First cruise to Alaska, what to do in Juneau?

[Sun lover 123]

We are going on a cruise to Alaska on May 16 with Holland American from Vancouver. We've got 2 excursions booked so far, both through HAL.

In Skagway we're doing the White Pass Summit Scenic Railroad (Mon.May 19)

In Ketchikan we're doing the Ketchikan's Cultural Discovery (Wed. May 21)

 

Not sure what to do in Juneau (Sun.May 18). I want to see the Mendenhall Glacier, but don't know if we should just catch a shuttle from the port, it looks like it costs $8 per person per way, so $32.00 round trip. Then admission to the Visitors Centre is only $3 per person, and it looks like it would be worth visiting. Then, depending on weather, I'd also like to do the Mt Roberts Tram which is only a 5 minute ride each way and costs $31 per person. I've read that it's a beautiful view from the tram and from the top but not worth the time or money if it's raining and/or foggy as you can't see very much.

The other option I'm looking at is the HAL tour "Mendenhall Glacier & Tram, which also includes a narrated tour of downtown Juneau and costs $64.95 per person. Again depending on the weather...the cost includes the tram ride, but again if it's not a nice day you won't see much.

Does anyone have any insights or opinions for me on this? Or maybe I shouldn't book ahead and wait until we get there to see what the weather is like? Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I should mention that we've never been to Alaska before and might not be again, so I don't want to miss anything that's really worth seeing.

Thanks!:)

[1SMURFF99A]

We love doing the whale watching tour. The tram is great if the weather is clear, great view.

[hughdm]

We are going on a cruise to Alaska on May 16 with Holland American from Vancouver. We've got 2 excursions booked so far, both through HAL.

In Skagway we're doing the White Pass Summit Scenic Railroad (Mon.May 19)

In Ketchikan we're doing the Ketchikan's Cultural Discovery (Wed. May 21)

 

Not sure what to do in Juneau (Sun.May 18). I want to see the Mendenhall Glacier, but don't know if we should just catch a shuttle from the port, it looks like it costs $8 per person per way, so $32.00 round trip. Then admission to the Visitors Centre is only $3 per person, and it looks like it would be worth visiting. Then, depending on weather, I'd also like to do the Mt Roberts Tram which is only a 5 minute ride each way and costs $31 per person. I've read that it's a beautiful view from the tram and from the top but not worth the time or money if it's raining and/or foggy as you can't see very much.

The other option I'm looking at is the HAL tour "Mendenhall Glacier & Tram, which also includes a narrated tour of downtown Juneau and costs $64.95 per person. Again depending on the weather...the cost includes the tram ride, but again if it's not a nice day you won't see much.

Does anyone have any insights or opinions for me on this? Or maybe I shouldn't book ahead and wait until we get there to see what the weather is like? Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I should mention that we've never been to Alaska before and might not be again, so I don't want to miss anything that's really worth seeing.

Thanks!:)

 

The buses are easy to use to get to the Mendenhall Glacier and you should see it if you haven't. Another thing to keep in mind is that Juneau is the best place in Alaska to go on a whale watching tour.

 

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[Iamthesea]

I suggest that you book a whale excursion with Harv and Marv Tours. They also offer a stop at the Mendenhall Glacier after the tour. The glacier, along with the whales was the highlight of our cruise. :)http://www.harvandmarvs.com/

[itzmered]

I also highly recommend a whale watching tour. Nothing like getting to see them close up. We did one through Orca tours and had a stop at Mendenhall afterwords. We are doing the same tour in July we enjoyed it so much

[zino5]

Whale watching and Tracey Crab Shack !!

[wvufan]

I also highly recommend a whale watching tour. Nothing like getting to see them close up. We did one through Orca tours and had a stop at Mendenhall afterwords. We are doing the same tour in July we enjoyed it so much

 

We have gone with Orca Enterprises twice. Captain Larry does the tour and he is phenomenal. You can arrange for them to drop you at Mendenhall and take the shuttle back to town.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Sorry I noticed after I posted it that it was on the Celebrity board and not the HAL board. It's the first time that I've ever started a thread and don't know how to fix it...can you tell me? I also thought that as I was asking a question about Juneau excursions, not necessarily HAL specific, that it wouldn't matter. I'll gladly changed it if someone could tell me how though. Thanks:)

 

Don't worry about it. You could post the same question on the HAL board. But you've received some good advice here, such as go to the ports of call board and the Alaska section. I'd also recommend connecting with your roll call on the HAL board.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Another thing to keep in mind is that Juneau is the best place in Alaska to go on a whale watching tour.

