Alaska Cruise Ports Guide: Best Excursions & Things to Do in Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan & More!

Planning an Alaska cruise and wondering what to do at each port? In late September 2025, I embarked on an incredible 8-day, 7-night roundtrip Alaska cruise from Seattle aboard the Holland America Eurodam. Every port on this itinerary has its own unique charm and indigenous history.

From whale watching to walking inside lush rainforests, here is my complete guide to the best things to do, local tips, and honest reviews of each Alaska cruise port!

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Table of Contents

📌 Alaska Cruise Itinerary Overview

Departure/Arrival: Seattle, WA
Ship: Holland America Line (HAL) Eurodam
Ports of Call: Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria (British Columbia, Canada)

💡 Read More: Alaska Cruise Guide for First-Timers (2026): Routes, Best Time, Glacier Bay & What It’s Really Like

We flew from Taiwan with Starlux Airlines and stayed at Sheraton Seattle before our cruise.

Alaska Port 1: Juneau (The Capital of Alaska)

Docking Time: 12:30 PM – 10:00 PM (Plenty of time to explore!)

Juneau is the capital of Alaska and a staple on almost every Alaska cruise itinerary. We stepped off the ship by 12:37 PM and had a full afternoon and evening ahead of us.

Juneau Food Trap: Skip Tracy’s King Crab Shack

Let’s start with a major budget warning. We fell into a tourist trap at Tracy’s King Crab Shack. We saw our ship’s magician eating there and assumed a “seasoned pro” knew best. Big mistake! We ordered two portions of crab legs and two soups to share, and the bill came out to a whopping $333.28 USD. The soup was incredibly salty, and honestly, the food was definitely not worth the price tag.

Visiting Mendenhall Glacier on Your Own

We took a local taxi to Mendenhall Glacier, located inside the Tongass National Forest. It is one of the most accessible glaciers in Alaska.

Cost: Around $30–$40 USD one way.
Tip: Taxis are easy to catch, but you need to walk out to the main bus drop-off area for the return.

The driver mentioned that the area had just received its first snowfall of the season the week before. Since it was an overcast day, the glacier glowed with a stunning, moody light blue hue.

There is also a great indoor Visitor Center/Museum where you can escape the chill. We spent about two hours here before heading back to explore downtown Juneau.

This is about 5pm but there’s nothing much to see on the street.

We came across some souvenir shops and a beautiful locally owned and operated LGBTQ friendly stationery store.

Top-Rated Juneau Excursions

If you prefer pre-booking your tours, GetYourGuide and Viator offer fantastic local options.

Alaska Port 2: Icy Strait Point (Untamed Natural Beauty)

Docking Time: 5:30 PM – 10:00 PM

You can feel the raw, untouched beauty of Alaska the moment you arrive at Icy Strait Point. Unlike other highly commercialized ports, this one is entirely owned and operated by the indigenous Huna Tlingit people.

Since the port is quite small, our time here (we headed back to the ship around 8:00 PM) was more than enough.

Things to Do: Free Gondolas & Forest Walks

Icy Strait Point is famous for hosting the ZipRider—the world’s largest zipline with 6 parallel tracks ($200 USD for a thrilling 90-second ride).

If you want to enjoy the port without spending a dime:

Take the free gondola/cable car up the mountain.
Hike your way down through the forest trail (about a 15-minute walk).
Bonus: Surprisingly, there is great cell service even inside the woods!

At the top, there is just a small souvenir shop, but the real highlight is walking along the waterfront back at the base, looking at the local houses, and taking in the serene coastal views.

Don’t miss the red historical cannery building (built in 1912), which now houses a museum dedicated to the local salmon canning history, a crab restaurant, and specialty shops.

Hoonah: Icy Strait Whale Watch with Drone Filmography

Alaska Port 3: Sitka (Rich History & Wildlife)

Docking Time: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Sitka felt incredibly well-developed. The port itself has great restaurants and shops, and they provide free shuttle buses (classic American yellow school buses!) to take you downtown. It’s a fun, nostalgic experience!

