MGT Blue bus to Mendenhall

Their website says to make reservations for their tours but do I need them for this one? Thanks.

found it a good tour. The drivers are locals and have great stories and you stop other places besides the glacier.They were waiting at the dock for us-even though we were late-with a sign.

and we were the only two on the bus. If you are arriving by ship, it seemed to me that they provided their own buses to the glacier. The MGT is $10 roundtrip and not much of a bus, but it got us there and back just fine. Seems like the only folks that use it are the ones coming by air, which aren't all that many.

So should I make reservations or not?

You do not need to make reservations. You can either pay the driver or walk up to their booth to purchase tickets.

The MGT blue bus is a shuttle that runs about every half hour to and from Mendenhall Glacier. As far as I could tell when we used it, you don't need reservations (I'm not even sure they offer reservations for the shuttle). Our ship didn't dock until the afternoon, so I don't know how crowded it might get earlier in the day, but there were about 10 people on our bus both going and coming back - not the same people.

You can buy the tickets from their booth right near the Mt. Roberts Tram. There are 2 other companies also running similar shuttles, and apparently they honor each other's tickets. We had bought the tickets from MGT, but the first bus that came while we were waiting was from Last Frontier Tours (I think that was the name), so we took it. On the way back, we were on the MGT bus.

Just keep in mind that these are not fancy tour buses - they're school buses - so don't look for comfort. But the trip is short, and at least on the Last Frontier bus, the driver gave a running commentary on the sights we were passing.

We were in Juneau on the Sapphire Princess, and others on the shuttle were from other cruise ships. While it's true that most ships have their own tours to Mendenhall, I think a lot of people, like us, go on their own. That way you can spend as much, or as little, time there as you want, rather than being on the tour's schedule. The last shuttle back to Juneau leaves at 6:pm.

You are talking about 2 different things here!!

For clairfication- there is the MGT SHUTTLE bus to Mendenhall glacier, $10 round trip, no reservations

The poster is referring to the MGT TOUR bus which reservations are a good idea as you will have a firm time. I would definately recommend having reservations. The TOUR bus gives a nice drive by city tour, a good commentary through out the tour. about 30 minutes at Mendenhall, plenty of time, a stop at Alaska U Chapel on the Lake, and a drive to Douglas Island for a photo stop of your ship. A great value at about $20

The Glacier park opens at 8am. We are doing Cap't Larry's tour at 9am and the NCL SUN is only in Juneau from 7a-1:30p.

The folks with ORCA are arranging a cab pick up at 7:30a so we can see Mendenhall. The Orca Tour will pick us up at the Glacier.

Sometime the cab is the only option!

Jacquelyn :D

The Glacier park opens at 8am. We are doing Cap't Larry's tour at 9am and the NCL SUN is only in Juneau from 7a-1:30p.

 

The folks with ORCA are arranging a cab pick up at 7:30a so we can see Mendenhall. The Orca Tour will pick us up at the Glacier.

 

Sometime the cab is the only option!

 

Jacquelyn :D

Good point, Jacqueline! We are on the Sun week after you....hadn't even noticed that.....duh!

M.

Originally we were going to go the cheapest way. Then I thought about it. We will have seen the Hubbard Glacier the previous day, and more closely than we could see the Mendenhall after a long walk to the observation area. What I really wanted to experience was BEING ON a glacier. So this meant either the helicopter to Mendenhall which lands and you disembark for a short period of time, or helicopter ride that touches down on two glaciers, or the helicopter to the dog sled experience. Both of those last two are quite expensive, however. So we are going to land on a glacier courtesy of the same people who run the blue bus, Mighty Fine Tours. We are very excited about it.

Hey Flash,

Would you pass along how much it costs, when it departs and how long it lasts, and if they collect you at the ship or do you have to get to their location? Thx.

-Bob

Go to mightygreattrips.com for details, and other tours. Yes, they pick you up at the ship. They offered me different times.I selected 1:15. This tour is also offered by the cruise lines at a higher rate. I hesitate to mention my price because i read on cruise critic that someone else got an early bird special much less than mine. If your cruise is way in the future, be sure to ask them about that. It's about an hour and a half.

When i received my confirmation (which is the ticket) it said to cancel, do it in writing 8 days or more ahead of time. i emailed back that I understood that if I voluntarily cancel, i must do that. BUT if the ship has to divert because of weather or mechanical problems I would be unable to contact them. They emailed me back that in a situation like that I would not be held responsible and would be refunded. it's paid for by credit card, so it would be a credit on my statement.

Originally we were going to go the cheapest way. Then I thought about it. We will have seen the Hubbard Glacier the previous day, and more closely than we could see the Mendenhall after a long walk to the observation area. What I really wanted to experience was BEING ON a glacier. So this meant either the helicopter to Mendenhall which lands and you disembark for a short period of time, or helicopter ride that touches down on two glaciers, or the helicopter to the dog sled experience. Both of those last two are quite expensive, however. So we are going to land on a glacier courtesy of the same people who run the blue bus, Mighty Fine Tours. We are very excited about it.

It is Mighty Great Trips.. Sorry about that.

Originally we were going to go the cheapest way. Then I thought about it. We will have seen the Hubbard Glacier the previous day, and more closely than we could see the Mendenhall after a long walk to the observation area. What I really wanted to experience was BEING ON a glacier. So this meant either the helicopter to Mendenhall which lands and you disembark for a short period of time, or helicopter ride that touches down on two glaciers, or the helicopter to the dog sled experience. Both of those last two are quite expensive, however. So we are going to land on a glacier courtesy of the same people who run the blue bus, Mighty Fine Tours. We are very excited about it.

For clairfication- they are a booking agent and do not run the helicopter tour. It is just as easy to book this direct and get all your information first hand. There are only 4 helicopter companies, ERA, Coastal, TEMSCO and Northstar. Coastal gives great personal tours, I have flown with all except Northstar. Prices start at about $185 with Coastal, a good value for a glacier landing.