Richard1

Juneau, Alaska

The town itself wasn't that great. Great chocolate shop, though, on the main strip. Also you must eat at Tracy's Crab Shack! It really is a shack. And pricey. But the bisque is out of this world and the crab legs unbelievable. Best part of Juneau. Went on the Mendenhall rafting trip here. Sort of a waste of time. You don't really get to see the glacier at all up close, and most of the trip was through basically residential areas. Only a couple of small rapids.

Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska

A very small town of Native Americans. I liked it. The visitor center was small but nice. Had the chowder and chili. Not bad. Walked around a bit. I avoided the "world's longest zipline" but others said they really enjoyed it. Did the wildlife hike here. Really not much of a hike at all, but the local guides were wonderful, funny, and clearly passionate about their culture. And we saw three grizzlies in a matter of moments, two with cubs. So though the actually excursion didn't last all that long, it was well worth it and one of my favorites.

Skagway, Alaska

Nice main street, though almost all of the shops are the same tourist shops you see at every port selling the same stuff over and over again. The Xmas store had some nice baubles, though, that make good gifts. There is a sweet shop on a side street that is sort of counter-culture and has cupcakes. Superb cupcakes. Did the 4-wheel excursion here. Was okay, but almost no chance to stop and take pictures of amazing scenery. Very depressing and pissed off a number of people. And you'll have to share your jeep with strangers and change drivers in order to give everyone a chance. That was not expected.

Ketchikan, Alaska

The historic downtown was nice. Again, a plethora of the same old tourist shops with all the blingy jewelry that one sees at every stop (and on the ship, too). But the salmon were running through the stream located in the middle of town. Amazing to watch. More shops to wander than most of the towns on the cruise. Did the canoe/hike excursion here. Not really worth it. The canoeing covered a small part of a lake. The hike was maybe twenty yards. I wished I had done something else instead. I see that the 4-wheelers here each had their own jeep...or maybe a whale watching tour. This wasn't good at all.