Lyft or Uber from Port to Mendenhall Glacier 2023 current situation?

[red4u2]

Hi all we are going to travel on our own from Juneau to Mendanhall. Public bus or tour not an option for us for various reason's.

I know about the blue busses for about $45 pp roundtrip, but seems to me a taxi or uber or lyft would be about the same price and a time saving option.

any ideas om how 2023 is shaping up so far?   

thanks in advance!

[Ferry_Watcher]

4 hours ago, red4u2 said:

I know about the blue busses for about $45 pp roundtrip, but seems to me a taxi or uber or lyft would be about the same price and a time saving option.

 

Unless the Uber/Lyft car was already at Mendenhall Glacier, it's a 12 mile drive to come out to pick you up.

We used the Blue Bus and it was fine for us, but I understand that everyone's needs/wants are different.

[WetPenguin]

As I understand Uber/Lyft are not “technically authorized to drop off there. Also heard coverage (ie: available drivers) may not be too great with wait times.

 

Can always try and then have the bus as a fallback.

[Ferry_Watcher]

21 hours ago, WetPenguin said:

 

Can always try and then have the bus as a fallback.

 

I know for the return trip on the Blue Bus we had to show our payment receipt to get back on the bus (and it does seem to run on a schedule, i.e., every half hour).

 

We were at Mendenhall earlier this month (May), and I think I saw a pay phone, or some sort of phone to use to call for a taxi.  Maybe someone going there soon can double-check to see if my memory is accurate. 

 

Also, I think the public bus drops off / picks up passengers a fair distance away.  While the $2.50 fare is a great price, it must take forever to get there and back - although you can't beat the price.

[red4u2]

Thank you everyone for the responses. I wasn't aware that Uber or Lyft aren't allowed to drop/ pick up passengers at Mendenhall!   wow.        I now about the public bus, but the walk each way is too much for us.

Thank you!!

[CLM0928]

With the shuttle bus companies cancelling confirmed reservations and not selling any new spots you would think there would be some other mode of transporation to get there.  Has anyone use taxi service?  This seems wrong to cancel a booking that was paid for and ticketed.

[deelightfull]

I think the whole point is to limit how many people go, so no, there's no other way.  

 

It's really hard when so many people want to see this beautiful thing, but at the same time seeing the beautiful thing, ruins the beautiful thing.

 

I don't have any good answers.

[wreckem2013]

4 hours ago, deelightfull said:

I think the whole point is to limit how many people go, so no, there's no other way.  

 

It's really hard when so many people want to see this beautiful thing, but at the same time seeing the beautiful thing, ruins the beautiful thing.

 

I don't have any good answers.

Public bus, or taxi/Uber drop off a mile away are the only other options besides renting a car.

 

Im there tomorrow and will do the public bus. It runs from the Downtown transit station ten minutes after every hour. The return bus runs 25 minutes after every hour. Two different bus routes.

[maxxboy]

Today I called the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. I told them I was aware of that there was a limit on permits for tours to take you there as everything I looked at was booked. I told them I also looked at the "Blue Bus" but it there was no availability. The woman I spoke to said you can take a city bus but where it stops is still a mile away from the center. She suggested with taking a taxi or Uber. Although they still cannot take you directly to the Visitor Center, they can drop you off at "a" or "the" parking lot which is about a 1/2 mile walk. She also said they do not limit how many people can be there at one time and we wouldn't have any issue getting in. Its just the getting there part. So I guess we'll play it by ear once there and see if we can work out some type of arrangement with an Uber driver and see if we can agree to meet him/her at a certain time to take us back to port. Either way we won't be crushed if it doesn't work out.

[Vahevala]

Two weeks ago we went to Mendenhall Glacier via $60 each ship excursion.  It was nice and easy; learned a lot from driver during transport.  Our driver was a Michigan college student on summer break trained by Grayline Tours.  
 

The three hours were adequate for us and the bus let off right below Visitor Center with an elevator up available if desired.  It poured the entire time and I probably spent only 20 minutes or so outside. 

[Cruising575]

Just went to the Mendenhall Glacier last week. We used a taxi and were dropped off right at the visitor center. They say cell coverage can be spotty at the glacier (though we had decent coverage on AT&T and Verizon), so the taxi driver had us text him when we were ready to leave. It cost about $45 each way for the taxi and an extra $17 per person park entrance fee.

 

Other people in our group had originally booked the Glacier and Tram excursion through NCL, but cancelled onboard once they found out that excursion wasn't allowed at the glacier.