What to do in Ketchican and helicopter in Juneau

[r190]

Heading on a cruise late June with husband and kids (11 and 8). Booked eagle preserve float for Skagway. Want to do a helicopter to a glacier in Juneau - struggling which one. Is there a better helicopter excursion or are they all similar? Really no idea what to do in Skagway. I have looked at the NCL listings, but nothing is winning us over 100%. Considering flightseeing, zodiac tour or duck tour and visit totems, but open to suggestions as nothing has felt quite right yet.

[r190]

sorry - sp - ketchikan

[Budget Queen]

I do not recommend the tour you have booked for Skagway- if you think your priority is eagles?

 

Differences in helicopter tours are 2 basic, glacier landings and glacier dog sledding. With the glacier landings, it's then about time. More is available at higher costs. Highest costs are with the extended trekking tours. Many enjoy the regular glacier landing trips, which are scenic flying and about 30-45 minutes on the glacier. Usually enough time for some walking about. There are 3 companies that do the basic trips, one that does the extended trekking.

 

Ask your family and take a vote for the choices in Ketchikan, you already have looked at the tours available, any of your choices could offer worthwhile touring. But you claim you aren't that interested? Then skip them, Alaska isn't the place to just go on tours, because everyone else does. :) What does your family like doing? Enjoy the water? flying? hiking?

[scotnree]

Can you please provide the link to the helicopter Dog sledding excursions?

[Crew News]

Heading on a cruise late June with husband and kids (11 and 8). Booked eagle preserve float for Skagway. Want to do a helicopter to a glacier in Juneau - struggling which one. Is there a better helicopter excursion or are they all similar? Really no idea what to do in Skagway. I have looked at the NCL listings, but nothing is winning us over 100%. Considering flightseeing, zodiac tour or duck tour and visit totems, but open to suggestions as nothing has felt quite right yet.

The most popular excursion in Ketchikan is Crab Fishing aboard the Aleutian Ballad of TVs "Deadliest Catch" show. The crew are TV and crab fishing veterans and have lots of stories to tell. The boat stops at an eagle preserve and tosses fish to feed lots of eagles. There are so many that you cannot photograph them all swooping down from the trees to grab the fish with their talons (see link below).

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=529

 

They also demonstrate how different crab species are caught while allowing passengers to touch the live crabs (see link below)

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=1185

[sue1898]

I've done the Juneau Helicopter/Dog Sled excursion with HAL twice. It was a magical experience each time! These were booked through HAL with ERA.

[Budget Queen]

Can you please provide the link to the helicopter Dog sledding excursions?

 

3 companies- Coastal, ERA, TEMSCO

[luv2gamble]

Im going next month and I booked Juneau dogsled helicopter on Mendenahall glacier for one big reason. Out of all the excursions, (according to NCL excursion desk and cc posters) this gets canceled the most due to FOG. And its foggy there often. This way, if it gets canceled I still have another shot taking the helicopter in Skagway. This is my back up plan as of now. Hopefully, I dont have to use it because Im scheduled to go on the White pass train which i hear is awesome for $119 w ncl for 3 1/2 hrs. Hope this helps:D

[Glaciers]

This site has an overwhelming amount of information on Ketchikan.

 

http://www.tomsportguides.com/Ketchikan-02-26-2014.pdf

[DougH]

Your kids might enjoy the Duck tour and/or the Lumberjack show. Kind of hokey but fun. A walk up to Creek Street and the Married man trail might be interesting. Flightseeing to Misty Fjords is very nice but for a family of four can get expensive fast.

[cruising twosome]

Glaciers, thank you, great reading! I sent this to the rest of our group to read too, we go I early June.