mlkmnsgrl

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2043922

 

The OP went to a great deal of trouble to show everyone just how different each glacier is. IMOP this is fantastic and everyone who has questions regarding all of the glaciers should check it out.

 

Okie

I second Okie on this! It's a wonderful photo tour of the main glaciers in the area and the relative differences. Got me really excited for Tracy Arm! Glad the Sun is a fairly small ship, but I wish we could splurge for a small boat. The picture with the little tour boat next to the huge glacier face is amazing!!!

Brilliant and incredibly helpful!

It sounds like such a spectacular area! Plus, I'm really excited to get to some areas that most of the cruise masses can't go so it's less crowded. Being the first ship in that day, we can get the car and see the Mendenhall Visitors Center before anyone has time to get there on the shuttles.

Speaking of that, this is OT from my original question, but something I'm finding really confusing:

Nugget Falls Trail--

Tongass NF website says allow 5 hours for 6.5 miles.

CC threads keep saying 20 minutes to the Falls.

So which is it?! There's a pretty huge difference there!

Also, anyone know much about the west side trail? Relative advantages, disadvantages? We'll drive right by on the way to/from the shrine, so depending on how close to the trailhead we can get in a sedan, we could probably do a part of the trail. Certainly won't have time for the whole thing. My husband isn't a hiker, but is fit enough to do it if I convince him the view is worth the mud. I was an archaeologist in another life, so I'm happy to hike for the best views...this is also why I'm interested in the Shrine, St Nicholas', etc--history is decidedly my thing!

Juneau Car Rental has them for less than $60. As I remember it was a 10-15 minute walk from where we docked though.

 

Also, Eagle Beach is just a short drive north of the shrine and is worth a stop since you'll be up that way.

They're quoting $75 right now, only full size left. But just found out we're actually going to be right up front dock position, so for convenience, I think we'll stick to Avis. If we were docking at AJ, then I think I'd switch since we don't car if our rental is a new model or a wreck...our van just hit 150k this week and we still feel like it's a luxury ride. :)

I'll definitely add Eagle Beach to the list, I think I remember reading about it...and I was it BudgetQueen who said it's a good whale watching spot? So many things to see, so little time! This itinerary was the right price and a great first trip, but I already know we'll be back someday--hopefully with kids old enough to appreciate it and a land tour added on!

Thanks, Paula!

That definitely confirms it--glad we're renting a car. It's painful to pay $100 for 4 hours, but I really think we'd be terribly disappointed if we weren't able to spend all the time we want at the glacier. The thought of spending a huge amount of time waiting in line for a crowded bus was ruining my Juneau planning.

We posted our plan to our roll call, so maybe we'll find another couple to split the cost and then it's as cheap an option as can be!

Thanks! I called Avis and booked a car. $100 works out about the same as the tour would and gives us total freedom, so I think it'll be worth it even though it's such a short stop.

In a perfect world, NCL will magically dock in town instead of the AJ Dock and we'll have more time, but I'm not counting on it.

Forgive me if it's already been mentioned, but I could spend a lifetime on earthquaketrack.com! Similar mapping and things. They also Tweet every earthquake over a 2 or so. Really interesting to see how many quakes occur worldwide on a daily basis. A bit terrifying, a bit awesome! :cool: We're landing in Anchorage on the 15th and can't wait! But I better not mention it to my husband--he's already freaked out about being on a cruise, going where there are bears, staying in a hostel for a night, etc etc etc. :D:D:D The poor guy needs to live a little!

I kind of hate to reply because I don't know a thing...we haven't gone yet, but this also serves as a bump to the top.

Tee, have you found the old roll calls for the ships that were in port those days? I'm just guessing that might be where most post-trippers are likely to still be checking and if you post to the roll call threads then anyone who participated pre-cruise and hasn't unsubscribed to the thread should get an email update. You're a pro, so you've probably already done it, but thought I'd throw it out there.

I posted a quick note on the NCL Sun's roll call for that week, but don't know whether they were north or south bound. If south, then they wouldn't have been in Juneau that late in the week, but I think north bound would have been there around then. The police may have done it already, but all of the cruise lines that were in port should be contacted directly in case there's any chance she got on/was taken on a ship and was noticed at disembarking but unable to provide her origin or identity. Really long-shot that, though.

So sorry! I went through this years ago with a friend who disappeared in a National Park. They did eventually find his body and he had committed suicide without much warning. It was horrible for his family, but still better once they knew that he wasn't still out there somewhere. Thoughts and prayers for her family and your community. I hope you find out what happened, since a large part of these tragedies is the lack of closure. I'm glad for the technology and threads like these to get word out so much faster than ever before.

I would love to make it to the shrine, but I've only seen one tour (M&M) that goes there--but their tour is combined with a 1 hour stop at Mendenhall and that's just not enough for us.

Can anyone tell me of other tours that visit the shrine. Or offer insights on whether it'd be insane to try and find a rental car this late--we are on the NCL Sun visiting Juneau June 19th from 7am-1:15pm.

This is such an awkward time to try and see all we would like, and we are on a very tight budget. I'd love the change of pace that the shrine offers, but if we can't make it work, we'll brave the blue bus madness and after Mendenhall we'll just wander around town.

Thanks, all!

How far in advance did you reserve a car? Arriving ncl on June 19th and only just realized that a car is nearly the only way to reach the Shrine and still have more than a token hour at the glacier. Eek!!!:eek:

Going on a cruise to Alaska with such negative thoughts about it before you even set foot on the ship, well, it would really amaze me if you had a good time.

 

As far as those glaciers are concerned, take a good look at them and a few pix because the way they are melting, they may not be there for your children to enjoy.

