Guide · Cruise day

Misty Fjords excursions from your cruise ship, step by step

Misty Fjords excursions fit a Ketchikan port day if you plan the dock, the meeting point and the clock. Here is how the floatplane day works from gangway to all-aboard.

Check availabilityfrom $349 · free cancellation possible

Editorial team, mistyfjordsflightseeing.comUpdated October 25, 2026Reading time about 7 minutes14 sources

The tour for this guide Misty Fjords floatplane flightseeing from Ketchikan 4.4 (303 reviews) 2 hoursWindow seat for every guestVan from Berth 2 and back from$349per person Check availabilityCancel for free up to 24 hrs ahead

The port day in brief

01Your dock: Downtown or Ward Cove, about 5.5 miles out.¹
02Meeting point: Berth 2, by the bronze statue called The Rock, 15 min early.
03Time needed: 2 hrs from Berth 2 back to Berth 2.
04Departures: 7am to 7pm, morning or afternoon.
05All-aboard: The operator guarantees you will not miss your ship.

Misty Fjords excursions and the length of your port day

Misty Fjords excursions start right at the cruise docks of Ketchikan, and the monument is close: Ketchikan lies 22 miles west of it.² Boat and plane tours go into the fiords throughout the summer, and most of them leave from downtown.³ The question on a cruise is not whether you can reach it, but which trip fits the hours your ship is alongside.

The floatplane is the compact option. The flight this site features takes 2 hours from Berth 2 back to Berth 2, including the van to the floatplane base. A boat cruise into Rudyerd Bay takes 5.25 hours, a large share of a port day. If your ship is in town for a short morning, the flight is often the only way to see the fiords at all.

Before you choose, check 3 things in your cruise documents: where your ship docks, the time you can go ashore, and the all-aboard time. Everything else on this page follows from those 3 times, and getting them right is worth more than any tip about seats or photos. Write them down where you will see them on the day.

Port day

A floatplane morning from a downtown berth

Arrival

Off the ship

Check your berth and your all-aboard time before you go ashore.
15 min before

Berth 2

Meet by the bronze statue called The Rock and find the green sign.
Departure

Van to the base

A private van takes the group to the floatplane base.
In the air

Over the fiords

Granite walls, Rudyerd Bay and New Eddystone Rock from a window seat.
After 2 hrs

Back at Berth 2

The van returns you to the berth you started from.

Where your ship docks, and how far that is from the plane

In Ketchikan your ship ties up at one of 2 kinds of place: a downtown berth, or Ward Cove, some 5.5 miles out of the town center.¹ The floatplane flight meets at Berth 2 downtown, next to the Ketchikan Visitors Center, so a ship at a downtown berth puts you a short walk from the meeting point. That is the easy case, and it leaves the most time in the air.

A ship at Ward Cove adds a transfer before and after the flight. Plan on the ride into town and back, and on a queue for it on a busy morning. One Seawind listing says it drops its Ward Cove passengers at the free shuttle stop after the flight. The flight this site features does not describe a Ward Cove pickup, so plan your own way to Berth 2.

The Ketchikan Visitors Bureau warns that last-minute changes to the docking schedule sometimes occur.⁴ Check your ship's berth the evening before you arrive, and again in the morning, because a change from downtown to Ward Cove can shift your whole plan by an hour or more. If it happens, adjust the departure time with the operator early rather than late.

Your dock

Downtown berth or Ward Cove: what changes

Step	Downtown berth	Ward Cove
Reach Berth 2	Short walk	Ride of about 5.5 miles
Meet the group	15 min early	15 min early
The trip	2 hrs	2 hrs
Back to the ship	Short walk	Ride back
Buffer to plan	Small	Large

Ward Cove distance from the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau; timing from the flight's listing.¹

Three port days

How the flight fits different calls

Misty Fjords Floatplane Flightseeing Tour

Easiest

Long call downtown

Ship at a downtown berth

Walk: A few minutes
Book: Any departure
Also fits: Lunch in town

Check departures

Plan tightly

Short call downtown

A few hours ashore

Walk: A few minutes
Book: The earliest slot
Backup: A walk in town

Check departures

Allow extra time

Ward Cove

About 5.5 miles out

Transfer: Ride both ways
Book: A mid-morning slot
Check: Your berth the night before

Check departures

Decision helper

Which trip fits your time ashore?

