Thoodt Posted December 30, 2023 Report Share Posted December 30, 2023 I've done a lot of research on here as well as around the inter webs...curious, what are the best 2-3 things to do in Sitka? I'm leaning towards hiring a private captain for a boat tour then just wander around town...unless I'm missing something? Not a lot of great reviews of Sitka in comparison to other stops... Now - Victoria BC - I am hearing nothing good. Does RCCL simply stop there to get the boats close to port or what...bc very few folks talk highly of it...what should we do for a day there? Of note - will be my wife and I, and 3 teenage kids... foxrunner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAYNO Posted December 30, 2023 Report Share Posted December 30, 2023 Victoria... I've done it twice on Royal cruises. No matter what else, it's quite beautiful. Both times, we took the geezer bus and let them drive us around the area, pointing out the sights. And both times, they stopped and treated us at Tim Horton's. And when the bus tour is done, we walk around some more. Doing it again twice this coming summer, and I will handle it the same way. I don't do things much different in Alaskan ports. We get on a bus, trolley, or other conveyance, let them drive around and point out the sights, then finish the tour with a walk around of the area. foxrunner and fireclan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted December 30, 2023 Report Share Posted December 30, 2023 I like both Victoria and Sitka. In Victoria I walked to town and watched the boat ballet in the harbor. It was fun. I didn't have a lot of time, so walking around is about all I did. Sitka has some interesting stuff to do on your own. I've visited some museums, native history shows, the raptor center and the totem pole park. All were worthy experiences. If you're looking for something more adventurous, I'm sure there's options, but I'm not the person to ask. foxrunner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus527 Posted December 30, 2023 Report Share Posted December 30, 2023 We've done Sitka in the past, and it's the best little town to just wander around. Like @steverk said, the museums are plentiful and good, and we also loved hiking around town and through the totem pole park too. There's a lot of history from when it was still Russian, which is fun to discover, and I remember the area being particularly beautiful. foxrunner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted December 30, 2023 Report Share Posted December 30, 2023 9 hours ago, Thoodt said: what are the best 2-3 things to do in Sitka? Local's guide of what to do in Sitka, Alaska foxrunner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelseylovestocruise Posted December 30, 2023 Report Share Posted December 30, 2023 As a Canadian who has been to Victoria it has great hiking, and some amazing breweries. If you are into beer that would be something I would recommend foxrunner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted December 30, 2023 Report Share Posted December 30, 2023 12 hours ago, Thoodt said: Now - Victoria BC - I am hearing nothing good. Does RCCL simply stop there to get the boats close to port or what...bc very few folks talk highly of it...what should we do for a day there? Victoria fulfills the foreign port stop that the round trip Alaskan cruises have to fulfill the PVSA. foxrunner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFCruise Posted December 31, 2023 Report Share Posted December 31, 2023 Victoria has the Butchart Gardens which look amazing. Never been there but might visit soon. foxrunner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxrunner Posted December 31, 2023 Report Share Posted December 31, 2023 Victoria Go to the Butchart Gardens it is beautiful. I'm confident that the teenagers will be wowed. This is a story our busdriver told us on the ride over. A man and his wife get on the bus and the husband is in a foul mood. He yells out as getting seated "is there any beer at that stupid garden" The busdriver replied yes as a matter of fact they have a full bar. To which he replies well I'm going to have a million beers and not see a single flower. When the couple returned to the bus the driver asked "how was the beer sir" the grumpy husband said I didn't have one that place is incredible. You can take a cab and be on your schedule timewise at the garden, which we would do next time. In town you can go to high tea at the Empress. This may not interest the teens but only about an hourish long and the food was really good. We like tea as well but you do need to dress up a bit. If the teens don't want to do the high tea give them cash to window shop in the downtown shops where the Empress is located. Beacon Hill park is also a nice walk, it has the largest totem pole on Earth. We didn't get over to see the houseboats which are also supposed to be unique. We really enjoyed Victoria and had a similar outlook precruise! We are going cross country in our travel trailer Summer 2025 with good friends and we are going to stop in Victoria to show them around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFCruise Posted December 31, 2023 Report Share Posted December 31, 2023 5 hours ago, foxrunner said: You can take a cab and be on your schedule timewise at the garden, which we would do next time. How much time do you consider a "good" amount of time to spend in the Garden, Are 2 hours enough? foxrunner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxrunner Posted December 31, 2023 Report Share Posted December 31, 2023 3 hours ago, JFCruise