The Mill at Ward Cove - Ketchikan, Alaska

Daniel Judah

This is definitely a tourist trap for those that are cruising with NCL as there are no other places to shop nearby. And being 20 minutes of shuttle bus from Ketchikan (that have very long line and hour before the last shuttle from downtown) this place is definitely a tourist trap.

On the other hand, it’s not a bad place. The place is clean, large, and well-ventilated. The gifts sold on the shop are pretty nice. They have a great selection of jackets, hoodies, and shirts. They are selling many other gift items as well. The place also have a clearance section.

The excursions departing from this place is excellent and well organized. The shuttle bus leaving here to Ketchikan is also well organized. There is live music being played at the store.

The place is just a short walk from the terminal if you are cruising by NCL.

C7Zaol

When you take NCL to Alaska, most likely, you'll stop at their Ward Cove dock near Ketchikan. If you don't feel like taking the bus into town, the Mill building is a massive collection of souvenirs, clothing, and memorabilia of your Alaskan adventure ! If you do want to go to town, the shuttle busses are just outside of the Mill. If you go to town, mind the time and don't get left behind !

Celeste Ruppelt

The Mill at Ward Cove advertises itself as a cruise ship port since 2021, and a souvenir shop. It is those things, but it is also the site of an abandoned, and crumbling paper pulp mill, and a former Super Fund site. It’s located 7-miles outside the Ketchikan town limits, far enough to want a bus transport to town. Our cruise ship docked here and our first view of Ketchikan was of this crumbling decayed mill, with reminders of what was there, and a burning dump site across the inlet.
The red brick Mill warehouse building has been re-purposed into a souvenir shop with clothing, and many types of gift items offered by the local artists. There is no food offered onsite and the restrooms are converted semi-truck bodies located inside the mill building. Its clean and brightly lit.
The building is also where the buses come to pick up cruise passengers signed up for various Ketchikan shore excursions, and there are many. The lines were long, interwoven, and confusing. A large space was needed for this operation, so the building was converted for this, and it’s other uses. From this point, the buses fan out to the excursion pickup sites and also go into town. Don’t miss your return bus, or it’s a mile walk down the boardwalk to the next pick-up place.
The facility is adequate for what it does. Ward Cove is financially partnered with the NCL Cruise Line.
In my opinion, the Mill at Ward Cove has a way to go before it can compete with the closer in cruise ship docking sites, and it was an unfortunate first site of Ketchikan.
Totem poles are scattered through town, and within walking distance of downtown is Creek Street Park, where one can watch two-types of salmon jumping the falls, or using the fish ladder. Fishing is available there.
Be prepared as it can rain in Ketchikan nearly every summer day, but we were blessed with a rare, mild, and sunny early fall day.

Gerald Thomas

A great place to visit, and they had lots of interesting memorabilia.

Patricia Gerdom

Our guide Jack was very knowledgeable and made the ride a joy along with the other assistant. The campfire crew was fun and lively and it made a nice addition to the ride. We saw some amazing scenery and had fun along the way. I would definitely recommend this tour.

Nancy Pica

Fun excursion! I was nervous about the e-bikes but they were easy to use. Beautiful scenery. Micah and Max were entertaining and interesting. And very encouraging! Happy 24th Birthday to Micah!

Claudia Wolf

Jack and Zig lead a kayak tour on June 14th. They took us to beautiful places and provided a lot of interesting information about the plants and area. My husband was fishing so Zig was nice enough to let me share her kayak. They were fun to be with. I highly recommend this excursion.

Donna Killian-stoltenberg

It was right at the pier so you didn't have to walk far. Our stop was short so this gave everyone a chance to shop. It was a very large building and had a lot of booths to shop at. I got what I needed and made it back to the ship on time.