Juneau Car Rental..Yes or No??

[bonandmick]

Thank you for the review of Juneau Car rental. We were thinking about doing pretty much the same thing. Hearing that the check engine light was on is pretty disconcerting though, especially when you have a cruise that you need to be on time for. Wondering how safe it is to leave a car with the keys in the visor upon the return, there would be no proof to show that you really returned the car and that you brought it back in the same shape.

[TATraveler]

Thank you for the review of Juneau Car rental. We were thinking about doing pretty much the same thing. Hearing that the check engine light was on is pretty disconcerting though, especially when you have a cruise that you need to be on time for. Wondering how safe it is to leave a car with the keys in the visor upon the return, there would be no proof to show that you really returned the car and that you brought it back in the same shape.

 

It ran fine. And as I said, if you stay pretty much in town, their office is no more than 15 minutes from anywhere, including Mendenhall. Buses break down too, and after hearing those horror stories, I had no problem with the car.

 

You leave the keys on the visor and lock the door...safety would still be a concern no doubt. Maybe they have cameras? I don't know. I suspect an outfit with that policy could not make you responsible for a stolen car, but who knows. The other thing is it's Juneau. If someone steals the car, Juneau Car Rental simply reports it to the ferry system and then look for it around town. Trust me, I suspect car thefts in these island communities is low. There's no place for people to go with the stolen car, given the only way out is by ferry.

Edited May 27, 2015 by TATraveler

[bonandmick]

I was just talking to my husband about this, being a former New Yorker its hard to believe that they daily lock-out cars and that they don't get stolen. But... as you said, its Juneau and they can't exactly make a run for it with a stolen car. I spoke to the owner of the rental agency tonight and booked a car. He is a really nice person, who put my mind at ease. Looking forward to traveling to Juneau now and touring around in a car. For my family of three its about the same price to rent a car as it is to take the shuttle bus to Mendenhall glacier. Thanks again for your review.

[Budget Queen]

It ran fine. And as I said, if you stay pretty much in town, their office is no more than 15 minutes from anywhere, including Mendenhall. Buses break down too, and after hearing those horror stories, I had no problem with the car.

 

You leave the keys on the visor and lock the door...safety would still be a concern no doubt. Maybe they have cameras? I don't know. I suspect an outfit with that policy could not make you responsible for a stolen car, but who knows. The other thing is it's Juneau. If someone steals the car, Juneau Car Rental simply reports it to the ferry system and then look for it around town. Trust me, I suspect car thefts in these island communities is low. There's no place for people to go with the stolen car, given the only way out is by ferry.

 

Reading the contract- YOU are going to be 100% liable for anything happening to that car, until it is officially checked in.

[Alder]

Hi there – we were on a HAL cruise last year with a full and fantastic day in Juneau. We hired a car from Avis who have a proper counter inside the Goldbelt Hotel. Assuming you’re docked at the same place we were, just turn left as you get off the ship and it’s a few minutes walk – easy to find.

We’d pre-booked and pre-paid and it took no time to collect the keys – car parked outside – no attempt at any upsell.

There’s not a lot of roads to choose from(!) – we drove north west past the airport along the Glacier Highway stopping when we wanted to. Very pleasant hour at St Theresa’s Shrine where there’s some nice gentle paths from the car park to the Church on the coast. Great views out to sea - told by some friendly locals that sometimes you can see whales, but not while we were there. Drove on to the end of the road and stopped off at a couple of State Parks on the coast – again nice paths.

Headed back towards Juneau and took the loop road to Mendenhall Glacier – the car parks are fairly close to the visitors centre, but there’s a footpath along the stream so you can completely avoid walking along the road.

Went back to Juneau and used an overflow carpark owned by Avis next to the ship to pop back for a bite to eat.

As the ship only left around 10pm we went out again for the evening. There’s a Walmart back towards Mendenhall (emergency camera memory card!) before we drove across the bridge onto Douglas Island to explore the ruins of Treadwell Gold Mine - it’s pretty much on the shore opposite the cruise ship. Nothing spectacular but there’s some interesting interpretation boards and lots of ruins – it’s managed as public open space so lots of dog walkers and the like.

