AKfamily

8 hours ago, ANNPAP said:

Since you are a local, I would appreciate your recommendations. We are taking our first cruise to Alaska and looking at 2 tours from different companies - one is Whale Watching and the other is Whale Watching and Mendenhall Glacier Tour. Do you recommend doing the tour that has whale watching and the glacier combined? 

It depends on how much time you have, and if you will be going whale watching or glacier viewing at other ports. Mendenhall Glacier has receded quite a bit and you won’t be very close to it. If you are going to Tracy Arm or Glacier Bay, you may find it underwhelming. It’s a beautiful area and the walk to the waterfall is nice. 

As a local, I’ll give you some important info: the ride to and from the glacier is at least 20 minutes each way.  The hike to Nugget Falls is at least a half hour each way. Probably more if you want to see anything along the way or spend any time at the falls. The tram line to board can be from 0 to 30 minutes. Same to return from the top. You do not have enough time to do either of these things without constant worry about your time constraints. It is going to be the hottest, record-breaking, day of the summer on Tuesday here in Juneau. Walk around town. Visit a brewery or two, go for ice cream, *maybe* make your way up Basin Rd and walk the Flume Trail.  Visit the Sea Walk. 3 hours is not enough time to leave downtown. That’s all you have if the ship gets in on time. I can’t believe Princess is still running this ship with such short port calls. It’s got to be a major disappointment for the passengers. 

Try Caribou Crossings in Juneau. They sell Alaskan-made jewelry. Many Alaskans make what you are looking for. An authentic item would be much better than a mass-produced one. “Buy the Bear” is our official state Alaskan-made certification program. 

11 minutes ago, Kitty Ellas Mom said:

When you say my chances are better "up north," I'm assuming you mean Girdwood, is that correct?

Yes. Southeast is a temperate rainforest. 

This completely depends on the weather and cloud ceiling. Even on sunny days, there can be thick fog in the morning. Your weather chances are better up north. If this is an absolute must-do for you, your chances are better up north. If it’s the dogs you are after more than the flight, there are several actual Iditarod kennels with summer land tours in places like Talkeetna and Seward. The setup in Juneau brings in outside dogs and flies them up to set up a camp for tourists. There is not authentic dog sledding in Juneau in the winter. If you want to glacier flight see, Wings/Taku floatplanes in Juneau are an amazing experience—and I am NOT a small plane person. 

As a local I love hiking in the alpine of Mt. Roberts. You take the tram up and down. But, there is quite a bit of snow up there this year. There may very well still be snow in June, but the trail should be mostly clear by then. Nugget Falls is flat, easy, and can get quite congested. You can choose East Glacier trail as a less-trafficked but still busy alternative. Mt. Roberts does not require you to take any extra transportation. As an alternative idea you could walk up to Basin Rd and either go up the actual Mt. Roberts trail and ride the tram back down (free with a $10pp spend at the restaurant/bar at the top) or you could continue to the end of Basin Rd to Perseverance Trail, which would be an out and back hike. There were several slides on that trail and the flume trail this winter, but I would think they would be cleaned up by then. Make noise on the trail, in any of these locations. 

We have a decent sized storm coming in Monday evening/Tuesday. Pack the rain gear!

I live in Juneau and have done several of the excursions you are interested in around the state. Some thoughts…

While I have not been ON the Mendenhall, I have taken my family twice on the Matanuska with MICA Guides, with kids ages 10ish through 14ish. It is a wonderful experience. I have not felt the need to go on the Mendenhall at all. There are so many other things you can do to fill a day in Juneau, I would not do two glacier treks. You may be sick of glaciers by the time you get to Juneau anyway, ha! Seavey’s Iditaride in Seward is the absolute best. Their dogs run the Iditarod, the Seavey family produces the best mushers. This is their summer training camp. It will be more authentic than sled dogs in Skagway. Your day in Seward with the train and then the boat will be very long. Be prepared for rough seas as well. It’s a very cool area and well worth it, but bring plenty of snacks and entertainment options. You could choose to whale watch in Juneau, Hoonah, or Seward, but if you want to see puffins and fjords then Seward is the best choice for variety. Skagway has a cool train as well as National park buildings interspersed around town that provide a great low-key day of wandering. At Hoonah (Icy Strait) they have added several new attractions this summer. Looks like there is a new aerial tram. Also a great place to learn about the native culture. Ketchikan is also good for wandering without a set plan. There are a few nice trails right from town if you feel like getting away from shops and crowds. 

26 minutes ago, hvbaskey said:

Mendenhall, TRAM, hiking trails, tours, tours, tours for Juneau and yet until today, we had nothing “firmed up” and were going to wing it and DIY the day of.  We had set a budget aside for the day, but nothing was leaping out at me or striking the home run.

 

@ T-36 hours until departure to the airport, I finally found an excursion for Juneau that gave me goose pimples (a great indicator for me)! 

