Mendenhall a must see? City of Juneau?

[Retired 07]

Hi everybody! Our ship gets in to Juneau at 6:30 am. DW & I are going whale watching w/Harv & Marv at 11:30, and that takes us back to the ship which leaves at 4:00. So, we only have a few hours in the morning to see either Mendenhall OR the city of Juneau. We probably wouldn't have time to do either of them justice. Any suggestions from any of you experienced cruisers?

The shuttles to the glacier don't start until 9:00a.m..

[jacksan1]

If your cruise itinerary includes a chance or chances to see other glaciers, then I would say you can safely skip the Mendenhall Glacier. It is not one of the most impressive glaciers in Alaska - Mendenhall's greatest asset is that you can drive up to it. But if you can see other glaciers in, for instance, Glacier Bay, then you can skip Mendenhall and not miss much.

[billrco90278]

Hi everybody! Our ship gets in to Juneau at 6:30 am. DW & I are going whale watching w/Harv & Marv at 11:30, and that takes us back to the ship which leaves at 4:00. So, we only have a few hours in the morning to see either Mendenhall OR the city of Juneau. We probably wouldn't have time to do either of them justice. Any suggestions from any of you experienced cruisers?

The shuttles to the glacier don't start until 9:00a.m..

 

We had the same dilemna last year. We booked the Taku Lodge excursion in the afternoon and wondered about what to do in the morning. We skipped Mendenhall Glacier figuring we would see lots on our excursion and then later on our cruise in Glacier Bay and the College Fjord. We took the tram up Mt. Roberts which proved to be worth the time and money and then walked around Juneau. You should have plenty of time for both. We were not sorry with our choices.

[nursegrrl8]

on our whale watching trip, the transfer bus stopped in front of mendenhall for a photo op. It is beautiful!

 

We went up the tramway on our own for a beautiful view of the city.

[Retired 07]

Thanks everybody for all your input! We've decided to skip the glacier and see the town. Does anybody if the state capitol building is worth a trip to see?

[Toyz711]

you should be able to see mendenhall, throught the mountain gap, as you leave the small boat harbor at auke bay. or you could take a taxi there and have harv & marv pick you up there. (reviews have said they do that)

if you have a clear morning, you can to go the top of the tram. it's right at the boat dock and takes just a short time getting up and down.

[Budget Queen]

The State Capital is OK and real easy for a look on a walking tour, in the past there were self guided tours of the Capital. If there, take a detour and and a look at the Governor's house, nice totem out front.

 

It's a great walk tour city. Head to your library and look at the walking tours in Fodor's Alaska and Frommer's Alaska. the dock visitor center also has walking tour maps. But knowing this prior will enhance your trip.