Mendenhall Glacier

[babs4204]

Hello,

 

We'll be visiting Juneau next week and we're on a budget. I know that Mendenhall Glacier is a must see, but I'm curious; how do we get to the Glacier from the port? Do we have to do one of the excursions to do this?

 

Also, we have coupons for the Mt Roberts Tramway so we'll be doing this. How far is this from the port? Is this anything in relation to the glacier?

 

Finally, we're debating about maybe doing one excursiong from the Alaska Toursaver book. We'll be in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Icy Straight Point and I was wondering if there's any from that book that someone would say was a must-do (worth the splurge). The Misty Fjords one is taken, but I've looked at the summer dog sled camp (not sure if this is super touristy / not worth it), and some of the wildlife tours.

 

Thanks!

[DragonOfTheSeas]

No--you do not need to take a tour to see the glacier. It is easy using the bus.

 

Here is a thread that discusses the buses that go to Mendenhall Glacier.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1846735&highlight=mendenhall&page=2

 

We went to the glacier in the morning and did our own walking tour around town in the afternoon. There are tours of the AK state Capitol that are free and worth doing.

 

The city is full of hills. We wanted to see the Russian Orthodox Church. Unfortunately it was at the top of the street above. :eek: They are still use the church.

 

There was some great shopping at the stores on the pier.

[slider728]

Hello,

 

We'll be visiting Juneau next week and we're on a budget. I know that Mendenhall Glacier is a must see, but I'm curious; how do we get to the Glacier from the port? Do we have to do one of the excursions to do this?

 

Also, we have coupons for the Mt Roberts Tramway so we'll be doing this. How far is this from the port? Is this anything in relation to the glacier?

 

Finally, we're debating about maybe doing one excursiong from the Alaska Toursaver book. We'll be in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Icy Straight Point and I was wondering if there's any from that book that someone would say was a must-do (worth the splurge). The Misty Fjords one is taken, but I've looked at the summer dog sled camp (not sure if this is super touristy / not worth it), and some of the wildlife tours.

 

Thanks!

 

Basically, you have few viable options for getting to the glacier.

 

If you only have a few people, the most logical to me is the glacier shuttles. The one I have seen is the "Blue Bus" run by MGT, but I believe there is a company that runs white buses. I believe fare from the docks to the glacier is $8 each way per person. Someone who has done this personally would have to confirm, but I believe it leaves from the lot right by the tram. There are no other stops and if the glacier is the only thing you are interested in and if you don't have enough people to justify renting a car @$16/person, then the glacier shuttles are a good option.

 

If you book another excursion, some will stop at the glacier.

 

You could take a taxi, but that is not going to be cheap. I have never taken a taxi all the way from downtown to the glacier, but I would expect the fare to be around $40 each way.

 

You could take the city bus for rather cheap, but it will take you more than an hour to get to the closest stop at the Mendenhall Loop Road and then it would be round a mile walk to the glacier from there.

 

If you have more than 3 or 4 people, I'd consider renting a car for the day and driving there. 4 people on the shuttle would run about $64 and if you have 4 people, that would probably be as much as renting a car and then you'd have the option of seeing a lot more than just the glacier.

 

 

The tram is close to the cruise docks. Some docking locations are closer than others obviously. The tram is neat, but it is what I call an excursion of opportunity. I'd suggest it be a clear day if you go. If you can't see the platform from below, then you aren't going to be able to see the ground from up there. Other than a nice view, there isn't a whole lot to do up there. If you want to do some hiking at higher altitudes, the tram will take a lot of the climb out of the hike (I've never gone too far up the trails up there for a few reasons, so I don't know how long it takes to hike the various landmarks up there). There is a tourist shop up there, but I recall it as being a bit spendy and there are a ton of shops below. There is a restaurant up there that has a decent view, but in the 3 or 4 times I've been there, I've never gotten a window seat (guess I need to tip the host to get a good table). The food is just OK up there. There is an injured eagle on display the last time I was up there and a small bookstore and a theater.

 

It is a neat excursion on a nice day, but it is a bit overpriced IMHO and minus the hiking and eating, not a lot you can do up there you can't do down below. But if you have the money and time, then it isn't a bad side trip to take before you jump on the ship.

[mapleleaves]

Info on the shuttle is about halfway down the page. Be mindful of when the last bus leaves. http://mightygreattrips.com/tours/

 

No one can tell which excursion is YOUR must-see. We don't know you, your interests, priorities, or activity level. What sounds good to you? Ask for feedback if there are a few that interest you.

Also, look down the page for a thread called "2013 Cruise Review List". You'll find detailed reviews and some great photos ... perhaps reading about other people's experiences will help you with your decision.

For DIY options at each port, borrow Alaska travel books from your library, like Frommers, Fodors, etc. Fodor has a cruise book "Alaska, Ports of Call" which would be very helpful. Buy it and take it with you.

[islandjacquelin]

We just did this last week - got off the ship and bought round trip shuttle tickets on the BLUE shuttle - it runs every hour and half hour from downtown and the Glacier - about a 15 min drive. There were six of us and they guy gave us the tickets for $14 instead of $16. It was very simple and straight forward. It took us about 2 hours at the Glacier, but we did not hike to Nugget Falls, which I would do another time - it looked lovely.

 

We did the tram as well - the view from the top was spectacular - we had a sunny clear day and did the Alpine Loop at the top - a short half mile hike around the top. Lots of wildflowers and interesting First Nations carvings in the trees. It was a great way to spend an hour or so. Pretty good espresso at the top, too! :)

 

We did a walk around town and the museum - which I would have liked more time at. it was pretty good.

 

I am not a real shopper, especially for diamond jewelry so took a quick peek through the souvenir shops on the way back to the ship.

[varoo]

If you have more than 3 or 4 people, I'd consider renting a car for the day and driving there. 4 people on the shuttle would run about $64 and if you have 4 people, that would probably be as much as renting a car and then you'd have the option of seeing a lot more than just the glacier.

I second this suggestion. Even with only two people, we find that it is worth the slight additional cost of renting a car for the convenience.

 

You get to see many more sights that way and can come and go at your own pace without needing to waste time waiting for a bus or being concerned about bus schedules.

 

Another big plus is that you can lock up your belongings in the trunk of the car so you don't need to carry everything around with you at the glacier or other sightseeing stops.

 

[Budget Queen]

Hello,

 

We'll be visiting Juneau next week and we're on a budget. I know that Mendenhall Glacier is a must see, but I'm curious; how do we get to the Glacier from the port? Do we have to do one of the excursions to do this?

 

Also, we have coupons for the Mt Roberts Tramway so we'll be doing this. How far is this from the port? Is this anything in relation to the glacier?

 

Finally, we're debating about maybe doing one excursiong from the Alaska Toursaver book. We'll be in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Icy Straight Point and I was wondering if there's any from that book that someone would say was a must-do (worth the splurge). The Misty Fjords one is taken, but I've looked at the summer dog sled camp (not sure if this is super touristy / not worth it), and some of the wildlife tours.

 

Thanks!

 

There is a whole coupon book of "must" tours, depending on the person. Better would be for you to go through the book and pick out a few that are the most interest to you. IF you want more information, then just post the specific tour. You will get additional details.