 

Cheers

 

Len

But that's precisely the point: the op DID have a good time and offered up this review from a less than typical perspective which demonstrates that Alaska can be enjoyed by those who aren't likely to jump in a kayak for a rugged wildlife and scenery tour.

See, I think this is just the type of review we need on cc. A cross section of all different vacation styles. We are cruising Alaska in 2 weeks. Not the rugged adventure types, but very much the scenery and history/culture types so it's very fitting. And we are also going with the Dyea Dave tour.

What I can't figure out is what all you 30-time cruisers do in the Caribbean...but we're decidedly not beach ppl and it seems like even the shore excursions are sand, sand, sand. :D So if we love cruising, where else do we go without having to mortgage the house for Europe?! :confused:

we will be standing in the early line with you on the Sun

because we have a 9:30 am bear watching tour! can't wait for our trip!

Yay! Glad there'll be a familiar face. And bear watching sounds super!

Just read several threads, but as this is our first cruise and I'd never heard of tendering, I just want to be sure I understand correctly:

We are arriving on the Sun, June 18 at 9am. We are booked with F.I.S.H.E.S. and Marjorie sent me this:

We had 9:30 a.m. pickups this a.m. the cruise ship people said they wouldn't get off the ship until 9:45 a.m., so both groups were aggressive and got off on the first tenders! One group went to the cruise director and I don't know who the other group spoke to. If you get the run around, you might tell them you have to get off and to your tour and get back to your children on the ship! They really want you to have a good time and don't want any complaints, but they also want you to book with the cruise lines! You might get special passes the night before you arrive here.

At this point we're the only 2 on their morning tour, so I guess if we can't get off until 9:45, they've gotta wait, but I don't want to miss out on time with the whales just because we didn't know how to get off quickly.

Can someone (or several someones ;)) walk me through how I should go about being "aggressive" and/or getting "special passes the night before". We'll be lowly inside cabin pax, so I doubt we can go the cruise director route--I kinda expect to be a 2nd class citizen since we're not in a suite or balcony.

My husband isn't particularly punctual, but he'll stick to a schedule if I really push, so I just want to be really clear on what time we'll need to have breakfasted and gotten in line (or whatever is involved) for the tender boat.

Thanks all!!!

Edit: oh, and, I'm not sure what she meant about the children thing since they're not going to be with us on this trip...?

Sailing ncl so I know specifics vary but we're first timers. We only drink water so is there any reason why we can't bring a nalgene and drink tap? Is it nonpotable or just not tasty?

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Excursion wise we are whale watching with fishes Floyd in isp as a major splurge and then going to Emerald Lake with Dyea Dave. Might do .mt Roberts if it's clear but we're not booking anything else ahead of time...well besides the shuttle to whittier which we consider a tour even though it's the direct without stops.

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We live in NC but drop off our 3 kids in Utah and 5 days later fly red eye to Anchorage via Long Beach! :) Whirlwind trip.

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We're in Seattle until the next Friday for a conference, but that portion will be reimbursed, so it doesn't play into the budget much. We're spending a morning in Vancouver and then taking the greyhound to Seattle where we'll rent a car for those days.

My DH lived in Vancouver and Victoria a decade ago, so it's familiar territory, but he never made it north of Prince George, which is basically inland from Ketchikan, so AM is new ground for us both.

wow ..... thank you for restoring my faith in cruise critic!!!!! I get so used to people being bashed for not knowing how to use the search engines ( I cant lol ) ...or just being snarky all the time ,,, and then you go and take your time to find this sort of thing for her .... good on ya!!!!!!

I agree! Thank you InsideCabin and all of you. That was a significant amount of time to give.

What we always say is "statistics are comforting until you are one" and I'm grateful to you all for this thread because it never occurred to me that there was more than just the cost of the cruise and flight. I just contacted my travel agent to add insurance to our trip. Hope I can blame you all for "wasting $100" next month. :D

Thanks so much everyone! This was a huge help. I will continue to monitor.

We did the 399 inside gty, so the only way to go is up. :D. There's no way to scrimp the $500 to move to a balcony even if it goes down to 649, so unless ncl decides to be unrealistically nice, we're not gonna have that luxury. And that's ok. The observation lounge/deck sounds great. Thanks for all the great advice on where else to view.

We are so very excited! This will be such a great break, both from the kids and from my husband's dissertation. The following week we're in Seattle for a professional conference and we'll be right back into academics, so this time off is much needed.

do your own research on the pricing...and if you are doing Alaska...try to get a balcony...many do that only once...

We would love a balcony, but are scraping funds just to get the inside. I'm confident, however, that we'll be back someday when our kids are old enough to come along and we're not starving students anymore.

So, I just read the price drop battle and now I'm a little scared of cc. :confused: But y'all are the experts and I'm the tight budgeted first time cruiser.

We booked a last minute Alaska southbound on the Sun that leaves in 34 days. Got an amazing deal on inside guaranty, but as I keep reading about only booking the cat you're happy with, I also keep seeing that with a price drop 4 days ago, we'd only pay $60 total to upgrade to an obstructed view guaranty.

I'm inclined to go for it, but my ta talked to ncl and she said she recommends waiting in case it drops again. How long do I wait, though? Maybe until 2 weeks out and then upgrade if it's still available? Do you think that the ncl rep was trying to say that there are plenty of stateroom left to sell on this sailing, so prices are bound to drop more?

What do you think?

Def the route I would take. My dh however is a rigid eat by the clock type...

Thanks for all the input! Probably going to see if any isp whale trips are cheaper than fishes and go there.

As a follow up, given our itinerary would it be safe to say that if we skip Mendenhall we'll still get in some good glacier time?

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Thanks for the input all!

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