 

Yes, Juneau is a good place to go on a whale watch. However, Icy Strait Point is an even better whale watch site.

[Winedogs]

If you have good weather try a helicopter tour with Temsco. It was the highlight of our cruise.

[apeller]

We have gone with Orca Enterprises twice. Captain Larry does the tour and he is phenomenal. You can arrange for them to drop you at Mendenhall and take the shuttle back to town.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

 

If you have good weather try a helicopter tour with Temsco. It was the highlight of our cruise.

 

 

We did both of these. Captain Larry was great, and I highly recommend him, but I must say that the helicopter to the glacier was an unforgettable experience.

[Host Walt]

This thread was relocated from the Celebrity where it was accidentally first posted.

 

Two comments.

 

1. You'll find the Alaska Ports of Call forum to be very helpful.

2. Find the roll call for your cruise using the Roll Call finder (see the box at the top) and discuss your questions with others who are sailing on your cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Something else you may want to consider for Juneau -- Whale watching. We have used Orca Enterprises a couple of times and thoroughly enjoyed them.

Why not check out your Roll Call and see what others are doing at this link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974835

[Miaminice]

If you want to stick to Mendenhall Glacier and the Tram, do it independently!!!

 

It is extremely easy to do it. There is no need whatsoever to pay the cruiseline for it. In Juneau everything is right in front of the ship...

 

 

This picture is taken coming down from the mountain with the tram. The white bus you see on the parking lot is the shuttle to Mendenhall. See how close everything is?!

 

You would not have had to book anything for Ketchikan either. It is pretty small. We walked around in the morning and, because we had basically sen it all by noon, did a float plane bear watching tour with alaskaseaplanetours.com which be booked in a shack at the port. Not cheap but unforgetable...

 

Follow this link to see more pics... https://plus.google.com/photos/115329951158712806430/albums/5996595592895437361?authkey=CKb86-jfvJWL8QE

 

Enjoy Alaska - it´s beautiful!

Edited April 10, 2014 by Miaminice

[mamaofami]

The helicopter ride through the glaciers and then landing on a glacier and going dog sledding was an extraordinary experience. It was expensive, but well worth in .

[Sun lover 123]

If you want to stick to Mendenhall Glacier and the Tram, do it independently!!!

 

It is extremely easy to do it. There is no need whatsoever to pay the cruiseline for it. In Juneau everything is right in front of the ship...

 

 

This picture is taken coming down from the mountain with the tram. The white bus you see on the parking lot is the shuttle to Mendenhall. See how close everything is?!

 

You would not have had to book anything for Ketchikan either. It is pretty small. We walked around in the morning and, because we had basically sen it all by noon, did a float plane bear watching tour with alaskaseaplanetours.com which be booked in a shack at the port. Not cheap but unforgetable...

 

Follow this link to see more pics... https://plus.google.com/photos/115329951158712806430/albums/5996595592895437361?authkey=CKb86-jfvJWL8QE

 

Enjoy Alaska - it´s beautiful!

 

Thanks very much for sharing your photos...they are beautiful!

I'm now looking forward to our cruise even more

[ksqueak]

We love doing the whale watching tour. The tram is great if the weather is clear, great view.

 

 

We went whale watching. But the bus driver stopped at the Mendenhall glacier and we were able to get off to take pictures.

[curtdesilets]

Our favorite excursion in Juneau is the Whale Watching. Some of the excursions tie it in with a Salmon Bake out on some remote Island. That is really cool! We have seen some incredible whale adventures, including a mother humpback training her calf how to breach. Also saw bubble feeding close up. There really is no better place to see these creatures. But be aware that very early or very late in the season, the whales are not as prevalent.

 

Otherwise, the trip to Mendenhall Glacier is good. Great just to hike around the area, but it could get crowded.

 

We once went canoeing around another more remote glacier that we assessed by a speed boat, but that is a rare excursion. It may still exist, but you might have to book it independently.

 

If you are into Russian knick kncks (nesting dolls and the like), there is a store called "House of Russia" which is not to be missed. It is right up the main drag from the ship's dock.

[TiogaCruiser]

As already noted the glacier is easily accessible via bus. The really nice thing about that is you can stay how long you want and not have a tour telling you "be back in x minutes". Just do not bring food (Yogi may try to share it). Seriously.

 

We did the northstar heli ride and hike on the glacier and it's got to be one of the best shorex we've ever done. Expensive, but worth every penny. If my video was done I would post a link.

