Does Mendenhall Glacier& Whale Quest allow time to do the trail?

[petuniaflower]

Im confused about the wording, says you will get to take a photo and go to the visitor centre at Mendenhall, but we want to have some time to walk the trail...anyone know how much time this allows here?

[Tracey/Thom]

We were there 2 weeks ago, on the Nieuw Amsterdam, HAL. The Whale Quest was magnificent (but cold!), and Mendenhall was wonderful. The visitor center was very informative but we only had enough time to walk the "short trail" to get a glimpse of Nugget Falls.

[petuniaflower]

28 minutes ago, Tracey/Thom said:

We were there 2 weeks ago, on the Nieuw Amsterdam, HAL. The Whale Quest was magnificent (but cold!), and Mendenhall was wonderful. The visitor center was very informative but we only had enough time to walk the "short trail" to get a glimpse of Nugget Falls.

Thanks!  About how much time were on the trail for..an hour at least?

[petuniaflower]

Just wondering if we bypass looking around the visitor centre all together if that would give us enough time to do the trail and see the glacier?

[JT1962]

I used Juneau Whale Watch since they do the Mendenhall Glacier after the whale watching and give you flexibility on how long you want to stay at the glacier. Their return buses run every 1/2 hour, so you can stay as long as you want to. Just allow enough time to get back to the ship and / or don’t miss the last bus. 
 

https://www.juneauwhalewatch.com/tours/mendenhall-glacier-juneau-whale-watching-combo-tour/

[petuniaflower]

36 minutes ago, JT1962 said:

I used Juneau Whale Watch since they do the Mendenhall Glacier after the whale watching and give you flexibility on how long you want to stay at the glacier. Their return buses run every 1/2 hour, so you can stay as long as you want to. Just allow enough time to get back to the ship and / or don’t miss the last bus. 
 

https://www.juneauwhalewatch.com/tours/mendenhall-glacier-juneau-whale-watching-combo-tour/

Thanks so much, this is a great option for us.  Trying to figure out if we would indeed have enough time to do the hike trail if we did this option, we are in port 7-130..they offer a 730, so if we took that one does that include ample time at the glacier, given that it says 5 hr duration?

[JT1962]

14 minutes ago, petuniaflower said:

Thanks so much, this is a great option for us.  Trying to figure out if we would indeed have enough time to do the hike trail if we did this option, we are in port 7-130..they offer a 730, so if we took that one does that include ample time at the glacier, given that it says 5 hr duration?

7:00 - 1:30 is a tight schedule. I would probably consider either a combination tour through the ship (to guarantee the ship will wait) or choose just whale watching or the glacier, if booked independently.  If your itinerary includes Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), the whale watching there is excellent if you choose just the glacier in Juneau.
 

[Tracey/Thom]

2 hours ago, petuniaflower said:

Thanks!  About how much time were on the trail for..an hour at least?

We were on the short trail for less than an hour, probably 30/40 minutes.

[Tracey/Thom]

2 hours ago, petuniaflower said:

Just wondering if we bypass looking around the visitor centre all together if that would give us enough time to do the trail and see the glacier?

We were in the Visitor Center for about 30 minutes, it was informative but I would skip it if I were to do it all over again.

[petuniaflower]

1 hour ago, JT1962 said:

7:00 - 1:30 is a tight schedule. I would probably consider either a combination tour through the ship (to guarantee the ship will wait) or choose just whale watching or the glacier, if booked independently.  If your itinerary includes Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), the whale watching there is excellent if you choose just the glacier in Juneau.
 

They do offer the combo on the ship, but wanted to make sure we at least got to do the trail to see the glacier, as it doesnt really specify how long youre allowed to explore..

 

Are you thinking its not enough time if we port 7-130 and the excursion is at 730?  It does say its 5 hours suggesting it ends at 1230, giving us an hour to get back.  Anyone know how far it is to get back from visitor centre?

Edited May 30, 2022 by petuniaflower

[JT1962]

1 hour ago, petuniaflower said:

They do offer the combo on the ship, but wanted to make sure we at least got to do the trail to see the glacier, as it doesnt really specify how long youre allowed to explore..

 

Are you thinking its not enough time if we port 7-130 and the excursion is at 730?  It does say its 5 hours suggesting it ends at 1230, giving us an hour to get back.  Anyone know how far it is to get back from visitor centre?

Is your boarding time 1:30 or the ship leaves at 1:30, meaning all aboard would usually be 1:00. 
 

The 7:30 with Juneau Tours is doable, but you have to watch your time. You would need to be off the ship quickly to meet the tour at the tram at 7:30. Depending on where you dock, the tram could be a 5 or 15 min walk. One ship actually used tenders when I was there in early May, so that would make a difference. 
 

The time to the whale watching boat, actual whale watching tour and trip to the glacier is around 3 hours +/-. You should be to the glacier a little before 11:00. If you walk quickly, you can get to nugget falls, spend 8-10 min there taking photos and be back to the bus stop in 45 min or so. If you stop at the Visitor Center for a restroom break, add 10 - 12 min. A walk to an additional good viewing point of the glacier will add another 10 - 20 min., depending on how far you go and stay.  In a perfect scenario, you could do all of that, catch the 12:30 bus and be back to the tram drop off area before 1:00. 

[petuniaflower]

19 minutes ago, JT1962 said:

Is your boarding time 1:30 or the ship leaves at 1:30, meaning all aboard would usually be 1:00. 
 

The 7:30 with Juneau Tours is doable, but you have to watch your time. You would need to be off the ship quickly to meet the tour at the tram at 7:30. Depending on where you dock, the tram could be a 5 or 15 min walk. One ship actually used tenders when I was there in early May, so that would make a difference. 
 

The time to the whale watching boat, actual whale watching tour and trip to the glacier is around 3 hours +/-. You should be to the glacier a little before 11:00. If you walk quickly, you can get to nugget falls, spend 8-10 min there taking photos and be back to the bus stop in 45 min or so. If you stop at the Visitor Center for a restroom break, add 10 - 12 min. A walk to an additional good viewing point of the glacier will add another 10 - 20 min., depending on how far you go and stay.  In a perfect scenario, you could do all of that, catch the 12:30 bus and be back to the tram drop off area before 1:00. 

Im not really sure, says depart 130?  Would that mean all aboard 130?

[JT1962]

15 minutes ago, petuniaflower said:

Im not really sure, says depart 130?  Would that mean all aboard 130?

Departure at 1:30 would usually mean all aboard by 1:00. I would want to catch the return bus no later than Noon to allow for any possible traffic delays. With that schedule, I would be more comfortable with a ship tour. If you get at least an hour at the glacier, you can make it to Nugget Falls and back with a quick bathroom stop if you can walk at a reasonable pace.