possibility of missing Juneau?

[jstducky]

has anyone ever heard of or experienced a situation where Juneau was skipped by a cruise ship as a port of call at the last minute?

 

i want to book a dog sled tour through ERA and they have told me that if the tour is cancelled by them due to weather issues, i would get a full refund of my money.

 

but if the tour is cancelled due to the fact that the ship skipped Juneau, i wouldn't get my money back because they have a 48 hour in advance full refund cancellation policy.

 

i've been to juneau twice and i think that the likelihood of missing juneau is slim. but i dont know if i want to put my money on the line. we have to pay the full amount of the tour 30 days in advance.

 

its the same exact tour being offered by the ship, as the ship contracts through ERA as well. but the ships price last year was $30 more than ERA is selling it directly this year. and who knows how much the ship is going to raise prices from last year to this year!

 

any advice?

[jrask]

Possibility of missing Juneau?

 

I'd say its a sure thing. I've missed Juneau ever since I got back from my trip. But, that's probably not helpful.

[jstducky]

HA! thats too funny! good one!

 

i actually found out that this is a moot point. as i called ERA directly and found out that the day I am in Juneau there will be a total of 4 ships in port. so they dont have extra helicopters for independent bookings. therefore if i want a spot on the dog sled tour, i need to book it through the cruise line as soon as they open up for pre-booking shore excursions. i'll just have to shell out the extra $30+ on top of the already ridiculously high price!

 

thanks anyway for the laugh!

[lmcd]

Try Coastal Helicopters for the dogsledding in Juneau. They partner with Godwin Glacier Dogsledding for this excursion. Check about the cancellation policy regarding missed ports. We missed Skagway once and had no problem getting a refund on missed excursion. Will be cheaper than ship tour also.

 

Larry

[Budget Queen]

I was also going to suggest booking the glaicer dog sledding with Coastal, but be aware- this is the MOST canceled of all Alaska excursions, out of Skagway somewhat less so- bookings with TEMSCO. No guarantees on anything. :)

[jstducky]

Thanks for your help guys. I actually contacted Coastal before. After examining the two dog sledding tours, I have decided that I like ERA's more due to the fact that the flight time is twice as long and the fact that you get to fly over 4 glaciers. The price difference between the 2 companies is only about $20, which I beleive is worth the extra cost.

 

I also have a glacier landing tour booked through TEMSCO in Skagway, so at least one way or another I'll get a helicopter flight!

[lmcd]

Another possible option. Godwin Glacier Dogsledding also offers their tours in Seward. On this tour, discounts are offered for kids. You book this tour directly with Godwin Glacier Dogsledding.

 

I would be a little concerned about the amount of flying time, since that is time not spent at the dog camp and dogsledding. We did the dogsledding from Seward last year and it was just a short flight to the dog camp, thus we got to spend a lot of time at the dog camp and then dogsledding.

 

Larry

[jstducky]

larry:

 

thanks for the suggestion. unfortunately i won't be in seward.

 

and i too was concerned about time at the dog sled camp. but i found that the one through ERA and the one through Coastal offer 1 hour at the dog sled camp. however the ERA tour offers longer flying time as well for only about $20 more!