said: How much time do you consider a "good" amount of time to spend in the Garden, Are 2 hours enough? We went in late Aug. and took a Royal Caribbean Excursion. I believe we had about 2 hours at the gardens. It was a beautiful sunny day. Temps in the 70s. We did not do a tour of the gardens. just walked around. The bus driver did act as a tour guide on our drive there and we learned a lot about the woman who created the gardens. I'm sure you could do some research ahead of time to learn the history of the gardens and their creation. Pros to the RC tour, we didn't have to wait in line to get our entrance tickets. Cons: We arrived with about 5 other tour buses and it was a bit of a crush for the first 20-30 minutes or so. It sounds like you have some other plans. If you want to see the gardens quickly, you could probably move through the gardens in a little over an hour. That would mean that you would not visit the gift shops, have a snack/drink at the cafe, or have high tea, which you can do at the gardens. Our bus driver did drop us off in the city center so that we could go to High Tea at the Empress Hotel. Others on the tour also left the bus tour at the city center to explore on their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFCruise Posted January 1 Report Share Posted January 1 18 hours ago, foxrunner said: It sounds like you have some other plans. If you want to see the gardens quickly, you could probably move through the gardens in a little over an hour. That would mean that you would not visit the gift shops, have a snack/drink at the cafe, or have high tea, which you can do at the gardens. We arrive at the port at 5:00 PM and I'm travelling with a 5yo, so ideally we would like to be able to go back to the ship in time for dinner. So tea/snacks probably don't really mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Traeger Posted January 1 Report Share Posted January 1 On 12/30/2023 at 12:35 AM, Thoodt said: I've done a lot of research on here as well as around the inter webs...curious, what are the best 2-3 things to do in Sitka? I'm leaning towards hiring a private captain for a boat tour then just wander around town...unless I'm missing something? Not a lot of great reviews of Sitka in comparison to other stops... Now - Victoria BC - I am hearing nothing good. Does RCCL simply stop there to get the boats close to port or what...bc very few folks talk highly of it...what should we do for a day there? Of note - will be my wife and I, and 3 teenage kids... so it is required to sail to canada on an alaska cruise PVSA Under this act, foreign-flagged ships must visit at least one foreign country during the cruise. A cruise line would face significant penalties for not complying. PVSA came into force in 1886. At the time, U.S. ferries & passenger liners were feeling squeezed out of domestic shipping routes by foreign companies. The legislation was an attempt to protect and grow U.S. shipping by eliminating these foreign competitors. Much has changed in the 135 years since, and while it now arguably prevents growth rather than supports it, the PVSA remains U.S. law Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxrunner Posted January 1 Report Share Posted January 1 2 hours ago, JFCruise said: We arrive at the port at 5:00 PM and I'm travelling with a 5yo, so ideally we would like to be able to go back to the ship in time for dinner. So tea/snacks probably don't really mind. Check to see if the Gardens are open that late. We went in the late morning. The ride from the port to the gardens is about a half hour one way. Not sure when you have dinner and if the ship gets in late it could be tight. We really loved the Gardens but if you need a quick free activity go to see the house boats or Beacon Hill Park(walkable not for the 5 YO). As always happy to help, ask away. With a 5 YO, I'd skip the gardens and shoulder cary the precious one along the sea cliff walk to the park. Free is always great to me! JFCruise 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFCruise Posted January 1 Report Share Posted January 1 1 hour ago, foxrunner said: Check to see if the Gardens are open that late. We went in the late morning. The ride from the port to the gardens is about a half hour one way. Not sure when you have dinner and if the ship gets in late it could be tight. We really loved the Gardens but if you need a quick free activity go to see the house boats or Beacon Hill Park(walkable not for the 5 YO). As always happy to help, ask away. With a 5 YO, I'd skip the gardens and shoulder cary the precious one along the sea cliff walk to the park. Free is always great to me! BHP looks pretty cool, there's actually a site that has a map with activities to do there. I'll think about it, since the Garden is 30 minutes away in a taxi and I feel it might be too rushed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuckInOhio Posted January 4 Report Share Posted January 4 Hi. In Sitka we are going to "Discover Fortress of the Bear" then walk/hike the Totem Trail Loop. Here's a cool walking map I found on a live blog post: https://visitsitka.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Visit-Sitka-WalkingMap.pdf If you don't mind a more challenging hike, the Mount Verstovia Trail sounds really cool. The Sitka Sound Science Center and Baranof Castle are also options. In Victoria I think we will just walk the town (Waterfront Wharf, Government, and Lower Johnson streets) and maybe do a water taxi harbor tour. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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