Excursions not to miss, Mendenhall Glacier, White Pass Summit and Dog Sledding

Mendenhall Glacier via helicopter ride and guided walk in Juneau -  this is one excursion you want to do. My husband and I booked this through Carnival (pricing was very comparable to outside vendors so we decided to stick with the security of the cruise line). The morning of the tour, weather was bad but it cleared up an hour later for us to do this tour. The staff at the helicopter company was great - professional and extremely personable. The helicopter ride was awesome - we love helicopter tours. Walking on the Glacier (with our special walking boots) was memorable - 

sipping Glacier water, using glacial mud for its skin benefits, learning the ins and outs of glaciers, and experiencing the views (our pilot pointed out sights throughout the flight) plus fun photo opportunities with the Alaska flag. . .its a true Alaska encounter. We had plenty of time after the tour, to wander around town, shop, have a cold Alaskan brew at the saloon, and best of all, eat some fresh Alaskan king crab legs at Tracy's - do NOT miss this opportunity - seriously, you won't ever eat crab legs like this anywhere!

To The Summit - tour of the White Pass - well worth the cost of the tour - in fact, probably one of the most reasonable Carnival excursions we have done - small bus/van tour to the top of the White Pass Summit - absolutely beautiful snow capped mountains.  .  .our driver was great, stopped along the way for history and overlooks and photo ops, then made sure he got everyone's photo at the "Welcome to Alaska" sign at the top of the summit. Bring your passport because you will pass over into Canada very briefly. The tour was short enough that we had time to wander around Skagway and stop at other points of interest, lots of National Park offerings there - films, displays, walking tours, etc.

Dog Sledding Discovery and Mushing Camp - This was one of the most fun tours my husband and I did in Alaska - can't recommend it enough. Mushing with the dogs was a thrill. We boarded a wheeled sled (obviously, there was no snow on the ground to use a real sled) and the dogs pulled us on a trail through the forest. It was such a neat experience - something you probably have always seen and wanted to do. Then we got to meet the dogs, chat with their trainer, Becky of Dream Big Kennels. She is great! After the "mushing", we were able to get a short history and information session of how Iditarod racers race and what they wear, then we got to meet future racers - the puppies - sooooo tempting to bring one home - they were so cute. Everyone had a chance to cuddle with a puppy. There's a shop for souvenirs and snacks/drinks. Wish the pricing was a little better - the souvenirs were a little high but the experience and pictures we took are all the memories I need from such an awesome experience. Do it! (FYI, we also stopped along the way for photo ops of majestic views.)