Alaskan cruisers: Did you find the helicopter dogsled worth it

[CampbellzSoup]

Hey everyone I’m in the middle of looking at our Alaska cruise that we booked for this June aboard the Norwegian bliss and I’m very excited.

However I will say that the excursions in Alaska are not cheap most noticeably the once-in-a-lifetime helicopter dog sledding excursion.

For those of you who have done it did you think it was worth it and more importantly what did you guys end up doing in Alaska you guys help me tremendously with my Panama Canal cruise!

 

[Wishing on a star]

I have not done that excursion... This IS very expensive!
I say 'worth it' would depend on you.... Would that be a big, bucket list, type thing?
I have also heard that since weather and fog can keep the helicopters grounded, book this at the first port where available, and hope you can do this at another port and try again if that one gets cancelled.

Have you cruised Alaska?
Does this sailing cruise Glacier Bay?
I know Princess and HAL have most of the permits for Glacier Bay...
I don't know if NCL has many, or any, at all?

 

[meajuly5]

We did it- the helicopter ride was awesome. We got stuck on the glacier for a number of hours bc the weather made it too dangerous to fly back.
We had booked this directly instead of using the cruise so there was some concern about making it back in time so if you are booking direct, do it early so you have plenty of time. The dog sledding was fun although not as long or fast as we expected.

 

[barkley]

did'nt do the one w/dog sledding but did do the one to the glacier which was spectacular. i've done helicopters in both maui and juneau and while pricey tours they have been the most enjoyable/memorable.

dh still raves about scuba diving in ketchikan which i know sounds nuts but they get water currents that are warmer than what he was used to in northern california.

 

[adkkev]

If this cruise is a once in a lifetime thing, then maybe you should consider booking this excursion. It's not very often that you'd have to opportunity to do anything quite like this. We have gone dogsledding in Alaska but that was in the winter and it truly is an amazing experience (here's a link to where we went: http://www.smokinacekennels.org/).
We have taken only one cruise in our lives and that was a HAL cruise out of Vancouver to Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. It was pretty cool to see a part of Alaska that we'd never seen/visited before. The biggest drawback, in our opinion (FWIW), was that there wasn't enough time at each port to really explore. But then we're used to just driving around Alaska, taking our time to visit & explore as much as we can. And to make things "easier", our son lives in Fairbanks so we have a "home base" to wander from.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Out of all the tours we've taken on cruises, the helicopter/dog sledding tour from Juneau was without a doubt the best experience we've ever had. I've cruised to Alaska twice & taken a total of 10 tours. I would skip all of the other tours, if that was the only way I could afford the helicopter/dog sledding tour. I'd spend the other days walking around the towns/villages. Be aware that the tour can be cancelled, due to weather.

FWIW, I'd book privately, instead of with the cruise line. All of them will refund your money, if the tour is cancelled. If you want to book privately, you need to do that ASAP. This tour is very popular. The best private companies book up quickly.

 

[ForMyBoys]

Where are you stopping in Alaska? We had a great excursion in Skagway so if you are stopping there I'll look it up and share the info.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Here’s where the cruise is going guys:

Seattle, Washington - At Sea, At Sea - Juneau, Alaska - Skagway, Alaska - Cruising Glacier Bay, Alaska - Ketchikan, Alaska - Victoria, British Columbia - Seattle, Washington

Anyone have a link where they booked directly? The cruise line is charging about $649 dollars per person. I know it’s pricay but I’m glad I’m getting some feedback on this.

I feel Alaska is a once in a lifetime kind of trip!

 

[ForMyBoys]

We did a 7 hour tour in Skagway with http://www.beyondskagwaytours.com

It was the Custom Emerald Lake 7 Hour Tour

We did not book the train transport back and for us that worked well because it was super foggy going out and then we really go to see most of the scenery and take good pictures on the drive back. But if the weather were better on the way out I could see the train being a nice way to come back as its a bit of a different route. We had kids with us and they did a scavenger hunt with them and they were really into it.

