Helicopter/Dog Sled Tour worth $$$?

[Buckeyefan1]

I'm going to Alaska July 15th on the Oosterdam with my 8 year old son and parents.

 

I was thinking of booking the helicopter/dog sled tour as I thought he would love that. When I went out on HAL to book it was $483!! per person. It's a 2 3/4 hour tour....

 

I know this is may be the only time I go to Alaska, but I am a bit stunned by this price. The pictures on the websites I've seen don't show any real flashy dog sled camps etc...

 

Has anyone done this tour? Is it worth the price?

 

Thanks!

Carole.

[lougee1043]

I was thinking of booking the helicopter/dog sled tour as I thought he would love that. When I went out on HAL to book it was $483!! per person. It's a 2 3/4 hour tour..

 

Has anyone done this tour? Is it worth the price?uote]

 

we were scheduled to do it out of skagway -- booked direct with the excursion ---we got socked in and the tour was cancelled -- we felt it was worth the price of a once in a lifetime excursion and by wife was bummed out for the rest of the cruise becasue it was cancelled

[RuthC]

I don't mind spending money. I want to give my grandgirl the trip of a lifetime. I have taken flights in Alaska before, and agree that they are spectacular. I love doggies.

I took one look at the cost of this shore excursion and said "no way".

[chumley]

We did the dog sledding in Skagway in July 2004. It was fabulous and worth every penny. I agree it's expensive but where else are you going to do this? The helicopter ride up to the dog camp was breathtaking. There were 30 groups of 10 dogs that stay up at the campsite the whole season. It was quite an experience and my boys (10 and 13 at the time) loved it. We didn't book through the cruiseline though, since it was quite a bit more than booking directly with the helicopter company. I don't know if this is still the case but it would be worth checking out. We used Temsco Air. Their website is www.temscoair.com. They don't have prices listed there but they have an 800 number to call to get that info. They were really nice to deal with and they were just a short walk off the ship.

Hope this helps. Have a great time in Alaska - you'll love it!

Leslie

[kryos]

I don't mind spending money. I want to give my grandgirl the trip of a lifetime. I have taken flights in Alaska before, and agree that they are spectacular. I love doggies.

I took one look at the cost of this shore excursion and said "no way".

Holy toledo! $498 for one excursion? That would be close to a grand for two people ... probably almost as much as the per person cruise fare!

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[fourel]

My son (10 yr.) and I did this trip and it is well worth the money. The helicopter ride is breathtaking. We loved landing on the glacier, they took our picture in front of the helicopter. We had an hour of riding on the bobsleds. There was plenty of time at the end of the ride to visit with the dogs and ask questions. Well worth the money and a once in a lifetime experience. Go for it!!!

[mike35]

Several years ago we were on Celebrity Galaxy's Alaska cruise. DW is an avid dog lover/trainer/breeder who follows the iditerod religously. Her one true desire was to take the helicopter/dog sled shore excursion. As luck would have it, the weather was too bad for the helicopters to launch, so she missed out.

 

We're booked on the Island Princes the end of July, and we just booked with Temsco Air out of Skagway (thanks to Chumley's post). DW will be accompanied by our granddaughter, who is sailing with us as a high school graduation present.

 

Will it be worth the cost? Hey - vacations to us are all about enjoying life and those things that will occupy a highlight in our memories. So - you betcha it will!

 

Mike

[mechcc]

Holy toledo! $498 for one excursion? That would be close to a grand for two people ... probably almost as much as the per person cruise fare!

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

Expensive - you bet it is. Once in a lifetime experience - you bet it is. To me to cruise to Alaska would have to include this excursion to be worth the cost of a cruise. That excursion would be the end all and the make or break of the entire cruise. Just my opinion on what we want from a cruise to Alaska.

[SomeBeach]

Is it worth it.... YES.

I paid for 5 (3 adults, 2 grandsons) to take this excursion and it was wonderful. The grandsons had the time of their young lives!

No, the camps are not flashy, tho my daughter-in-law reported that the outhouse had a pretty plastic flower in it. ;) The camps are not permanet and sometimes have to be moved during the season as the snow melts. The guides were wonderful and answered all the childrens questions, no matter how strange they were. The trip to and from the glaciers is beautiful and the dogsled ride, tho bumpy is fun.

Only you can decide if you want to spend the money to do this as it is expensive. I was glad that I did. :)

[kryos]

Expensive - you bet it is. Once in a lifetime experience - you bet it is. To me to cruise to Alaska would have to include this excursion to be worth the cost of a cruise. That excursion would be the end all and the make or break of the entire cruise. Just my opinion on what we want from a cruise to Alaska.

Oh, I agree with you ... believe me. I'm just saying that if you had a couple of people who wanted to do it ... wow ... that would cost almost as much as one person's cruise fare.

 

Believe me, I know all about spending money on vacation. For those "once in a lifetime" experiences, it is well worth it. I dropped about $1,800 for excursions during my Hawaii/South Pacific cruise in January ... because there were lots of things I wanted to do, and I have no idea when I'll get back to that part of the world again. So, for me, the money was well-spent. :)

 

I guess I would say that if doing the helicopter/dogsled trip is something that you've always wanted to do, then by all means, one should go for it. But if you could care less ... then $483 or whatever is a lot of money for one excursion. :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[mechcc]

Oh, I agree with you ... believe me. I'm just saying that if you had a couple of people who wanted to do it ... wow ... that would cost almost as much as one person's cruise fare.

 

Believe me, I know all about spending money on vacation. For those "once in a lifetime" experiences, it is well worth it. I dropped about $1,800 for excursions during my Hawaii/South Pacific cruise in January ... because there were lots of things I wanted to do, and I have no idea when I'll get back to that part of the world again. So, for me, the money was well-spent. :)

 

I guess I would say that if doing the helicopter/dogsled trip is something that you've always wanted to do, then by all means, one should go for it. But if you could care less ... then $483 or whatever is a lot of money for one excursion. :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

You are so right - it is expensive and unless you really really have to do this then it probably isn't worth the price. Never ever spent that much for excursions for the whole cruise as the price of this one. We would go for it as it is one of the few things that is enticing about a cold weather cruise.

[Jana White]

The dog sled excursion was fabulous. We do not go on many shore excursions, but my husband and I are real dog people and we splurged. It was worth every penny. The helicopter ride is incredible, the dog camp amazing. And then you get to be a braker on the dog sled. It was absolutely the best shore excursion I have ever been on. I would definitely do it again and I am sure there are very few persons who would disagree.

[Tricia724]

If you can take this excursion out of Juneau, you might check out Coastal Helicopters. I think their dogsledding tour is $395/pp....not exactly the buy of the century but better than $483!