I promise. But, anyway, I'll go see you over there and enjoy the video.