We’re off on a cruise to Tracy Fjord Arm to get up close & personal to the glaciers.   Universe, as always, works in mysterious ways and I came across a photo on MickeyLive’s FB page (Celebrity’s semi-retired “destination expert extraordinaire”).   Anyhow!  in a nutshell, followed the path from the picture to the tour - and called the reservation in today and arranged two tickets for us to go on the 10 (YUP 10!) hour adventure to Tracy Arm.  

We have a very long day in Juneau (docking at 7 AM and not departing until 9:30 PM) - so we have the time to spare to take on the “ice adventure”.    I am over the moon with excitement!

Tracy Arm is a favorite of locals, as well! Great choice and well worth the long day. Bring a book or card game for the ride there and back. 

On 4/21/2019 at 11:49 AM, rick160158 said:

 

 

For shade, you should of stayed in 1133. Ship sails south to north, and on the return, north to south. Sun rises and sets east to west. In 9058, on the way north, you'll get the sun in the morning, and on the return the sun in the afternoon. In the back of the ship(1133) your pretty well guaranteed shade. I'd go back to 1133.
 

In the summer here, the sun actually rises more to the south-southeast and sets in the northwest. And you could quite possibly never see the sun at all, but will have a wonderful time anyway. 😀

It is on Basin Rd, all the way to the top of the (steep) hill from downtown, over a one-lane wooden bridge, just before Basin Rd. crosses Gold Creek. It is open. It is on the same road that ends at Perseverance trailhead, and the mining museum. 

In Juneau you can take the tram to the top of Mt Roberts and hike for miles in the alpine. It is beautiful in any weather and right by the dock. Bring plenty of snacks and watch for porcupines, mountain goats, and bears. Tons of wildflowers too! 

Definitely the glacier before the other ships arrive. Then Eagle Beach, and stop at the arboretum and the Shrine of St. Therese on the way back. You should have time for all of these things. Beware the wet mud at the beach. You can easily sink and lose a shoe at low tide. 

May 12 Chicagof Dream

Alaskan Dream Cruises

Sitka to Juneau, 7 nights

First trip report here, but thought it would be worthwhile as there isn’t much around on Alaskan Dream Cruises. I’m an Alaskan resident living in Juneau, but have only lived in Southeast Alaska for about 5 years. I have lots left to see. This Alaskan-owned line based in Sitka offers resident mega deals on their first sailings of the season, so a friend and I are splurging on a moms’ adventure together. We are flying over to Sitka the day before and plan to tour ourselves around. She has never been, and I used to live there. 

I have always wanted to take this expedition-style cruise and am excited to have found a way to afford it 🤣. I am most looking forward to...everything! We have stops in Kake, Petersburg, and Orca Pt. Lodge, as well as a day in Tracy Arm and a day in Glacier Bay. Unplanned hiking and kayaking adventures are in store, as well as spectacular food and only about 70 passengers onboard. 

We we are sharing a 2-room suite. 

Left and Uber are very sparse here. They can’t be relied upon, especially during normal business hours. You can schedule ahead with Juneau Taxi or Alaska Pedicab. 

The pilots are the experts. If they won’t do it, it’s definitely not safe. Ketchikan is routinely windy, and Juneau can easily be windy as well. 

Seward will be best. Anywhere closer to the gulf. Juneau is decent, especially in August. 

If it goes to Orca Point, it is with Allen Marine. They own the lodge. That means you will board the boat in a Auke Bay, requiring a bus ride of about 30 minutes from the ship. The bus will pick up right bear the Mt. Roberts Tramway parking lot, most likely. That is a short and flat journey from all docks aside from the one that is furthest south, used by the big Norwegian ships. That dock is quite a haul from the main port area. 

The Denali area itself is not a place that many locals live year-round. It is full of tourist places. The 49th State Brewing is good. If you take a little detour on the way, to Talkeetna, you can get a true local experience at the Talkeetna Roadhouse or the brewery across the street. We are Alaskan and huge fans of Moose’s Tooth. If we fly in and begin a road trip front Anchorage, we always stop for some pizza to go for the road. Another tip- get basics as far as groceries before leaving Anchorage. Snack food, fruit, quick breakfast stuff, etc. once you head north, these things get much more expensive. 

Twisted fish is just okay. The Fish & Chips place in the Hangar building right next to the little cabin for the Taku Lodge floatplanes is my go-to for cod and chips. But wander away from the waterfront a bit up to the Rookery, or In Boca al Lupo/Panhandle Provisions for a taste of our true culinary talent. Also, the pizza on Wednesdays at Devils Club Brewing is amazing (as is the beer). 

An umbrella stroller would have a hard time, but anything with larger wheels should be good. FYI, Nugget Falls is at the Mendenhall Glacier. You can either just walk to the “photo point”, which is completely accessible, or walk about a mile each way on the path along the lake to the falls. The beach there is fun for kids and a great photo op. 

Thank you! We are doing this tour in about 10 days. 

Has anyone gone since they have added the AI option and still just done pay as you go?  We are heading there next week and don't want to do the AI, but it's an 11-ship day so I'm concerned that they may get too busy with pre-reserved AI people.  We do get into port early morning and plan to head straight there.

July will be greener!