Cruise planning
Use the timetable to see upcoming cruise ship calls, busy-day signals, ship counts, and port context alongside the guide, map, weather, and readiness tools.
Schedule note
Port schedules can change because of weather, berth availability, itinerary updates, and operational decisions. Verify important times with your cruise line or the port authority before travel.
Country, code, and on-shore essentials.
United States
USKTN
55.342, -131.646
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Ketchikan downtown docks are close to shops and Creek Street, but some calls may use alternate berths.
Before going ashore, confirm the berth or tender point, local time, all-aboard deadline, and the meeting location for any independently booked transport or tour.
Usually docks
Walkable
Independent downtown visits are practical from central berths.
This port is most practical with the exact arrival point confirmed, a focused local plan, and only one longer transport-dependent choice protected by a return buffer.
Best for
Needs extra planning when
This section draws on information from Ketchikan Gateway Borough Ports and Harbors and Visit Ketchikan.
Confirm the actual berth first—local access can change substantially between terminals.
Ketchikan's downtown berths are numbered along the waterfront; Ward Cove is a separate outlying facility. Confirm the berth number before planning, as a generic Ketchikan listing does not guarantee a downtown gangway.
From downtown berths 1–4, Creek Street and central shops are generally within a 5–15 minute walk. Ward Cove requires its shuttle; Totem Bight, Saxman, and farther activities need bus, taxi, boat, or tour transport.
Cruise-line tours and local shuttles vary by berth.
Taxi and tour transfer are practical for farther stops. Shuttle or transfer context: Cruise-line tours and local shuttles vary by berth. Confirm the outbound pickup, return point, and final usable departure before leaving the passenger area.
Ketchikan International Airport requires a short ferry connection from town plus road transfer.
This section draws on information from Ketchikan Gateway Borough Ports and Harbors and Visit Ketchikan.
Start with the usable time you have ashore, then leave a comfortable return margin.
Quick call
Keep the day close to the port and choose one or two reliable nearby stops.
Half day
Main choices: Creek Street, downtown shops, Totem Bight transfers, and local tours are common planning points. Access plan: From downtown berths 1–4, Creek Street and central shops are generally within a 5–15 minute walk. Ward Cove requires its shuttle; Totem Bight, Saxman, and farther activities need bus, taxi, boat, or tour transport. Use confirmed transport for anything not described as walkable, and avoid combining distant stops unless the return is protected.
Long call
Creek Street, downtown shops, Totem Bight transfers, and local tours are common planning points. Keep the ship return time as a hard deadline and add margin for security, traffic, weather, queues, or tender operations.
This section draws on information from Ketchikan Gateway Borough Ports and Harbors and Visit Ketchikan.
Rain and dock assignment can affect walking and mobility plans. Call-specific access: Gangway angle, terminal routing, and the distance to the passenger exit vary by berth; request call-specific assistance.
This section draws on information from Ketchikan Gateway Borough Ports and Harbors and Visit Ketchikan.
Keep the ship return time as a hard deadline and add margin for security, traffic, weather, queues, or tender operations.
This section draws on information from Ketchikan Gateway Borough Ports and Harbors and Visit Ketchikan.
These answers use the reviewed operational fields above; check the linked source when a detail affects a booking or transfer.
Ketchikan's downtown berths are numbered along the waterfront; Ward Cove is a separate outlying facility. Confirm the berth number before planning, as a generic Ketchikan listing does not guarantee a downtown gangway.
From downtown berths 1–4, Creek Street and central shops are generally within a 5–15 minute walk. Ward Cove requires its shuttle; Totem Bight, Saxman, and farther activities need bus, taxi, boat, or tour transport.
Cruise-line tours and local shuttles vary by berth. Taxi and tour transfer are practical for farther stops. Shuttle or transfer context: Cruise-line tours and local shuttles vary by berth. Confirm the outbound pickup, return point, and final usable departure before leaving the passenger area.
Independent downtown visits are practical from central berths. Local access: From downtown berths 1–4, Creek Street and central shops are generally within a 5–15 minute walk. Ward Cove requires its shuttle; Totem Bight, Saxman, and farther activities need bus, taxi, boat, or tour transport. Keep the ship return time as a hard deadline and add margin for security, traffic, weather, queues, or tender operations.
Ketchikan International Airport requires a short ferry connection from town plus road transfer.
This section draws on information from Ketchikan Gateway Borough Ports and Harbors and Visit Ketchikan.
Guide review and sources
Operational details can change by berth, weather, and ship call. Confirm important arrangements before travel.
Choose a few places that fit your time ashore, then check access and transport before setting out.
The Port of Ketchikan has four numbered berths along the downtown waterfront. Ward Cove is a separate cruise facility, so the berth assignment determines whether the day begins on foot downtown or with a transfer.
