Alaska cruise shore excursions run from a short tram ride to a floatplane landing on a glacier lake, and the prices span a wide gap. To decide which ones to pay for, compare each price with the do-it-yourself version, check its hours against your time in port and read the cancellation terms before you book. On October 27, 2026, I read the cruise line and operator pages for the White Pass train in Skagway and the tram, glacier and whale trips in Juneau. The first page of Princess's Juneau listings runs from $68.25 for the Goldbelt Tram to $959.95 for a floatplane glacier adventure.
I'm not going to hand you a verdict on which ones are worth it, because that turns on your budget, your ship's hours and the weather. Prices below are per person, can change, and come from the pages named in each section.
Quick Answer: Three Questions Before You Pay
Ask what the do-it-yourself version is and what it costs. Ask how many hours the excursion takes against your ship's all-aboard time. Then ask what happens to your money if you cancel.
The sections below run those questions through the trips I read about, port by port. Our Alaska cruise tips for first-timers cover the booking basics, including excursions.
Skagway: The White Pass Train, Booked Two Ways
White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&YR) sells its trips directly and through cruise lines. Its Summit Excursion page lists a 2.5 to 2.75 hour round trip of 40 miles at $155 an adult and $77.50 a child, in a 2026 season that ran April 30 to October 7. The Bennett Scenic Journey runs 8 hours, covers 120 miles round trip by train and motorcoach, and lists $289 an adult for its 2026 season, which ran May 26 to September 12. That page says a passport is required, and the Summit Excursion page says no passport is required.
For cruise passengers, WP&YR says the tour is available from the ship's shore excursion department, and that booking through the cruise line lets you board the train on the pier alongside your ship. It names Princess and Holland America Line on that page. Both WP&YR pages say, "Book early to secure your seat!"
Princess's Skagway listings include "Sip & Summit," a 5.25 hour trip from $239.95. It pairs the White Pass rail round trip with a Skagway Lookout stop and a guided tasting of four Alaska beers for guests 21 and older. The trips aren't the same product, and WP&YR's $155 is its 2026 season's fare, so the comparison is the tasting and the lookout stop against the difference in price.
Skagway also gives you a do-it-yourself option. Princess describes the town as compact enough to explore on your own, and our Skagway cruise port guide covers the docks and the walk to town.
Juneau: The Tram, the Glacier and the Whales
The tram is the low-cost anchor on the first page of Princess's Juneau listings. Princess lists the Goldbelt Tram "On Your Own" from $68.25 for 1.5 hours, says guests walk to it from the pier, and says unused tickets get a full refund if you return them to the onboard tour desk by the end of the day. Goldbelt says its cars rise 1,800 feet from the cruise ship dock through the rain forest, and our Juneau cruise port guide shows what else is walkable from the docks. On October 27, 2026, Goldbelt's site also carried an update saying the tram is temporarily closed as assessments continue, so check that it's running before you plan around it.
Glacier trips are where the prices climb. Princess puts Mendenhall Glacier about 12 miles from the cruise port and says you can find a shuttle or taxi, or book a guided excursion. Its Juneau listings include these glacier trips:
- Mendenhall Glacier & Salmon Bake: 4.25 hours, from $149.95, with an all-you-can-eat salmon feast.
- Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter & Guided Walk: 2.25 hours, from $469.95, with about 25 minutes on the ice.
- Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter, Guided Walk & Salmon Bake: 3.75 hours, from $529.95.
- Norris Glacier Adventure: Flight, Paddle & Hike: 5 hours, from $959.95, rated strenuous.
The aircraft trips come with conditions. On the helicopter page, Princess says a $200 weight surcharge applies to guests weighing 250 pounds or more, carry-on bags aren't allowed, and the excursion is refundable only if canceled by noon the day after embarkation. The Norris trip uses a six-passenger floatplane, sets a minimum age of 10 and a maximum weight of 250 pounds, and requires a 500 yard hike, up to a mile of paddling and up to 2 miles on the glacier.
For whales, Princess lists a five hour whale watching and Mendenhall Glacier photo safari from $269.95. Allen Marine describes its four hour whale watching tour as a 1-hour coach ride plus a 3-hour cruise, with a snack and hot drinks included, and recommends booking through your cruise line for a guaranteed return to the ship. Princess's page for that tour says the operator guarantees a whale sighting in June, July and August, with a $100 cash refund from the operator if there isn't one, and says no guarantee is offered in other months, though it puts the operator's sighting success rate at 99%.
A Decision Frame for Any Alaska Excursion
Run each excursion through the same checks, using the numbers on the line's page:
- Price against the do-it-yourself version: the tram at $68.25 (check that it's running) sets the low end on the first page of Princess's Juneau listings, and WP&YR's 2026 fare of $155 is the direct price to compare against the summit train, so confirm its current fare. For the glacier, look up current shuttle and taxi fares before you compare them with $149.95.
- Hours against your port time: add the listed duration to your walk back to the ship, then check it against your itinerary's all-aboard time.
- Requirements: a passport for the Bennett trip, a $200 surcharge at 250 pounds on the helicopter trip I read, a 250 pound maximum and a minimum age of 10 on Norris.
- Cancellation terms: WP&YR charges a $10 per person penalty on a paid WP&YR reservation canceled at least 24 hours before departure, and a guest who cancels inside 24 hours forfeits the refund. Princess's helicopter trip is refundable only if canceled by noon the day after embarkation, and Princess refunds unused tram tickets returned to the onboard tour desk by the end of the day.
- Who you're booking with: the same operator's trip can be sold by the cruise line or directly, and Allen Marine and WP&YR both describe the cruise-line route.
What to Do Before You Sail
List your ports and each all-aboard time. Price the do-it-yourself day for every stop first, then pick the one or two stops where the excursion does something you can't do on foot, such as the White Pass rail, a glacier flight or a whale boat.
Read the cancellation terms on the line's page or the operator's before you pay, and check your own cruise line's price, since I read Princess's listings. Our Alaska cruise cost guide shows what the sailing itself runs, so you can set an excursion budget against it.
