Float Plane in Juneau or Ketchikan

[lilpooh108]

Hey there Alaska experts...

We know that we definitely want to do a float plane excursion for our Alaska cruise...we just can't decide whether to do the float plane in Juneau or in Ketchikan to see Misty Fjords....any thoughts?

TIA!


(I posted this on the cruise boards too . . . but didn't get any responses . . .)

 

[chainkid]

Hey there Alaska experts...

We know that we definitely want to do a float plane excursion for our Alaska cruise...we just can't decide whether to do the float plane in Juneau or in Ketchikan to see Misty Fjords....any thoughts?

TIA!


(I posted this on the cruise boards too . . . but didn't get any responses . . .)

We didt he Misty Fjords float plane when we went about 13 years ago and it was wonderful. In Ketchikan, we did the helicopter trip that lands you half way up a mountain trail and then you hike the other few miles to the top and then come down the railroad..it was great and not too tough a hike.

 

[sayhello]

I did the float plane to Misty Fjords out of Ketchikan. I can't compare it to Juneau, since I didn't do a float plane from there.

It was a FABULOUS trip. I really, really loved flying over the fjords, and then they landed on the water on one of the lakes, and we got out on the plane's floats, and took pictures, and looked around. It's really a remarkably beautiful area. I can highly recommend Misty Fjords as an excursion!

Sayhello

 

[lilpooh108]

Thanks for the replies!

sayhello----I read through your ABD Alaska trip report and it was fantastic! Loved all the pictures and your detailed explanations. Sorry you bumped your head. This will remind me to purchase TravelGuard soon for our cruise. We'd love to be able to go on an ABD trip someday but it's still a few years away for us as we have a little one now and she doesn't meet the minimum age limit for the Italian trip we've been eyeballing

Anyways...do you have any pics of the float plane trip to Misty Fjords? Do you remeber the name of the company you went with and would you recommend them? TIA!

 

[Huff]

I have a brother who is a bush/float plane pilot in Alaska, currently flying out of Ketchikan but has lived throughout AK over the years. If interested I can PM you his contact info.

 

[sayhello]

Thanks for the replies!

sayhello----I read through your ABD Alaska trip report and it was fantastic! Loved all the pictures and your detailed explanations. Sorry you bumped your head. This will remind me to purchase TravelGuard soon for our cruise. We'd love to be able to go on an ABD trip someday but it's still a few years away for us as we have a little one now and she doesn't meet the minimum age limit for the Italian trip we've been eyeballing

I'm so glad you enjoyed the Report & pictures! The bumped head was a bummer! But considering how much worse it could have been, I'm not complaining too loudly. It's all healed now. I am a HUGE proponent of Travel insurance!!! And as far as having to wait to do an ABD... well, you just have something to look forward to!!!

Anyways...do you have any pics of the float plane trip to Misty Fjords? Do you remeber the name of the company you went with and would you recommend them? TIA!

lilpooh108, I should explain (although it might be in my Report) that I've taken 2 trips to Alaska. The first was a cruisetour with Princess in 2006, and then the ABD last year. I feel incredibly lucky to have been there twice. I'm sure it won't be the last time either. The Misty Fjords tour was from the Princess cruisetour trip.

Do I have pictures from Misty Fjords? Of *course* I have pictures of Misty Fjords!

The company was Taquan Air Flightseeing. I would *definitely* recommend them! I get easily seasick, and was a little afraid I'd get sick on the plane. Our pilot flew really carefully so as to not jostle us too much, and I had NO issues at all! And we saw some wonderful stuff. The plane was clean & well-maintained, and it just seemed like a really professional operation. It was one of the highlights of the cruise. I booked them through the ship, but I imagine you could book them directly if you wanted to.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm going to have to figure how to post my report from the cruise here... it's on a locked blog. If I figure it out, I'll let you know!

Sayhello

 

[Orsino]

I did a float plane trip out of ketchikan a few years ago. We had good weather and I still got plane-sick. We had excellent weather too. Nothing too terrible, but a bummer nonetheless. I suggest you be prepared.

We saw bears, so that made it all worth it.

The people on the message board fixated on cruises suggest that you book a tour outside of the ones offered by the cruise ships (just be careful for timing). I have to agree. For our flight, we landed, taxied to the shore and were able to hang out on land inside Misty Fjord Park (watching bears!). After we had been on land for a while, another plane landed on the water. The people on that plane got out and stood on the floats (not on land). Then they piled back in and flew away. We got much more time to enjoy (bears!) instead of being rushed.

I don't remember the company I used, but if you send me a PM I'll dig it up for you.

 

[cshore]

We did a floatplane out of Ketchican. It was the best! We landed on the water somewhere in Misty Fiord and were lucky enough to see bear feasting on salmon at lunchtime. There were about 8 bald eagle lined up behind that bear waiting to steal pieces of the salmon, then they would soar to the top of the pine trees. The pilot let me get out and stand on the float to get pictures. While standing there, a seal surfaced right next to the float. It was just awesome! It took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes. We also saw Dahl Sheep grazing on the mountainsides. The weather was horrible when we arrived, but cleared and our plane was able to make it into the fiord. The weather can change very quickly and it is not unusual for excursions to be canceled.

Juneau was terrific for whale watching. We saw so many Humpback in one area, and Orca in another area of teh sound. Also lots of eagle, seals and sea otter.

Whatever the experience, Alaska is an unforgetable adventure.

 

[disneytraveler]

Misty Fjords is a wonderful excursion. I did not view it by plane though.This past summer ,late August to September i went on a cruise to Alaska!

 

[yehua72]

We did Misty Fjord excursion couple of years ago and it was wonderful. I think the setting of the Ketchikan is more suitable for float plane. We also did the helicopter tour out of Juneau to land on the glacier.

 

[mhf]

We did float plane in Ketchikan to Misty Fjords with "Island Wings." FANTASTIC!!! I believe it is the only (or one of the only) company that lands on the lake, ties up, and allows you to walk around on the shore. All the other planes we saw landed on the lake, taxied a bit, and then took off again.

Did helicopter flight to glacier walk up to the icefields out of Juneau which was my favorite trip ever. Ever. Ever.

Melissa

 

[scroot]

We took a float plane out of Juneu and went to the Taku Glacier Lodge. You fly over the Juneu ice field and land in the Taku River across from the Taku Glacier. There is time to explore the area and then they feed you a fresh salmon meal that can't be beat. The lodge is in such a remote area that it had a true feeling of adventure and being in the Alaska wilderness.

The fact of the matter is that Alaska is so beautiful that it is hard to imagine any plane ride not being amazing. Hope you have a great time.

 

[Castaway Kev]

My wife and I were referred to Carlin Air in Ketchikan by a neighbor. They were great! Our neighbor told us that they would land on a lake, and let us out. This is something few others do. We had a great experience with them, and would recommend them to any cruisers. You can find their information with a quick online search.

 

[sayhello]

My wife and I were referred to Carlin Air in Ketchikan by a neighbor. They were great! Our neighbor told us that they would land on a lake, and let us out. This is something few others do. We had a great experience with them, and would recommend them to any cruisers. You can find their information with a quick online search.

Taquan landed on a lake & let us out on the pontoons, also.

Sayhello