We probably just got lucky but on this tour we saw a bear and cubs and tons of other wildlife and we had a great tour guide.

Oh, we also included "pet the pups" in the tour so they stopped there on our way out.

 

[dotfurio]

I wish we could've afforded the helicopter dogsled when we went. We settled for the summer dogsled camp in Skagway and even that was my favorite excursion by far.

In Juneau we went to Mendenhall Glacier. I would've liked to have more time there, but it was a 2 part excursion so we had to go to the next stop. For the other part the youngest and I did the Glacier Gardens, which I thought was a complete let down. I would've been better off staying at the glacier and catching a taxi back to the boat. DH and the oldest's 2nd half of their excursion was ziplining and they loved it.

In Ketchikan we did Saxman Native Village. The totem poles and carver were interesting, the rest was a little cheesy but the kids had fun.

 

[OhhBother]

We’re taking the exact same cruise itinerary on the Bliss in late May. We’ve already sailed once on the Bliss - she’s an amazing ship. You’re going to love it. I was a loyal Celebrity cruiser until I tried Bliss. Now I’m a convert. The food is amazing, the thermal spa is incredible, and the observation lounge is stunning.

We haven’t been to Alaska in 15 years, so we’re lookkng forward to visiting again. I’m afraid of helicopters, so those excursions are a no-go for me. In Juneau, we’ve booked a private tour that allows us to canoe to Mendenhall Glacier and then go hiking on the glacier. We’re doing a private kayak excursion in Ketchikan.

Hope you have an amazing trip!

 

[snoopy5386]

I have wanted to dogsled since I was probably 10 years old. We were fortunate enough to be able to cruise Alaska 3 years ago. And while I would have loved to do the helicopter/dogsled excursion, I wanted to be able to share the dogsledding experience with my own daughter who was 9 at the time and I couldn’t afford over $1000 for one excursion. Even though we were not on a glacier, it was amazing. An all time favorite memory.

We stopped at all the same ports - Ketchikan we did the deadliest catch tour, that was great, Juneau we visited mendenhall glacier and went whale watching, it was amazing, and Skagway we did the dogsled camp and a tour to the Yukon. We had terrible weather all week - horrible fog every day so the Yukon tour was the only disappointment of the trip, but it was beyond our control. At one point the driver pulled over and told us all to get out of the bus - everyone was completely baffled as to why - turned out it was a scenic overlook but you couldn’t see anything 10 feet in front of your face. Even with rain and fog every day we had an amazing time. I hope to go back some day.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I have wanted to dogsled since I was probably 10 years old. We were fortunate enough to be able to cruise Alaska 3 years ago. And while I would have loved to do the helicopter/dogsled excursion, I wanted to be able to share the dogsledding experience with my own daughter who was 9 at the time and I couldn’t afford over $1000 for one excursion. Even though we were not on a glacier, it was amazing. An all time favorite memory.

We stopped at all the same ports - Ketchikan we did the deadliest catch tour, that was great, Juneau we visited mendenhall glacier and went whale watching, it was amazing, and Skagway we did the dogsled camp and a tour to the Yukon. We had terrible weather all week - horrible fog every day so the Yukon tour was the only disappointment of the trip, but it was beyond our control. At one point the driver pulled over and told us all to get out of the bus - everyone was completely baffled as to why - turned out it was a scenic overlook but you couldn’t see anything 10 feet in front of your face. Even with rain and fog every day we had an amazing time. I hope to go back some day.

Ugh that’s such a shame I’m so sorry you had this and experience.

 

[icicle]

We sailed on the Bliss to Alaska last June. My advice is to book now if you are strongly considering something. You can always cancel. Lots of excursions sold out months before our sailing.

We did not do a glacier helicopter tour. Not a big fan of helicopters and for the price it would have been for the 5 of us, we booked another cruise. We had friends who did it and of course they loved it! Other friends that cruised with us had theirs canceled.

