Alaska Excursions--post your reviews here!

[Padres19]

I did the helicopter dogsledding excursion in Juneau. They want to have you carry everything that you intend to bring "on your person" (which I was told meant around your neck, in your pockets, etc.). But they will NOT allow you to bring any bags on the helicopter. There is, however, a very safe and secure place that they will store them at the facility for you.

One other quick note to help you lighten your load: At the dogsledding camp, they do have gloves for you to wear, and at the company facility, they will fit you for boots to wear over your regular shoes--regardless of whether you are wearing boots already.

 

[tksbaskets]

Thanks for your review of the Salmon Bake, Whale Watching and Glacier Adults only tour. Dave and I are doing this and your review and pictures are getting us more and more excited!

I'm glad you enjoyed it! Hope you and Dave get Captain Ben and naturalist Ali!!

 

[denise]

Just wanted to tell everyone about something that happened and the outcome.
While in Skagway my DD asked her dad to buy her a sweatshirt while in the Alaska Shirt Company. It's a very large store in town. (There is one in Juneau also)
She loves her Lifeguard hoodie and if it was cold at home now I'm sure she would be living in it.
Well I was going through our receipts and noticed that on it we were charged for two when we paid. DH didn't notice it when he paid because the total price was around what one would be on the ship.
I called the telephone number on the receipt and got their voice mail. I left a message, thinking yeah right, like they would call me back. Well they did! She credited my credit card account and sent me a email immediately! I was impressed with their customer service and how easy it was to take care of this problem.
So two thumbs up to Alaska Shirt Company

 

[plutojudy]

Quick review from June 28-July 5th



Afternoon did Helicopter->Glacier. This, was amazing.. to actually be walking around on a glacier and seeing all of the things on it. One warning: If anyone has sensitive ears/sinuses, etc - especially kids - tell pilot.. my youngest did not tolerate the initial changes in altitude (sea level to 3k feet) on the helicopter well, but did fine with the slow descent

Juneau (also did 2) - we had great weather also
Tour of Juneau + Mendenhall Glacier: Did this to spend > 1 hr at MG compared to other tours (had done Deluxe Juneau but changed because didn't think the lunch was anything and wanted smaller whale cruise also).. If I had known, I would have skipped the Salmon Hatchery now - not much to see at all while we were there, but MG was nice

How long were you actually on the glacier?

 

[Bullseyebaby]

Just got back from our Alaska Cruise (July 12-19). Here is what we did & what we thought:

Takshanuk Mountain 4x4: You take a quick ferry ride to Haines, AK... which we loved because we say a few Bald Eagles along the way. Then jump on a bus and a quick ride to the start of our adventure. The vehicles are called "mules" and are 4 seaters (might fit 5, but we were only 4 so I didn't look to see if there was another seat belt in the back). They have a little trunk compartment to put your backpacks & such. We left in 2 groups each of about 10 vehicles. It's a single file "follow the leader" kind of thing up the mountain... never reaching any high speeds. Along the way the scenery was beautiful. Big trees, a few little waterfalls and a beautiful aerial view of the Alaska & the waterways. On the way up we stopped at a little cabin & they served us hot cookies & beverage. On the way down, they provided a nice lunch of halibut & smoked chicken, along with salad & a fruit salad that we loved. Overall we enjoyed it, but it may sound more "adventurous" than it really is. Suitable for most everyone.

Juneau: We did the Mendenhall Glacier Float trip: We enjoyed our rafting trip. Few things.... I thought we would be right near the Glacier. You definitely see it & can take photos, but its at least 1/2 mile to 1 mile from where you begin the rafting. The first 20 minutes of rafting include a few small, small rapids.... after that it is just that.... a float trip, for 4 to 5 miles. We loved it (Luke was our guide), but again.... not as "adventurous" as we thought it would be. They did provide drysuits and at the end gave Disney customers a free picture they took going down one of the rapids (nice little bonus).

Ketchikan: We split up here.... I went to the Misty Fjords and the family went ziplining. The Misty Fjords were beautiful, but for 5 days now we've seen similar scenary (mountains, trees & waterfalls)... so honestly I was bored. They did have a great narrator & the ferry was comfortable & had clean restrooms. They gave out snacks and soup... but as far as the excursion, I would have rather done something else, as it was 4 hours of sightseeing by boat. Great photo opportunities, but we saw no wildlife... just same old scenery (sorry, can you tell I was bored?). Also, it got back so late that I had to run into town to get a souvenier & I would have rather had an couple hours to walk around & shop. A very quaint little town. As for the rest of the family, they loved the Bear Creek Zip Lining. However, they all went ziplining in Hawaii and they said this wasn't "as good" as that...but fun none the less.

From everyone we talked to.... we didn't hear one "bad" story about a Disney excursion. So whatever you choose, I think you'll enjoy it. From our veranda, we saw whales, dolphins, eagles & harbor seals. We saw more on board than on excursions! Enjoy your trip.

