Juneau Car Rental..Yes or No??

We were considering renting a car in Juneau; however, have had second thoughts. It appears that we can get to most of the interesting points quite easily by shuttle or city bus. We, of course, want to go to Mendenhall Glacier, gardens, and the fish hatchery. Several years ago we did the tram; however, we will probably do it again. It seems that car rental might not be needed. Any thoughts?

I like having a car because of the flexibility - I can leave when I want to, go where I want to, and stay as long as I want to. With public transportation, you are at risk for spending valuable time waiting for the bus. Renting a car is generally cheaper than taking taxis.

We were considering renting a car in Juneau; however, have had second thoughts. It appears that we can get to most of the interesting points quite easily by shuttle or city bus. We, of course, want to go to Mendenhall Glacier, gardens, and the fish hatchery. Several years ago we did the tram; however, we will probably do it again. It seems that car rental might not be needed. Any thoughts?

Are you also open to using cabs? And you have an all day port time?

You are underestimating using the city bus. The Mendenhall run, only goes once per hour, you would have to catch it at Mendenhall, which means over a mile walk, since the Mendenhall shuttle bus only going point to point Mendenhall/tram. Otherwise, you are wasting over an hour going back downtown. Your attractions, involve walks back and forth. You are eating up at least twice the time, it would take with a rental car.

If you have a 12++ hour port day, the city bus is doable.

Consider going to the coast with a rental car. Drive along the Glacier Hwy to see Shrine of St Therese, Eagle Beach, and Roads End.

click on the following map to expand it. http://www.traveljuneau.com/cms/d/juneau_area_map.php

I don't know if you've looked at any trip reports but this photojournal from AryMay included a rental car and visit to Mendenhall and the coast. They saw whales off the coast, seals, and even bears.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2055691&page=6

p.s. fish hatcheries are interesting if you visit during a salmon run .. not so much otherwise

What rental car companies are available in Juneau?

What rental car companies are available in Juneau?

Avis is the most convenient, there is also Juneau Car Rental downtown.

Is the Avis near the dock? Do I choose downtown location or Airport? Looking for an option near the port I can walk to. Is Juneau car rental nearby? THANKS!

Is the Avis near the dock? Do I choose downtown location or Airport? Looking for an option near the port I can walk to. Is Juneau car rental nearby? THANKS!

We are doing the Avis at the gold belt hotel. I understand it's walking distance and the airport is far.

Is the Avis near the dock? Do I choose downtown location or Airport? Looking for an option near the port I can walk to. Is Juneau car rental nearby? THANKS!

With no limitations Avis, at the Goldbelt Hotel is walkable. My understanding now, is Juneau Car Rental will have a kiosk at the AJ dock. I would suggest calling them directly for verification. Shuttle buses run back and forth the AJ dock and Tram Parking lot, when there is a ship there. When National had an office there, it was an uphill walk to their lot. I would expect Juneau Car Rental to be in the same area?

I've rented a car from Juneau Car Rental for my upcoming trip in July. They have confirmed that they have a rental office at the AJ deck. I sail with NCL and our port is the closest to the AJ Dock. I know there are websites that tell you where your ship will be docked but Juneau Car Rental has the info as well and can tell you how far their office would be from your ship. Everytime I exchanged emails with them they were very helpful, thoroughly professional and replied back promptly.

We were considering renting a car in Juneau; however, have had second thoughts. It appears that we can get to most of the interesting points quite easily by shuttle or city bus. We, of course, want to go to Mendenhall Glacier, gardens, and the fish hatchery. Several years ago we did the tram; however, we will probably do it again. It seems that car rental might not be needed. Any thoughts?

We are using Juneau Car Rental- they are right at the dock. With a car you can go all along the coast and see some amazing sights. There are maps and information on line that shows you all the places you can go. And, driving on your own, allows you to stay as long as you want. PS: Much cheaper than paying for a tour for just one person.

Here are some things I found to do:

Shrine of St Therse, Mendenhall Glacier Center, Chapel by the Lake, Skaters Cabin, Alaskan Brewing Co. You can look this places up and see what the advantage is to having a car.

