Cruise to Alaska and Excursions

Hi all,

This is my first cruise with Princess and we're heading to Alaska next month! 🎉

We were a bit late with booking excursions due to some back end stuff at home, but we're hoping to just chill and relax in our upcoming holiday. Our ports will be Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway and we were late with booking excursions.

Question is, are excursions REALLY part of the whole experience at Alaska? Have you ever gone without booking excursions and enjoyed it regardless? Thank you!