Watch What Advise You Give

[AuntB]

I just wanted to post what happened to us. We had planned our first Alaska cruise for months, the one shore excursion my husband really wanted to do was dog sled, he was not really crazy about the helicopter ride to the glacier to get to the dog sled, but was willing to do that to get to dog sled. Well, on our plane from Orlando to Anchorage the couple in front of us were going to Alaska for their fourth trip. We talked about our shore excursions and they started telling my husband about all the helicopters that crash and are never reported in the town that we had scheduled our helicopter/dog sled, I won't go into a lot of details, but as soon as we got to our hotel in Anchorage my husband canceled out helicopter/dog sled excursion. I felt bad because he really wanted to do the dog sled. I have no idea if what they told us was really true (I really want to beleive that what they told us was not true, all accidents hopefully are reported). We did a float plane into the Misty Fjords in Ketchikan, he was a little nervous about that but did fine. Moral of this is watch the advise you give to people, I'm sure if we had gone on our helicopter/dog sled excursion we would have had a wonderful time. Maybe he will go next time we go back to Alaska.

[CruiseIsGood]

What a horrible thing for them to do to you.

 

If many helicopters crashed the companies would go out of business. Not only are they expensive, but the lawsuits--do you really think any company could keep it quiet? Would your family leave it quiet?

[gg3]

I think the negative advice from the "Alaska Know It Alls" was so rude. But I also think that your husband was really nervous already about the helicopter, or he would not have canceled on one couple's negativity. If you had come to these boards often, you would have gotten some excellent advice from some of the most traveled and knowledgeable folks around like: Toto, Budget Queen, Caroline, and many more. You know we can always find positive and negative advice about our doctors, lawyers, teachers, politicians, trips, airlines, ships, shore excursions, etc. We all dance to a different drummer and different strokes ......... All that said - I do hope you return and do what YOUR HEART TELLS YOU TO DO. gg

[Time2sail]

you will be able to do the helicopter excursion. We put it at the top of our list of "favorites" and hope to go again on our next trip to Alaska. We enjoyed everything but we tell everyone to be sure to do the helicopter/glacier excursion.

 

Sorry that your husband was given "bad advice" and hopefully he will read the CC Alaska board to see how many of us survived. It was our first time to go up in a helicopter and the experience was so beautiful and exciting that I cannot adequately describe it with words.

 

Many more happy cruises for you:)

[tetleytea]

I heard the exact same story about the helicopters crashing when I was talking about Alaska with someone at a business conference. I personally wasn't going to do the chopper excursions anyway, but I took what she said for exactly what it is: someone who had been to Alaska a couple times heard about helicopters crashing.

[eagletwo]

:) Just remember, the person flying the helicopter wants to be home for dinner too! Never been to Alaska, but have taken the helicopter tour to the Grand Canyon. Wow! Will take a flight in Alaska during our Diamond Princess cruise July 23-30.

[CruiseIsGood]

They may just be mixing up tourism with logging. Um... no, that doesn't make sense, but logging helicopters are bad news, so don't grab a Sitka spruce on your way up to the glacier. :D

 

They were actually doing helicopter logging in Ketchikan while I was there. Pic: http://community.webshots.com/photo/349553113/349554277LoPsoV It was cheaper than building a road!

 

Coast guard helicopter rescues are also dangerous, so don't fall out of your helicopter into the water and make them rescue you.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Aunt B

I am so sorry to hear that you cancelled your helicopter/dog sled tour. Although we have never done the dog sled tour, we have done a couple of helicopter rides.

I am a terrible airplane rider - and we have flown all over the world.

But I have always been afraid of helicopters and yes we have read many reports about helicopters crashing in Alaska, but I took a deep breath and did it. In fact we have done it a couple of times. It's still a little scary for me, but that is what Alaska is about.

Just today we booked another back-to-back Alaskan cruise for 2006.

[mbisson]

Weird thing is, I've heard a lot of stories about float planes crashing.

 

Guess it's all in who you talk to.

 

-Monte

[CruiseIsGood]

Monte,

 

Aren't those float planes piloted by bush pilots doing fairly dangerous winter supply routes though? I haven't heard of tourism floatplanes crashing.

[CruiseIsGood]

Here you go. All plane crashes in Alaska in the last 10 years.

 

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/Response2.asp?spage=1&x_page_size=10&sql=%271%2F1%2F2000%27%2C+%277%2F6%2F2005%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27AK%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27ev%5Fdate%27%2C+%27Desc%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27%27%2C+%27%27

[Bamagirl]

:( I am sorry that you didn't take the helicopter/dog sled tour. That was absolutely my number 1 highlight of the trip. We had a family of 7 and we did the tour out of Seward with Godwin Glacier Dog Sled Tours. My husband,too, is also nervous over flying. He was apprehensive about going on this tour but he wouldn't back out. I gave him the option right before we went. I told him if he really was that concerned to back out and we would just lose the money. He said no, he wanted to enjoy it also. So he went and he is very proud he did. We had a wonderful time. We got to ride the sled and also stand and mush. We were on the glacier the same time as our children and grandchildren and it was great! The folks at Godwin Glacier go out of their way to make sure you have a good time!

 

Bamagirl

[CruiseIsGood]

Aha!

 

Facts. (And if someone tells you they're hiding fatal crashes from the FAA, they're crazy. Where are they putting the bodies?)

 

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/query.asp

 

There have been four fatal helicopter crashes in the last ten years:

 

Deadhorse, AK 4/30/04

Ketchikan, AK 8/28/02

Central, AK 6/21/02

Anchorage, AK 10/18/01

 

And last year five non-fatal.

 

There have been 56 fatal airplane crashes in the last ten years, in a state where 50% of residents have pilot's licenses. 11 were in cruise tourist towns, 9 of the 11 were during cruise season.

 

9 fatal crashes in 10 years that were possibly cruisers but more likely not.

 

I'll take those odds. :D