dog sledding cancellations

[FamilyofFourtoAlaska]

We will be in Skagway on 8/8 and are scheduled to do the helicopter/dog sledding excursion. I understand from previous posts that this is often cancelled. So far, the weather looks rainy for the next 10 days or so. What is usually the cause for cancellation - rain or other factors? Of course, this is the one excursion everyone is most looking forward to!

[Yukon]

In the short term, clouds that are low enough to limit visibility for the helicopters are the main cause for cancellation. We're now nearing that time of year when the dog sled operators shut down for the season because the good snow has all melted away, though - the bare glacial ice is hard on both dogs and people. Skagway is the most-cancelled due to clouds because of the high elevation, but the latest to shut down for the same reason. Don't believe any forecast you see - the weather in SE Alaska just is what it is, and no weather service has any luck in forecasting even a day ahead, much less 10 days. Good luck!

 

Murray

[Budget Queen]

Murray is right on with his advice. These flights are more canceled due to the fixed location, sometimes glacier helicopter landing tours can go elsewhere, which is the reason the dog sledding is the most canceled. So my advice is to always have back up plans so as to not waste your short time. You MAY have the option for a glacier helicopter landing, decide now if that is something you will opt for. Look over a shore excursion list and perhaps have vender numbers for a quick call for availablity.

[FamilyofFourtoAlaska]

Thanks for your advice. I will look over the other options. If it gets cancelled it may be a good time for just wandering around on our own and seeing the town. Does the same possibility of cancellation hold true for the Misty Fjords floatplane?

[Budget Queen]

Thanks for your advice. I will look over the other options. If it gets cancelled it may be a good time for just wandering around on our own and seeing the town. Does the same possibility of cancellation hold true for the Misty Fjords floatplane?

 

 

Yes certainly, flights are canceled all the time. Always have those back up plans.

[lmmn]

We got back just a few weeks ago...this is what we did.

 

Plan A was to pick up our rental car, shop around town a couple hours, drive to TEMSCO (2 blocks) and go on the Helicopter/Dog Sled (11:30), then drive up to Emerald Lake.

 

Plan B was if helicopter/dog sled was cancelled...just take the car up to Emerald Lake.

 

Our ship was in Skagway until around 8:00....so we had plenty of time to do both.

 

Turns out we went up in the helicopter, and the weather turned at that point so we missed out on the dog sled portion. Lucky for us, we got a full refund and a free helicopter ride. Others before us and after on the same day were able to go on the dogsled portion, so that's how unpredictable it is.

 

I would say "book it" and just have a back up plan, as budget queen suggested.

 

As far as forecast...I think the forecast is always rain. Doesn't mean much according to others on these boards. Many on the boards say the forecast was rain every day, and they either had nice days or just a misty rain.

[wolfjinxangel]

I heard a couple that was at my table on Celebrity tried this excursion in Skagway but it was cancelled on them. They opted for the wheeled dog sled thing instead.

 

I booked this excursion in Juneau. It was cancelled for the rain but they pushed our time back to an hour and 1/2 later and we were able to still do it. With the time we had to wait, we just shopped.

[HelenK]

I was scheduled to do dogsledding off of an Alaska cruise in 2003 which was cancelled because the glacier was deteriorating. The last dogsled tours to go were the day before my excursion. It was about this time of year and we could see them transporting the dogs from Temsco.

 

It was very disappointing to miss, but I sure had other things that I did and had a great time. The ironic part is that I just booked another Alaska cruise leaving 9/3/05 and just found out today that the dogsledding will end just days before I get there.

 

Bummer! But the way I look at it, it just means that I'll have to go back yet again. :-)

[alpal1993]

We hit Alaska during a heat wave and it had rained very hard the night before so ours was cancelled due to the condition of the snow.Luckily we were able to book another tour Whale watching