Advice needed re: Mendenhall Glacier & Whale Watch

Advice needed re: Mendenhall Glacier & Whale Watch

Juneau port time = 2PM to 10PM. All of the combo tours (both private and via NCL) seem to allow very little time at the glacier. What's the best way to maximize time at both locations?

Do the private companies adjust times for 15-17 passengers (includes 4 kids, ages 10 & 11) traveling together? Ideally, we'd like to do the boat first and then be dropped off at the glacier for a few hours. From what I can see, the glacier shuttle runs until 6PM, so we'd require another p/u option. Also looking for recommendations for a tour company.

Any and all feedback greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

1st time cruiser

taking the plunge in Alaska

Like your last post, there is tons of info on the Alaska board, here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

My opinion of Mendenhall Glacier.

Background. I fly up to Juneau every couple of months from Seattle for work.

The glacier is about a 10 minute drive from the port area. The first time I was up there, I drove out to see this majestic and mysterious glacier.

Got out there and :eek: said what? Walked around for 10 minutes, got back in the car and went back to the hotel.

We had the best whale watching tour in Juneau. And at the end he drove us by the glacier for photo op. I would recommend just doing the whale watching.

You have time for both. We go to see Mendenhall each time we go to Juneau. Since this is your first time, just find a company who will do both the whales and glacier. You really don't need that much time at the glacier. Like Cruiser Bruce said, go to the Alaska board for lots of your questions. You will get great advice.

We just returned from a cruise on the Coral Princess. That ship offered a tour that did both and pax that took it were very satisfied.

From what we also heard, the Mendenhall Glacier has receded a significant amount and is no longer visible from the Visitor's Center. If you'll be cruising Glacier Bay you'll see plenty of fantastic glaciers and can limit your excursion in Juneau to whale watching

BTW, while on our whale watching trip we got a good view of Eagle Glacier and also got to see Mendenhall in the distance

We did a similar itinerary so also came into Juneau in the afternoon. We didn't book a trip but there were loads of private companies on the dock offering tours. They were literally fighting over us. We managed to get a tour which took us on a bus to the glacier for about 90 mins and then onto a whale watching boat trip for a couple of hours. We got back to the boat about 8. It was a great trip and there was only 8 of us on the whale watching trip although the boat could have held about 30. If you do this just make sure you go with one of the smaller boats not the ones that holds hundreds. You get a much better view of the whales. We saw quite a few plus seals and other wildlife. I could not recommend highly enough and it was around half the price of the cruise line trip. I don't think you'll have time to take trip that will take you on boat trip and then to be glacier.

I would concentrate on the whale watching.

Lots of other opportunities to see glaciers.