glacier or dog mushing ????

[SANDY823]

Ok, if money wasn't an issue- ;) (because both are costly- )

 

would you ---- ???

 

Glacier Discovery by Helicopter (Skagway):

As you ascend above Skagway, you will view the Taiya Inlet and the once-bustling town of Dyea. This once-in-a-lifetime tour gives you the rare opportunity to explore one of Alaska’s grand glaciers. Once the helicopter lands, you will spend approximately 40 minutes touring the glacier with our expert guides.

Duration: Approximately 40 minutes of helicopter time and 40 minutes on the glacier.

OR :

Dog Sledding & Glacier Flight-seeing (Skagway):

Your estimated 30-minute total flight will take you to one of Alaska’s many pristine glaciers. Once on the glacier you will spend approximately 1 hour at the dog camp, which includes 25-30 minutes of dog mushing.

Duration: Approximately 30 minutes of helicopter time and 1 hour at Dog Camp.

I am a dog lover -bigtime !..... They told me that these are both very popular tours- The difference being -on the first one -you get more history of the glacier, see the different color pools of water, walk the glacier longer.

The dog tour-you land on the glacier - and will do the dog mushing there-and spend some time at the camp. just not so much information on the glaciers itself.

Obviously, both once in a lifetime adventure,,, have booked the first one, and am having second thoughts that I should "GO FOR IT" for the dog mushing.......

anyone who's done either - I'd love your opinion or experience.....

Thanks,

Sandy

p.s. -this should be my last info request - rest of my tours are booked finally !

[gazingm42]

We did the dog mushing 3 years ago and I would not do it again. I was not impressed at all. I also love dogs, but wish we did the glacier.

[Roxilla]

I found that 30 minutes of just touring the glacier was a little long without something else to do.

 

I would have loved to do the mushing so on this next trip to Alaska we are going to go to Seavey's in Seward.

 

So my vote would be for the glacier tour that includes the mushing.

[adamtennis]

My disclaimer is that in my experience, there are different strokes for different folks - one person's "experience of a lifetime" often turns out to be another person's "nightmare" :)

 

That being said --- we took the glacier/dog-sledding tour out of Skagway last year and it was probably one of the highlights of our trip. Most of us had never been in a helicopter before, so that was amazing in itself. We thoroughly enjoyed the dog camp experience on the glacier. While it was one of the most expensive excursions we booked --- all 4 of us believed it was totally worth it!

 

Hope that helps in some way ... feel free to ask any questions you may have and I'd certainly be happy to give you any information on our experience.

 

Adam

[SelectSys]

I would have to say "mush" to the tour but never to the dogs. How much glacier history and facts can the average dog lover stand?

 

Disclaimer - I have owned several Siberian Huskies in the past and currently a Husky-mix.

[Budget Queen]

These tours will be run by the same company- TEMSCO. You might want to inquire if they have any independent space left.

 

For more clairfication- The glacier dog sledding is on more snow than ice, you also do NOT drive your own team, you are in a sled attached to the driver, and can ride the breaks or sit in either basket. This will be rotated if more than one has the interest. It is also something to note- these are working dogs and not pets.

 

Glacier landing, allows you much more access to ice. You can do a lot of exploring in the 30-40 minutes you have off the helicopter.

 

Overall these trips are very different.

 

There is no comparism to snow dog sledding and a cart ride- Seavey's. If that is your priority, then definately consider it.

[SANDY823]

Budget Queen,

they do have independent space left - I have already booked the glacier tour,,, just thinking I might like the other one better.

 

Everyone has a good point on their opinions -- guess I just have to make up my mind which one I think we'd like better...

 

Sandy

[SANDY823]

Thank you everyone for your input -- Have gone with my instinct and changed to the dog sledding/glacier flight seeing tour..... Mucho $$$$$$, but could be once in a lifetime.....

 

adamtennis - i'd love to hear your story -- ......

 

Temsco had avail. on both tours independently, so bit cheaper than the ship, and still leaves us lots of time to explore skagway aferwards....

 

Sandy

[travelling mom]

Hi Sandy,

 

We just did the Dog Sledding and Glacier Flightseeing out of Skagway with Temsco. We were aboard the Serenade 6/16. I would have to say that this excursion was the highlight of our cruise. The whole family enjoyed it especially my 16 year old daughter, who loves dogs. The helicopter ride was exhilarating as we had never riden in one before. After about a 15 to 20 minute ride, we landed on Dever Glacier at the dog camp. Just as Budget Queen described, you ride in tandem with the musher in front. You are broken down into groups of 2 or 3. The musher gives you a short tour of the camp and then a short lesson on how to slow down and stop the sled. You then get to mush from the 2nd sled. After the mushing, you get to spend some tiime with the puppies, they were about 9 weeks old when we went. You will have a great time.