Best Dog Sled Adventure for almost 3 y/o?

[MariahJ]

My family is taking an Alaska cruise on the Disney Wonder on 7/1. My daughter will be 3 weeks away from her 3rd birthday, which puts us in a sweet spot because she's still free on most excursions. :) Anyway, I'm looking for some suggestions on which dog sled tour to book. Will the glacier tour be a bit much for her, with the helicopter ride and very cold weather? It is very pricey so before we consider it I want to make sure it will be worth it! It looks both Juneau and Scagway have some cheaper options that doing actually go into the glaciers and have the dogs pull us on a cart. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[sherryf]

On my first cruise to Alaska, my children were 2, 5, and 8. Now, 12 years later, the youngest has almost no memories of the cruise. Mostly what she remembers is what she has seen in photos. The middle child (5) has some vague memories, mostly of family members we were with and time in the kid club. The only child who truly remembers the trip and the excursions we did is the oldest.

 

A 3 year old might have fun at the time, but is unlikely to remember much in the long run. I can't see spending $500 for a helicopter glacier landing and dog sledding for a child so young. Likely, a trip to a place (such as Caribou Crossing) where you can play with puppies and do a cart ride would be just as fun for a young child, and is a lot cheaper. JMHO.

[MariahJ]

On my first cruise to Alaska, my children were 2, 5, and 8. Now, 12 years later, the youngest has almost no memories of the cruise. Mostly what she remembers is what she has seen in photos. The middle child (5) has some vague memories, mostly of family members we were with and time in the kid club. The only child who truly remembers the trip and the excursions we did is the oldest.

 

A 3 year old might have fun at the time, but is unlikely to remember much in the long run. I can't see spending $500 for a helicopter glacier landing and dog sledding for a child so young. Likely, a trip to a place (such as Caribou Crossing) where you can play with puppies and do a cart ride would be just as fun for a young child, and is a lot cheaper. JMHO.

 

Thanks! I think you have convinced me to save my money. I'm sure my daughter will love petting the puppies as much or more than the ride.

[sherryf]

Thanks! I think you have convinced me to save my money. I'm sure my daughter will love petting the puppies as much or more than the ride.

 

Whew! I'm glad you weren't offended. I've had people on other boards insist that their child remembers everything from when they were 2. My experience with 3 teens is that they really don't remember much. I'm sure your daughter will enjoy seeing puppies.

[KAYEF]

I would think such a young child would be frightened from the noises and the roughness of the sled ride..............really.

But, you have to know my kids are grown up, so perhaps today's kids are already used to such things.

I just took my first glacier-dog-sled experience last year and LOVED every second of it.

(Just plan on going north again in a couple of years.;))

[Budget Queen]

Instead of the cart ride tours, offered by the cruiselines-- again the crowds, and time is restrictive, you go when they tell you, load/unload, that's it. You would be better off, driving yourself to Carcross, Yukon, out of Skagway to Caribou Crossing. They have a walk up cart ride, that you can take your time with and see how your daughter reacts. Be WELL prepared for a lot of dirt/dust and some darn ugly dogs. :) There is also a near by desert that could be a nice run around spot. :) Beautiful 75 mile scenic one way drive. Murray's Guide is "necessary in my opinion.

 

http://cariboucrossing.ca/

[meab]

Budget queen, I like your response! We will be going to Alaska soon with our kids, the youngest are 3 and 5. That was exactly my impression of the guided tours, very restrictive. I'm nervous about renting a car and driving it ourselves. Also nervous because the 5 year old is prone to car sickness...are the roads very steep and winding?

 

And when I google map Skagway to caribou crossing, it's 2+ hours. Is this realistic with kids? Or are there plenty of stop offs to keep things interesting.

 

Another note - we are on princess, and every tour that involves riding with the dogs means a minimum age of 5. Wondering if it is a necessity to ride?

 

Thanks!

[Budget Queen]

Budget queen, I like your response! We will be going to Alaska soon with our kids, the youngest are 3 and 5. That was exactly my impression of the guided tours, very restrictive. I'm nervous about renting a car and driving it ourselves. Also nervous because the 5 year old is prone to car sickness...are the roads very steep and winding?

 

And when I google map Skagway to caribou crossing, it's 2+ hours. Is this realistic with kids? Or are there plenty of stop offs to keep things interesting.

 

Another note - we are on princess, and every tour that involves riding with the dogs means a minimum age of 5. Wondering if it is a necessity to ride?

 

Thanks!

 

It's a simple drive that does go up over White Pass, very scenic for not a winding road. Fairly straight actually. You do enter Canada so before you consider this, be sure to comply with all entry requirements for everyone.

 

There are plenty of nice spots to stop and enjoy. Purchasing the cheap Murrarys Guide, is a very detailed reference. Zero your trip in the car.

 

Contact the vendor directly at Caribou Crossing for their age restrictions.

[Firehunter]

We are doing the Musher's Camp and Dog Sledding in Skagway and our youngest will be 4 the next day. Both kids are young, but love dogs so much that they are thrilled to go. We are happy to pay for the excursion for them to enjoy themselves and for us to see their enjoyment. :)

[meab]

Firehunter - I pulled up the musher's camp online, and if you book direct, all ages are ok. I'm not sure why the minimum on Princess is 5. However, with the number of people we have, it's nearly $650. My kids want to see the dogs, but there's got to be a better way!

[Firehunter]

Firehunter - I pulled up the musher's camp online, and if you book direct, all ages are ok. I'm not sure why the minimum on Princess is 5. However, with the number of people we have, it's nearly $650. My kids want to see the dogs, but there's got to be a better way!

 

Norwegian doesn't have an age restriction for it, so we were able to book with them. Yes, we are finding all the excursions fairly pricey for our family too, but have decided to just go for it on our vacation. I heard booking directly with independents is less expensive, so that will save you some there. I hope it all works out for you.

[meab]

We decided to rent a car in Skagway, and do a drive to carcross for the day.

 

Next question...the kids want to see sled dogs, I was going to do caribou crossing. I saw you can pan for gold there too.

 

But now I am also looking at Klondike Gold Fields. Wondering which one is better?

 

And after reading some things online, I'm wondering if we should pan for gold somewhere in juneau instead?

 

Any tips from the experts?

[sherryf]

Caribou Crossing has dog cart rides. Klondike Gold Fields does not, but they had more puppies to hold.

 

Did gold panning at the Klondike Gold Fields. They are strict about no "double dipping" and they give you an opaque black container for your gold, like a film canister, then try to sell you jewelry to put your gold in so you can see it. We also have done the Gastineau Gold Mine tour in Juneau and I liked their gold panning better. They let you stand there and pan in the dirt at the bottom of the tables as long as you want, though only your first pan is "seeded". They give you a tiny glass bottle for your gold so you can actually see it. I'd only go here for panning if you are interested in the overall tour. There are other options, but I only have experience with these two.

[meab]

thanks sherryf.

 

i think the feeling from our family is that meeting the dogs is ok, cart ride not too important.

 

gold panning is of interest. the kids are small, so corny is ok. i saw you can pan at caribou crossing, i thought good to do it there. but then i saw the klondike place, and saw we can meet dogs and pan for gold there too. so now i don't know which is better; but we aren't going to do both.

 

ah, if all of life's decisions were this complicated :)