Dropped the car off at the hotel car park and the keys into the Avis box. Then wandered back through town to the ship.

Nothing against other car hire companies (and I’ve happily used Rent-a-Wreck/Ugly Duckling etc elsewhere) but Avis were flawless.

[yknot13]

We were in Juneau 2 weeks ago and rented a car for the day. We had a fantastic visit. Started at Mendenhall for 2.5 hours. Then drove to Auke Bay stopping at the bridge over Mendenhal river on the way for a quick hike and pictures.

 

After Auke Bay drove out to the end of the road were we saw a Black bear feeding along the side of the road.

Stopped at the Shrine of St. Therese on the way out

Stopped at a small boat launch near Eagle Beach and spoke to several locals that were extremely informative.

We then drove back into town and had a bite to eat at the Hanger. Great food and beer.

After lunch we drove over to Douglas were we saw whales feeding along the coast in the bay.

All in all it was a great day and the $85.00 car rental from Avis was well worth the cost.

Edited June 2, 2015 by yknot13

[seemoreroyals]

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.

 

On our NCL Jewel trip coming up in September we are only going to be in Juneau from 7AM - 1:30PM. Was this the case for your day in Juneau? We are very much interested in renting a car in Juneau but we are trying to decide if six and a half hour in port is enough time to justify getting a rent car. We are thinking that we should allow time to do paperwork to get car, time to turn car back in, and a comfortable amount of time to get back on ship so we are not left behind. Please give us some good advice based on your experience as we are scratching our heads trying to decide what to do at this point.

[Budget Queen]

On our NCL Jewel trip coming up in September we are only going to be in Juneau from 7AM - 1:30PM. Was this the case for your day in Juneau? We are very much interested in renting a car in Juneau but we are trying to decide if six and a half hour in port is enough time to justify getting a rent car. We are thinking that we should allow time to do paperwork to get car, time to turn car back in, and a comfortable amount of time to get back on ship so we are not left behind. Please give us some good advice based on your experience as we are scratching our heads trying to decide what to do at this point.

 

It may or may not be worthwhile. Are you going to up and ready to leave the ship as soon as it clears? Renting from Juneau Car Rental, located right at your dock, really, is the only vendor you should consider.

[seemoreroyals]

It may or may not be worthwhile. Are you going to up and ready to leave the ship as soon as it clears? Renting from Juneau Car Rental, located right at your dock, really, is the only vendor you should consider.

 

I was advised to avoid Juneau Car Rental and go with Avis by a well meaning friend but in light of our short time in port, total only 6 and a half hours, the location and price of JCR compared to Avis looks like a good option to me as well. The well wishing friend said to avoid JCR because their cars are old and break down frequently but when I called and talked to the people there they seemed like responsible local business people as opposed to the corporate vibe I felt when I talked to the people at Avis. I am going through the same decision making process for renting a car at Skagway. Avis wants $160 per day while the local company there is less than half that. In Skagway we will be in port for 10 and a half hours and will not be nearly as pressed for time. Thank you BQ for your feedback and I am hoping to get your opinion as well on who to go with in Skagway. If anyone else would like to chime in please do.

[Budget Queen]

I was advised to avoid Juneau Car Rental and go with Avis by a well meaning friend but in light of our short time in port, total only 6 and a half hours, the location and price of JCR compared to Avis looks like a good option to me as well. The well wishing friend said to avoid JCR because their cars are old and break down frequently but when I called and talked to the people there they seemed like responsible local business people as opposed to the corporate vibe I felt when I talked to the people at Avis. I am going through the same decision making process for renting a car at Skagway. Avis wants $160 per day while the local company there is less than half that. In Skagway we will be in port for 10 and a half hours and will not be nearly as pressed for time. Thank you BQ for your feedback and I am hoping to get your opinion as well on who to go with in Skagway. If anyone else would like to chime in please do.

 

Does this "friend" have first hand experience?

 

I don't use the alternative vendor in Skagway, as their maintenance of cars wasn't always the greatest, with being lax in the past. Avis cars are brought in- yearly from Anchorage, and far better maintained and newer. Services are limited which adds to the issue.

