Mendenhall Glacier on our own ?

[Jasjas]

My friend and I , ladies in our mid-sixties, will be on Norwegian Sun cruising Alaska in September... ON A VERY LIMITED BUDGET due to our very weak South African currency. The Rand has already depreciated by more than 20% since we booked our cruise a year ago...

 

Our ship will only be in the port of Juneau for 6 hours -7am to 1pm .

How possible (or impossible) will it be for us to do the Mendenhall glacier trip on our own and maybe still have time to to go up the Mount Roberts Tramway ?

...and what would be the cost difference.

 

Any other tips of getting the most out of the other ports without breaking the bank ?

 

Sincere thanks,

 

Jasjas.

Edited February 15, 2015 by Jasjas
spelling mistake

[mapleleaves]

The shuttle bus to Mendenhall is $20 RT. Info in this under link Blue Glacier Express.

http://mightygreattrips.com/tours/

And the other company has white buses instead of blue, also $20.

http://www.juneautours.com/shuttle-mendenhall-glacier/

 

just be careful about your timing.

People have suggested buying one-way tickets ... that way you can hop on whichever bus is there when you're ready to go.

It's only a 20 minute ride to Mendenhall and you need at least an hour there if you want to walk to the Falls.

[xlxo]

August and September is when it can get wet and foggy....

 

You can decide on the Tram after you return to the docks and pay at the base. Just look up... if it's in fog (low cloud)... skip the tram or go later. Budget one hour for the tram.

 

My friend and I , ladies in our mid-sixties, will be on Norwegian Sun cruising Alaska in September... ON A VERY LIMITED BUDGET due to our very weak South African currency. The Rand has already depreciated by more than 20% since we booked our cruise a year ago...

 

Any other tips of getting the most out of the other ports without breaking the bank ?

Some thoughts....

• Eating on the ship is one way to save money. However then you may miss out on the local food opportunities. For example in Juneau.... Tracy's Crab legs offer King Crab. Would you be able to get king crab in South Africa on the cheap? Does the ship offer King crab legs or is it some other cheaper crab?
  http://www.kingcrabshack.com/
  
• The Norwegian Sun sails out of Vancouver. People can save money by avoiding the hotels near the cruise terminal. The Canadian currency has also collapsed against the US dollar. You may choose to spend more days or sightseeing time there to stretch your currency.
  
• When choosing flights to Vancouver, compare travelling on Tuesdays or Wednesday to see if there are savings that could possibly give you extra nights in Vancouver.
  
• you cruise ends in Seward.... when flying back to South Africa... have you considered flights to Seattle instead of Vancouver? You might find savings there too.
  
• How much are photos worth to you? Do you like sea days where you are trapped on the ship? Do you have enough sea days? Yes, shore excursions and photo packages are my weakness in a cruise.
  [YOUTUBE]RiaOlvSRMAk [/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]YDHAzzwRaLU[/YOUTUBE]
  

 

[YOUTUBE]ZLL6du--lQA[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]txO8VK4LaLQ[/YOUTUBE]

Edited February 15, 2015 by xlxo

[bonvoyagie]

Sorry to hear about your limited budget. However there are lots of things that you can DIY in AK. I agree with the others for Juneau buy one way tickets on the buses - there is also a fee to enter the park - it is run by the National Park Service. The lift ticket on the tram is about 35.00 and can be bought at any time. Take a look at this website for more information on what you can do in the other ports.

 

www.cruiseportinsider.com

 

enjoy your cruise

[Bruin Steve]

I remember reading about a PUBLIC bus that costs only $2...

[Budget Queen]

I remember reading about a PUBLIC bus that costs only $2...

 

Problem is their short port time. This bus can take almost an hour with all the stops, plus it only runs once per hour, miss, is another hour wait. The Mendenhall stop is also about a mile from the Visitor Center and full Mendenhall view. More time involved.

