What about those cruise passengers? (Talkeetna: appraise, hotels, vacation)

[Rainy]

One thing how do we make sure what we are buying is actualy made in Alaska?

The gift shops/galleries that sell authentic arts and crafts will have cards, brochures, etc., that give information about the artisans.

And then what Danny said:

Beware of the genuine Tlinget or Haida totem pole with "made in Malaysia" on the bottom.

We get our first ship on the 7th...

[AKMammabear]

Look on the link I am including: the black and white sticker on the right is what you need to see to verify that it was genuinely made in Alaska:

http://www.madeinalaska.org/mia

[Karla with a K]

thanks for the info. I will be sure to look for the sticker.

Now here is a question you all might be able to answer.
Is it better to book out excursions through the ship or on our own with the local tour people ?
If we are going to lets say pay $100 each for a tour I know a big chunk is going to the ship. I figure they are making enough of a profit from our contributions to the casinos and the cocktail lounges, so I would rather see more of the money go into the local economy.
What is your oppinion of "doing it ourselves"
thanks

karla

[BudinAk]

Originally Posted by myfask

thanks for the info. I will be sure to look for the sticker.

Now here is a question you all might be able to answer.
Is it better to book out excursions through the ship or on our own with the local tour people ?
If we are going to lets say pay $100 each for a tour I know a big chunk is going to the ship. I figure they are making enough of a profit from our contributions to the casinos and the cocktail lounges, so I would rather see more of the money go into the local economy.
What is your oppinion of "doing it ourselves"
thanks

karla

You should have no problem booking charters yourself, might even save a few bucks.(?) All one has to do is catch a cab and tell the cabbie to take you to where all the local charters are....he'll know. (While you are at it, ask him which charters he'd recommend). In Seward, it is mainly in the small-boat harbor, about a half-mile walk from the pier the big ships berth at. There must be at least a dozen tour-boat operations located there. A mix of various fishing charters, sight-seeing boats, sight-seeing air charters, sight-seeing via bus, and we even have a dog-mushing dogsled operation. Probably much the same story in most of the other Alaskan seaside towns that have seasonal tour boats...

Bud

[Karla with a K]

Originally Posted by BudinAk

You should have no problem booking charters yourself, might even save a few bucks.(?) All one has to do is catch a cab and tell the cabbie to take you to where all the local charters are....he'll know. (While you are at it, ask him which charters he'd recommend). In Seward, it is mainly in the small-boat harbor, about a half-mile walk from the pier the big ships berth at. There must be at least a dozen tour-boat operations located there. A mix of various fishing charters, sight-seeing boats, sight-seeing air charters, sight-seeing via bus, and we even have a dog-mushing dogsled operation. Probably much the same story in most of the other Alaskan seaside towns that have seasonal tour boats...

Bud

thanks bud
I know you and rance have our seward visit under control I hope my fishing skills aren't too rusty
I will take your advise for the other ports
karla

[picmaine]

Thanks for all the responses. My husband and I have plenty planned while we're there. We'll also be doing a 5 night land package along with the 7 night cruise. Looking forward to hiking and kayaking, and of course, meeting new friends!!

[DannyL]

3 days till the first one docks here...now where's my valium at???

[Alaskagrl]

Originally Posted by DannyL

3 days till the first one docks here...now where's my valium at???

LOLOLOL!!! Yup, it's that time again, folks! I love them, bless their hearts but....

Had a guy called in to me today wondering if, when he came here and hunted, he would really need raingear...(SE Alaska)...I bit back the chuckles and politely informed him, that yes, that would be an essential item...I mean, if you are doing a hunt here, at $4-6,000/minimum, wouldn't you check WAAAY ahead of time what the climate was like?? But that's far from the silliest question I've gotten, and I was nice to the guy...made sure he knew he oughtta buy the good stuff!

[rotorhead]

Not a bad idea to check with your health insurance company and see if you're covered for the flight back down south if anything happens to you in Alaska. There is a definate spike in medivac flights when the cruise ships are in, not too surprising considering that a lot of those ships carry more people than live in most Alaskan towns. Its bad enough to have your vacation ruined by a health problem or accident, but it'd really be a bummer to end up with a huge bill your insurance won't cover to top it off.

Heres one of the boats docked in Whittier, man, those things are BIG!

[Karla with a K]

rotorhead
thanks, that is great advise, we took travel insurance for the cruise but I am not sure if anything other than "if we can't go" is covered. I will check into it.
karla