Best Port for Heli/Glacier hiking???

[Tony Scott]

Thanks for the advice p40whk.
I probably agree. It might cost more but it is to us a once in a lifetime trip and I want to see the things I wouldn't see back home.
The Pilot's Choice is the one that appeals to me.
We only go to Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka.
We are doing some whale watching in Victoria via zodiac to see orcas as our free choice activity there as part of the tour.
All the best and thanks again.

[Tony Scott]

Just a note further.
We are in port from 11am - 9pm.
I want to do a helicopter tour to glacier, Mt Robert tramway and walk around town.
With that in mind is the shorter helicopter tour the go?
The big question is - is it worth the extra money for the longer flight/
Which company is better Temsco or Coastal?
Also Goldbelt advertise a sort of pilot's choice but the promo photo looks like the Coastal photo also.

[p40whk]

Tony,

I can't tell you which company is better since I haven't used either yet but I would guess that both are equally proficient. It all comes down to the experience of the pilots (being a pilot myself) when it comes to giving you the best tour while in the air. I would suggest calling and talking to each of them. I have seen Temsco recommended on other sites.

We chose Skagway to do the pilot's choice for two reasons; (1) We are in that port for the longest time and don't have to worry about squeezing in shore excursions and, (2) The weather is better there. Juneau and Ketchican have higher rainfall amounts than Skagway and Ketchican is a lot higher.

I took a flight around Mt. McKinnly and it was spectacular so in my opinion yes, the longer flights are worth the extra money. Look at it this way, if you take a short flight to one destination you will see the same thing out and back whereas if you take a longer flight to two glaciers you will see different things since the flight plan is different as is the locations.

I do know that the Cruise Lines say you must give a minimum of 1 hour between shore excursions so keep that in mind.

[Tony Scott]

Thanks again for the advice p40whk.
A bit hard to ring the companies from Australia but I have contacted Temsco by email previously.
My wife has her heart set on the Glacier and Dogsledding combine.
HAL has a 4 Glacier and dog sled adventure for $479 but through Temsco the price is $419
To do just Mendenhall and dog sled is $483 through HAL.

We have just about decided to make that our only shore excursion now and will just walk Ketchikan.
In Sitka we may do just an historic walk and Raptor centre or just walk around the town ourselves and take a local transport to the Raptor Centre.
Thanks again and have a good day. It is 9.40 am Tues 28 Feb here