No cruise to Alaska is complete without shore excursions. Much of what Alaska has to offer -- wildlife viewing, fishing and trips to glaciers and fjords -- is just not found in small port communities.
But because of the unpredictable nature of nature, being in Alaska can also cause an aversion to excursions.
During a seven-day cruise through Alaska's Inside Passage on Cruise West's Spirit of Endeavor in June, two of the excursions I had lined up were canceled due to bad weather.
In Skagway, a helicopter excursion to a glacier was canceled despite a sunny day in town. Glaciers have their own weather systems, I learned, and there was a storm on the one we were supposed to land on.
On the last day of the cruise, a flightseeing tour of Misty Fjords in Ketchikan was canceled after the plane took off. Alaska Seaplane Tours refunded all four passengers the cost of the trip, and our pilot, Ryan, even took us around the bay a little to make something of the gloomy day. The people who make a living here accepted long ago that weather does not always cooperate.
Neither do the animals. A $400 fishing trip out of Sitka produced not a single nibble for any of the five people on our tour. And two of us spent quite a bit of time leaning over the side of the boat.
A tranquil Chilkat River jet boat tour out of Haines into a bald eagle preserve offered the expected eagle sightings, but several of the guests were disappointed that no other wildlife had surfaced, like bears or moose.
For the tour operators, the expectations can be daunting. "It's totally out of our hands and our control," said one guide, who added that the amount of tips is often affected by good animal sightings.
A successful Alaska shore excursion can truly be among the most unusual there are.
During the Cruise West trip, I joined a flightseeing tour to Taku Glacier Lodge, which features a flight on a six-person plane with breathtaking views of the immense glaciers and crevasses of the Juneau ice field.
We landed at the remote lodge for a wild salmon feast and a walk through mosquito-infested forest to a waterfall before the return flight to Juneau.
In Seward, on a separate trip the season before, a helicopter ride to the Godwin Glacier to go dogsledding was among the most memorable of excursions.
The helicopter ride alone, which featured dipping low to hover above a herd of moose, and creeping to the tip of a craggy mountain peak, was an adventure.
For the two children on the tour with their parents, the dozens of sled dogs tied up outside igloo doghouses were the highlight, and petting them was much more exciting than dog mushing. For the parents, it was the experience of being on a glacier.
The once-in-a-lifetime nature of many of these excursions helps take the sting out of the hefty price tag they often carry.
The Godwin Glacier dogsled tour cost $430 per adult and $390 per child. The Wings Airways Taku Glacier Lodge trip will set you back $260 for adults and $220 for kids under 12. Fishing is $400, whether they bite or not.
Visit www.travelalaska.com, the Alaska Travel Industry Association's visitor site, for more information about Alaska excursions.