Will never book via TripAdvisor/Vialtor again - direct booking only!
Booked via Tripadvisor in the UK for our Ketchikan stop off. I wanted to try and book locally rather than take the ship trips.
Stopped for lunch at noon (1pm tour) and discovered there was a refund of sorts via our bank. Phoned Lisa to find that she had a hospital visit at the last minute and could not take us. Were neither phoned nor messaged all the morning by anyone
She said a friend could hopefully take us - we agreed as it was far too late to arrange a trip with someone else. We stupidly made the assumption that it would be very similar to her advertised trip. (we did ask before agreeing) and we had to pay him direct
He arrived in a taxi and took us straight to the fishery lay by - just about made out a bear on the tree line with the aid of binoculars. He said we'd try another back road - no luck. Stopped at a waterfall by the road. Back to the lay by. We eventually saw a hint of a bear again through bins. Back to town
What a poor decision. There was nothing to do with Tlingit tradition/totum poles/view points etc. We did get some "what we did when we were boys" stories but definitely not what we expected for or paid for, nor was he Tlingit
Lisa said she'd refunded us £200 for our booked trip, and anything else was nothing to do with her. Using advice from other posts I wrote to Vialtor when we got home, quoted the full refund policy ie 100% if the provider cancelled on the day, and said that we wouldn't have known at all if the bank didn't alert us. Thankfully Rialtor refunded the other £85 without an argument.
Stressful and left us with a bad taste. We particularly wanted to include some Tlingit stories/local history as well as wildlife (if we were lucky). It would have saved us a heap of money had we just booked a taxi to the salmon fishery.
We've just checked Rob charged us £298.10 (in US$) He also took another group before us - what a payday - not to mention it was even more than Lisa/Vialtor charged altogether He definitely shouldn't have included the Vialtor share (theyre taking about a 1/3 mark-up!) Be extremely careful how you book trips and look at reviews on other sites before deciding - we feel ripped off
事業者からの返答
When I can't make a booking , I let customers know I can find someone else. I always can't guarantee our native background but I definitely find great locals that can show people Ketchikan.
We all never guarantee any wildlife, near of far.
I make sure people are taken care of. My friend even told me you guys had a great time.
I guess after this, I will have to let customers look for other businesses to help. I just do what I can to help you have a great experience.
Not sure what you mean by extreme mark up. Viator takes 1/3 of what the cost is. Even the Original cost you paid Viator isn't the actual amount.
As much as we like to make people happy, we understand how things can be. I just don't understand why tell my friend you enjoyed yourself than turn around and give me a bad review.
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Theresa_M
September 1, 2026 · via Viator
Save your money if you go in late August
Definitely didn't feel it was worth the money. Only saw one black bear from a great distance for just a minute and two eagles on the way back to port. Had we just gotten off the ship earlier in the morning we could have seen some eating the salmon at Creek Street.
事業者からの返答
Most people don't even get to see anything. We never know if bears will be close or not. Timing is everything. Many tour guides plus myself try our best to find bears. As far as Creek Street, timing is everything for that location too. I have no guarantees about wildlife. The other day, my customers saw a cub run for just a second, that's all they got. Often times we have close encounters. I can certainly understand your frustration.
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Angela_W
August 31, 2026 · via Viator
Uber instead
We’ve always had excellent tours with Viator but this one was a complete waste of time and money. Please do not book this tour. Our guide was late picking us up then proceeded to drive us to her friends driveway and parked there for 30 mins because she claimed the bears will walk by there. We question this and asked her to please drive us to see other sights. She left and drove us to the fish hatchery which was beautiful but no bears at that time. She then drove us back to her friends driveway a second time! Finally I said can you please show us some more sights that were described for the tour?! She then drove us to the water edge where we saw one eagle and then dropped us off at Creekside. THAT WAS IT! This tour cost $375! I wish we would have just taken an Uber to the fish hatchery and back for $40 instead! Complete waste of time and money.
事業者からの返答
I didn't park for 30 minutes to wait for a bear. Telling people not to book with me isn't fare because you didn't enjoy the tour. What im surprised about is, how you were okay with everything to the End of the tour. I even apologized about not finding a bear. I also talked alot about Ketchikan and some history of Alaska. I tell about my culture and point things out as we are driving. Wildlife wasn't in anyone's favor this day. Sadly there's nothing anyone can do. That rate of $375 is pretty good because it's not per person. Divide that up to five people and you have a great rate even better. Sorry you felt it was a waste of your time. I know your time is valuable but so is my time. I give everyone my best. Sometimes we get bears and other times not. I did ask if we should try one more time and you said okay. You saw beautiful country side of Ketchikan as we drove. I talked the whole time. As we drive to and from places , I make sure I say something about the area.
I know I can't make everyone happy.
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Olivia_S
August 12, 2026 · via Viator
Great Local Experience
This is travel with a local, so you get local stories and experiences. We loved seeing a mamma bear and 2 cubs and visiting the beach with time to explore and find purple starfish. Lisa felt like a family friend in no time.
