Anyone tendered in Juneau?

[CarolinaMamma]

So originally our itinerary said we were docked in Juneau, but now it says we are tendering. I am concerned, because the Infinity has such a limited time in Juneau. We are there from 2:30 p.m to 10 p.m We are scheduled for the early dinner seating, which would really chop up the limited time we have there.

 

Wondering if it is even worth it to book a private whale watching tour or if we should just do Mendenhall Glacier.

 

How long do you think it will take to get everyone off the ship? Is 2:30 the time we pull in or the time they start disembarking pax? Is it possible that we may not even be ashore u til something like 4 p.m?

 

Also, I have heard theree is some sort of calendar that shows what other ships are in port on a given day. can someone point me to that?

[gdimanzo]

In June last year our itinerary said 'Tender' but we finally docked at pier J if I remember correctly. Then we had a 5 minute bus ride to town. The driver told us they rotate which cruise is going to that pier every week.

 

German

[Northern Aurora]

Check the website http://www.claalaska.com for port calendars.

 

Juneau can dock four cruise ships. If they have a fifth then a ship needs to tender. On both of our Alaska cruises, we have docked in Juneau, but given the width of the channel there I can't imagine that a ship which needs to tender would be very far away from the dock. For example, on a cruise we did last November from Honolulu to Sydney at one port in French Polynesia it took about twenty-five minutes for the tenders to travel from ship to dock. Having been to Juneau a number of times (remember Juneau is our state capital so many of us are there on business) it is hard to imagine that it would take very long for the tender to travel from ship to shore. At Juneau the actual time on a tender shouldn't be very long, so the process should go rather quickly.

 

Are you in a suite? Suites receive priority tender tickets.

[Dizney]

In July last year, we were docked on Infinity.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gdimanzo]

Check the website http://www.claalaska.com for port calendars.

 

Juneau can dock four cruise ships. If they have a fifth then a ship needs to tender. On both of our Alaska cruises, we have docked in Juneau, but given the width of the channel there I can't imagine that a ship which needs to tender would be very far away from the dock. For example, on a cruise we did last November from Honolulu to Sydney at one port in French Polynesia it took about twenty-five minutes for the tenders to travel from ship to dock. Having been to Juneau a number of times (remember Juneau is our state capital so many of us are there on business) it is hard to imagine that it would take very long for the tender to travel from ship to shore. At Juneau the actual time on a tender shouldn't be very long, so the process should go rather quickly.

 

Are you in a suite? Suites receive priority tender tickets.

 

Very interesting. According to that calendar the Infinity visits Juneau on Mondays and only on May 28th there's 5 boats in town.

 

I correct myself and I was refering to what's called AJ Dock (down right corner on the map)

 

http://www.traveljuneau.com/downloads/map_downtown_big.jpg

[candbgirl]

We tendered into town and then after our tour was over the ship(Mercury) had moved into port and was docked right there.

[miched]

.

 

 

Don't book any tours on board. When you get off the ship there are plenty of booths that sell tours. They are cheaper and you normally get a better tour. We were told that if you book on board the ship dictates to them what the tour consists of and it is usually made to be within time constraints so passengers can take 2 tours if interested. The other is in Alaska there is the possibility of rain. If it rains you will still have to go on the tour because they don't cancel.

 

We took a private helicopter tour out of Juneau The chopper was like a bubble that was made for 5 people. Everyone had a great view. We landed on the glacier and was able to walk around. Very interesting. Also hovered next to a lot of cliffs and etc. From what I heard is the bus tour takes you to the edge and you don't have access to the glacier.

 

You don't have to worry about anything as it is an American port and they are very friendly and helpful.

 

 

 

.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

So originally our itinerary said we were docked in Juneau, but now it says we are tendering. I am concerned, because the Infinity has such a limited time in Juneau. We are there from 2:30 p.m to 10 p.m We are scheduled for the early dinner seating, which would really chop up the limited time we have there.

 

Wondering if it is even worth it to book a private whale watching tour or if we should just do Mendenhall Glacier.

 

How long do you think it will take to get everyone off the ship? Is 2:30 the time we pull in or the time they start disembarking pax? Is it possible that we may not even be ashore u til something like 4 p.m?

 

Also, I have heard theree is some sort of calendar that shows what other ships are in port on a given day. can someone point me to that?

 

Well tendering could throw a major monkey wrench into things. First time we went to Juneau we were docked, but we were also several hours late. Juneau has huge tides and they apparently didn't have the gangway set up properly. Took forever to get off the ship.

 

You may not have enough time to do a whale watch--they generally take 3-4 hours. Is Icy Strait Point on your itinerary? That's also good whale watching territory. If you're really lucky, you'll see whales from the ship on your way to Juneau--we had one breach right in front of us.

 

You can take a bus from the dock to Mendenhall.

 

You do know you don't have to rush back to the ship for dinner at 6. You can always eat in the buffet or have room service. Or eat in Juneau.

 

Good luck!

[alcpa1]

On one of our Alaskan cruises we tendered in Juneau and then after another ship left port the ship docked. This might be a possibility too.

The tender ride was less than 10 minutes.

Investigate the Ports of Call boards for whale watching options. Don't worry about the rain just prepare for it. You will have time to go on a whale watching excursion. The local operators are skilled at arranging the tours according to ship's schedules.

Don't forget it doesn't get dark until late late.

If you decide to just visit Mendenhall be sure to have good shoes. The rocky paths are uneven and can get slippery when wet. You can spend additional time wandering through town to see the totems. There are busses at the piers to Mendenhall.

Unless you have dietary restrictions that mandate that you eat at first seating you can always dine in the Lido or one of the specialty restaurants or eat in town.

There are all kinds of ways to make this work for you. I'd hate to see you opt out of a whale watch. I'm sure it's one of the reasons you are going to Alaska.