Sitka is an island community with no road connection to mainland North America. Thanks to a thriving fishing industry and several prominent boarding schools, it is a very prosperous and charming town.

📍 Sitka Highlights

Alaska Raptor Center: We walked to this incredible rescue and rehabilitation center for birds of prey. They provide medical care to injured Bald Eagles, hawks, and owls before releasing them back into the wild. It features beautiful indoor and outdoor viewing areas and a lovely gift shop where your purchases support animal conservation.

Sitka National Historical Park: Located close to the Raptor Center. Unfortunately, during our visit, the Federal Government was facing a shutdown, so the visitor center doors were locked. However, walking through the park and photographing the towering totem poles was still beautiful.

Russian Heritage: Fun fact—Alaska was ruled by the Russian Empire until the US purchased it in 1867, and Sitka was the capital back then! You can still see prominent Russian Orthodox churches downtown, and local shops sell authentic nesting dolls (Matryoshka).

Pioneer Home Gift Shop: We stopped by a bright yellow building downtown which houses a local retirement community. They have a shop at the entrance selling beautiful, authentic handicrafts made by the residents.

🐻 Note: The famous Fortress of the Bear is another top attraction here, but it’s a bit far from downtown. If you want to see both the bears and the raptors, booking a half-day tour is highly recommended.

Alaska Port 4: Ketchikan (The Salmon Capital & Best Shopping)

Docking Time: 6:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Ketchikan is incredibly easy to navigate. Once you step off the ship, you are just a short walk away from the historic Creek Street—a picturesque boardwalk built over stilts that used to be the town’s red-light district but is now lined with unique local boutiques.

🐟 What to See & Do in Ketchikan

Watch the Salmon Run: Ketchikan is the “Salmon Capital of the World,” and watching the salmon swim upstream right beneath the boardwalk is a must-see.

Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show: A super fun, family-friendly outdoor show showcasing elite lumberjack skills. You can even pair it with a crab feast!

GetYourGuide: Ketchikan: Lumberjack Show & Crab Feast

Best Souvenir Shopping: After visiting all the Alaska ports, Ketchikan is hands-down the best place to buy souvenirs! While many towns carry similar items, Ketchikan had the best variety, styles, and quality. I walked away with some amazing hoodies and t-shirts.

Viator: Ketchikan 2.5-Hour Highlights Tour

Viator: Ketchikan Rainforest Canoe and Nature Trail Adventure

Alaska Port 5: Victoria, British Columbia (A Magical Evening Stop)

Docking Time: 8:00 PM – Midnight (Technical Stop)

Because of the Jones Act (Passenger Vessel Services Act), foreign-flagged cruise ships departing from Seattle must stop at a foreign port, making Victoria a quick 4-hour evening stop. I’ve actually been to Victoria twice before (once as a kid in 1996, and once in 2016 for a 2-day weekend trip—the cover photo of my Facebook page was taken here!), so I knew how gorgeous it is.

At first, I wondered what we would see in the dark, but Victoria lights up beautifully at night! The BC Parliament Buildings look absolutely magical illuminated.

We took a taxi from the port to downtown and walked back to the ship later. It was a bit dark on the walk back, but since plenty of fellow cruisers were walking together, it felt completely safe. We got back onboard around 11:00 PM.

Shopping Tip: Compared to Alaska, souvenirs in Canada felt so much cheaper! It’s a great spot to stock up on maple syrup, maple tea bags, or treats. (Skip the maple leaf cream cookies though—they are aggressively sweet!)

🌸 If your cruise docks in Victoria during the day, you absolutely must visit The Butchart Gardens, a world-famous 22-hectare private garden paradise.

💬 Final Thoughts: Is an Alaska Cruise Worth It?

Every Alaska cruise itinerary varies slightly, but you are guaranteed a mix of stunning wilderness, rich native culture, and spectacular wildlife. My #1 tip for first-timers? Bring a high-quality pair of binoculars! You’ll want them for spotting whales from the deck and viewing glaciers up close.