Disney Exclusive Dog Musher v. Dog Sledding on Mendenhall

[jlwhitney]

I hope you are right! With three to choose from in Juneau, I'm hoping at least one is available. I think our cruise is pretty full. I agree Aquadame--but maybe the "exclusive" factor helps keep the cost up. For four people it sure is a lot of money! I really wish ABD had kept it as part of their program. I would have jumped all over that.

Just book on your own with Coastal A solid hundred dollars cheaper from the reg dog sledding and 200 hundred ish cheaper than the exclusiive.

 

[jlwhitney]

Silver, right at midnight for Excl....sorry. I think the other DCL dogsledding was available. However, I asked Coastal Helicopters to tell me why their tour was better than DCL 'plain' dogsledding and they sold me on it.

I loved coastal, we had a really good experience. Since the time spot we booked was not busy, we were the only two they gave us an extra mile on the sledding part and were great to work wit.

We even called them and asked for a different pick up spot since we were running out of time getting to the original pick up spot.

You won't be disappointed.

 

[annetria]

I just love the photos! I really would like to book the Alaskan cruise - just to do this. So much fun! Maybe this will be cruise #2...who knows.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Silver, right at midnight for Excl....sorry.

Sigh, I figured. Good thing I'm not holding my breath on this one, LOL. Thanks for all the great recommends of Coastal. Sounds like that might be in my future.

Annetria, I'm *so* looking forward to Alaska. I think it sounds like a great #2!

 

[brandysmommy]

Silver, right at midnight for Excl....sorry. I think the other DCL dogsledding was available. However, I asked Coastal Helicopters to tell me why their tour was better than DCL 'plain' dogsledding and they sold me on it.

What did they say was better about their tour?

 

[mkladypink]

From the email conversation I had with Coastal:

"The best pitch I can give is in regards to the size of our operation. We are the only completely independent helicopter tour operation here in Juneau. We pull our customers from the cruise population, but as you've discovered, we aren't sold aboard ship. That is due in part to our position as a year round operator that uses our available aircraft during the summer months to provide a rich, personal experience of the Alaskan wilderness to our customers. We strive to provide a relaxed pace to your experience, feeling that each of you that chooses to schedule with us should be allowed a tour unlike anything you've experience.

We work in co-operation with Blue Kennels Inc. to provide your dog sled experience. The camp is owned and operated by Sebastian Schneulle, an Iditarod competitor and Yukon Quest winner who has received awards for the great care that he takes of his dog teams. He extends this philosophy to his dog camp, choosing to heavily moderate the number of tours that fly to the dog camp and running one tour per hour, as opposed to the heavier schedule of one tour every half hour that other camps run. That means that space aboard the flight is much more dear, but it allows us the time to provide an unforgettable experience to each and every passenger."

 

[Fivepin]

I agree...awesome pics! A couple of questions...when did you travel (I leave in 3 wks)...you look really bundled up, how cold was it (I live in the Cleveland area so 'cold' to me means something different...it has been 1 week since my kids last saw snow!) Exclusive was already booked so we signed up w/Coastal.

Thanks!

We went July 12th. We are from Florida so it doesn't take much to get us cold. I will tell you when we landed I was surprised, we were too warm. But when we started mushing I was glad to have all the layers. I had t shirt, sweatshirt, fleece jacket, hat, gloves, and scarf.

 

[Calfan]

Great to hear the positive feedback about Coastal. I booked them yesterday as a back-up in case the Disney dog sledding port adventures are all booked up when my window opens. Since I am also silver, I am not holding out much hope for the Disney exclusive. There is one Disney excursion (Dog Sled Adventure by Helicopter) that would save me just under $100 over Coastal because both my kids qualify for the kid rate. But it sounds like Coastal might be the better experience.

 

[wilderness_gal]

Did they provide you boots? Or did you have to bring your own?

 

[gojulia]

Has anyone been on the helicopter/dogsled tour in Skagway? We don't want to miss whale watching in Juneau, but the kids really want to go dog sledding. Can't figure out how to fit both in.

Thanks for sharing the pictures! They look amazing!

 

[Hedd4DW]

Has anyone been on the helicopter/dogsled tour in Skagway? We don't want to miss whale watching in Juneau, but the kids really want to go dog sledding. Can't figure out how to fit both in.

Thanks for sharing the pictures! They look amazing!

Yes, please, does anyone have any info on this? We want to do both as well!