View Full Version : Helicopter to Mendenhall Gacier & Dog Sledding Excursion
dulcetto
July 16th, 2009, 12:50 AM
Hi
If some one on CC has done the Mendenhall Glacier & Dog Sledding by Helicopter can they please give me some idea of the cost and wether they thought the tour was worth the cost..
Reason for asking is that we are wanting to do this particular excursion but being from New Zealand the cost will be nearly twice as much for us so just wanted to know if its good value
All help much appreciated:)
dandro
July 16th, 2009, 12:55 AM
dulcetto, you might also want to ask this on the Alaska port of call forum. There might be more people on that forum that took the excursion you are inquiring about.
I saw that excursion available on our cruise, but I have a fear of flying. :( Sounds exciting, though!
dulcetto
July 16th, 2009, 01:12 AM
dulcetto, you might also want to ask this on the Alaska port of call forum. There might be more people on that forum that took the excursion you are inquiring about.
I saw that excursion available on our cruise, but I have a fear of flying. :( Sounds exciting, though!
Thanks Dandro
I'll do that.thanks for your response
Howasaur
July 16th, 2009, 02:38 PM
We were looking forward to this excursion because of the flight and dogs. then changed it to just the flight and did dogs separate excursion. Cost difference wasn't that much. :):) Thank Goodness we did It was foggy so fight was cancelled fully refundable but they mentioned it could fly later on in the day but since we had booked the dogs separetly at least we got to do one. And yes later on the flight did occur but not the dogs because it was still foggy further up the glazier.
This was at Skagway Hope this Helps
Regarding costs yes I watch but also think this is once in a life time experience:)
bathtubjake
July 16th, 2009, 04:02 PM
We did this in Skagway in 2006. At the helicopter station, we spent about an hour getting safety training, boots, jackets and general waiting. The helicopter flight out to the glacier was about 20-30 minutes in order to sightsee. Then we landed on the outskirts of the dog camp. We met our guide who gave us a quick tour of the camp, and showed us how a sled worked. Then we met the dogs going on our trip. We were allowed to pet and interact with most of them for a couple minutes. Once loaded into the two sleds, we started around a mile-long track. The people who were seated in the sleds could take pictures, and two people were allowed to drive the sleds. We stopped halfway and changed positions and took pictures. Once back in the camp, we got to play with some puppies while we waited for the return flight. The flight back was only about five minutes.
I'm thrilled we did it because this is something I wouldn't experience anywhere else. It was expensive, and I tried not to think about it. Only you can decided whether or not it is worth the expense.
mamaofami
July 16th, 2009, 04:07 PM
We did the 3 glaciers helicopter ride and dog sledding out of Juneau. It was wonderful. Expensive, but worth the money and I don't recall how much it was since it was several years ago. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The helicopter ride was wonderful. They gave us special equipment and headsets that played music. The dogsledding was so much fun. It sounds much like the experience bathtub jake describes.When can you ever get to do something like that?
dulcetto
July 16th, 2009, 08:27 PM
We did the 3 glaciers helicopter ride and dog sledding out of Juneau. It was wonderful. Expensive, but worth the money and I don't recall how much it was since it was several years ago. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The helicopter ride was wonderful. They gave us special equipment and headsets that played music. The dogsledding was so much fun. It sounds much like the experience bathtub jake describes.When can you ever get to do something like that?
Thanks to Mamaofami,Bathtubjake and Howasaur for your information
Bathtubjake and Howasaur are you able to say how much it cost !!!
Thanks again
Caraway
July 17th, 2009, 01:00 AM
My wife and I took this excursion from Juneau just last week with Coastal Helicopters and had a blast. Google and go to their website for info and current pricing. It was about a 15-20 helicopter ride to and from the glacier. Two mile ride on the sleds. No puppies though.:( We booked this direct with Coastal with no problems. You don't go as fast as I thought we might on the sleds as this time of the year the snow is melting quickly. They said we still had about a 12 foot base but it has been quite warm there and the snow was a little slushy.
catl331
July 17th, 2009, 08:25 AM
I have seen posts where people were unhappy because they went on sleds with wheels as the snow had melted in Aug. Ruined the ambiance I guess.:(
Howasaur
July 17th, 2009, 03:07 PM
It was expensive for the flight and Dog sled but as pervious people have said it's a once in a lifetime experience so enjoy yourself Enjoy the Moment the memorys last forever.:):):):):);)
jerseygirl3
July 17th, 2009, 08:02 PM
Since nobody has answered the OP question about cost, I will. The most popular excursion is through Coastal Helicopters and the cost is $450 pp (US).
Hope this helps.
dulcetto
July 18th, 2009, 08:44 PM
Since nobody has answered the OP question about cost, I will. The most popular excursion is through Coastal Helicopters and the cost is $450 pp (US).
Hope this helps.
Thank you very much for telling me the cost,have to have a good think about it as this would cost us approx $800 NZ pp,we will be doing quite a few land excursions over the trip so may have to sacrifice this one.
Duck Duck Cruise
July 19th, 2009, 12:08 AM
We visited Mendenhall by car and it is just out of town. The locals are very sad to find out that in 2 to 3 years this glacier will no longer be able to reach the water because it is receding so quickly.
While we did not go to the top in a helicopter, visiting there and being so close we did get some beautiful pictures.