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Rusti_W
August 5, 2026 · via Viator
Disappointed in this excursion
It says in the description that you could possibly see bears, whales, eagles, etc…. In their natural habitat. We did see 2 bears but they were in someone’s yard and the owner of the home was near the bear calling it by name and trying to coax it out. ( not what we expected). I know they can’t predict if the animals will be out but other than some eagles, and the “pet” bear, that is all we saw. Our guide said the waterfall was too crowded to go to so she skipped over that. She took us to their “beach” and it was pretty. The guide herself, Lisa, was very nice and she did want us to have a good experience and she tried hard but this excursion didn’t turn out like we thought it would at all. We were disappointed.
事業者からの返答
Not sure why you're disappointed about the tour. And you're right, I do advertise to go find bears, whales and eagles.
And yes, the waterfall was going to be dangerous. I did tell all you about that and you were okay with it. The bears are also not "pets" not sure where this comment came from. No one owns a wild animal.
I also talked to you alot about what you were seeing. Basically all you missed was the waterfall.
And as far as coaxing the bear? She goes around her house all the time, making sure they hear her.
How would you feel having bears in your yard all the time? They need to hear you.
In Ketchikan, Bears live all over the place. Nothing wrong with seeing bears in any locals yard.
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rogerss506
August 4, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Wonderful tour!
Wonderful tour. Got to see mom and her cubs feeding. Well respected member of her community who loves to tailor your tour to your interest. Engaging and flexible!
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Sheila_D
July 3, 2026 · via Viator
No bears at the end of June. If you ship is not offering tours to see bears, that should be your clue.
We try to support local businesses whenever we can, but this tour was a ripoff. We booked this tour because we wanted to see bears. We did notice that our ship was not offering tours to see bears but we decided to give this tour a try thinking that locals usually have access to areas that companies may not have. Well, not the case this time. We understand that wildlife sightings are not guaranteed but the way this tour works is that you are inside a car hoping to see bears. We had a few stops where we got out of the car, at a creek, at a waterfall, at the beach, but we didn’t see anything. We did not walk on a trail looking for bears, instead we parked in front of someone’s driveway hoping that a bear will come out of their backyard. Most private tours that I have booked with Viator ask about your interests, what do you want to do and see within their itinerary. She didn’t ask that and she didn’t have a plan B for the lack of bears. She took us go see a totem pole because I asked. She didn’t even offer to take a picture of our group when we were at the waterfall. Not worth it.
事業者からの返答
In my defense, my tours are not a Rip Off. I always tell customers not to get their hopes up. I brought you to great places in Ketchikan. As far as parking at that house.... there's bear traffic daily. I told you, Timing is everything. I do the same thing for all the other customers that want to see bears. Sometimes the bears are crossing the roads, sometimes it's waiting. I also talked about Ketchikan and some history. I pointed out buildings and structures. I sometimes take pictures of groups. Sorry you're upset about not seeing bears. I think that's really what you're upset about. I understand that. I do the best I can for everyone all the time. Im glad to see how you felt about your tour. On my tours, I also ask if any one has questions. Customers can easily make changes to their tour if you didn't like what you did. To anyone, I don't engrave my tours in stone.
Customers can ask to do something else so you're happy. I would appreciate if and when customers do speak out so I know what you like or don't like. I been giving tours of Ketchikan since 2010, I have a lot of knowledge to share. I also spoke about your next stop in advance. So there didn't need to be what you call a Plan B. Before we start any tours,I explain about where we are going and the next stops. I want everyone to have a great experience. Customers can help me at the time by addressing other things to do. I would of been very happy to had accommodated that for you.
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Sarah_G
June 30, 2026 · via Viator
Felt Like Family
This was a great way to get away from the crowds and see the local sites. We were able to talk about like in Ketchikan and it felt like we were riding along with a favorite cousin. We got to see a wonderful "hidden" waterfall and walked the shore with no ship guests in sight. It was a great change of pace and we would go back in a second.
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Miyo_M
June 18, 2026 · via Viator
Local experience
Lisa is a true local who shares her knowledge of the area and is multitalented in traditional arts craft and use of area plants for nutrition and healing
The highlight was her singing happy birthday to my husband in her native language at totem park
She tried really hard to find us a bear but after multiple tries we weren’t so lucky Such is nature! We did see a bald eagle and a Sitka deer
事業者からの返答
Hello, I was more than happy to sing Happy Birthday in my language. Sorry I couldn't find a bear! It was a blessing meeting you two!
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Keepupwiththis
June 16, 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Tours with Lisa 👍🏻
My husband and I had a great tour around Ketchikan with Lisa. We saw a bear. We saw bald eagles. We stopped at the Totem Heritage Center. Having grown up in the area, she really knows her stuff. And, she’s always reading about and learning more regarding the area. She’s very personable, knowledgeable, communicative and has a good sense of humor.
事業者からの返答
It was very nice meeting you. I appreciate the support. I truly love what I do. I want people to learn about my native culture. It's very important that you get correct information and experience a true Alaskan visit.