[zookiebird]

The helicopter ride through the glaciers and then landing on a glacier and going dog sledding was an extraordinary experience. It was expensive, but well worth in .

 

We did this in Skagway. Yes it's expensive but it's something you'll never forget. Without question it's the best excursion we've ever taken.

[emeraldead]

I think I'm on that tour (Zaandam, Vancouver to Vancouver, 16-23), 1st time cruiser, and I shelled out for the full glacier/whale/orca lodge for myself and my mom.

 

I also plan to NOT go offship on the next day to recoup and enjoy a more empty ship experience (and heard that there wasn't much in Skagway).

Edited April 10, 2014 by emeraldead

[kjpabl]

I am not a veteran Alaskan cruiser having only been once, but I do not agree that there is nothing to do in Skagway. We took a van tour into the Yukon and Emerald Lake with Dyea Dave and then hopped on the WP&Y RR for the trip back into town. The trip into the Yukon was one stop after another of majestic beauty and stunning vistas. Then lunch and Bennet Lake and then the beauty of Emerald Lake. Finally we bought tickets and took the White Pass & Yukon back into town. Maybe it was because my DH is from a RR family, but watching him standing on the outer platform and smiling and taking pictures the whole trip back was well worth the $$ for tickets. And compared to the other excursions in Juneau and Ketchikan it was our least expensive excursion of the trip. I do not recommend taking the tour with your cruise ship. They spent a great deal of time keeping us away from them, which meant that all the 'cruiseline tourers' were herded into packed cars on the RR and had to take turns taking pictures out on the platform, while my husband and I and the one other couple who decided to take the train back into Skagway had an entire car and platform to ourselves. One of the very best suggestions I ever got from cruise critic pages! So thanks to all for that piece of advice! As a matter of fact we have already reserved Dave's tour for our return trip on the Volendam in 2015.

Edited April 10, 2014 by kjpabl
grammer

[PatsyAnne]

If you have a US National Parks pass, take it for Mendenhall.

 

 

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[BeardieMom55]

I highly recommend the Whales & Mendenhall Glacier Photo Safari. You get to spend some time at the glacier and a whale watching trip in the boat especially suited for photography. The boat holds 14-20 people, has an open deck on front and back as well as side windows that fold up. There is a professional photographer along to give you helpful hints and to assist with camera settings, etc. The tour is small so you will have no problem seeing everything or taking photos. The Whales, Glacier and Rain Forest trails uses the same boat minus the professional photographer. You will still have plenty of time to take the Mt Roberts Tram on your own.

[CowPrincess]

We are going on a cruise to Alaska on May 16 with Holland American from Vancouver. We've got 2 excursions booked so far, both through HAL.

In Skagway we're doing the White Pass Summit Scenic Railroad (Mon.May 19)

In Ketchikan we're doing the Ketchikan's Cultural Discovery (Wed. May 21)

 

Not sure what to do in Juneau (Sun.May 18). I want to see the Mendenhall Glacier, but don't know if we should just catch a shuttle from the port, it looks like it costs $8 per person per way, so $32.00 round trip. Then admission to the Visitors Centre is only $3 per person, and it looks like it would be worth visiting. Then, depending on weather, I'd also like to do the Mt Roberts Tram which is only a 5 minute ride each way and costs $31 per person. I've read that it's a beautiful view from the tram and from the top but not worth the time or money if it's raining and/or foggy as you can't see very much.

The other option I'm looking at is the HAL tour "Mendenhall Glacier & Tram, which also includes a narrated tour of downtown Juneau and costs $64.95 per person. Again depending on the weather...the cost includes the tram ride, but again if it's not a nice day you won't see much.

Does anyone have any insights or opinions for me on this? Or maybe I shouldn't book ahead and wait until we get there to see what the weather is like? Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I should mention that we've never been to Alaska before and might not be again, so I don't want to miss anything that's really worth seeing.

Thanks!:)

 

Bolding mine. Whales. You want to see whales. The whale watches are expensive but oh-so-worth-it :D IMHO

 

I'd be reluctant to commit to the HAL "Mendenhall Glacier & Tram", because of what you already know -- the tram is not very interesting in the rain and/or fog.

 

If you are going to Glacier Bay, you'll see glaciers there, so you might decide you don't need to see another glacier. Or you could do the whale watch/Mendenhall that HAL and a bunch of private operators offer.

 

Once you have done your primary excursion, if the weather is good, you could still take the tram up Mt Roberts if you want more to do. It doesn't "sell out" -- runs all day. (If you are not already exhausted and broke ;) )