Shore excursions are where an Alaska cruise gets expensive fast, mine ran about $1,500 for three tours, so you want to spend on the ones that actually deliver. Here’s an honest, port-by-port guide: the three I booked (and whether they were worth it), plus the big-ticket tours I didn’t do, so you can build the day that fits you.

Prefer exploring on foot? A lot of these ports are great on your own, see what to do in each Alaska cruise port. And for the wildlife days, don’t forget binoculars and a camera.

Best Alaska cruise excursions

How to think about excursions (before you book anything)

  • Book one big thing per port, max. Two back-to-back tours (I did this in Juneau) is doable but leaves no time for the town.
  • Prioritize what’s hard to do on your own. A seaplane over glaciers? Book it. A walk to a totem park? Do it yourself.
  • Weather is the wildcard. Flightseeing and small-boat tours cancel for weather. Have a plan B and don’t book two weather-dependent things on the same day.
  • Cruise-line vs. independent. The cruise line’s tours are pricier but guarantee the ship waits for you. Independent operators are cheaper but you’re responsible for getting back on time.

Juneau, the port worth spending on

Juneau gives you ~8 hours, and it’s the best place to splurge because the marquee experiences are genuinely hard to replicate.

Five-Glacier Seaplane (booked, ~$495)

A floatplane off the water, over five glaciers and the Juneau Icefield, about 75 minutes. We flew the 5-Glacier Seaplane Exploration with Wings Airways (booked through Princess, we took the orange plane), out over the 1,500-square-mile Juneau Icefield and its five distinct glaciers: Norris, Taku, Hole-in-the-Wall, East Twin, and West Twin. Gorgeous. Genuinely mind-blowing. This is the one to spend on, you simply cannot see the icefield any other way, and it was the single most jaw-dropping thing on the whole trip. Take motion-sickness meds 30 minutes before.

Dog Sled Summer Camp (booked, ~$275)

SO worth it. A working summer sled-dog camp where the dogs are hooked to a wheeled cart and actually pull you, and these dogs are born to run. It was hot the day we went, so we took breaks, and honestly the funniest part was the jealousy: the dogs not hooked to the cart barked and howled the whole time, and the second the team ahead of us took off, ours lost their minds, “why not us?!” When they finally got to run, you could see how happy they were; we stopped so they could drink and they splashed in a puddle to cool off. There are puppies to cuddle, too. We showed our musher photos of our own dog back home (part husky) and got a whole education on the Iditarod, I had no idea it was a real sport, and the history is astonishing. It’s muddy, so wear leggings and shoes you don’t mind wrecking. (Pro tip: back-to-back with the seaplane is tight but works, plan zero downtime between them.)

Skipped, but worth knowing:

  • Whale watching, Juneau is one of the best places in Alaska for humpbacks; near-guaranteed sightings in summer. My top pick if you skip flightseeing.
  • Mendenhall Glacier + Nugget Falls, you can do this cheaply on your own via city bus; a tour just adds a guide.
  • Mount Roberts Tramway, launches right at the dock; buy it à la carte, no full excursion needed.

Skagway, the railway everyone books (for good reason)

A restored narrow-gauge train up a 2,800-foot mountain pass, along cliffs and waterfalls, following the Klondike gold-rush route. About 2.75 hours. Worth it, it’s scenic, historic, and undemanding. We sat on the right side and stepped out onto the open-air platform for the second half (I got some beautiful footage on my DJI Pocket 3). Don’t stress about which side to book, though, both sides get the same view. We did the shorter version, not the all-day one, which left the whole afternoon free in town. Bring layers: warm at the base, cold and windy on the platforms at the summit. Bonus: our guide taught us how the local people used spruce tips (loaded with vitamin C) to treat scurvy, which made the Spruce Tip beer at Skagway Brewing that afternoon extra fun.

Skagway gives you the most time of any port, so you can do a tour and still have hours in town.

White Pass Scenic Railway (booked, ~$165)

Skipped, but worth knowing:

  • Helicopter glacier + dog sledding, land on an actual glacier and mush a real team on snow (vs. the summer cart in Juneau). The bucket-list version, and priced like it.
  • Bike down the White Pass, get shuttled up, coast down. Great if you want the pass with adrenaline instead of a train window.
  • Yukon + Suspension Bridge, cross into Canada for the day (bring your passport).

Glacier Bay, no excursion, and that’s fine

There’s nothing to book here, it’s a scenic cruising day inside the national park, and it’s a highlight without spending a dime. Rangers narrate, the ship noses up to Margerie Glacier, and the wildlife is real. Just claim a good rail spot early and bring binoculars. Full play-by-play in the ports guide.

Ketchikan, a short port, so choose carefully

Only ~6 hours here, and it’s the rainiest port, so pick one thing and keep it flexible.

Skipped, but worth knowing:

  • Misty Fjords floatplane, another spectacular flightseeing option (glacier-carved cliffs and waterfalls); the top Ketchikan splurge.
  • Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, cheesy, fun, covered, and steps from the pier, a solid rainy-day backup.
  • Totem Bight / Saxman Village, the world’s largest collection of totem poles; do it on a tour or a quick rideshare.
  • Crab feast / zipline, the food-focused and adrenaline options if the weather cooperates.

Honestly, with six potential rainy hours, Creek Street on foot (free) is a perfectly good “excursion” here.

Victoria, usually a pass

You’re only ashore at night for a couple of hours, so most daytime tours (Butchart Gardens, whale watching) don’t fit the timing. Walk the lit-up Inner Harbour instead, details in the ports guide. Passport required.

Alaska cruise excursions: FAQ

Should I book excursions through the cruise line or independently?
Cruise-line tours cost more but guarantee the ship won’t leave without you. Independent operators are cheaper, just build in a safety margin to get back before all-aboard.

What’s the one excursion worth splurging on?
Flightseeing. The Juneau seaplane over the icefield (or Misty Fjords out of Ketchikan) is the thing you can’t do any other way, and it’s unforgettable.

How much should I budget for Alaska cruise excursions?
It adds up fast, my three tours were about $1,500 total. Budgeting one big excursion per port is a sane baseline.

Do excursions get canceled?
Weather-dependent tours (flightseeing, small boats) can cancel. Don’t stack two weather-dependent tours on the same day, and keep a plan B.

Build the rest of your days with the Alaska cruise port guide, gear up with binoculars + cameras, and pack for all of it with the Alaska cruise packing list.

The rest of the Alaska cruise series

This one is part of my Alaska cruise series, here is everything else I put together from our July sailing:

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