mom02

We are back from our cruise and wanted to update everyone on how things panned out.

We made reservations with Evergreen Taxi online and communicated with Shane via email a few times. They provided car seats/boosters for the kids at no extra charge.

The day of we arrived in port we were docked at AJ dock; they arrived within minutes of our scheduled time and parked near the anchor that's on an island in the parking lot. Our driver was friendly and helpful, loaded us and our stroller into a 12 passenger van.

For those traveling with a large group, I highly recommend making reservations ahead of time because it doesn't sound like they have many large vans available. There was a group of 8 or 9 right behind us that thought they could just hail a cab for their group. Our driver told them our ride was pre-arranged, but that he would call someone for them, however, it wouldn't be able to fit their entire group.

On the way to Mendenhall Glacier, our driver chatted with us about the history of Juneau, pointed out wildlife and reminded us again of the park fee. Since we had 2 senior citizens with NP passes, part of the park fee was already covered. We gave him our NP Senior Pass cards when we arrived and he wrote down the information in a notebook. He then collected the $2/pp fee on top of the cab fare.

We had originally asked for him to return 2.5 hrs later, but he said we can just call him when we think we are about finished and he'll come back to pick us up. This worked out much better because we were finished earlier than expected. We asked that he drop us off at Tracy's Crab Shack instead of back at AJ dock.

The final total round trip was approximately $100 not including tip. If we had taken the blue or white shuttle buses, it would've cost us over $200. Hope this helps those that are still planning!

If we want to take the shuttle BACK to AJ dock from the tram area, does anyone know if we can buy one way tickets from the tram area? Or do we need to purchase the tickets ahead of time at AJ Dock?

In the past we've purchased r/t tickets at AJ Dock for the shuttle, but didn't notice if there was a one way option.

TIA!

I wondered the same thing and called the US Forest Service to inquire.

Spoke with Jesse from the park and she confirmed the $2/pp fee that the cabs need to collect is separate from the $5/pp daily fee that's on their website. The $2/pp is a permit fee that is charged to all commercial operators that take visitors to the park. Whereas some companies like the blue or white shuttle buses include the $2 permit fee and the $5 daily fee in their $30 price, the cab companies cannot because they run on a meter. So they collect these fees separately.

If you have the Senior Pass or Season Pass, you will need to have your card with you to show the cab driver. The pass covers only the daily fee listed on the website. You will still need to pay the cab driver $2/pp to cover the permit fee.

Here's the original thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=52971299#post52971299

I have a related question. What if I only need a taxi to pick us up once we are finished? Do we still have to pay the $2 fee per person?

That's a good question..:confused: My guess is yes if they are going to pick you up in the parking lot area, but I would contact the cab company directly to confirm.

Spoke with Jesse from the park and she confirmed the $2/pp fee that the cabs need to collect is separate from the $5/pp daily fee on their website. The $2/pp is a permit fee that is charged to all commercial operators that take visitors to the park. Whereas some companies like the blue or white shuttle buses include the $2 permit fee and the $5 daily fee in their $30 price, the cab companies cannot because they run on a meter. So they collect these fees separately.

If you have the Senior Pass or Season Pass, you will need to have your card with you to show the cab driver. The pass covers only the daily fee listed on the website. You will still need to pay the cab driver $2/pp to cover the permit fee.

I hope this helps clarify how the fees are charged. :)

Also , Evergreen was going to pick us up at 7:30am at the dock and then pick us back up at 9:30am. Do u think that is enough time? The cab company said yes but I wasn't sure .. thanks!

 

 

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I got the same email from evergreen as well. I am hoping to spend between 3-4 hrs when we go in july to walk the different trails. I am aiming to go around 9

The last time we went to Mendenhall Glacier we hiked (I use that term loosely) to Nugget Falls...in the rain...with a stroller & reluctant preschooler and we spent almost 2 hours total at the park. If the weather was better we probably would've spent even more time there and explored the visitor center and other trails. I think how much time needed depends on what trails you take, how fast you plan to walk/hike or if you want time for the visitor center.

I take comfort knowing I wasn't the only one told by Evergreen about the fee. I haven't heard back from the park ranger yet, but will follow up tomorrow and post what they say.

Wrong! Sounds like a scam to me.... In the first place, the cost to visit is $5, not $2 and that is for anyone 16 or older. They also accept any federal land pass, so if Gramps or Grams has a senior park pass you can get in free. If anyone in your group is 62+ they should get a $10 national park pass before coming to Alaska. It's good at the SE Alaska Discovery Center in Ketchikan, Mendenhall visitor center, gets you $10 back off your Denali bus trip, etc.