One last tidbit..... Vancouver is expensive! 10% tax and food is pricey.... be prepared.

 

[booger73]

How long were you actually on the glacier?

I took a bunch of pictures so I actually have exact times:

Picture of us inside the helicopter leaving: 7/1/11 6:01pm (EST)
In the air flying - view of the Wonder 6:04pm
Flying towards the glacier - multiple views 6:04-6:19pm
Touchdown on the Glacier 6:19pm
Multiple shots of Glacier - family, water, mountains, etc, etc.. 7:08pm

Helicopter lands to pick us up : 7:09pm
Picture of us landing back in Skagway flying near boat: 7:29pm

So.. approximately 49 minutes on the Glacier
15min-20 min in flight towards/back

 

[booger73]

And.. if you were asking Mendenhall instead sorry, didn't think about that:

First picture of Mendenhall : 11:54am (EST)
Last picture 1:09pm (EST)

 

[womanredress]

We have booked this excursion for Ketchikan. I know that it is seasonal and we are on the Aug 23rd sailing. I don't know which sailing this is first offered on, so hoping someone from an up coming cruise is doing this and will post a review.

I keep hoping that too! I'm on the Aug 23rd sailing as well! It's nice having a later cruise because we can hear from others first!

We booked the All Aboard Steam Train in Skagway and are doing our own exploration in the other ports. I've heard a lot about the train, but not a lot specifically the All Aboard Steam train one. Just that it broke one week! I'm up for an adventure though. I love steam trains so I think we'll manage.

 

[PBader]

So two thumbs up to Alaska Shirt Company

That's nice to know

 

[Buzzster]

We did the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari and thought it was AWESOME.

7:15am Bus to the dock
7:30am 1.25 hour ferry ride to GP
8:45am Hike to canoes to glacier
Canoe trip is fantastic
Noon Return to ferry for lunch back to Skagway

This excursion was excellent. Our guide, Renee was AWESOME, AMAZING and so knowledgeable. She really loves her job. My son of 10 really got a lot out of the experience as well. DO THIS!!!!!

 

[thumpery]

Buzzster, thank you so much for posting about this excursion. I haven't read much about it. Seems most people are doing the train. We are doing it on the August 9th cruise! I have a few questions if you don't mind.

I was wondering what kind of clothes/shoes we should wear on this excursion. Did you get wet at all? Did they serve any food? We are booked for the 9:10 am and don't get back till 3:40 pm. My boys will need something for lunch. Also, is there a place to store a backpack?

I would really appreciate any information you could provide. Thanks in advance!

 

[Buzzster]

We wore jeans and tshirts with fleece we could take off. They supply boots and additional layers as needed. In addition, they had sunscreen and bug repellent. Lunch was served on the boat consisting of turkey sandwichchips and cookie.

 

[Doingitagain]

I thought this was horrible...when we waiting in the Walt Disney Theater for our Boat and Floatplane excursion to Misty Fjords, the tour company came through and asked each of us individually to say our weight. Yes, in front of my family, the entire excursion, and all the other excursions around us! I know they need to balance weight on float planes, but you would think they could keep it more private than that.

 

[mm126]

Just returned from the July 12 Wonder...

Vancouver: Hop on Hop Off Trolley tour. Booked with concierge in Fairmont Waterfront. Informative tour and a great way to cover a lot of territory in a short amount of time. Recommend doing this first thing in the am...the lines get very long mid day.

Vancouver: Rocky Mountaineer Sea to Sky train to Whistler. Booked with Landsea Tours. Train to Whistler and Executive Coach back to Vancouver with stops along the way. Booked the dome train which I highly recommend -definitely worth the extra money.

Whistler: Peak to Peak. Waited to purchase tickets that day to insure visibility on the mountain. We lucked out with the weather and were able to enjoy amazing views from the top of Whistler and while crossing (Peak to Peak) to Blackcomb. Opted for the open chair lift back down the mountain - where we saw 4 bear from the chair lift! Whistler Village has lots of shops and restaurants but we spent the majority of our time on top of the moutain.

Skagway - Yukon Expedition (booked w/ Disney). This trip was a guided bus tour to the Yukon Territory with stops along the way for pictures and return via Whitepass Railroad. Loved it!

Juneau - Orca Enterprises (self booked on line). Highly recommend this company. Much smaller group than the tour boats we saw. Captain Larry and crew (Kelly) did a wonderful job. We had a terrific time and 14 whales and even witnessed bubble feeding.

Ketchikan - Island Wings (self booked on line) Misty Fjord and Glacier tour. Highly recommend this tour. We enjoyed our flight (2.5 hours) with Michelle. Picture perfect day which allowed for us to travel out over the glaciers. Landing on Walker Lake and walking around added to the experience which included watching a beaver push branch across the lake!

Happy to answer any questions.