Match your port call to a trip

We are in port for a short morning We have a long day downtown Our ship docks at Ward Cove We want to keep the option to cancel The forecast looks poor

The floatplane

It takes 2 hours from Berth 2 back to Berth 2.

Flight or boat

The boat cruise takes 5.25 hours from downtown Ketchikan.

An early flight

Ward Cove is about 5.5 miles from downtown.¹

Book on your own

The flight refunds in full up to 24 hours before departure.

Keep a backup plan

The operator may cancel the flight for bad weather or too few travelers.

Boat and plane tours venture into Misty Fjords throughout the summer. Most tours depart from downtown.

Alaska Department of Fish and GameSource 3

Meeting the floatplane at Berth 2

The meeting point is simple to find. Be at Berth 2, near the Ketchikan Visitors Center, 15 minutes before your tour, next to the bronze statue called The Rock, and look for a green sign with yellow lettering. A private van takes your group from there to the operator's waterfront floatplane base and brings you back afterwards.

At booking you give every passenger's name and weight and the name of your ship or hotel, which is how the operator knows who to expect from which ship. Have the booking confirmation on your phone, and keep your ship card and some identification with you, as you would for any trip ashore.

Bookings for this flight are confirmed by the operator rather than instantly, so book well before your cruise and make sure the confirmation has arrived. Same-day seats are also sold by the Visitors Center on Berth 2 and by the kiosks along the docks.⁵ That is a fallback if your plans change, not a guarantee of a free seat on a busy morning.

Map

From the Ketchikan docks to Rudyerd Bay

Where the floatplanes leave from, how far the fjords lie to the east, and the bays and lakes the flights pass over.

Map of the Ketchikan area with Revillagigedo Island, Behm Canal and Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness to the east, pins on Berth 2, Ward Cove, New Eddystone Rock, Punchbowl Cove, Rudyerd Bay and Walker Cove — Ketchikan and Misty Fjords

Map of Behm Canal and Rudyerd Bay with New Eddystone Rock, Punchbowl Cove, Punchbowl Lake and Nooya Lake — Rudyerd Bay up close

1
Berth 2, Ketchikan
Where the flight meets, by the bronze statue called The Rock; same-day tours are also sold at the Visitors Center here.⁵
In Google Maps ↗
2
Ward Cove
Cruise berth outside town, some 5.5 miles from the downtown docks.¹
In Google Maps ↗
3
New Eddystone Rock
A plug of hardened lava standing 237 feet tall in Behm Canal.⁶ ⁷
In Google Maps ↗
4
Punchbowl Cove
Near the mouth of Rudyerd Bay, reached only by boat or floatplane.⁸
In Google Maps ↗
5
Rudyerd Bay
The bay that branches east off Behm Canal into the granite walls.⁸
In Google Maps ↗
6
Walker Cove
A second fiord north of Rudyerd Bay, surrounded by high, cold lakes and mountains.⁹
In Google Maps ↗
7
Punchbowl Lake
At the end of a 1.0-mile trail from the cove, with a three-sided shelter.¹⁰
In Google Maps ↗
8
Nooya Lake
In the north arm of Rudyerd Bay, under the floatplanes' sightseeing path.¹¹ ¹²
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

Your cruise day checklist

The night before

Confirm your berth and all-aboard time
Have the booking confirmation on your phone
Pack a rain jacket

On the day

Be at Berth 2 15 minutes early
Keep your phone on for the operator
Ward Cove: leave time for the transfer

Calculator

What the excursion costs for your cabin

Choose a trip and the number of travelers

Floatplane flight2 hrs from Berth 2from $349 GetYourGuide flightUp to 6 guestsfrom $389 Boat cruise5.25 hrsfrom $232

People 2

Total from$698

per person from $349

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Totals multiply each listing's lowest per-person price on Viator or GetYourGuide, converted at the ECB rate; the seller's checkout shows the binding sum.

