Juneau Mendenhall Glacier

[CRUISEDEALER]

I have read on the boards to take the blue bus to the glacier. Is this the correct bus to take that gets you closest to the glacier and center? How far away is the glacier from the area the ship is docked? Just wondering how long it takes to get there by the bus and how to budget the time spent. Thanks

[curtdesilets]

How far from the port is the pick up point for the Glacier Express downtown?

 

 

Looks like it departs from the "Downtown Village Center" wherever that is. Cannot be that far from the ship as the entire downtown is about a mile wide.

 

See picture here: http://www.mightygreattrips.com/Photo%20Page%201.htm

 

I may do this as well. Just wondering if there is a queue for the buses getting back.

[anthk333]

I may do this as well. Just wondering if there is a queue for the buses getting back.

 

I wouldn't call it a queue - it was more like a scrum. ;)

[KAYEF]

I may do this as well. Just wondering if there is a queue for the buses getting back.

 

I've seen some really long lines waiting to return..........maybe "all" the ships were leaving at the same time (?).

I always rent a car so we can see/do just what we want; if it's a group it's very cost effective..........$50. for the whole day is the current price where I rent.

Our ship has a short day in Juneau, leaving at 4:00 means onboard even earlier and we just don't want to wait in lines.

BTW, I think Juneau is the port that has SIX ships in the day we're there; can't you just see the main streets by the docks? Last time it was raining and HAL handed us umbrellas as we exited..........such a nice gesture, but who can use them when people are just crammed together. I will say, we got off the beaten path and then appreciated them!

[rayliang]

I second renting a car in Juneau. Considering how spread out many places are, a car helps a lot and is great bang for the buck proposition.

 

I rented a minivan last time, I think it was $100 for the whole day, and there's 6 of us.

[ttnc4me]

I always rent a car so we can see/do just what we want; if it's a group it's very cost effective..........$50. for the whole day is the current price where I rent.

Where might that be? Maybe it's the time of year difference? I've read in several threads about Rent a Wreck and National at the dock. Wreck's website doesn't offer Juneau as an option and National's min is $70 +tax= $80.50...plus gas -

Is there an easy gas station to fill up at before returning?

Any insight please?

[KAYEF]

Rent A Wreck has been purchased by a nice man......this was discussed on another thread.

I've always rented from them...............the cars are NOT wrecks. I began using them after I had to pay $26. for a Taxi ride back from the airport where "all" the rental cars were...............several years ago.

RAW always picked us up and returned us to the dock at no charge.

It's now called Juneau Car Rental Company.

JuneauCar.com

907 957 7530

They have an office just a couple of blocks up the hill from the cruise docks.................very close for some, farther for others............it'll depend on which dock your ship is assigned.

 

I always gas up at Fred Meyer which is up the road a piece.............and has been the cheapest in town.............don't know about that this year. As you drive out the main road (toward the airport) it's on your right..................good place to grab more film, batteries, snacks (of course you always need more of those on a cruise ship cuz there's such a lack of food), jackets, beer, whatever.

Have fun; we'll be in Juneau on Sept. 5th.................along with MANY ships.

[sherryf]

I wouldn't call it a queue - it was more like a scrum. ;)

 

I would say this is accurate. :eek:

[sbjb]

We just got back 2 weeks ago - we were all set to take the "blue bus" but by the time we zip lined then ate at Tracy's crab shack then bought some soap we became a bit pressed for time - blue bus would not allow us enough time to walk to glacier area:( - there was a little "booth" on the dock for M & M tours - the guy overheard our dilemma and offered us a "deal" with a quick tour of Juneau, drop off at visitor center with about 45 min to explore ( gave us enough time to hustle down the trail and see the glacier and waterfall up pretty close; beautiful) and then a quick side trip over a bridge to a little dock area where we got to view our ship and the harbor from the opposite side - the tour was nice because it was in a van and offered some nice facts about the city + tips when we got to the glacier! (skip visitor center and start right down the trail! ) - Normally it is $35 and we got it for 20! - Don't be afraid to "bargain" with them - they wanted to fill their van and we did it for them!

[Budget Queen]

I have read on the boards to take the blue bus to the glacier. Is this the correct bus to take that gets you closest to the glacier and center? How far away is the glacier from the area the ship is docked? Just wondering how long it takes to get there by the bus and how to budget the time spent. Thanks

 

The SHUTTLE buses, which leave from the tram parking lot on the dock, bring you to the Mendenhall visitor center.

 

The "closest" you can get to the glacier is via Nugget Falls trail. Allow an hour.

[sushitex]

Hi - we are getting so excited about our family's upcoming cruise to Alaska - we leave in 10 days! Anyway, my 13-year-old son (who is a Boy Scout) has a walking stick for which we have managed to buy several hiking medallions at state and national parks (as well as Boy Scout camps, of course!)

