Alaska Cruise

[nursewurmy]

Have any of you done dog sledding when you came to Alaska? Just wondering as I just watched the end to the Iditarod with the oldest participant and the fast time. Those dogs are amazing!!

[Mrs. Yukon Cornelius]

We did not choose that excursion when we visited the Yukon territory last summer as part of an Alaska cruise, but we heard from others on our cruise that they were disappointed that it wasn't done in snow - just dry hard ground. We happened to see a group try it while we were on our own excursion and the dogs were fantastic, but it didn't seem to be a scenic, authentic sort of experience at all. A bunch of tourists seated on a clunky metal trolley being pulled by a team of awesome dogs on a warm day. Perhaps a youtube video search would give you an accurate idea of what to expect.

[niugrads]

We just booked a dog sled excursion in Seward. Even though there will not be any snow, I'm interested in the Iditarod race, the dogs and the preparation. It's a short excursion for us to take in between arriving via Alaska Railroad and boarding our cruise ship.

[Tarheel_Cruiser]

We did the dog sledding while at Juneau. It was great and I highly recommend it. Had to take a helicopter ride to a glacier.

[Tarheel_Cruiser]

Here's a link to a video.

 

http://vid218.photobucket.com/albums/cc49/GaryMelillo/Cruise%202011%20-%20Alaska/DSCN0391.mp4

[kawagama]

The cruises to Alaska go from May through the end of September. During that time you actually need to look for snow in the north. Depending on when you go, your days could be very long and very warm. In June and July there is barely any actual night time! Perhaps some of these photos shown on this thread were taken in higher elevations requiring a drop off with a helicopter. So, if you want a true dog sledding experience, you should probably visit Alaska (or Yukon, or both) during actual winter. Otherwise they have no choice but to run on dirt/grass because that's all there is!

 

We did an Alaska cruise the first week of May, 2016 and hiked a portion of the Chilkoot Trail out of Skagway. There were all kinds of wild flowers and plants blooming everywhere! Most of the stops (other than the glacier fields) for the cruise ships are in towns that are part of the more temperate rain forest.

[Tarheel_Cruiser]

The cruises to Alaska go from May through the end of September. During that time you actually need to look for snow in the north. Depending on when you go, your days could be very long and very warm. In June and July there is barely any actual night time! Perhaps some of these photos shown on this thread were taken in higher elevations requiring a drop off with a helicopter. So, if you want a true dog sledding experience, you should probably visit Alaska (or Yukon, or both) during actual winter. Otherwise they have no choice but to run on dirt/grass because that's all there is!

 

We did an Alaska cruise the first week of May, 2016 and hiked a portion of the Chilkoot Trail out of Skagway. There were all kinds of wild flowers and plants blooming everywhere! Most of the stops (other than the glacier fields) for the cruise ships are in towns that are part of the more temperate rain forest.

 

That picture and video were taken in July on a Radiance of the Seas cruise. We did have to take a helicopter ride to a glacier. It was worth every penny.

[luvbrady]

We did last July. It was fun. It was raining and these are outdoor dogs. So wet dog was in full effect. There was no snow, but they use the tourist trolley pull to add to the year round training of the dogs. It was fine. Kids liked it, and there were some pups to handle and cuddle at the end. Our guide was also very informative about how they prepare themselves and the dogs at each step of the way.

 

And those dogs are ready to RUN.

[kawagama]

That picture and video were taken in July on a Radiance of the Seas cruise. We did have to take a helicopter ride to a glacier. It was worth every penny.

 

 

Yup, pretty sure you would need to do that in July! Looks awesome and I bet it was a fun experience. I just mentioned the weather conditions because sometimes people think Alaska/Yukon are buried in snow year round when they really aren't!

[Akaicb]

I have not done this excursion, but I have done tons of research.

 

There are two different dog sled excursions you can do, the one on the dirt roads and the one where you fly via helicopter to a glacier and are pulled in a sled.

 

Besides the two different terrains, cost is the biggest difference. The dirt road experience will cost around $129/person and the glacier experience will cost around $450-500/person.

 

I have also heard that in the early part of the season that the glacier experience has been canceled more often because of weather.

 

I guess it comes down to cost and want type of experience you are looking for.

Kim

[nursewurmy]

I actually live in a village in remote Alaska. In the same region where the iditarod is raced but I was wondering what the cruise ship tour experience was like. I am the village provider and just outside my window is a dog team housed in their kennel. Yesterday they were taking them out for a run and they were going so crazy that I had to look outside to see what was going on. I agree the dogs LOVE to run. I love it here in Alaska but I am ready for warm sunshine and a cruise. We will soon be going into our longer days but I am ready for this dark, cold winter to be over.

[Doug S]

2 summers ago over the 4th of July my family group went on a private tour bus along the train route up into Canada and had a stop at the Dog Sled park there. It was record heat then (90ish) so the park operators asked us to please not ask for dog runs as the dogs could not handle the heat. Definitely no snow there. Neat little petting zoo and got to see the dogs and puppies, but no sledding. Still part of a great all day tour.