Should I cancel my whale watching excursion?

[shredie]

The best whale show I ever saw was in Icy Strait Point when I was sitting on my balcony on the Pacific Princess (at anchor in the harbor.)

[partybarbie]

Good to know. I just bought some new binoculars (DH gave away the set we had). We have an AFT suite so this will be perfect.

 

Is there alot to do at the port of Juneau? Does the ship dock near the action?

 

Yes, there a lots of cheap, fun things to do in Juneau. The ship should dock close to the Mt Roberts tram. We bought our tickets at the tram booth and went right on up. You can also buy tickets on the ship, but I think they are a couple of dollars more. Take the tram up to the top. There's a rescued eagle up there and hopefully you will have good weather and be able to see the beautiful views. There are some hiking trails, but you can avoid those if you're not up to it. We also saw wild bald eagles flying overhead.

 

To the left of where our ship docked, there are buses that will take you up to Mendenhall Glacier. It's very interesting as it's one of the few glaciers that is actually getting bigger. There's a small museum and a hiking trail, but again, you don't have to do the whole trail. I think the bus ran every half hour and was about $22.00 round trip.

[more cruises]

On a positive note, we saw more whales and dolphins from the cruise ship than we did on the whale watch tour. Bring some binoculars and sit out on deck. You should see some.

 

Good to know. I just bought some new binoculars (DH gave away the set we had). We have an AFT suite so this will be perfect.

 

Is there alot to do at the port of Juneau? Does the ship dock near the action?

 

I completely agree with partybarbie. We saw many, many whales from the ship, certainly more and closer, than from our whale watching excursion. Spend lots of time outside (lucky you with an aft balcony) and look for the "blow", that big spout they make as they surface. If they're close enough you can hear it too. Several times we saw porpoises playing in our wake too.

 

In Juneau our favorite adventure is Mendenhal Glacier. There are local "tourist buses" you can book on the dock for $12 each way. Much cheaper than the ship's excursion. If you are feeling particularly strong there are some nice hikes. If not there's plenty to see from the visitors center (with an elevator). We are usually the last ship in the line so it's a bit of a hike to the tram/downtown area. This time we were right in the middle. Much nicer. One of the Princess ships was tendering that day but they came in right downtown too.

[Cruiserkenn]

Your aft facing balcony with your suite will be fantastic!

 

The aft facing balconies are so sheltered that you can see the sights even if the weather is bad.

 

See the sights of Tracy Arm or Glacier Bay from your aft facing balcony. What a way to see them!

 

Enjoy!

[caribill]

The ship should dock close to the Mt Roberts tram. We bought our tickets at the tram booth and went right on up. You can also buy tickets on the ship.

 

The advantage of buying tickets at the tram booth is that if visibility is poor, you do not have to buy them.

 

If purchased from the ship, you have paid for them even if the visibility is bad.

[partybarbie]

The advantage of buying tickets at the tram booth is that if visibility is poor, you do not have to buy them.

 

If purchased from the ship, you have paid for them even if the visibility is bad.

 

Yes, it's good to leave the option open.

[chloe45]

I read on another post that OP's ship will have to tender in Juneau. We will be there on Aug 23 and only 3 ships are in port. Is it safe to assume that we will dock instead of tender?

[jagsfan]

Glad you listened to the people who have had the surgery. My hip is now the perfect hip I had when I was younger, but I would not have risked the new one. Replacement revision is not a happy place to be.