 

The distance you're likely to go in Juneau- would offer far more ease of "rescue" compared to being in Carcross when you have trouble. :)

[seemoreroyals]

Does this "friend" have first hand experience?

 

I don't use the alternative vendor in Skagway, as their maintenance of cars wasn't always the greatest, with being lax in the past. Avis cars are brought in- yearly from Anchorage, and far better maintained and newer. Services are limited which adds to the issue.

 

The distance you're likely to go in Juneau- would offer far more ease of "rescue" compared to being in Carcross when you have trouble. :)

 

He went last year but only used Avis at both ports. Decisions, decisions. I hate overpaying for stuff but I don't want to be left on the side of the road either.

[seemoreroyals]

On our NCL Jewel trip coming up in September we are only going to be in Juneau from 7AM - 1:30PM. Was this the case for your day in Juneau? We are very much interested in renting a car in Juneau but we are trying to decide if six and a half hour in port is enough time to justify getting a rent car. We are thinking that we should allow time to do paperwork to get car, time to turn car back in, and a comfortable amount of time to get back on ship so we are not left behind. Please give us some good advice based on your experience as we are scratching our heads trying to decide what to do at this point.

 

I wanted to bump this back up to the top and see if any else out there had any additional thoughts about our situation in regards to renting a car in Juneau. All feedback from anyone who perhaps has been in a similar short time at port wanting to rent a car decision making process would be appreciated.

Edited June 6, 2015 by seemoreroyals

[aronde]

We just rented from Avis in Juneau in May. Pickup took about three minutes, drop-off less than that! There was no queue of people but even if there was the guy was pretty efficient. It took longer to walk to Avis (about 10 minutes) then it did to pick it up! We had the car about 6 hours and spent leisurely time at the glacier, salmon hatchery, beach rd etc. I would recommend a car for the flexibility of not having to wait for shuttle buses etc. And with five people in our party it was cheaper! [emoji2]

[seemoreroyals]

We just rented from Avis in Juneau in May. Pickup took about three minutes, drop-off less than that! There was no queue of people but even if there was the guy was pretty efficient. It took longer to walk to Avis (about 10 minutes) then it did to pick it up! We had the car about 6 hours and spent leisurely time at the glacier, salmon hatchery, beach rd etc. I would recommend a car for the flexibility of not having to wait for shuttle buses etc. And with five people in our party it was cheaper! [emoji2]

 

Thank you so much. We will not be in port quite as long as you but there will be 4 of us so like you I think it would be cheaper by far than purchasing excursions. If we allow for pickup, drop off, and getting back 30 minutes before departure we have 5 to 5 and a half hours at best. We still have about 90 days so we have time to do more research before making final decision.

[mapleleaves]

Thank you so much. We will not be in port quite as long as you but there will be 4 of us so like you I think it would be cheaper by far than purchasing excursions. If we allow for pickup, drop off, and getting back 30 minutes before departure we have 5 to 5 and a half hours at best. We still have about 90 days so we have time to do more research before making final decision.

 

Keep in mind that there isn't much roadway in and around Juneau so it's not like sights are a hundred miles apart; it's only a 15 mile drive to Mendenhall; even a drive to the End of the Road is about 45 miles. Just be sure to allow time at the end to fill up with gas, do the final inspection and paperwork.

Map and info on the town web site:

http://www.traveljuneau.com/cms/d/juneau_area_map.php

[Budget Queen]

Thank you so much. We will not be in port quite as long as you but there will be 4 of us so like you I think it would be cheaper by far than purchasing excursions. If we allow for pickup, drop off, and getting back 30 minutes before departure we have 5 to 5 and a half hours at best. We still have about 90 days so we have time to do more research before making final decision.

 

If you haven't already- get the car reservation now. then cancel if you change your mind.

[brentp]

Having recently returned, I want to provide my update on Juneau Car Rental. Summary: all is good and we would recommend them in a heartbeat. :)

 

We really liked JCR. The car may have been bit older as it did have 125K miles on it. But, it was clean, functional, and got us where we wanted to go. The 'paper work' only took a few minutes as everything was ready when we arrived. When asked what to do if we had any issues, we were told to call the number on the paperwork and then would send someone out if needed right way. Didn't need to, but was very confident they would be there if needed.