Arrival location reference
Rainforest and culture
A strong downtown, poor-weather, or shorter-call option near the cruise waterfront.
A strong downtown, poor-weather, or shorter-call option near the cruise waterfront.
The Forest Service lists the center at 50 Main Street; confirm current seasonal hours.
Downtown stop; route varies by berth
Indigenous art and history
Works best as part of a focused town route rather than a rushed add-on to a distant excursion.
Works best as part of a focused town route rather than a rushed add-on to a distant excursion.
Check the museum's current hours and route from the assigned berth.
Town route; confirm from assigned berth
Local history
A compact indoor stop that pairs naturally with downtown exploration.
A compact indoor stop that pairs naturally with downtown exploration.
Confirm current opening hours directly with Ketchikan Museums.
Downtown stop; route varies by berth
Historic boardwalk
A specific pedestrian route through one of Ketchikan's best-known historic waterfront areas.
A specific pedestrian route through one of Ketchikan's best-known historic waterfront areas.
The boardwalk can be busy and wet; use the actual assigned berth when choosing where to enter the route.
Downtown walking stop; route varies by berth
Live performance
A close-to-port option that can fit a shorter call when the published performance time works.
A close-to-port option that can fit a shorter call when the published performance time works.
Check the official performance schedule and allow time to leave the venue before the ship deadline.
Close to the downtown cruise berths
Tlingit art and culture
A named Saxman cultural destination with a large collection of totem poles south of Ketchikan.
A named Saxman cultural destination with a large collection of totem poles south of Ketchikan.
Use an arranged tour or vehicle transfer and follow the site's current visitor guidance.
Vehicle or guided transfer required from the Ketchikan docks
Reviewed 2026-07-23. Location placement, transport, and attraction information retain separate sources so each can be checked and updated independently.
Choose an upcoming call and ship to turn the published schedule into a practical planning window.
Choose a call date
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Your selected call
Arrival
7:00am
Departure
1:00pm
Scheduled window
6h
Planning return buffer
Count back from the published departure time.
Planning checkpoint: 11:30am
This is a personal planning checkpoint, not the ship's official all-aboard time. Always follow the time and instructions issued onboard.
Guide match for this window
This call matches the guide's 4–6 hour plan.
Review that planDates, ships, and times come from the currently published cruise-call records. Schedules can change, and passenger totals represent available ship-capacity data rather than a forecast of people going ashore.
Ketchikan is famous for its colorful totem poles, rainy skies, steep–as–San Francisco streets, and lush island setting. Some 13,500 people call the town home, and, in the summer, cruise ships crowd the shoreline, floatplanes depart noisily for Misty Fiords National Monument, and salmon-laden commercial fishing boats motor through Tongass Narrows. In the last decade Ketchikan's rowdy, blue-collar heritage of logging and fishing has been softened by the loss of many timber-industry jobs and the dramatic rise of cruise-ship tourism. With some effort, though, visitors can still glimpse the rugged frontier spirit that once permeated this hardscrabble cannery town.
Art lovers should make a beeline for Ketchikan: the arts community here is very active. Travelers in search of the perfect piece of Alaska art will find an incredible range of pieces to choose from. The town is at the foot of 3,000-foot Deer Mountain, near the southeastern corner of Revillagigedo (locals shorten it to Revilla) Island. Prior to the arrival of white miners and fishermen in 1885, the Tlingit used the site at the mouth of Ketchikan Creek as a summer fish camp.
Gold discoveries just before the turn of the 20th century brought more immigrants, and valuable timber and commercial fishing resources spurred new industries. By the 1930s the town bragged that it was the "salmon-canning capital of the world." You will still find some of Southeast's best salmon fishing around here. Ketchikan is the first bite of Alaska that many travelers taste. Despite its imposing backdrop, hillside homes, and many staircases, the town is relatively easy to walk through.
Favorite downtown stops include the Spruce Mill Development shops and Creek Street. A bit farther away you'll find the Totem Heritage Center. Out of town (but included on most bus tours) are two longtime favorites: Totem Bight State Historical Park to the north and Saxman Totem Park to the south.
Keep exploring
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Explore tour options for your port day. Check the meeting point and return time against your ship’s schedule before booking.
Excursion partner
Independent shore excursions
Select any tour card to view current details, availability, and booking on the Shore Excursions Group website.
Bump it up a notch on this course for those who have already experienced ziplining or are seeking new challenges.
Take a guided walk through the rainforest with a naturalist, observe a master native totem pole carver at work, and be on the look out for potential wildlife sightings on this exciting Alaska tour.
Experience the Alaskan wilderness, from the driver's seat of a specially designed, off-road adventure kart expedition!
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Destination photography: Cody Doherty, Riley.
Place photos are resized for display and cropped where needed.
