Way too short with too many misses, to give a good rating. To start, this was an excursion sponsored by Norwegian Cruise Lines (on our Alaska Trip, so I know that the amount we paid (~$210 per person) was not what the cruise operator ultimately gets. And because the port stop was so short (barely 4 hours), the tour had limitations they couldn't control..plus it was the last tour of the season so I'm sure the tour wasn't as tight as it might have been earlier. But ultimately, they are agreeing to do this with these constraints, and I felt taken advantage of once the tour was over (mostly because how much we paid). Because of the price, shortness of the visit, and the title (Wilderness Exploration and Crab Feast), I had dreams of exploring the wild parts of Ketchikan with a dedicated guide, getting tired of all the sightseeing, and then drowning myself in crab legs before going back. There was a clear call to leave the boat as soon as we docked. We did that at 8 am, but then realized the line for the tour was shared with other tours and the worker managing it was stressed out and giving off vibes not to bug him again. So we ended up spending 40 minutes just waiting around (mind you, the entire port visit was supposed to be only 4 hours). Once the time came, I realized how many people were on the tour...enough to fully fill 2 large tour buses..80 people total. We then took a 45 minute ride to the lodge, in an older bus that smelled strongly of diesel and had no heat, and because the driver was not from the area, no narration of any kind...we did see Ketchikan downtown as we passed...but had realized now that we would have no time to walk Ketchikan at all. By this time, I was in a pretty bad mood (couldn't keep asking myself...I paid $400 for THIS). It got a lot better. We got to the lodge, and it is out in the middle of nowhere. We had been split into two groups (one on each bus), so our group was told that we were going to have the crab feast first. It lasted for about an hour, and it was superb. The waitresses were all very friendly and attentive. The first beer was included and it was an excellent example of a red ale. The Dungeness crab was so good..coming with melted dipping butter...it had been caught in Alaska (just not there at the lodge) and there was opportunity for 3 refills (each refill having 2-3 clusters), which we fully took advantage of. It was the best Dungeness I've ever eaten..not seasoned at all, letting the natural sweetness of the crab come out. I needed every minute of the remaining 30 minutes to finish my crab. The meal was finished with an excellent blueberry cheesecake..which I had just enough time to grab a bite before we had to make way for the other group. We then fully switched places with the other group, and got into a crab boat manned by Captain Rusty and Guide Sam. In the middle of the boat, there is a fish cleaning table that would be used as a demo later, so getting a front row seat to that would be preferred. We then took a 20 minute boat ride to Coon Cove, and in this case, Sam did provide constant commentary of the history of the area along with an interesting slide show. We saw a nesting pair of bald eagles, and Sam was able to get them to fly over us by offering some frozen herring. Once we got to the area that is 80-100 feet deep, a volunteer pulled up a crab pot. There were two medium sized crabs inside. Sam gave a demo, and allowed us to take pictures of us holding it. We then threw the pot and crabs back, and headed back. Sam then provided us commentary about the wildlife in the area as we headed back. He was great throughout. Once we got back, we had to hurry back onto the buses...again it wasn't well organized, where if you asked a question to a guide, their answer would be something like "I'm not responsible for your group"....but because we were with so many people, there was no risk of us being left behind. We then headed back to the port, again with no commentary. We were about 10 minutes past what was supposed to be all-aboard but there were plenty of people coming back behind us. That being said, the ship did take off about 30 minutes after we got onboard. Wish I had read the reviews here on Yelp beforehand, but there was no way to even find them (since the tour operator name isn't given to you until you get your tickets). You might disagree with the rating, so hoping you can pull out the detail you need to make up your mind....maybe even go there directly if you have a car and are in Ketchikan for the day...the city deserved more than a 4 hour visit. read more

Experience Alaska Tours - Crab Shell damages - Boat Tours Near Me - Ketchikan, Alaska

We took this tour from our cruise ship. First, there was a 45 minute bus ride through downtown Ketchikan and to the point of departure. The bus driver told stories about Ketchikan and totem poles. Scenery wasn't that spectacular on the bus ride. Once we arrived at the departure point, there were 75 steps going down and then back up after we were done. It wasn't easy but it wasn't difficult if you're any kind of shape at all. We got on board the boat and set sail for various different points around the inlet. CJ tried to keep us informed but it was hard to hear him with the outboard motor noise. All in all, it wasn't all that interesting. Once we returned to the lodge, the best part of the trip took place. They promised us as Dungeness crab fest, and they weren't wrong. Those who wanted a beer or wine each got one free glass. We started out with half of a Dungeness crab each after one of the people showed us how to break it apart. Surprisingly, as we were finishing, they offered anyone that wanted some another half of a Dungeness crab. We took part in that as well. And then, for those that were interested, excluding us, and were still hungry, they offered even more crab. Finally, we had a piece of blueberry cheesecake. That was followed by another 45 minute drive on the bus back to the boat. It's too bad that we had to spend 90 minutes on the bus. read more

Experience Alaska Tours - Crab shells - Boat Tours Near Me - Ketchikan, Alaska

Well organized, fun and informative guides - they took very good care of us. And the crab was delicious!

I can't say enough about this tour. We were whisked away on a boat with Amanda, our tour guide and Cpt. Sinkey. Yes, that's his name. A beautiful bay lots of comfortable seating and views. Eagles came right to us and gave us a show. Then on to the inlet to pull up the crab pot. Let me just say I'm glad it wasn't to deep there. So much information about the area and crabs...who knew! Then we were treated to a most delicious tasty all, yes, ALL you can eat crab leg lunch. It was so much fun and the only thing better would have been a cot to sleep off the crab coma after lunch. Thank you for the grand experience!!!! They even had a shuttle for those of us with not so good knees to get down to the dock easily. Crab On my friends.... read more

Experience Alaska Tours - Would you like to hold this crab.....ummmmm-sure. - Boat Tours Near Me - Ketchikan, Alaska

Good travel guide and crew at the restaurant. The crab feast was very good. Down side- travel to and from the site was not well organized. If you don't book through the cruise that you are on, they throw you on whatever bus they can fit you on to to return to port. Then it may be a longer walk back to your ship. read more

This place sells and ships Alaskan crabs through its catchcrabs.com website. My sister has ordered from here numerous times, but I tried to order crabs for my father's birthday and it was an experience from hell. You can only order the week-of, so I ordered it on Monday for Thursday delivery. I got an email notification saying it would arrive by Wednesday. It didn't come Wednesday. It didn't come Thursday. When I emailed and called, the manager said that Fed Ex screwed up and didn't take my father's crab box (it was the only box left in their freezer, she said!). So I asked what she could do because my father's birthday was that weekend, and she said she would make sure it would go out Friday and arrive by Saturday. It didn't come Saturday. When I called again, the manager made another excuse and said Fed Ex picked up the box and took it to Anchorage but it's stuck there because of weather. Meanwhile, my poor 78-year-old father never got the crabs for his birthday. When I called the following Tuesday to talk to the owner, he too just blamed Fed Ex and said there's nothing they can do. Never took ownership of the situation or offer to rectify the situation. Just pass the buck. Very poor customer service. Needless to say, I will never order from this place ever again, my sister will not order from this place again, and I encourage all of you to never order from this place. Giovanni's in Morro Bay or Pike Place Market in Seattle provide the same Alaskan crabs and provide much better, speedier service! read more