Getting Home

[NightRN]

Not sure of your "puppie" question. These dogs do not do dog sledding. Actually, you might want to look into the facts of dog sledding. Dogs have specific jobs- there are 3 and positions and partners.

 

Eagles are everywhere in Alaska, if you take the time to look. The Haines "eagle" preserve is out of season for cruise ship visitors, the huge numbers come after the season ends. Have a good pair of binoculars, I recommend 10 power, but also wide angle since it is definately necessary if you want a look at marine wildlife.

 

As for the puppies, on one of the dog sledding excursions that we were reading about, it said that some people went on a ride, while the rest stayed and played with the puppies. Then the people switched. My daughter is just dying to see the puppies. She couldn't care less about the ride. I told her that they probably won't be little puppies by the time we go. She didn't care though.

 

I love eagles. What I really want to do is photograph them. My travel agent sent me a link to a website where they talked about throwing fish in the water which the eagles swoop down and get. I think I'm going to look into that some more.

 

There's so much to see/do/plan that I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. The rest of my family won't give me any input, so I'm a little stressed trying to figure out what would make everyone happy. It's not that easy to figure out with such a wide age range.

 

On the up side, as I was checking out the rooms for my younger sister, I noticed that the prices for the cruise had gone down from when we put our deposits down. So, I called the travel agent, and she got us the lower prices. It wasn't a whole lot, I think she said about a hundred dollars per person, but it was a great feeling!

[vbmom87]

 

I love your photos. Is the ice really blue like that or did you photoshop it?

 

I am not BQ, but yes, the ice is that blue. I understand that on cloudy days the ice appears bluer. We had very cloudy days and the ice was unbelievably blue.

[vbmom87]

As for the puppies, on one of the dog sledding excursions that we were reading about, it said that some people went on a ride, while the rest stayed and played with the puppies. Then the people switched. My daughter is just dying to see the puppies. She couldn't care less about the ride. I told her that they probably won't be little puppies by the time we go. She didn't care though.

 

I love eagles. What I really want to do is photograph them. My travel agent sent me a link to a website where they talked about throwing fish in the water which the eagles swoop down and get. I think I'm going to look into that some more.

 

There's so much to see/do/plan that I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. The rest of my family won't give me any input, so I'm a little stressed trying to figure out what would make everyone happy. It's not that easy to figure out with such a wide age range.

 

On the up side, as I was checking out the rooms for my younger sister, I noticed that the prices for the cruise had gone down from when we put our deposits down. So, I called the travel agent, and she got us the lower prices. It wasn't a whole lot, I think she said about a hundred dollars per person, but it was a great feeling!

 

Call or email Godwins and ask what you could expect on their tours. I know I have only read good things about them. Had I been brave enough to board a helicopter, they were the company I was going to go with. However, that braveness never set in. ;)

 

I know the feeling of being overwhelmed. It is a lot to plan. However, reading and planning will make for a very smooth trip. I am very grateful to all the contributors of this board and trip advisor. These were my two main resources and our trip went so well. Hang in there, and just plan the best you can. If your family is not giving you input, then use your best judgment as to what they would like to do and go for it. Or spend an evening showing them the options you have in each port and have them prioritize them as to what they would like to do most and least. Stay positive with the family and all is sure to work out into one great vacation. Have options in place in case something gets cancelled. You want to get the most you can out of this trip.

 

Keep checking the prices. I don't know how RCL works, but with HAL, the prices I found on their website didn't actually change. I was watching the discounter sites. When I saw a drop I called my agent and she was able to get me price drops two times. Our first drop was $100 a person. The next drop was $200 a person and with that drop we were going from inside pricing to an outside guarentee. Worked out great for us!!!

[Budget Queen]

With your daughter, not really having the priority for dog sledding, you might want to consider just renting a car and driving to Caribou Crossing, since it would give her plenty of dog/puppie interaction at a significantly lower cost. PLUS allow you a beautiful drive into the Yukon.

 

With your priority for eagles, I do not really recommend your Haines tour. I would instead suggest you consider perhaps a car rental in Juneau/Ketchikan and get out along the marinas etc and stop when and where you wish, for all the time you need for photography. Auke Bay, just about ALWAYs has eagles on shore, Ketchikan is loaded with them. On any tour in Haines, the time won't be yours to wait out for that perfect shot. :)

 

Feeding wildlife is not usually done by recommended tour vendors, it is actually not the thing to be doing.

[NightRN]

Call or email Godwins and ask what you could expect on their tours. I know I have only read good things about them. Had I been brave enough to board a helicopter, they were the company I was going to go with. However, that braveness never set in. ;)

 

 

Keep checking the prices. I don't know how RCL works, but with HAL, the prices I found on their website didn't actually change. I was watching the discounter sites. When I saw a drop I called my agent and she was able to get me price drops two times. Our first drop was $100 a person. The next drop was $200 a person and with that drop we were going from inside pricing to an outside guarentee. Worked out great for us!!!

 

Thanks for the tip! $300 per person is quite a bit of money.

 

With your daughter, not really having the priority for dog sledding, you might want to consider just renting a car and driving to Caribou Crossing, since it would give her plenty of dog/puppie interaction at a significantly lower cost. PLUS allow you a beautiful drive into the Yukon.

 

With your priority for eagles, I do not really recommend your Haines tour. I would instead suggest you consider perhaps a car rental in Juneau/Ketchikan and get out along the marinas etc and stop when and where you wish, for all the time you need for photography. Auke Bay, just about ALWAYs has eagles on shore, Ketchikan is loaded with them. On any tour in Haines, the time won't be yours to wait out for that perfect shot. :)

 

Feeding wildlife is not usually done by recommended tour vendors, it is actually not the thing to be doing.

 

BudgetQueen, you're my hero! Just like the previous poster, I wasn't thrilled about the idea of getting in a helicopter. Caribou Crossing looks perfect! It also gets me out of her wanting to go horseback riding in Skagway. ;)

 

Thanks for the ideas for the eagle photos. Is it pretty easy to find your own way to the marina once you rent a car? Just out of curiosity, why is it bad to feed the wildlife?

[mytime53]

[Just out of curiosity, why is it bad to feed the wildlife?

 

Many reasons...here are just a few:

Then they depend upon humans for food, and what happens when the humans aren't around to feed them?

Depending on the wildlife, they also lose their natural wariness of humans, and can get aggressive when they expect food and don't get it.

If predators are being fed by humans, they aren't out keeping their natural prey in check.