Disney Cruise Line Misty Fjords National Monument Flightseeing Excursion

Fellow Touring Plans blogger Erin Foster and I were fortunate enough to sail aboard the Disney Wonder on an incredible cruise to Alaska this summer. In case you missed it, we recently compared our Skagway dog sledding excursions as well as our Juneau train excursions. This time I’m back with all of the details from my final excursion in Ketchikan; the Classic Misty Fjords National Monument Flightseeing Port Adventure. Here’s everything you need to know to help you decide if this outing sounds like a good fit for you.

CLASSIC MISTY FJORDS FLIGHTSEEING

• Price: $269 for guests 10 years old and above, $209 for children two to nine years old and free for children one year old and younger.
• Price add ons: There is a small gift shop at the airport where you can purchase souvenirs.
• Time requirement: The total excursion time is about 2 to 2.5 hours.
• Physical issues: This excursion is wheelchair accessible. It must be both standard size and collapsible. Guests must be able to board and disembark from the motor coach/plane on their own or be lifted by a member of their traveling party onto the motor coach/plane.
• Age limits: There are no age restrictions, however it is recommended for anyone age five or older.
• Other important details: This tour is at risk of being cancelled due to inclement weather. This is a very real possibility as Ketchikan receives over 15 feet of rain annually. For security reasons, only a small carryon bag is allowed on the flight. There are lockers available at the airport to store your personal items. Each plane seats only six guests so large groups may be separated. You will be required to disclose your weight. Seating in the plane is based on weight in order for balance and you will be instructed where to sit by your pilot. You may or may not be seated next to your traveling companions.

My experience with Classic Misty Fjords Flightseeing:

Once we had filled out our paperwork, including our weight information and the names of the members of our traveling party, we disembarked from the ship and climbed aboard the motor coach that was waiting for us.

After a short ten minute ride, we arrived at the airport. It was small, but very clean and comfortable. We had a few minutes to explore the facility while we waited for our safety video to begin. There was a gift shop set up with some cute souvenirs, drinks and snacks. We found restrooms as well as lockers to store personal items that were not allowed on the planes.

Minutes later, we sat down with the other members of our tour to watch the standard safety announcements. This was your typical flight information and only lasted about five minutes.

We relaxed while pilots came in to gather their passengers. Our excursion moved along very efficiently and in no time our pilot called our names. The planes hold six passengers so we had our family of four plus a father and son duo on our flight. We all followed our pilot out of the airport and along the dock to the plane.

Once we arrived at the plane, our pilot called out each of our names and told us where we would be sitting. For anyone that might be uncomfortable with the weight situation, rest assured in knowing that it was handled very discreetly and our pilot did not disclose the information to anyone in our group. All of us climbed aboard the plane and took our assigned seats. My husband and I were in a row together directly behind the pilot and our boys were seated next to each other in the row behind us. The father and son were split up with the father seated next to the pilot and his son seated alone in the last row of the plane. The planes are very small which is a little unnerving, but does afford everyone the opportunity to have a window seat.

We were each given headphones to wear and were told that we would be hearing narration as well as classical music along the way. Seconds later, we were off on our adventure! Our first view was of our ship down below.

Then over the next 40 minutes, we saw beautiful lakes, mountains and forests. Midflight we made a landing in a remote lake where we were allowed to step out of the plane onto the floats.

After a few minutes, we were back in the plane for the return flight back to the airport. Along the way, there was a lot more spectacular scenery to see. Here’s a short video clip for your viewing pleasure!

Once we arrived back at the airport, we were each given an Alaskan Bush Plane Certificate that included our name and a picture of the plane. Then we hopped back on the motor coach for the short ride back to the ship.

Every member of my family is either a nervous flyer, prone to motion sickness or both, so I was more than a little anxious about how this whole experience was going to pan out. Overall, my family and I truly enjoyed it. We were all so distracted by the gorgeous views that we completely forgot about our fears. And the flight was only a little bumpy, so motion sickness turned out not to be a problem either. This Port Adventure, like so many of the ones in Alaska, is very expensive. It was a little over $1000 for my family of four. We budgeted for it and looked at it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so for us it was definitely worth it!

Have you done a float plane excursion? Do you think it is worth the expense? Please share your thoughts!