Yes! And it was someone here on Cruise Critic that let us know about the Senior Pass for USDA parks. (Thank you!) My parents are both seniors, so their passes gets them plus 3 more adults in for free. That's 8 out of 9 of us. And our kids are all under 16, so we should all be able to get in for free. I don't know what fee the cab company is referring to...

I know in the past, there have been commercial fees involved, so that could be accurate. The 2 cab companies I have used are Capital and Evergreen. Both long time vendor, who I would recommend you call and see what can be offered. then compare. Who are you contacting? There could be fees involved with a bigger vehicle that the company is charging.

I was emailing with Evergreen. They didn't specify what kind of vehicles they were trying to set us up with, but they did say in their email that it was a US Forest Service fee. Maybe when I hear back from the park ranger they can clarify if there's a fee they charge commercial vehicles in addition to what's on their website.

Why not use the shuttle that runs from the pier to glacier return every 30 minutes.

The shuttles are $30 r/t per person. With our family of 9, that would almost $150 more expensive than getting 2 cabs

I've been trying to line up a couple of cabs for my family of 9 while we're in Juneau and have gotten some conflicting information from the cab company about fees charged by the US Forest Service for Mendenhall Glacier.

From what I understand from the USFS website, the parking area is free, so the cab should not be charged for dropping us off or picking us up. However, the cab company is saying "The $2.00 per person USFS fee is charged upon entrance to all who visit the Mendenhall Glacier from ages 0-100+." He said the driver needs to collect the $2/pp fee (even for my 3 & 6 yr olds).

I've left a message with the park ranger and am waiting to hear back. In the meantime, I wanted to ask other cruisers for their experience with taking a cab to Mendenhall Glacier. Did anyone else come across this? :confused:

We have both the passport book and card ready the for adults and kids. We used the passport book last year and it was very bulky plus nerve-racking to carry it around all day when on the excursions. Sounds like we'll be okay just using the passport card this time. Hooray!

Thanks for everyone's input on this! Really appreciate it!

According to travel.state.gov website, a passport card could be used for "entering the United States at land border crossings and sea ports-of-entry from Canada..." but I wanted to ask people's personal experiences with this.

Has anyone here sailed on a closed loop out of Seattle using their passport card instead of a passport book? And if you stopped in Victoria, B.C, were there any issues?

TIA!

Thanks for the replies! Whale watching and/or kayaking is not on the "must do" list, so we're happy to play it by ear. But I think we'll go armed with a few names of companies that we're interested in and give them a call to see if they have any spots open or last minute cancellations if we do decide we want to give it a try.

In your experience, how likely would a group of 4 be able to find someone reputable at the last minute for a kayaking or whale watching excursion in Juneau? Do you think we will be able to find someone at the dock once we arrive?

Humpbacks are seen 100% of the time. What are the details of the Mendenhall time you booked? Open ended? After or before the whale watch?

 

I talked to this company last season, as I knew one of the employees. I have not gone with them. Is there any reviews on Trip Advisor?

They are 5 stars Trip Advisor, but I've read some negative thing said about them here on CC. Something about being disorganized, but am not sure how long ago that was.

Their smallest boats are 24 passengers, so it's not like the small 6 passenger tours Harv&Marv run. But they are one of the few companies that will drop off at Mendenhall and have shuttles running every 30 minutes so you can take your time at the park.

following along...we are also looking into the whale watching and mendenhall glacier combo

The times that we’ve rode the Blue or White bus out to Mendenhall when it came time to go back to Juneau we just got on the bus, no one asked to see our ticket stub or anything. I guess they figured that if you got there they must have bought you out. I think the reason Harv & Marv don’t go out there anymore is they don’t have a contract to collect the $5 entrance fee. Last year I talked the general manager of M & M tours who operate the Blue & White buses, she said the Forest service was getting real sticky about collecting the $5 entrance fee. If you have a NP Senior citizen pass you and 3 of your friends can get in at no cost. If you’re taking the Blue or White bus from Juneau out to Mendenhall and you have NP Senior citizen pass be sure to show your pass when you buy your tickets.

Mom02, in your situation I would probably have a cab pickup your party out at the pier at Auke bay.

You bring up a good point - I don't remember the bus drivers checking for ticket stubs on the way back either. I supposed we could always arrange for a cab to pick us up at the park when we're done hiking if they do end up checking for ticket stubs.

We've started looking into (independent) tours that include a trip to Mendenhall. Since our group is large, it might end up being about the same cost if not cheaper. And we wouldn't have to worry about transportation. But this would only work if they allow for ample time for us to at least hike Nugget Trail to see the waterfall.

Sigh...maybe we're trying to do too much...we are on vacation after all! :rolleyes:

R/T tickets for 9 on the shuttle is $270+. Yikes !

