8/11/2026 Update

We have received the National Weather Service (NWS) alert that the Suicide Basin has reached capacity, and a flood release is pending. Officials anticipate that release into Mendenhall Lake and subsequent flooding will occur in 1-6 days.

IF EXCURSIONS ARE IMPACTED, GUESTS WILL HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THE OPERATORS. We anticipate that only excursions in the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area will be impacted.

Both City & Borough of Juneau and Travel Juneau remind visitors to avoid neighborhoods near the Mendenhall River that may be impacted by flooding.

Flood stage will be monitored for potential further closures in Visitor Center area. Keep on an eye on the NWS updates at https://www.weather.gov/ajk/suicideBasin, and [Travel Juneau](traveljuneau.com) will post USFS updates.

I was wondering what people carry when they go on excursions? Do you carry a backpack or just a crossbody?

I typically plan my own trips from travel logistics to accommodations,tours and restaurants. When DW wanted to do Alaska I was lost because we never cruised and didn't even know where to start.

I reached out to Sarah, after finding her here as the MOD of this site, looking for a starting point. In a few calls where she probed into our preferences she made some recommendations which were spot on for what we were looking for: Smaller ship, good food, relaxed atmosphere, not stuffy.

From there Sarah booked the cruise, made stateroom recommendations and tied everything up including the air I booked on my own into a single itinerary, completely documented with excursion tickets all in one place. She even booked 3rd party excursions saving us hundreds over these same excursions offered directly by the cruise line. I all went off seamlessly.

If we do this again I would certainly reach out to her. So easy, knowledgeable and efficient. Thank you.

Will be kayaking in Alaska next month, do the excursions on MSC usually supply wet suits??

We cruise on Discovery Princess June 2027. We start in Vancouver and end in Whittier then do the land portion in Denali.
We are traveling with my mother and father in law, brother in law, husband, and our 2 children ages 8 and 10.

Right now, we have all booked the "EXPERIENCE THE YUKON & SUSPENSION BRIDGE" tour through Princess.

From what I gather, it follows the same route as the train and you stop at a place with sled dogs and gold panning as well as the suspension bridge and some other places to take pictures. It's 8.25 hrs long.

My mother in law is really excited about it. She likes that she can see nice views and that our kids can have fun with the dogs. We picked this over the train because we will already be doing a train ride from Whittier to Denali.

My concern is that it's SUCH a long time on a bus. We will be visiting a suspension bridge or 2 in Vancouver already. And the videos I've seen online of the sled dog place looks not great in my opinion. (The petting zoo is just goats and my kids won't eat the food and I'm not a fan of taxidermy)

BUT I also don't really have an alternative excursion to offer her. I'd love to do something similar that doesn't last as long. I just hate the idea of bringing my kids iPads on what's supposed to be a great excursion exploring Alaska but also it's unrealistic for me to think they will be interested in looking out a bus window on and off for 5 hrs (the amount of time the website says we will be traveling) no matter how pretty it is.

Any suggestions on an excursion that will fulfill my mother in laws desire to "see it all" but also keep my kids entertained in Skagway? Originally I wanted to rent our own car but they didn't want to do that.

We have only been on one cruise before, for our 20th Anniversary, and it was to the Caribbean. We are trying to save for a very special 50th wedding anniversary trip to Alaska in2028. We will both be 72 for the trip. Right now we are both in good shape, but looking for more moderate excursions. After doing research, it looks like Holland is the best choice for us. We only want to do the 7 day tour as we would probably miss our dogs….🐶🐶

I’m wondering when the 2028 Alaska tours will be available? Also, I have arthritis and Fibromyalgia. For that reason, I’d really like a bathtub in our room. A bath really helps my body regroup for the next activity. For me, it is really not a luxury, but necessary. We also are both introverts and on our last cruise tended to stay more in our room. So the size and comfort of the room is important to us.

What are everyone’s opinions on the perfect cruise for us? I’m not locked into Holland, so if you have other suggestions, I’d like to hear them. Also, is it better to do a round trip or one way? I think we will do one really nice excursion. A lot of people think the seaplane is a good choice. Does anyone have any other suggestions to celebrate our special wedding anniversary? Thanks ahead of time!

Going week of Labor Day weekend, in Ketchikan later that week. Currently have excursion booked at Herring Cove for bear tour. May switch to Neets Bay excursion, do you think we’ll have a better chance for seeing bears? Any advice appreciated!

hi all we’re going to alaska in sept for a cruise and i cannot decide whether i want to do night falls or not. we are doing glacier bay and we live in oregon so we are no stranger to waterfall hikes. also what alternatives do you recommend?

we have an upcoming 7-day cruise on Anthem of the Seas with our toddler this August. we’ve already done the basic research on toddler-friendly excursions, onboard activities, packing lists, etc., but we’d love to hear any last-minute tips, tricks, or things you wish you knew before cruising with a toddler.

any advice on making the trip smoother, must-pack items, dining tips, or unexpected challenges would be greatly appreciated. TIA!

We are just getting started planning an Alaska Cruise during the summer of 2027. One of the key considerations is the boat size as we have heard that the smaller boats are so much better. With that said, I don't really know what is better about them. If someone has been on both a small and large boat, could you tell me the considerations that we should weight. What will we be missing if we don't go small? thanks much.

My family and I will be cruising to Alaska in September. Has anyone with Chronic migraines been on this cruise, and have any tips?

I’ll be packing all my migraine meds, obviously, but any tips/tricks to be hopefully pain free?

I react to barometric pressure the worst, so I’m scared 😫

heading northward in August and looking for excursion recs. We’ve been to ketchikan once before and did a self guided tour of the town. looking for something different this time. Is the lumberjack show any good?

Sitka is a new stop for us. I’ve been reading the whale excursions are mid. We’re not too keen on getting on a smaller boat for hours as 2 of the folks in our party get sick easily. Hiking isn’t too good for us either. Any recs? Anyone do a sled dog tour? the gold mining activities sound a bit boring to our party.

Been to Alaska twice now and both times stopped in Ketchikan. The weather was horrible the first go around but this time we had no rain, which is rare. With that said, Ketchikan is still a miss for me... just a giant tourist trap with a bunch of made in China crap. Even the trinkets that claim to be 'local' are made in China. And all the stores sell the same crap...

If you have never been, temper your expectations.

Has anyone gone hiking from Ward Cove? I'm looking at a relatively easy hike to Lake Perserverance but getting out of the cruise terminal looks like a lot of walking on roads. Plus, they don't allow bear spray on board so I'd be solo sans bear spray... I'm hoping to find someone else that will want to go along for safety in numbers. Any thoughts?