5/13/19 Alaska Princess Cruise floatplane excursion has mid-air collision with another floatplane

[jeffbeardreams]

For which sailing? We're on the May 20th cruise and we have the float plane excursion booked for next Saturday. I called DCL this morning about it and they said that the excursion was still scheduled to occur. They did say, though, that if it did change, I'd be notified by email.

Keep watching your email, Kenny. They sent one out this afternoon cancelling the following for the 5/20 sailing:
Our records indicate that your stateroom party is currently booked on one of these cancelled Port Adventures in Ketchikan:

• Amazing Misty Fjords by Floatplane (KE16)
  
• Exclusive Flightseeing and Crab Feast (KE32)
  
• Exclusive Private Air Tour (KE18)
  
• Misty Fjords Boat and Floatplane Adventure (KE25)

 

[Kennywood]

Aww, man! That's the one I was most anticipating. My wife has taken flying lessons and I was really excited about the possibility of getting her into the co-pilot's seat.

I'm not sure any other excursions really appeal to me.

I just logged on to the Disney Cruise site and checked out our reservations. The float plane excursion is no longer shown as our Ketchikan excursion.

 

[jeffbeardreams]

Aww, man! That's the one I was most anticipating. My wife has taken flying lessons and I was really excited about the possibility of getting her into the co-pilot's seat.

I'm not sure any other excursions really appeal to me.

I just logged on to the Disney Cruise site and check out reservations. The float plane excursion is no longer shown as our Ketchikan excursion.

Sure. There were a lot of worried folks though. Disney always leans towards caution, which makes sense. You might be able to book something at the dock if you still want to do it. I'd check out some recommendations beforehand though. In my case we're just giving it a pass this time around.

 

[smmco]

Does DCL use the same company that the was involved in the crash? It could be the company is grounded until the investigation is complete. If princess used this company it may be one that a lot of cruise lines use.

 

[pixiedustedme]

Keep watching your email, Kenny. They sent one out this afternoon cancelling the following for the 5/20 sailing:
Our records indicate that your stateroom party is currently booked on one of these cancelled Port Adventures in Ketchikan:

• Amazing Misty Fjords by Floatplane (KE16)
  
• Exclusive Flightseeing and Crab Feast (KE32)
  
• Exclusive Private Air Tour (KE18)
  
• Misty Fjords Boat and Floatplane Adventure (KE25)

Can you call Island Wings and ask if they have availability? They're the company we used last June & they were great. The pilot is the company owner and has decades of experience.

 

[Yokelridesagain]

I believe DCL has used Taquan in the past--they are one of (maybe the) largest operator and have planes that can hold more passengers than some of the smaller shops. As they have currently grounded their planes, any booked excursion using their equipment is subject to cancellation.

Anyway, if you are still interested in the excursion there are many independent operators and I doubt that they will stop flying. It would be a good idea to try to update the booking quickly, however, as many may be trying to rebook.

 

[dvcdisney]

Does DCL use the same company that the was involved in the crash? It could be the company is grounded until the investigation is complete. If princess used this company it may be one that a lot of cruise lines use.

I contacted Taquan Air a few months ago and they confirmed that they were the ones who are doing the Disney Cruise line Amazing Misty Fjords by Floatplane tour.

 

[Yokelridesagain]

I have used Southeast Aviation and Seawinds Aviation in Ketchikan before, both were good experiences.

 

[dvcdisney]

This is so heartbreaking...I had decided to book a private floatplane tour for our Ketchikan port day. It was the independent tour company associated with this tragedy. I spoke to the pilot and owner for almost an hour. He was very informative and reassuring. We discussed safety records etc, Alaska and how much he loved living there and his family.

Although they are not releasing names, I'm just so sadden to think what his family must be going through. Even if he wasn't the pilot who was flying the plane, it's such a tragedy.

 

[Yokelridesagain]

This is so heartbreaking...I had decided to book a private floatplane tour for our Ketchikan port day. It was the independent tour company associated with this tragedy. I spoke to the pilot and owner for almost an hour. He was very informative and reassuring. We discussed safety records etc, Alaska and how much he loved living there and his family.

Although they are not releasing names, I'm just so sadden to think what his family must be going through. Even if he wasn't the pilot who was flying the plane, it's such a tragedy.

The company involved was, to the best of my knowledge, a one pilot, one plane shop. I haven't interacted with them myself, but they were well regarded by all accounts. Very sad day.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I h

The company involved was, to the best of my knowledge, a one pilot, one plane shop. I haven't interacted with them myself, but they were well regarded by all accounts. Very sad day.

I haven’t seen the name of the second company mentioned, only Taquan. Which was the second?

 

[Pens Fan]

I h

I haven’t seen the name of the second company mentioned, only Taquan. Which was the second?

Mountain Air Service

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

So crazy. My mother-in-law is on that princess cruise and took a float plane excursion that day. Thankfully not that one!

 

[sunmoon620]

OMG, So sad! These people on Vacation, an adventure no doubt that was planned and anticipated for so long. Such a tragedy! Prayers for all involved. I am not really sure what a float plane is...

 

[msec]

We flew with Randy and Mountain Air Service on a Misty Fjord floatplane trip when we were in Ketchikan - almost 2 years ago to the day. It was a wonderful trip and he was very professional - a really nice guy. We had first tried to book with Island Wings but she was booked and referred us to her good friend Randy and Mountain Air Service and he was able to accommodate us ... Such a tragedy for everyone involved....

 

[MillauFr]

This is so sad.




Same.

But will you get into a car? I would rather fly in a float plane than drive though all of that construction on I-5 from the Tacoma Mall to the Puyallup River bridge. How many crashes have their been at the sharp curve at the I-5/SR 16 interchange?

 

[dvcdisney]

The company involved was, to the best of my knowledge, a one pilot, one plane shop. I haven't interacted with them myself, but they were well regarded by all accounts. Very sad day.

Yes, when I spoke with him recently (we're booked for our July cruise), he was adamant about him being the only one that flies his plane, but I was hoping it wasn't him. They just released the names and, sadly, it was him. I feel very sad for his family, especially his young children. We spoke about his family and he even warned me that he loves talking about Alaska, flying and everything. He was excited to meet my son when I told him that he wants to be an airforce pilot.

So very sad for his family.

 

[LambertLion]

We are on an Alaska cruise in a couple weeks too, and with Princess at that and this is so sad to hear. I hear about planes or helicopter accidents on cruise excursions it seems like almost every year, and just for that paranoid reason, we didn't book any tours that involve flying. Though we understand everything has risk. Just terrible news

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

This is all just so incredibly sad. @Kennywood, we booked the catamaran Misty Fjords tour through Disney even though our flight is not officially canceled yet. Not as amazing as a flight to be sure, but one way to still see the Fjords.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

This is all just so incredibly sad. @Kennywood, we booked the catamaran Misty Fjords tour through Disney even though our flight is not officially canceled yet. Not as amazing as a flight to be sure, but one way to still see the Fjords.

I booked that one Monday after hearing about the crash. I have a non-refundable floatplane excursion booked but I don’t think I can go through with it.