 

One other topic to update: we were at the cruise terminal (CT) dock about a mile away for the AJ dock. Having heard there was a shuttle for those that were at the AJ dock, we walked outside and asked where the bus picked people up to go to the AJ dock. When the bus arrived, we and a number of folks got on and no questions were asked by the driver. I did hear the driver tell one Princess passenger that they didn't need to show their tickets to get on 'his' bus, and I think some of the others were workers that he knew needed a ride out. Of course, upon return, the Princess ship had departed and so to had the shuttle buses, but at least we avoided the hike in one direction. :)

 

Car or no car? That is up to you. Let me share our story. It was an off/on rainy day when we were in Juneau. When it came time for us to want to go to Mendenhall, we drove up the access road to the parking lot and it was foggy and poring out. So, we decided to head back down the access road and get some lunch first. After lunch, things cleared up so we headed back up the access road. Wow, you could now see everything from the access road, we didn't even know that the first time. :) We had about a hour to do everything we wanted in clear skys. A bus that was unloading on the first trip, was loading back up when we came back - those folks didn't seek much.

 

Moral - a car will give you more flexibility than you could get with other means. This happened in Skagway too at Emerald lake. We arrived, and instantly spotted 3 brown bear off in the distance. We watched for over 30 minutes. Meanwhile, bus after bus was stopping, unloading, and then the drivers were saying sorry, we need to move on and loading back up.

[uvasag]

Having recently returned, I want to provide my update on Juneau Car Rental. Summary: all is good and we would recommend them in a heartbeat. :)

 

We really liked JCR. The car may have been bit older as it did have 125K miles on it. But, it was clean, functional, and got us where we wanted to go. The 'paper work' only took a few minutes as everything was ready when we arrived. When asked what to do if we had any issues, we were told to call the number on the paperwork and then would send someone out if needed right way. Didn't need to, but was very confident they would be there if needed.

 

One other topic to update: we were at the cruise terminal (CT) dock about a mile away for the AJ dock. Having heard there was a shuttle for those that were at the AJ dock, we walked outside and asked where the bus picked people up to go to the AJ dock. When the bus arrived, we and a number of folks got on and no questions were asked by the driver. I did hear the driver tell one Princess passenger that they didn't need to show their tickets to get on 'his' bus, and I think some of the others were workers that he knew needed a ride out. Of course, upon return, the Princess ship had departed and so to had the shuttle buses, but at least we avoided the hike in one direction. :)

 

Car or no car? That is up to you. Let me share our story. It was an off/on rainy day when we were in Juneau. When it came time for us to want to go to Mendenhall, we drove up the access road to the parking lot and it was foggy and poring out. So, we decided to head back down the access road and get some lunch first. After lunch, things cleared up so we headed back up the access road. Wow, you could now see everything from the access road, we didn't even know that the first time. :) We had about a hour to do everything we wanted in clear skys. A bus that was unloading on the first trip, was loading back up when we came back - those folks didn't seek much.

 

Moral - a car will give you more flexibility than you could get with other means. This happened in Skagway too at Emerald lake. We arrived, and instantly spotted 3 brown bear off in the distance. We watched for over 30 minutes. Meanwhile, bus after bus was stopping, unloading, and then the drivers were saying sorry, we need to move on and loading back up.

 

Thank you Brentp for the JCR review. 3 bears in Skagway !!! You are so lucky.

[judynorth]

Thanks for the review. We have a car reserved with JCR for our upcoming cruise. It will be our second time renting from them. I hope the shuttle is running when we are there. The idea of a 1 mile hike back to the rental place isn't good, particularly after a long day sightseeing.

[Budget Queen]

Thanks for the review. We have a car reserved with JCR for our upcoming cruise. It will be our second time renting from them. I hope the shuttle is running when we are there. The idea of a 1 mile hike back to the rental place isn't good, particularly after a long day sightseeing.

 

There has to be a ship at the AJ dock for the shuttles to run. Take a look at the port schedule for your answer.

[judynorth]

There has to be a ship at the AJ dock for the shuttles to run. Take a look at the port schedule for your answer.