Our ship (Norwegian ship) docks right at AJ Dock. Since Juneau Car Rentals has a kiosk at the dock, we went with them. One of my traveling companions has a bad knee and we figured the mile and a half walk into town to go to Avis should be saved for walking on beautiful trails. Besides, Avis has it's own bad reviews, more than Juneau Car Rental. Any car rental is a risk. I know there's a shuttle bus from the AJ Dock to town, but I've heard that they can back up.

The shuttle to the glacier sound great, but they can be frustrating too (late shuttles, waiting for shuttles in torrential rain, etc.). A car is much more practical. And it's pretty economical when you consider $20 per person to take the shuttle just to Mendenhall, but only about $60-70 for a car all day to do whatever.

I will say when we called, Juneau Car Rental instilled confidence. Their cars are older, some have high mileage. I've heard via reviews that some can be pretty beaten up. But when you consider that buses can be all that too, it's not much of a greater risk (I'm a VERY bussy person, by the way, take buses all the time). Juneau is small. The worst case is the car breaks down and you have to call a cab. Take cab numbers.

I don't know when you travel, but we're going in May (don't want to say when on a public forum). If you want to email me privately at my address shown in signature, I can tell you how it went.

TA

tatraveler2 .at. geemail .dooot.com

Our ship (Norwegian ship) docks right at AJ Dock. Since Juneau Car Rentals has a kiosk at the dock, we went with them. One of my traveling companions has a bad knee and we figured the mile and a half walk into town to go to Avis should be saved for walking on beautiful trails. [/size]

You'll need to review when you return, being you haven't been there yet. This is the first year, I've known they've have an office at the AJ dock. Did you find out if the cars are there as well? Are they using the former National office area? Would offer more information for others. And with your bad knee person- if they are at the former National lot, it's an uphill, several "block" walk.

I've used the AJ dock numerous times. The "back ups" you are claiming are 5-10 minutes. The buses run constantly with an empty one lined up behind loading buses. Even at peak times the waits are not longer. Same on the other end for the return.

You'll need to review when you return, being you haven't been there yet. This is the first year, I've known they've have an office at the AJ dock. Did you find out if the cars are there as well? Are they using the former National office area? Would offer more information for others. And with your bad knee person- if they are at the former National lot, it's an uphill, several "block" walk.

 

I've used the AJ dock numerous times. The "back ups" you are claiming are 5-10 minutes. The buses run constantly with an empty one lined up behind loading buses. Even at peak times the waits are not longer. Same on the other end for the return.

The woman I spoke with at Juneau Car Rental said the kiosk was to the right as we leave the ship and is less distance than the length of the ship from the point of disembarkment from the ship. (The kiosk is a beige trailer). The cars that are reserved are also there in the lot waiting for us and we self-return the cars at the same place when we arrive back to board the ship in the late afternoon/evening.

5-10 minutes can be a lot when you're standing in the rain or are tired from adventures. Such waits also add up over the course of a day.

I will definitely post a review of Juneau Car Rental as well as try and post pics of the unique spots we visited because we rented a car!

The woman I spoke with at Juneau Car Rental said the kiosk was to the right as we leave the ship and is less distance than the length of the ship from the point of disembarkment from the ship. (The kiosk is a beige trailer). The cars that are reserved are also there in the lot waiting for us and we self-return the cars at the same place when we arrive back to board the ship in the late afternoon/evening.

 

5-10 minutes can be a lot when you're standing in the rain or are tired from adventures. Such waits also add up over the course of a day.

 

I will definitely post a review of Juneau Car Rental as well as try and post pics of the unique spots we visited because we rented a car!

The bus stops are covered at the tram lot, and a covered area is a few feet away from the AJ dock, bus boarding. Since the cars are at the Juneau Car Rental Lot- you are going to have a "nice" walk to there, if it's raining, since you'll be going further. :).

I understand, this is going to work out great for you. For others taking the cruise line shuttle buses this will work out fine as well. :)

"

The woman I spoke with at Juneau Car Rental said the kiosk was to the right as we leave the ship and is less distance than the length of the ship from the point of disembarkment from the ship. (The kiosk is a beige trailer). The cars that are reserved are also there in the lot waiting for us and we self-return the cars at the same place when we arrive back to board the ship in the late afternoon/evening."

 

We have rented from Juneau Car Rental the last 2 years. In 2013 it was up the hill a little distance but last year it was just to the right beside the parking lot where NCL was docked at AJ. The satellite office trailer and cars were both there. The cars were clean & a little older, but very reasonable and we were satisfied.