[xlxo]

I agree.... here's a Google map estimate for a 30 minute hike from the stop to the visitor centre.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Glacier+Spur+Rd&daddr=Mendenhall+Glacier+Visitor+Center,+Glacier+Spur+Road,+Juneau,+AK,+United+States&hl=en&ll=58.407288,-134.56913&spn=0.03804,0.073729&sll=58.358895,-134.502851&sspn=0.15237,0.294914&geocode=FT0UewMdo8X69w%3BFU1eewMd7vf69yHMRnNuH23vEilBH2zPh-EAVDHMRnNuH23vEg&oq=mendenhall+glacier+vi&dirflg=w&mra=ltm&t=m&z=14

Edited February 16, 2015 by xlxo

[sherryf]

Sorry to hear about your limited budget. However there are lots of things that you can DIY in AK. I agree with the others for Juneau buy one way tickets on the buses - there is also a fee to enter the park - it is run by the National Park Service.

 

There is NOT a fee to enter the park. The $3 fee is only for the visitor center. I've been to Mendenhall 5 times, but only went into the visitor center once, even though I had passes to go in as part of my tour on some other visits. Personally, I'd rather hike to the falls or wander the boardwalks looking for bears.

[travgurl]

Here are some companies to check out in Juneau that you may perhaps want to choose to help you with your time in Juneau. If you choose one of these companies to use, I would book them now for your trip. Good luck and enjoy your trip to Alaska. We are there in July! Looking forward to it!!!

http://www.juneauyellowcab.com/

http://www.evergreentaxi.com/

http://www.juneautours.com/

http://www.takutaxi.net/

Edited February 16, 2015 by travgurl

[Jasjas]

WOW...!! What wonderful people you all are...so many helpful responses...

 

My homework is now cut out for me...

THANKS to each and everyone for responding to my request...

 

We are SO excited about our first visit to USA and Canada...

 

The Alaskan Cruise is a dream come true...

 

Jasjas.

[janerbg]

Are you going Northbound or Southbound?

 

We went Northbound on the Sun last year and really enjoyed our Alaskan Adventure.

 

We did not find the food on the ship that great, but we also wanted to spend our money on Alaska, not specialty dining on the ship. My husband booked one excursion through the ship, but otherwise our onboard spending was only on gratuities. In Skagway with a long port day we were also able to get back on the ship for lunch so as to not purchase in Skagway. (The only place we purchased lunch was in Junuea, which was a long port day and the ship was parked a long way away.

 

The sun has a covered aft, and a forward observation lounge which are both nice for taking in the scenery. You can go to a forward deck in front of the observation lounge, and you can also go one deck up and hide under the glass in order to keep from getting too cold or rained on!

 

We spend a lot of time outside watching the scenery, and did see whales multiple times (and a gorgeous rainbow sunset). Make sure that you bring appropriate clothing for both the cold and the rain!

 

As for your questions on Juneau: With the limited time in port, I would not try to do both Mount Roberts and Mendenhall, and you can wait to decide until you get there. We arrived in Juneau on an overcast morning, and so we took the bus (by tickets in the parking lot, $10 one way or $20 round trip) to Mendenhall. I was surprised at how much there was there...in August there were Salmon in the stream and most of the people on our bus back had seen bears (my son is a little inpatient for that), the walk to Nugget Falls is very nice and the visitor center very informative. If it is cold and rainy you can sit inside the visitor center and look at the glacier through a beautiful plate glass window.

 

In the afternoon it cleared up and we went up the Mt. Roberts tramway; it was a gorgeous view, and my husband liked the hike. My son liked the totem pole carver and the entertainment and the eagle.

 

I would also strongly encourage you to research the ports before you go; the port talks on the Sun were completely sales pitches, there is no what to do on your own or how to wander around.

 

In Skagway, the walking tour and exhibits of Gold Rush National Historical Park are free. There is also some hiking trails from in town (expensive, but we did really enjoy are railway ride).