We did buck up and do the small boat glacier excursion. That was totally worth it for us because the Bliss was not able to get very close to the glacier, although we did Dawes Glacier, not Glacier Bay.

In Ketchikan we did our own walking tour and shopping. It was lovely. In Junuea we did a combination bus to mendenhall glacier and tram up the mountain. It was great. We were on the first bus to Mendenhall so we were able to see the glacier with just a few people around.

In Skagway we took the train to Fraser, BC then did a private tour with Dyea Dave. We got an amazing tour of the Yukon and got to visit Tagish Lake Kennel to see the sled dogs, Emerald Lake and Carcross.

Whatever you decide, don't second guess yourself! It will be amazing and it's impossible to do everything! Hope that helps.

 

[kdonnel]

I’ve done both but separately on different trips.

I would do the helicopter excursion again but would skip dog sledding.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

We sailed on the Bliss to Alaska last June. My advice is to book now if you are strongly considering something. You can always cancel. Lots of excursions sold out months before our sailing.

We did not do a glacier helicopter tour. Not a big fan of helicopters and for the price it would have been for the 5 of us, we booked another cruise. We had friends who did it and of course they loved it! Other friends that cruised with us had theirs canceled.

We did buck up and do the small boat glacier excursion. That was totally worth it for us because the Bliss was not able to get very close to the glacier, although we did Dawes Glacier, not Glacier Bay.

In Ketchikan we did our own walking tour and shopping. It was lovely. In Junuea we did a combination bus to mendenhall glacier and tram up the mountain. It was great. We were on the first bus to Mendenhall so we were able to see the glacier with just a few people around.

In Skagway we took the train to Fraser, BC then did a private tour with Dyea Dave. We got an amazing tour of the Yukon and got to visit Tagish Lake Kennel to see the sled dogs, Emerald Lake and Carcross.

Whatever you decide, don't second guess yourself! It will be amazing and it's impossible to do everything! Hope that helps.

Thank you SO much for your thoughtful reply!

 

[AnnaS]

We booked for June 2020.

I think I want to do the dog sledding - Not sure what kind of excursions are offered in any of the ports yet. I guess I don't have to worry about the helicopter part being $$$. Not sure I will get in one unless I get really, really brae. Wow - that is expensive.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

We booked for June 2020.

I think I want to do the dog sledding - Not sure what kind of excursions are offered in any of the ports yet. I guess I don't have to worry about the helicopter part being $$$. Not sure I will get in one unless I get really, really brae. Wow - that is expensive.

Very expensive that’s why I’m wonderfing is it best to get it with the ship? Did anyone else book this privately?

This is a once in a lifetime trip; I understand that the helecopter / dog sleds is such an amazing thing to do in Alaska outside of whale watching...where else can you do something like that?

 

[AnnaS]

Very expensive that’s why I’m wonderfing is it best to get it with the ship? Did anyone else book this privately?

This is a once in a lifetime trip; I understand that the helecopter / dog sleds is such an amazing thing to do in Alaska outside of whale watching...where else can you do something like that?

When I told DH, he also said, I am not getting on an helicopter. Yet he has no issues flying like I do. After he thought about it a minute, he said........"we are going to do it, when will we have the opportunity do do this again" - of course I replied, but there are so many helicopter accidents (Vegas, etc.) - I think I might be able to be convinced for this one...... Thank you

 

[tcufrog]

When I told DH, he also said, I am not getting on an helicopter. Yet he has no issues flying like I do. After he thought about it a minute, he said........"we are going to do it, when will we have the opportunity do do this again" - of course I replied, but there are so many helicopter accidents (Vegas, etc.) - I think I might be able to be convinced for this one...... Thank you

My husband is an engineer and he doesn’t want to get on a helicopter. He also hates small planes. He used to work for a really wealthy man who would sometimes insist on them taking his small private plane to out of town business meetings. My husband hated it.