Even though we were close, we had 1 person pick up the car and drive around the loop to pick us up as one in our party has difficulty walking and we wanted to save her steps for viewing the sites.

When we go back next year, we will definitely reserve a car with them again.

It is a wonderful way to see the sites of Juneau on your own timetable!

having a car is really nice. You can go to many places that won't be accessible by bus. My favorite place is the Shrine of Teresa, where we watched salmon run in September

having a car is really nice. You can go to many places that won't be accessible by bus. My favorite place is the Shrine of Teresa, where we watched salmon run in September

What were your favorites besides the Shrine of St. Teresa? Did you go to Mendenhall with your car?

Thank you!

having a car is really nice. You can go to many places that won't be accessible by bus. My favorite place is the Shrine of Teresa, where we watched salmon run in September

If the weather is nice we usually drive out to the Shrine and a bit further to Eagle Beach. The hatchery began dumping fish near the Shrine and the whales can now sometimes be seen closer to shore there, not often but occasionally. It’s a beautiful area with or without whale sightings.

What were your favorites besides the Shrine of St. Teresa? Did you go to Mendenhall with your car?

 

Thank you!

You can go to Mendenhall with your car. A city bus leaves you about a mile and a half from the Visitor Center; with a car you drive right to the lot. Call Juneau Car Rental- I think we are paying $65 for the day. Well worth it to have the freedom to be on your own time. Also, ask then to send you a list of things to see and do. Also, check Trip Advisor and then look up the things you are interested. Auke Bay Harbor, is beautiful, too and it's only accessible by car. There is a lot to do, just search things to do in Juneau and go from there.

What were your favorites besides the Shrine of St. Teresa? Did you go to Mendenhall with your car?

 

Thank you!

Yes, we stopped by Mendenhall first.

We rented the car from a place called "Rent-a-wreck".. I am not kidding..:D

Rent-a-wreck is now Juneau car Rental. They changed their name maybe because people didn't want to rent wrecks :)

Please, tell more on the AJ Dock Shuttles. We are renting a car from JCR, and were planning to walk the mile to the AJ Dock as we are scheduled to dock right next to the tram station (Cruise Terminal [CT] Dock).

Is the Shuttle free? Where is the pick-up/drop-off on the town side? Is it restricted to only the lines that are using the AJ Dock?

Might be an option for us to save a mile walk each way. Then again, we are on a cruise and the extra steps might do some good. :)

We're just back from our May 7-16 NCL Jewel itinerary.

We rented our car from Juneau Car Rental (was Rent a Wreck). The kiosk was at the southwest end of the AJ Dock, close to the water, near a chain link fence. If you're docked at AJ Dock, get off the boat, turn right. When you see bus stops along the sidewalk, keep going to the end of the sidewalk. The tiny out-building at the end of the sidewalk is your kiosk. The building wasn't super obvious, but it was extremely close to our ship.

The pick up was easy, took about 5 minutes. The drop off was also easy. We simply left the car where it had been parked earlier with the keys in the sun visor.

The car was literally a wreck, an old ~2005 Chevy Malibu. It was in reasonable superficial condition, but we didn't realize that we needed to bring black tape for the Check Engine light that was literally on, LOL (Big Bang Theory Penny reference). We called to inform JCR about the Check Engine Light. They simply said that, yeah, some of the cars have that, LOL. The rotors were warped so the brakes were uneven. The transmission occasionally gave us reason to wonder.

Without question, from the AJ Dock, it was a much more convenient way to go than either the bus or the other car rentals that were either in town or out at the airport. With more than 2 people, it would also have been far more economical (we were just a couple) than the shuttle bus. The horror stories we heard about Avis upselling did not happen with Juneau Car Rental. The people we dealt with were honest and very pleasant.

We did take the car out of cell range to go up to Eagle River, an experience that was very worth the time, but maybe not worth the risk of our questionable car breaking down. Still, it was GORGEOUS and we enjoyed the experience, just glad we made it back to town, hassle free. We saw several people at Eagle River having barbeques (it was Mother's Day). All seemed really nice and I suspect they'd have been willing to take us to cell service if the car broke down.