 

[debc1212]

subbing

 

[JimmyJackJunior]

Went on July 12th and have been camping since with no internet

1) Skagway - went with Skagway Float Tours. Had a tour guide named Nathan. Five stars. We hiked up a little bit of the Chilkoot Trail and then rafted down. If you go request Nathan, he was a great deal of fun and the trip was a blast. The youngest in our group was five years old. Best tour I have ever been on.

2) Juneau - went whale watching and then to mendenhall galcier. Company was Dolphin Jet Tour. The tour got off to a terrible start as they had overbooked and did not have enough space on their boats. Once we got out there the whale watching was absolutely incredible. Must have seen 50 whales and a group of them were bubble feeding. Got out to the Glacier but was shorted on time due to the earlier mix up and then the bus at both the pickup from the boat and the glacier was late. I would recommend the tour but not with alaska tours.com/dolphin jet boats.

3) Ketchikan - Did a bus tour with sourdough tours. The wildlife portion was very boring compared to what we saw on the other two tours and from the Wonder. I would just take a city bus out to the totems.

 

["Got Disney"]

glacier walkabout awesome awesome awesome...awe inspiring

Train ride with Liarsville gold panning lots of fun and views from the train beautiful

Tracy Arm....wow wow wow

sea Berring crab tour lots of fun,funny and inspiring from listening to the stories.

Pictures do not do the scenery justice.

 

["Got Disney"]

I thought this was horrible...when we waiting in the Walt Disney Theater for our Boat and Floatplane excursion to Misty Fjords, the tour company came through and asked each of us individually to say our weight. Yes, in front of my family, the entire excursion, and all the other excursions around us! I know they need to balance weight on float planes, but you would think they could keep it more private than that.

For the helicopters they just asked us to write our wt down on the back of our tickets....sorry u had to go through that.

 

[LBollengier]

We did the White Pass Railroad in Skagway. That was a very good excursion, historical and educational! 8 out of 10 stars

Then that afternoon we went to the Mead Glacier by helicopter - they provided us with glacier boots & vests. It was a 20 minute trip over and past several other glaciers. Then we had 40 minutes to explore the glacier! It was a thrill to walk around and look down in the crevices or "moulans" Gary and the girls even drank some glacier water! 9 out of 10 stars

In Juneau we went on a small boat looking for whales and we saw about 15, a young calf even jumped out of the water for us twice (breached) They had a knowledgeable young man telling us lots of whale facts and the weather was nice. 8.5 stars

Later in Juneau we went to the Historic Gold Panning and Salmon bake. THe pans were loaded with flecks of gold when we arrived but somehow the ones we dredged ourselves out of the water didn't seem to have any. THen we went to a place to have the Salmon bake and there was a waterfall and salmon swimming upstream but we only had 25 minutes left at this point and we were terribly rushed. THe food was fair at best and seemed quite exposed to the elements and I was a little afraid to eat it. Nobody took us up the path to the stream and waterfall but we went anyway and the salmon were right there trying to swim up the creek. Too bad we felt so rushed. Overall
this was my least favorite of the excursions although my DD11 was so excited about her little vial of gold that I didn't mention my true feelings to my family! 5 out of 10 stars

In Ketchikan we saved the best for last!! For years we have looked longingly at the Zip line excursions and wanted to do them but had to wait until our youngest was old enough. We did the Rainforest Zipline adventure and went on 8 zip lines and several suspension bridges. We were thrilled and absolutely loved this adventure!!! 10+ out of 10 stars.

We went to the Vancouver Aquarium the day we got back and it was fantastic! I thought the Dallas World Aquarium was the coolest aquarium but now it has fallen to #2!! We were planning to go to Harry Potter that day but it was sold out at the 3d until 10:30PM... So we did that Wednesday instead. We also ate al fresco at this wonderful restaurant called the Italian Kitchen located about halfway walking between the Marriott Pinnacle and the theatre. It was better than any italian place in Dallas I know of. Overall, we loved Vancouver! We loved ALaska! What a great vacation!!

I would definitely like to do this vacation again in July or August in the future! Next time I would definitely go back to Zip-Lining again! I'd like to do a "Disney Exclusive event" too as everyone RAVED about them that I heard. Probably the Dog sledding one. Also I heard great things about the Lubmerjack shows and the gold-panning with characters.

 

[LBollengier]

[QUOTE="Got Disney";42000093]For the helicopters they just asked us to write our wt down on the back of our tickets....sorry u had to go through that.[/QUOTE]

We did the Glacier Discovery by Helicopter in Skagway. They wrote down our weights on a paper with everyone able to see and added 10 lbs to mine and my daughters from what I told them and I was honest about it!! LOL

THen they called my hubby out in front of everyone and made him get on a scale - He wrote down his actual weight and I felt really bad for him. Kind of put a damper on it - then they took us by weights and tried to put our daughters on a different helicopter - almost got my MOMMY fur up!