 

Does anyone remember seeing hiking medallions at Mendenhall Glacier V.C.? I know that we will probably be looking for them if we get to the visitor center. My plan is for us to try to take the "Blue Bus" to Mendenhall and back, unless a taxi is cheaper (probably not, from what I've been reading on these boards.) There will be just the three of us, myself, hubby and son.

 

We will be arriving in Juneau on the NCL Pearl, not really sure where it docks in relation to where one picks up the "Blue Bus."

 

Also, will waterproof sneakers or hiking shoes/boots be necessary at Mendenhall, even on sunny days? What about gloves and hats and a light (or heavier) jacket?

 

Thanks for any replies!

[sherryf]

Also, will waterproof sneakers or hiking shoes/boots be necessary at Mendenhall, even on sunny days? What about gloves and hats and a light (or heavier) jacket?

 

Depends somewhat on the weather when you are there, but we just wore sneakers (not waterproofed) and shorts or jeans, and had light jackets or sweatshirts. Actually, looking back at this photo, my boys didn't even bother with sweatshirts. Of course, we are from the Seattle area, so they are used to cool, damp weather. My older son, on the left, wore shorts the entire trip, except in the dining room at night. My younger son, with the long blond hair, never wears shorts, so was wearing jeans as usual.

 

 

You can see that people are wearing shorts, jeans, t-shirts, sweat shirts, sneakers. That one guy in the background has hiking boots, but they are totally overkill for the short walk out to that waterfall! The person on the very far right seems to have rolled up their jeans and taken their shoes off. Don't know if they waded in the water. The water is pretty darn cold there by the glacier!

[Budget Queen]

Hi - we are getting so excited about our family's upcoming cruise to Alaska - we leave in 10 days! Anyway, my 13-year-old son (who is a Boy Scout) has a walking stick for which we have managed to buy several hiking medallions at state and national parks (as well as Boy Scout camps, of course!)

 

Does anyone remember seeing hiking medallions at Mendenhall Glacier V.C.? I know that we will probably be looking for them if we get to the visitor center. My plan is for us to try to take the "Blue Bus" to Mendenhall and back, unless a taxi is cheaper (probably not, from what I've been reading on these boards.) There will be just the three of us, myself, hubby and son.

 

We will be arriving in Juneau on the NCL Pearl, not really sure where it docks in relation to where one picks up the "Blue Bus."

 

Also, will waterproof sneakers or hiking shoes/boots be necessary at Mendenhall, even on sunny days? What about gloves and hats and a light (or heavier) jacket?

 

Thanks for any replies!

 

The Pearl docks at the AJ dock. You will have to take a shuttle bus to downtown. Which is also the parking lot for the Mendenhall shuttle bus pick up- next to the tram. Shuttle bus to Mendenhall is $16 round trip pp, a cab would be more.

 

You don't need heavy attire, and definately no hat and gloves, unless you need them at the dock due to abnormal weather. You may need a jacket- go by how it is in port. You aren't going on the glacier and the temps will be similar.

[vbmom87]

(skip visitor center and start right down the trail! ) -

 

Are you recommending to skip the visitor center, because you went and did not like it? I just find this to be odd advice as we absolutely LOVED the visitor center, and would never recommend skipping it.

[Mendenhall Ranger]

Does anyone remember seeing hiking medallions at Mendenhall Glacier V.C.?

 

There are hiking stick medallions available in the Alaska Geographic Bookstore inside the visitor center :) The Bookstore will be open whenever the center itself is open.

[ttnc4me]

Are you recommending to skip the visitor center, because you went and did not like it? I just find this to be odd advice as we absolutely LOVED the visitor center, and would never recommend skipping it.

 

What's actually in the center?

[RenieRaider]

Hi - we are getting so excited about our family's upcoming cruise to Alaska - we leave in 10 days!

 

--- will waterproof sneakers or hiking shoes/boots be necessary at Mendenhall, even on sunny days? What about gloves and hats and a light (or heavier) jacket?

 

Thanks for any replies!

 

We had a bright and sunny day last week in Juneau.

Yes..... sneakers at LEAST! It is a Trail and there are some rocky areas that you will want to walk over...paths. I had a Tshirt and Zip Up Sweatshirt that I keep taking off and putting on as you get warm walking..... but when you get DOWN to the Water's edge where the waterfalls is..... it was nippy! Put on my fleece vest but wish I had my windbreaker. The mist from the falls... ;-)

 

It was one of our highlights of the cruise.

[bookmama22]

We recently went on NB Diamond Princess and on our Juneau day we walked into town from the ship dock, was not long although it was raining. There are shuttle buses to the glacier, they are actually school buses and they charged $16 per person round-trip. It only takes about 20 minutes to get to the parking lot for the glacier. We spent about 2 hours there, maybe more including the Visitor Center. There are interesting exhibits in the Visitor Center and a very good film. We hiked to the waterfall, it was raining but worth doing. My husband and I both wore jeans and sneakers. It was also chilly so I had on a Northface fleece.