 

Are you sure they don't offer one-way transfers ? Contact both companies to verify. I know they raised their rates last yr to include the Forest Service Fee, but I don't recall that they discontinued one-way travel.

 

http://www.mmtoursofjuneau.com/land-tours

 

http://www.juneautours.com/book-a-tour/details/33355/glacier-shuttle/

 

Juneau has a lot of taxi vans. Call a few taxi vendors to see if you will fit into 2 cabs. Rather than backtrack to the cruise pier, you can arrange for taxis to pick you up at Auke Bay which is much closer to Mendenhall. I'm not sure of the cost. Then reserve another cab ride back to the pier (about $35).

Evergreen taxi is one company ... others are listed on the town web site.

From what I can tell on the websites they only sell round trip tickets for $30. But I will call to double check just in case.

I'll definitely look into the cabs. It sounds like that might be the best and most economical option for our group. Thanks!

We would like to do a whale watching tour with Harv & Marv or some other independent company, but also want to stop at Mendenhall Glacier to hike Nugget Falls. With Harv & Marv no longer dropping off at Mendenhall Glacier, what's the best way to plan our transportation?

In the past, we've taken the blue (or was it white?) shuttle bus to/from Mendenhall Glacier. However, these shuttles no longer offer one way tickets. Because of the location of Auke Bay Harbor to Mendenhall Glacier, we'd rather not have to go back to downtown Juneau to take the round trip shuttles. Is there a way around this??

We have 9 people including 2 small children (preschool & 1st grade), so I'm not even sure how a taxi situation would work. Do you think we're stuck with the back and forth drive to downtown Juneau?

Yes, I believe they do. Btw, we are AQ on our upcoming cruise later this month and plan to enjoy the Bistro on Five.

 

 

 

They will not be allowed. We traveled with friends who were CC, and we were not. I encouraged them to go and enjoy the CC lunch. They did and enjoyed it very much.

This is what we witnessed on our Alaska cruise on the Solstice last year. They rolled this out a month before we sailed and we saw the hostess explaining over and over to guests that the embarkation lunch in the MDR was for Concierge class passengers only.

It was a great perk for those in Concierge class. They had a limited 3 course menu. It was nice to not have to think about where to sit and eat on embarkation day.

Exactly right. Make sure your reservations are linked. Then call Celebrity customer service and make reservations in select at 6pm every night. Then, upon embarking on the ship, stroll over to the select dining entrance after you have lunch. The maitr 'd or hostess will be there. Confirm that all of you are reserved at 6pm and tell them you want to be seated together. You can even ask to be seated at the same table every night.b This way, if you are meeting there, everyone will know exactly where you are seated. There should be no problem at 6pm. It's around 7-7:30 that things get a bit backed up.

Thanks for all the feedback! I hopped online and made reservations for 6pm for our group.

Where is the select dining entrance?

I love the idea to request for the same table every night, I'll be sure to do that!

We were on a wheeled sled and it was a bumpy ride. I'd compare it to riding an ATV over semi-rough terrain.

I've read through several threads about this subject, but wanted to see if my impression of Select Dining is correct:

Select Dining is fine as long as you don't have a large party or are picky about what table you get...?

We have a 7 people including 2 small children in our group and would prefer the Traditional Early Seating time of 6pm, but have been told that it's not available. We are currently stuck with Select Dining and I'm nervous about all the negative things people have said about reservations not being honored and long wait times. Because we have a larger group, do you think I should continue to push for the Traditional Early seating? Or do you think as long as we get to the MDR by 6pm, we shouldn't have trouble getting a table with Select dining?

TIA!

If you check in at the NPS building which is at Second & Broadway, they will not only give you a free map of all of the trails around here, but they will size up your group and probably steer you to the right fit for your group at that time!

From what I have read here, I would probably recommend the trail out to Yak Pt, for your group, for starters.

Then when you return to town anyone of the more ambitious set can have a go at Lower Lake!

There are more than enough trails right around town to occupy and challenge even the most ambitious and strenuous hiker as well as the aforementioned stroll out to The Point.

DD

Thanks that's a great idea! It sounds like we won't have any trouble finding a great trail to hike while in Skagway! I can't wait!

I had a nice hike on the Lower Dewey Lake trail, which is just off the main stretch of downtown.

Thanks for the link! That looks like a great trail for our group. The website says there's a steep switchback for the first 500ft, do you think it's still easy enough for a preschooler (and those of us who are REALLY out of shape) to walk? :D

Hi! I tried searching this forum for an answer but had no luck...

Anyone know of any great seafood restaurants in Ketchikan or Skagway that serves up some great grilled salmon or halibut?

We're looking to keep it around $25-30/pp.

TIA! :)