Alaska Excursions--post your reviews here!

[llkoolj40]

Here are few pictures from the plane. The last one in not great but shows how close the plane is to the Disney Wonder. As you dock look for the Moose Lodge. Island Wings plane is docked there.

[PPFQP]

Originally Posted by llkoolj40

Ketchikan- Both times we booked with Island Wings for a Misty Fjords float plane excursion.This was the trip of a lifetime.
In 2008 the weather was very bad. Although, planes were flying, Michelle,the pilot, did not feel we would get our money's worth as there would be nothing to see. She held off our tour for awhile to see if the weather would clear, but it didn't. Our money was refunded that day! The professionalism and integrity by this whole team is why I booked again this year. Well, it was well worth the wait. The day could not be clearer and we could see for miles. Island Wings tour is the only tour where you land on a small lake and get out of the plane on land. The others allow you to stand on the floats, or just land and then take off again. Michelle is an experienced Alaskan pilot and is the kindest person, as well as her whole team. We had a young boy on our trip and she was so great with him. When we landed, she sat him in the pilot seat and showed him the controls. I could go and on..LOL but for me this was the tour I will never forget!!

Family Air also lands on a lake and taxis to shore so that you can walk around on land. We haven't been yet (our cruise is in a couple of weeks), so I will report back on our actual experience. We're doing the Misty Fjords/Glacier tour.

[disneypoor]

llkoolj40--Those pictures are AMAZING! Now I really can't wait for this excursion! Thanks for sharing!

Susan

[tksbaskets]

llkoolj40 JUST stunning pics! Wish my DH didn't say "no little planes". He gets motion sick.

Thanks for posting.

[kris3kid]

Originally Posted by DisneyCruiser2008

Did anyone have any issues with seasickness on their whale watching excursions in Juneau? We are booked on a private tour with Harv and Marv...

I did this one with Harv and Marv, I think we had Harv that day. No problems with anyone sick at all. We saw lots of whales, even a mother and child. He had lots of information on the area. We also saw a small island with lots of Eagles, some young and some older. There were about 7 that took off at once and were quite vocal as well. Saw some playful sea lions. All in all I would do it again in a heartbeat. Having the small boat with only 6 people was awesome.

[kris3kid]

Originally Posted by Doingitagain

How large are the floatplanes for Misty Fjords? I read one post that said pilot plus five guests, but some of the photos look like larger planes.

I did the Misty Fjords on my own with Seawind Aviation. The floatplane held 8 people and was awesome. This was one of my favorite things that I did on the trip and would love to do it again. The other day I heard a song that they played on the trip and could almost feel that I was back there and looking over the beauty of the area. Very friendly and helpful. A must do.

[kris3kid]

Originally Posted by Tink37

We are booked for the Classic Misty Fjords Flightseeing in Ketchikan. Does anyone have any information about this excursion? My kids really want to do this one because you land on the water and can get out on the floats.

I just posted a moment about this one but will add that I did it with Seawind aviation. I had found their website and it is a family tour group. They have three girls I think 4-9 age range which I thought was cool because I knew they would understand and work with the kids. When we got back the girls were there and helped pull the plane in, it was fun to watch them help and happy to see daddy done for the day. Leslie runs the office and was wonderful with doing our tour late because we also wanted to do the Bering sea tour. Pick up and drop off was smooth as well.

[sayhello]

Originally Posted by tksbaskets

llkoolj40 JUST stunning pics! Wish my DH didn't say "no little planes". He gets motion sick.

Thanks for posting.

I have problems with motion sickness, also. I told the pilot about it, and I think he "took it easy" during the flight. I had absolutely NO problems with my motion sickness! I'm so glad, because Misty Fjords was one of the highlights of the cruise!

Sayhello

["Got Disney"]

Originally Posted by jlwhitney

We did the eagle tour, because you get 5 full lines and no training line, plus it has the longest line in all of canada (2200 feet long). It was a blast. I would defiantly book ahead of time, they do fill up. I would recommend the Eagle over the Bear if everyone is old enough for it. Plus on the eagle, you dont have to take a van back to the lodge, since your last zipline ends you at the base of the mountain which was cool.

I personally see no real point in doing all 10 lines. We didn't have time for it since we were only in Whistler for a day (drove up from vancouver in the am and drove back at night) and we wanted to do the Monkido course at Wild Play (look it up www.wildplay.com) it is a complete blast (almost better than ziplining).

I wouldn't worry about weather, they go rain or shine they only thing that grounds them is lightening and forest fires.

