ALASKAN CRUISE SHORE EXCURSION KETCHIKAN

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Hi and welcome to our blog. Today I am going to finish up our Alaskan cruise posts that I started in the Fall. our Holland America Line 7-day cruise to Alaska's Inside Passage was fun, exciting, and relaxing. We visited Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. Ketchikan was quite rainy the day we were there, but all was well--it wasn't a downpour so not terrible. 

Ketchikan is known as being "Alaska's Frist City," in that it is the first city reached when sailing through the Inner Passage of Alaska. However, our ship, the Westerdam, first sailed to Juneau, then Sitka, then Ketchikan. As you can see from my photo above it was a rainy day the day we visited Ketchikan in August 2025. 

Ketchikan is also, obviously, known as the "Salmon Capital of the World". It's first cannery opened in 1885, which is why the city was founded. Logging was another important industry for this area. Now, cruise ships and the visitors they bring can easily increase Ketchikan's population of 8192 (2020 census) to 15,000 to 20,000 on port days for those cruise ships!

Our day in port included a shore excursion that we had booked. My husband and I wanted to get the most out of our port days, so shore excursions seemed the way to go. Here I booked a short tour of Ketchikan and then our bus proceeded to Saxman Village, which I will speak to shortly.

Sorry the photos are dark--it really was raining!

The above photos are located near the dock as we came off the ship. The Rock is a bronze sculpture, honoring those people and industries who contributed to the growth of Ketchikan. Ketchikan is home to the indigenous people: Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian. The Rock does pay tribute to the Tlingit, as well as miners, fishermen, loggers, pioneer women, and aviators--those who contributed to the founding and growth of Ketchikan. I found this informative WEBSITE that gives more info on The Rock and the people it represents.

Oh, just a note so you can plan accordingly. Holland American Line (HAL) cruise ships, at least the Alaskan cruises, have umbrellas for each passenger, in their cabins! So if you do happen upon a rainy port day, you are covered. My husband and I opted to have rain gear to wear, as southeast Alaska is known for rain. I opted for this cute LIGTHWEIGHT RAIN JACKET IN ARMY GREEN and ordered this RAIN JACKET IN ROYAL BLUE for him. Both have hoods so that was handy, too.

Our first stop was The Saxman Village and to learn a bit about the Tlingit tribe and the totem poles. Most of the totem poles there are replicas of totem poles left in abandoned villages; the replicas were mainly carved in the 1940s. When visiting Saxman Village, you can at times see Native artisans working on wood carvings and totem poles. Each section of the totem pole tells a story and these poles were created to honor individuals, commemorate significant events, or to show one's lineage.

To learn more about the Saxman Village, here is an informative LINK.

 

This totem pole is quite obviously, Abe Lincoln. The pole itself is quite tall, maybe 50 feet. Poor Pres. Lincoln is depicted as being somewhat short. Per our guide for the day, the Tlingit people had never seen Abe himself and only had a photo that was cut off just about thigh level, thus the very short legs. I found that amusing. If they had seen him in person, I am sure the result would have been much more favorable!

As we drove back into town, we stopped at the Native Interpretive Center, which is located in town. The staff member there gave us a brief history of the exhibits and also a history of Ketchikan. Our tour guides at all three of our ports (Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan) were very knowledgeable and added a bit of humor to some of the stops. 

Fishing, is of course, a big part of Alaska culture and industry. Below is a whale baleen at the center. Some whales, such as blue whales and humpbacks, use baleen plates (made of keratin) to filter out water and retain small prey. The baleen plates hang from the upper jaw. The whale baleen, when dried, is very stiff and was at one time used in consumer products such as umbrellas, corsets, and buggy whips!

All in all, we enjoyed our time in Ketchikan a great deal. Despite the rain, it was not too cool (I am the world's coldest person lol) and I stayed warm and dry. The tour guide drove us around the city a bit before heading out to Saxman Village. During the drive, he would point out certain buildings to give us background or history. 

For more info on visiting Ketchikan, visit this LINK.

Some items that I would suggest on an Alaskan cruise would be as follows:

Waterproof FANNY PACK. It is beneficial to have hands-free. I didn't want to carry my backpack on shore excursions (and some shops frown on those being brought in), so when I needed more than just my HAL ID (which I carried in a lanyard) I opted for the fanny pack. I also used that during our Juneau whale excursion, which you can find HERE. 

I did use this WATERPROOF PHONE POUCH/LANYARD for my Samsung phone to keep my phone dry and handy. It kept my phone dry and handy to use.

WATERPROOF HIKING BOOTS are a must in Alaska, especially if you are choosing a shore excursion that includes hiking or walking up trails or in the rain. Holland America Line has a variety of shore excursions to choose from for any cruise you choose. I did not need hiking waterproof boots on the ship LOL. We actually booked our cruise through Costco and a couple of the shore excursions, too, and two were booked through HAL.

Thanks for stopping by! If you have any questions, please feel free to drop us a comment below!