Juneau question

[Dinda]

Our ship docks in Juneau at 7:00AM. If we can get off by 7:30 and catch the shuttle out to Mendenhall will it be doable to be back in town by 10:30 and will it give us enough time at Mendenhall, hopefully beating some of the crowd as there are several ships in port that day. Also we are doing a tour with ORCA at 11:00 and afterwards I want to do some shopping in town.

[Kruisenut]

Just did the Orca tour and they will give you the option of going back to town after the tour or they will take you to Mendenhall - your choice.

[Psychedout]

Our ship docks in Juneau at 7:00AM. If we can get off by 7:30 and catch the shuttle out to Mendenhall will it be doable to be back in town by 10:30 and will it give us enough time at Mendenhall, hopefully beating some of the crowd as there are several ships in port that day. Also we are doing a tour with ORCA at 11:00 and afterwards I want to do some shopping in town.

 

We did Mendenhall and the Whale watching, had plenty of time

[Travalot]

On our last visit to Juneau in 2008, we made a quick round trip to Mendenhall in two hours using the shuttles (I checked my photo time stamps to confirm this). This did not give us time to hike there or spend time in the center, but it was "worth" it to us as part of a full day. You would have at least double the time at Mendenhall than we had with your plan of three hours.

 

I do think it might work out better for you to be dropped off at Mendenhall after your whale excursion since you would save 45-60 minutes of duplicate driving. I guess it all comes down to how much you want to avoid the crowds, although like most places, as soon as you walk 1/4 mile away from the main area you'll be relatively alone.

[lightasafeather]

When is the last shuttle of the day?

[Travalot]

General consensus on the Internet is the last shuttle is at 6:30 pm, but no agreement about whether that is from the Glacier or downtown. The shuttle company's website doesn't have the info.

[5waldos]

I don't know how many there are of you but we found that for the 4 or us, we could rent a car for just a few dollars more than taking the Blue Bus, which appears not to start running, according to their web site, until 9am. We dock at 6:30, figure we'll get the car at about 8am and take a leisurely ride out to the glacier, return the car before lunch and get our whale watching tour at 11:30. We don't have time for anything other than boarding by the time we return from the whales.

[PennyAgain]

Even with a town full of cruise passengers, there is plenty of room at Mendenhall Glacier. Most people don't get far from the Visitor's Center and don't stay long.

 

A few drops of rain and they clear out anyway and line up to go back to town to crowd into the shops.

[oldmama]

I took a ships excursion to Glacier Gardens & Mendenhall, & had Orca pick me up at the glacier, saving the extra travel time, then Orca dropped back at the Red Dog, giving a little shopping time before boarding. The ship's tour started before the shuttles began running, making it possible to see more & not waste time.

[Budget Queen]

Our ship docks in Juneau at 7:00AM. If we can get off by 7:30 and catch the shuttle out to Mendenhall will it be doable to be back in town by 10:30 and will it give us enough time at Mendenhall, hopefully beating some of the crowd as there are several ships in port that day. Also we are doing a tour with ORCA at 11:00 and afterwards I want to do some shopping in town.

 

See if Orca can pick you up at Mendenhall??

[jobythebay]

See if Orca can pick you up at Mendenhall??

 

We booked with Temsco and their answer, though nicely, was no.

[Budget Queen]

We booked with Temsco and their answer, though nicely, was no.

 

You can just take a cab direct between TEMSCO and Mendenhall. Would save you an hour in transit time- that also has some "value".

[jobythebay]

You can just take a cab direct between TEMSCO and Mendenhall. Would save you an hour in transit time- that also has some "value".

 

I will let Temsco know that we don't need to be picked up at the ship. Any idea what a taxi would cost and yes I agree it saves a ton of time!

 

Thanks!

[Budget Queen]

I will let Temsco know that we don't need to be picked up at the ship. Any idea what a taxi would cost and yes I agree it saves a ton of time!

 

Thanks!

 

Contact cab companies directly. You will HAVE to have a number and be able to call from Mendenhall. There is no cab line there. http://www.traveljuneau.com