We also went to Mendenhall, to a local restaurant, to Shrine of St. Therese (which I would consider very missable if time is short and you've already been to Eagle River). And we went back to Mendenhall for some more yummy drinking fountain water, which was much, much better than either the cruise ship water or the bottled water we brought. All except Eagle River were within cell range (Verizon).

Had the car broken down in town, I have no doubt, it would be an easy call to the rental agency for a pick up and maybe a different car. Very little in the Juneau area is more than 10 minutes drive.

Would we rent from Juneau Car Rental again? Yes, definitely if we were just planning a quick day trip from the AJ Dock to around town from a cruise. It was soooo convenient. I almost felt sorry for those who had to wait for buses and such.

Would we rent from Juneau Car Rental for a multi-day trip that included getting our of cell range? No. I think if we had more time, thus more time to go out and get a car from the airport, I think we'd go with one of the orgs that offers more reliable cars.

But I loved Juneau, and the car definitely enhanced the experience, especially for nature buffs like us. The downside (maybe) is that we didn't spend a single minute at the souvenir and diamond shops downtown.:D

Well, I'd post a pic of the car, but I don't have an anonymous place to put the photo. It wasn't bad at all, certainly beat the bus if you wanted to go no farther than Mendenhall and otherwise pretty much stay in town.

We're just back from our May 7-16 NCL Jewel itinerary.

 

We rented our car from Juneau Car Rental (was Rent a Wreck). The kiosk was at the southwest end of the AJ Dock, close to the water, near a chain link fence. If you're docked at AJ Dock, get off the boat, turn right. When you see bus stops along the sidewalk, keep going to the end of the sidewalk. The tiny out-building at the end of the sidewalk is your kiosk. The building wasn't super obvious, but it was extremely close to our ship.

 

The pick up was easy, took about 5 minutes. The drop off was also easy. We simply left the car where it had been parked earlier with the keys in the sun visor.

 

The car was literally a wreck, an old ~2005 Chevy Malibu. It was in reasonable superficial condition, but we didn't realize that we needed to bring black tape for the Check Engine light that was literally on, LOL (Big Bang Theory Penny reference). We called to inform JCR about the Check Engine Light. They simply said that, yeah, some of the cars have that, LOL. The rotors were warped so the brakes were uneven. The transmission occasionally gave us reason to wonder.

 

Without question, from the AJ Dock, it was a much more convenient way to go than either the bus or the other car rentals that were either in town or out at the airport. With more than 2 people, it would also have been far more economical (we were just a couple) than the shuttle bus. The horror stories we heard about Avis upselling did not happen with Juneau Car Rental. The people we dealt with were honest and very pleasant.

 

We did take the car out of cell range to go up to Eagle River, an experience that was very worth the time, but maybe not worth the risk of our questionable car breaking down. Still, it was GORGEOUS and we enjoyed the experience, just glad we made it back to town, hassle free. We saw several people at Eagle River having barbeques (it was Mother's Day). All seemed really nice and I suspect they'd have been willing to take us to cell service if the car broke down.

 

We also went to Mendenhall, to a local restaurant, to Shrine of St. Therese (which I would consider very missable if time is short and you've already been to Eagle River). And we went back to Mendenhall for some more yummy drinking fountain water, which was much, much better than either the cruise ship water or the bottled water we brought. All except Eagle River were within cell range (Verizon).

 

Had the car broken down in town, I have no doubt, it would be an easy call to the rental agency for a pick up and maybe a different car. Very little in the Juneau area is more than 10 minutes drive.

 

Would we rent from Juneau Car Rental again? Yes, definitely if we were just planning a quick day trip from the AJ Dock to around town from a cruise. It was soooo convenient. I almost felt sorry for those who had to wait for buses and such.

 

Would we rent from Juneau Car Rental for a multi-day trip that included getting our of cell range? No. I think if we had more time, thus more time to go out and get a car from the airport, I think we'd go with one of the orgs that offers more reliable cars.

 

But I loved Juneau, and the car definitely enhanced the experience, especially for nature buffs like us. The downside (maybe) is that we didn't spend a single minute at the souvenir and diamond shops downtown.:D

 

Well, I'd post a pic of the car, but I don't have an anonymous place to put the photo. It wasn't bad at all, certainly beat the bus if you wanted to go no farther than Mendenhall and otherwise pretty much stay in town.

Do you mean Eagle Beach?