So glad I saw this...did not know about this place and will be in Whistler for 3 days...we have done zip lining but never with an opstical course...I think the kids would love that and so would I...Dh however is 240 lbs....only wt on him really is his belly and he is strong but is also 56 .....I think I would spend more time laughing at him...not with him at him

[DenverVal]

Originally Posted by llkoolj40

...Ketchikan- Both times we booked with Island Wings for a Misty Fjords float plane excursion.This was the trip of a lifetime....

This company is fully booked for 6/29, but the lady I spoke with recommended Alaska Seaplane Tours, ( http://www.alaskaseaplanetours.com/mistyfjords.htm ) which is also a small, family-owned business, and their tour is very similar. They had availability at 2:30 and 4:30 for that date.

[jlwhitney]

Originally Posted by "Got Disney"

So glad I saw this...did not know about this place and will be in Whistler for 3 days...we have done zip lining but never with an opstical course...I think the kids would love that and so would I...Dh however is 240 lbs....only wt on him really is his belly and he is strong but is also 56 .....I think I would spend more time laughing at him...not with him at him

The zipling and obstacle course are two seperate places. Though Wildplay does also offer a zipline course (i did zip trek because they had a better course and i felt better value, 5 full ziplines, versus 4 plus a training line).

You will not regret doing both ziptrek and wildplay, they are so much fun. The obstacle course is something so different, and not found many places. It makes everyone look silly, but thats whats fun about it.

[llkoolj40]

Originally Posted by PPFQP

Family Air also lands on a lake and taxis to shore so that you can walk around on land. We haven't been yet (our cruise is in a couple of weeks), so I will report back on our actual experience. We're doing the Misty Fjords/Glacier tour.

Oh that is good to know. Can't wait to hear about your trip!

Originally Posted by tksbaskets

llkoolj40 JUST stunning pics! Wish my DH didn't say "no little planes". He gets motion sick.

I get very bad motion sickness and Bonine works great for me.

Thanks for posting.

[hsinglanjin]

Any return Alaskan cruisers done this excursion? Would love to hear what it was like in details. I've read mixed reviews on this from other cruise sites and would love to get more info.

Going the end of June with my DH and 2 teen DDs (17 & 14). The 14 year loves puppies and we signed up for this one hoping she gets a chance to play and hold the puppies.

[Diannah]

We just got home from the May 24 sailing. (Let me just state now - I HATE unpacking! )

Our Excursions:

Skagway: Liarsville with characters
Fun. If you're looking for Broadway or even Disney Stage-quality performances, you're going to be disappointed. But if you're looking for folksy fun, it's great. Think Renn fest/old west shootout type entertainment and setting, rather than Broadway.

We met in the Walt Disney Theatre and, once all gathered, followed the Simba sign out to our buses. Our particular driver just happened to be from our home state, so we had great fun chatting. We were given a few tidbits of info on Skagway on our way out to Liarsville - very short drive. Once off the bus, they invited us into a covered seating area with a stage in front. They then presented a cute puppet show about a gold miner and his husky, complete with audience participation. Some will call it hokey, others folksy. The kids really seemed to enjoy it. (Our Dd is 16, and she was smiling the entire time.) Then a younger woman explained the gold panning process to us. She was hysterical! No one takes themselves too seriously. But before you can gold pan, you do a "scavenger hunt". Definitly geared toward the younger set, but a way to guarantee you saw all the little areas of the camp. (It all fits in about a square city block of space). Once done, you're handed a small, rusty gold pan with about a cup or so of dirt and rock in it. You're guaranteed "to find 2-5 flakes" of gold in your pan. Each of us found either 4 or 5. The panning area has raised troughs, so you don't have to squat or bend down to a stream. There's a very pretty waterfall right next to camp. Goofy, Chip and Dale visited during this time.

After panning, there were marshmellows to roast over the fire. I think this was the actual thing that my DD chose the excursion for. Not a ton of space for the number of people roasting, but OK. Then came the salmon bake. YUMMMMMMMMMM!!! If you do this, DON'T MISS THE BEANS! I'm not a fan of beans, but these were wonderful. And several people that I spoke to afterwards on the ship also mentioned the beans. All of it was good. The salmon and the sweet sauce they poured on it was wonderful, also. I had seconds of the salmon and beans. None of it was bad, although the "wild blueberry cake" was basically a white cake with a small amount of blueberries scattered on the top. They did run out of lemonade, which was disappointing. We then toured the gift shop, which was not badly priced for the setting. Then back on the bus and back to the ship. Our driver told us that if we wanted, we could stay on the bus and he would drop us off in the middle of town, which we took advantage of.

