Ann from SC

Seeking opinions/advice

 

I am in Juneau from 11 - 9 p.m.

 

I am booked on Harv & Marv Whale watch at 11:30. Will I have enough time to do Mendenhall/Nugget Falls too.

 

Will Harv & Marv drop us off at the Mendenhall Glacier?

 

If so, are there taxis/shuttle buses I can ride back to the ship? How much would it be?

What did you end up doing? We are in the same situation. Juneau on August 5 from 8 am to 9 pm. Harv and Marv from 1120-4 pm. Trying to fit in Mendenhall. Two other couples not on whale watch, but possibly would be interested in Mendenhall. Hope you had a fantastic trip! Thanks!

(Oh, Harv and Marv specifically say they don't stop at the glacier, only at Brotherhood Bridge photo view point.)

My research led me to Harv and Marv's 14 passenger boat, which I am looking forward to on Aug 5.

Dreading packing for my Aug 2 Princess cruise-tour...but then again, I always dread packing. No clue at this point what I am taking. It will be especially interesting as I am returning from a Bahama cruise only 6 days before I leave for my Alaska cruise. What was I thinking? :)

Your OP sounds quite ambitious, especially for an early departure ship!

I would strongly recommend that you delete the Whitehorse ambition and only go as far as Emerald Lake.

Now, in most recent post you say that you will "skip the White Pass"?!?

If you are going out of the valley, north, you must pass thru said pass, so, if this is true, you might as well cancel the rental and just ride round town on the twodollar bus!

You do, really have plenty of time for the trip to Emerald Lake, if you just get the car on time and head north UP to Emerald Lake and save all of those other ambitions for when you get back in the comfort zone and then have a look at the dredge, etc., in order to gauge your time remaining while in a closer proximity to the ship.

One exception to the above would be to watch for the dog and puppy show on the top of Tutshi hill, about halfway on your trip to Emerald Lake.

This sled dog stop is about the most authentic, (and cheapest) in the SE.!

I hope this helps?

DD

Are you THE Dyea Dave? Our party of 6 has chosen to let you handle our day and trip to Emerald Lake on August 6...just 4 weeks away! Looking forward to it. :)

Reading...and the excitement is building for my Aug 2 Island Princess cruise-tour. It'll be my first time in Alaska.

Thank you!

We also live in the path of total eclipse on Lake Moultrie in Bonneau, SC. We planned our August Alaska cruise around it, eliminating any that would cause us to miss it. We return home August 14.

If what you want to do is go to a beach in St. Thomas, it's easy to take a taxi. You don't need to book with an independent agent. :)

No, we want to see STJ. Plan to do a little touring/sightseeing and then visit a beach.

What part of SC are you from? I live in Bonneau Beach on Lake Moultrie...an hour from Charleston.

Lulu I think Ann is asking about going to STJ via the cruise line ferry versus the Red Hook ferry on their own. Do you have a preference? Also, I know you've enjoyed the champagne cat option through the ship, Ann I wonder if you'd like that? Lulu can give you more details on that.

We are doing the Carnival champagne lobster catamaran tour in Antigua, so would not be interested in a similar tour in St Thomas as well. (I've booked non-ship independent excursions in the other 3 ports.)

I think I see where my confusion is though. I was under the impression that there are public ferries from both the cruise terminal area (45 minutes or so in duration) and from Red Hook (20 minutes). Are you saying the ferry from the cruise terminal area is only for ship's tours? I thought I had a choice of which ferry to use to get to STJ, and I was trying to make a decision about which to use. Carnival is not offering an "on-your-own" tour from St Thomas to STJ, so the plan all along was to go on our own, but the decision was which ferry to use. Forecast right now is for 19 MPH winds in STT on 5/18 which should make it fairly rough, making the shorter ferry ride preferable anyway at this point.

Thank you so much for your help! I am awed at the amount of information on these forums, thanks to people like you!

Since you are interested in booking an independent operator and not a private excursion you have several options. .... ....

 

And another great option is taking a taxi to Red Hook and the ferry (on your own) to St John and enjoying an island tour followed by either beach time or shopping Cruz Bay. Cost of the taxi, ferry, and island tour is about $60pp, and Cruz Bay has nice shops and restaurants to experience before ferrying back. Ferries depart Red Hook and Cruz Bay on the hour and are very reliable.[/quote

"..........................

 

Your final option is what hubby and I are considering when we are in port this Thursday, May 18, from 11 am to 7 pm. Doable within our time frame? What is the advantage of taking the ferry from Red Hook rather than from the cruise port, assuming the weather is pleasant? I understand the time difference on the water, but won't the entire trip be about the same duration either way? When you reference an "island tour" in St John, do you mean touring on our own, or are you referring to a specific tour? Thank you for any help! Now I MUST pack...procrastinator that I am!