Help with Juneau Excursions

[snoopy226]

Hi All!

 

My husband and I will be on a cruise to Alaska the last week of May to celebrate my 50th birthday! We will be in Juneau from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. We are very active, love dogs, and love photography. With so many great excursions in Juneau, we are having a very difficult time deciding. We have narrowed it down to the following three and would welcome any thoughts or input!

 

1. Helicopter and Dog Sled Tour with Era Helicopters

 

2. Taku Lodge Glacier Tour with Wings Airway

 

3. Tracy Arm Fjord Glacier and Explorer Cruise - through NCL

 

As I stated above, I am a huge dog lover, however, I am concerned about the cost of that tour. The Tracy Arm tour sounds amazing and a great opportunity to take photos - my concern with this tour is that it takes the entire time we are in Juneau and I am wondering how similar it is to the Glacier Bay day on the cruise ship.

 

As I said - any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

[snoopy226]

Any thoughts? As I indicated I have narrowed our choices down to 3 - but it is so hard to choose. I would love insight from anyone who has been on these excursions. Thanks!:)

[rjeffler]

I haven't been yet, but I'm scheduled on the Dog Sled w/Helicopter through ERA as well. We are going with friends and she wanted to do this as much as I did. We are considering this a once in a lifetime opportunity and just bit the bullet! Do what your heart wants most! Don't regret it later!!

[AmberCascades]

If you've narrowed it down to what you'd like best then you can't go wrong, whatever you choose (because you are in Alaska after all :)). We did Taku Lodge. We loved it. Flying over the glaciers was amazing and it was beautiful to see so much that we wouldn't otherwise see. From the lodge you can see Taku glacier across the lake. They also take you on a short hike to show you the various flora. The salmon was the best I've ever had (we still dream about it) and after we sat down to eat a bear came to eat the sand from the grill. The guides said we could come outside and see her if we were quiet. We all willingly left our lovely lunches and went to see the bear. That was awesome too. That was our experience. I've heard good things about the other excursions too.

[Budget Queen]

I have done all three of your excursion list. Each is an excellent choice. But, no, Glacier Bay is not "similar" to Tracy Arm.

 

Frankly, if you don't have any priority for you Alaska, then pick the choice out of a hat. :)

 

You are going to get nothing but raves about each of these tours. Pick based on the numbers you get??

[snoopy226]

Thanks for the replies! We haven't decided yet - but it is nice to know that really we can't go! wrong with any of the choices. We may have to resort to pulling it out of a hat! lol:D

[peety3]

...and love photography.

 

1. Helicopter and Dog Sled Tour with Era Helicopters

 

2. Taku Lodge Glacier Tour with Wings Airway

 

3. Tracy Arm Fjord Glacier and Explorer Cruise - through NCL

What gear are you taking along? (I hope you both shoot the same brand!) Remember that helicopter flights and some floatplane flights are weight-dependent, often with a 250-pound limit [as you plan to board the aircraft, though usually without the supplied safety gear]. On a helicopter flight to a glacier, I took two bodies, a 24-70 and a 70-200 (big waste: 70-200 should have stayed home and 16-35 should have gone), and I was right up against the weight limit. Having two cameras was tricky, as you're packed into the helicopter like sardines so camera swaps were hard (solo).

 

Also, on the return from the glacier, the pilot asked if we wanted the heat turned on, and the group said yes. Once we were airborne, he turned on the heat (you should start to notice that the heat settings were almost binary), and my lenses fogged up almost instantly for a good five minutes.

 

I would suspect floatplanes are almost as cozy. Think about how your shooting styles and equipment choices would factor into each of your excursion choices. I've chosen to do all surface-based excursions on our next cruise, as I'm hoping to take either or possibly both of the 200-400/4 and the 600/4; I suspect even one of those bazookas (plus a monopod) could be almost trouble aboard any sort of aircraft.