Juneau - Tramway - If I were to take this cruise again (and only finances prevent it!), I would NOT buy this through Disney. You never know how foggy it's going to be, and all the locals say not to do it if you can't see the top station from the ground. Because we had purchased them ahead of time, we felt we had to use them. It did clear just enough for us to see the ground at times. It was truly beautiful up there, but most of the hiking trails were still closed due to snow and mud. This is not the hike for those will a healthy fear of heights! The raptor center here had one eagle to get a close up look at. One thing to realize about the raptor center here and in Ketchikan. They are all VOLUNTEER organizations. Don't expect fancy settings or slick presentations. Now, the gift shop at the top of the tramway was one of my favorite gift shops on the entire trip. With all the fog, it made the trip worth it. Oh, and DON'T go hungry! Whatever they were serving in the restaurant there smelled heavenly!

Ketchikan - DH and DD did the Mount Point Snorkling. They really seemed to love it. They ARE wet suits, but DD says they warmed up pretty quickly. They saw all sorts of bottom dwellers, not too many fish. The guides often brought critters up from deeper areas. DD got to hold a sea cucumber, which she thought was really cool. They saw some jellyfish, too, most of which were harmless, but one, and lion's mane, they had be warned about and knew to stay away from. Though there wasn't much in the way of exposed skin for them to reach. When they got back on board, the leaders had an ice chest full of warm water. They took a pitcher and poured a pitcherful inside each person's wetsuit, either down the front or back, whichever the person preferred. DD said it felt wonderful!

I did the Rainforest Sanctuary, Eagles and Totems. The first thing said to us on the bus was that if we had any food whatsoever with us to eat it then. There be bears in those woods, and food, especially fruit, would draw them like Pooh to honey. Being a hypoglycemic, I almost always have food with me, so I ate my two bananas on the way to the sanctuary. After getting off the bus, the guides pointed out the port-a-potties and said that's the last bathroom available until the end. A noticable number of us took advantage of them. We were split into 3 groups, and taken on the hike.

Hike is perhaps a misnomer. We would litterally walk maybe 10-20 feet and stop. The leader would point out a bear trail, a specific type of plant, or something of the sort. I found it facinating and beautiful. One of the zipline adventures is there, too, and you often caught a glimpse of people zipping along. I'm not in horrible shape, but I have some chronic illnesses, including fibromyalgia, that made me worry a tiny bit about the hike. It was no problem for me at all.

You end that part of the hike at the reindeer yard, feeding lettuce to very friendly reindeer. Needless to say, all the kids on the hike loved this. Reindeer don't have upper front teeth, so they can't really bite you. And these ladies weren't interested at all in your fingers. They wanted the lettuce! and were very happy to pose for pics.

After the reindeer, you walk on the opposite side of a salmon stream from a salmon hatchery. We saw a mink raiding the hatchery, a young still-speckled eagle, and an adult bald eagle in the same area. Then we walked rather quickly through an old log mill.

After the mill, we went into the raptor center. Again, this is a VOLUNTEER organization. They had a bald eagle and a great horned owl, both too injured to release. The owl HATES Mickey Ears. No idea why, but they ask anyone wearing them to take them off. Got some fantastic close up shots of the owl.

After this, we were asked if anyone had severe hay fever. When no one owned up to having it, we entered into a small building where a gentleman was in the process of carving a totem pole out of a cedar log. It smelled heavenly! But I can see how someone with allergies could have a problem. The gentleman doing the carving was fun to talk to, and obviously loved both the carving and the interaction. We then ended (of course) in the gift shop, with coffee and hot chocolate waiting, and a salmon spread that was basically tuna salad made with salmon instead of tuna on ritz crackers, and yet very tasty. I also found Alaskan made Ulu knives here for the best price yet, $14.95. Then we boarded the bus and headed back to the ship. Again, we had the choice of staying on the bus and being dropped of in town if we wanted.

Hope you find this helpful. If you want to see pics, I'll have them up on facebook soon. Feel free to friend me (diannah robertson), just put something like Cruise or Disney in the friend request.

[jilljill]

Originally Posted by hsinglanjin

Any return Alaskan cruisers done this excursion? Would love to hear what it was like in details. I've read mixed reviews on this from other cruise sites and would love to get more info.

Going the end of June with my DH and 2 teen DDs (17 & 14). The 14 year loves puppies and we signed up for this one hoping she gets a chance to play and hold the puppies.

I've merged your thread with the AK excursion thread. Hopefully you'll get your answers in the prior posts or someone will comment on your post.