Video

A cruise passenger flies from Ketchikan to the fjords

The video plays from YouTube only after you press play.

Choosing a departure time around all-aboard

The flight has morning departures from 7am to noon and afternoon departures from noon to 7pm, in a season scheduled from April 25 to October 22 for 2027. Work backwards from your all-aboard time: the 2-hour trip, the 15 minutes at the meeting point and your walk or shuttle back to the ship must all fit before it.

The operator guarantees that you will not miss your ship's all-aboard, which takes some pressure off. A buffer still makes sense. Choose a departure that brings you back to Berth 2 at least an hour before all-aboard if your ship is at Ward Cove, and give yourself time for lunch if you also want to see the town.

An early departure has another advantage. If the operator cancels for weather, as it may, an early slot leaves room in the day to rebook or to switch to another plan while your ship is still in port. A late departure on a short call leaves no second chance. On a long call, a morning or early afternoon flight is the most relaxed choice.

Booking through the ship or on your own

You can book a Misty Fjords trip in 3 ways, as the Visitors Bureau describes them: directly with the tour company in advance, as an organized excursion through your ship, or on the day at the Visitors Center and the dock kiosks.¹³ ⁵ Each has a different price, a different cancellation rule and a different person to call if something goes wrong.

Booking on your own through Viator, as with the flight this site features, gives you the listing's own terms: your money back in full when you cancel before the last 24 hours, and the operator's all-aboard guarantee. One reviewer of the flight says booking it through Viator was cheaper than the same tour through the cruise line. That is one traveler's experience, not a rule, but it is worth comparing.

Floatplane excursions in Ketchikan sold through other channels follow their own rules. Several floatplane listings on Viator are sold as non-refundable, while the flight this site features and the GetYourGuide flight refund in full up to 24 hours before departure. Read the cancellation line before you pay, whichever way you book.

What to carry ashore for the flight

Travel light. A floatplane cabin has little room for bags, so leave anything large on the ship and carry a small day bag with a rain jacket, a warm layer, your phone or camera and your ship card. The walk from the van to the plane is outside, and rain on the dock is normal in Ketchikan whatever the month.

Food and drinks are not part of the flight, and gratuities are not included either, so eat before you leave the ship and carry a little cash if you like to tip the pilot. Infants up to age 1 fly on an adult's lap without a ticket; anyone from age 2 needs a ticket at the adult price, so book the right number of seats for a family.

Check the health notes before you book rather than at the dock. The listing does not recommend the flight for travelers with spinal injuries, for pregnant travelers or for travelers with poor cardiovascular health, and it says the flight suits all fitness levels otherwise. Service animals are allowed, and the maximum weight is 300 lbs.

Weather, cancellations and a backup plan

Ketchikan is wet. In an average September the Beaver Falls station records 484 mm of precipitation and 18 days with 2.5 mm or more, and even July brings 12 such days.¹⁴ The listing allows the operator to cancel a flight for bad weather or too few travelers, and on a cruise day you cannot simply move to tomorrow.

The reviews show how often that matters. In the newest 100 reviews of the flight, 11 of the 13 one-star ratings are about a flight cancelled shortly before departure, most of them for weather. Guests who flew rated it highly; guests who did not fly were understandably upset. Treat the flight as weather permitting from the moment you book.

Have a backup plan ready. A boat cruise into Rudyerd Bay travels below the cloud and lasts 5.25 hours, so it only works on a long call. On a short call, keep a walk around downtown in reserve. Keep your phone on, so the operator can reach you; reviewers who were called early had time to change their plans.

Ready to fly