My husband and I really want to take the "Tracy Arm Fjord" excursion where a boat picks you up from the Mariner then brings you to Juneau. This is a five hour trip. We feel we won't have enough time to take a helicopter excursion in Juneau. Can anyone recommend another wonderful helicopter excursion by Radisson?

Linda

As I recall the helicopter excursion was very short in duration. Ours was in Valdez. We had maybe 15-minutes in the copter each way, and 15 minutes at the top of the glacier. I pulled this photo to see if there was a company name on it, but, there isn't. Island Wings has a booth right at the dock in Juneau, but, that is for float planes.

Helicopter on top of the Glacier in Alaska

Linda,
there are a number of helicopter excursions listed for Skagway also, including the helicopter to dog sledding one.

We took a helicopter excursion to a glacier for dog sledding in Juneau, and it was great. You're in Juneau until very late, so it might work out. If you have to tradeoff between whales and the helicopter in Juneau, I'd choose the helicopter. As I said elsewhere, we saw many whales and otters on the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest excursion in Sitka. So may tradeoffs. In Skagway, we took the White Pass Scenic Railroad trip, and it was very worthwhile. The only thing we ran into was some smoke because of the fires last year. On a clearer day it would have been spectacular.

Dreps

If I picked one excursion, it would be the Salmon BBQ from Island Wings off the dock at Juneau. We flew 45 minutes each way over the most breathtaking scenery I have ever seen.

The Helecopter we flew right next to the granite mountains with the sheep perched on the ledges, we saw bears.

Flying is expensive, but, worth every penny.

OK, I'm confused. Is there more than one company called Island Wings operating in Alaska? The one I know is based out of Ketchikan, not Juneau.

Masaki

Fred and I did the helicopter trip out of Skagway on our first Akaska cruise. We landed on a glacier and hiked around for about half an hour. It was a teriffic experience. The scenery en route was phenomenal. It is really fun to navigate on the ice. Great photo ops. Well worth doing. All of us who did the trip were glad we did.

Masaki,

I think we took the Mt. Robert Tramway when we arrived and then we walked right down the dock to the kiosk and caught the plane for our Salmon dinner. The company may be based in one place, but have tours out of other ports.

Kathy - http://www.islandwings.com/info.html makes no mention of any flights/tours out of any other ports than Ketchikan. The reason why I'm interested in this is that if they also fly out of Juneau, that open up some other possibilities for excursions there.

Masaki

Here is the excursion out of Juneau and it was on Island Wings - I have the photos:

Taku Wilderness Lodge & Glacier Flight

Tour code: JUN3055.
Duration: 3¼ Hours.
Flight, Meal Included, Moderate Walking.


You are in for a journey of a lifetime on this combination tour. We've combined the best experiences of Alaska for this unique 3-hour excursion. Glacier flightseeing, a remote log lodge, wilderness trails, wildlife and to top it off, a scrumptious King Salmon feast.

Fly in a nostalgic floatplane where everyone enjoys an unrestricted window view and fully narrated portrayal. View five breathtaking glaciers on your way to the wilderness lodge. A true Alaskan experience, your adventure begins the moment you 'take off' from the Juneau waterfront near your ship's berth. Each passenger will take pleasure in an unrestricted view the magnificent glaciers and deep blue crevasses of the Juneau Icefield, as well as, snow-capped mountains, cascading waterfalls and lush forests. The Taku River will be your 'runway' when landing at the Taku Lodge. This historic lodge was built in 1923 directly across from the picturesque Hole-In-The-Wall Glacier, one of the few advancing glaciers in Alaska, and sits amid the untouched Tongass National Forest.

Shortly after your arrival, the aroma fresh wild Alaska King Salmon tells you the feast is about to begin. Your salmon entrée will be complimented with all homemade side dishes for either brunch, lunch or dinner, including actual glacier ice to cool your drinks. This truly Alaskan meal is presented with an elegant rustic charm.

While enjoying your meal, your host will entertain you with stories of Taku Lodges colorful past. Characters like Mary Joyce and her famous 1,000 mile dog sled trip that put the Taku Lodge on the Alaska map. This unique lodge is decorated with old dog sleds, hunting and trapping gear, furs and other Alaskan memorabilia.

After your meal you may take in one of a number of options; Wander the well maintained trails of the old growth forest independently, explore on a guided interpretative nature walk, or relax with a beverage and soak in the serenity of a place scaresly touched by time. All the while keep an eye out for the black bears that can't resist the aroma of fresh King Salmon.

Rain or shine this trip will be an experience of a lifetime as well as a true look at Mother Nature at her finest. The essence of what memories are made of.

Please note: Dress in layers and bring your sunglasses. All participants will enjoy a window seat.

Kathy (ChatKat) - if there were more than five passengers on your combination float plane trip then even if it was a company by the name of Island Wings it must have been a different one form the Island Wings in Ketchikan. Bill and I flew with Island Wings out of Ketchikan and they have only 2 aircraft. One that Linda the owner flies and one that Jeff Carlin flew. Jeff's is the larger of the 2 and he can only carry five passengers.

We flew with Jeff and it was incredible. Our other favorite excursion was the Pilots Choice helicopter flight with Coastal Helicopters out of Juneau. If I can learn how to insert photos this afternoon I'll add one from each. I'm out of time now.

Editing to add pictures. This has been a learning experience! Obviously, I got them in the wrong order with the glacier photo on top, but you get the idea. I see that Kathy (ChatKat) has posted her photos also. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0SQANAzsVwvZeWX*r4jd3oDi3CCdWbjpkVqfEZTxLDg4q7t4MA8Jg8hb!qkOA3r1DFxLM7Y!z*eKl89wlme3Xz!bDM*EE4FbSx76xH8MSFvi48!gpENrQGQ/51312_27a.jpg?dc=4675517683408701469[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XwAsAycb4dS9fwvOmrwCOaUDklG*xU7FDGXYwsHIut23I6QqYpbK7MxVQwI*zghAUJ9Hgfledr21qGqdSU5qMVABeyGL1bXvPKOlWrDOSMaqnLfcyVXmLP3gYbzIBY*AafNTxySKM2c/2001.06.07%20-%20Island%20Wings.jpg?dc=4675517683090153289[/img]

Mystery solved:

Here is the Kiosk at the dock we took the plane from:

And here is a photo of the Float Plane - Wings of Alaska Airlines!

Thanks for posting those, Kathy and Kathy! Mystery solved indeed - I was really getting confused there.

Kathy Z - beautiful photos - I think the owner's name is Michelle, not Linda though. I love that floatplane picture!

Kathy (Chatkat) - I also love that picture of you and Frank. Your personalities really come out in that picture! :)

Masaki

Yes, you are right Masaki. After I wrote that I thought the wrong name might have popped into my head but I didn't go to my notes to check it out. I was the lucky one on our flight that got the seat up front next to our pilot. It was incredible. And I nearly freaked out when Jeff asked me for my camera and he pushed the steering control over in front of me!

Kathy - you must not have crashed the plane while you had the controls since you're here talking to us though. :)

Masaki