 

I did. Two HAL ships and the Disney Magic are in port that day. The Magic leaves in late afternoon and I don't know where she docks. Even if she is at AJ she leaves too early for us. I guess we will have to walk or grab a cab if we are too tired to walk. I'm a bit surprised that JCR doesn't have a way to deal with this issue since they are near the AJ dock. In the past, they picked us up at the dock and took us back. That is when they were at the airport.

[Mercruiser]

I'm in Juneau today. We had a great day visiting Mendenhall Glacier, Eagle Beach, Shrine of St. Therese, and Douglas Island. I really enjoyed being able to explore at our own pace. We rented from Avis at the Goldbelt Hotel. It was a short walk for us as we are docked by the tram. It's very warm in Juneau today. I had to switch to a short sleeve shirt.

 

I'm enjoying a cold one at the "The Hanger" right now, watching the floatplanes and the cruise ships. Life is good. Happy travels with whatever you decide to do.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited June 24, 2015 by Mercruiser

[fleckle]

I'm in Juneau today. We had a great day visiting Mendenhall Glacier, Eagle Beach, Shrine of St. Therese, and Douglas Island. I really enjoyed being able to explore at our own pace. We rented from Avis at the Goldbelt Hotel. It was a short walk for us as we are docked by the tram. It's very warm in Juneau today. I had to switch to a short sleeve shirt.

Another nice thing about having a rental car is that you can bring along extra stuff and peel off layers as needed since you can just lock up everything in the car.

 

When taking a bus or taxi, we are much more restricted in what we bring along because we need to carry everything around with us.

[seemoreroyals]

Having recently returned, I want to provide my update on Juneau Car Rental. Summary: all is good and we would recommend them in a heartbeat. :)

 

We really liked JCR. The car may have been bit older as it did have 125K miles on it. But, it was clean, functional, and got us where we wanted to go. The 'paper work' only took a few minutes as everything was ready when we arrived. When asked what to do if we had any issues, we were told to call the number on the paperwork and then would send someone out if needed right way. Didn't need to, but was very confident they would be there if needed.

 

One other topic to update: we were at the cruise terminal (CT) dock about a mile away for the AJ dock. Having heard there was a shuttle for those that were at the AJ dock, we walked outside and asked where the bus picked people up to go to the AJ dock. When the bus arrived, we and a number of folks got on and no questions were asked by the driver. I did hear the driver tell one Princess passenger that they didn't need to show their tickets to get on 'his' bus, and I think some of the others were workers that he knew needed a ride out. Of course, upon return, the Princess ship had departed and so to had the shuttle buses, but at least we avoided the hike in one direction. :)

 

Car or no car? That is up to you. Let me share our story. It was an off/on rainy day when we were in Juneau. When it came time for us to want to go to Mendenhall, we drove up the access road to the parking lot and it was foggy and poring out. So, we decided to head back down the access road and get some lunch first. After lunch, things cleared up so we headed back up the access road. Wow, you could now see everything from the access road, we didn't even know that the first time. :) We had about a hour to do everything we wanted in clear skys. A bus that was unloading on the first trip, was loading back up when we came back - those folks didn't seek much.

 

Moral - a car will give you more flexibility than you could get with other means. This happened in Skagway too at Emerald lake. We arrived, and instantly spotted 3 brown bear off in the distance. We watched for over 30 minutes. Meanwhile, bus after bus was stopping, unloading, and then the drivers were saying sorry, we need to move on and loading back up.

 

I think we are going to go with Juneau Car Rental as well. We have limited time but in reading experiences and observations from others even though we get into Juneau at 7AM and leave at 1:30PM we should be able to see most of what we want to see. The limited research I have done leads me to believe that we will have a pleasant experience with JCR as well. And I like doing business with a local business and the fact that their terminal is located adjacent to where the NCL Jewel will be docking.

[flatlander321]

This is a good thread, it deserves a bump.

 

How can I find out which dock our ship will use? It's the Carnival Legend on May 19, 2016 and the only cruise ship that day for Juneau.

 

I've reserved a car with Avis, but may want to change depending upon the dock used for our ship.