Glaciers

Consider using Spot Saver. We used is a couple of years ago and we breezed through TSA. Not sure that’s always the case but it worked for us. https://www.portseattle.org/SEAspotsaver

I quit chasing new gear about the time mirrorless was getting going. Usually took two bodies and several lenses with a range of 16-600 but trying to quit taking the camera bag and scale things down. Used to take the tripod but rarely used it. Although I certainly still take some of my gear but in my attempt to scale down, I’ve began using my phone for photos more often. Picked up the iPhone 14 Pro and if I need something big enough to print, the RAW files are 20mb+ and edit/post process well. It works amazingly well. I don’t always have my camera gear but I do always have my phone. There is a bit of a learning curve when using the phone properly for photography. It would be marginally acceptable for a whale watch or shooting the mountain goats along Gloomy Knob in Glacier Bay but does wonderful with landscapes and wide interior shots.

Neither of those hotels are actually downtown although several hotels use the term. The Hyatt is in a better location across from the Seattle Center and access to the monorail for 3-minute transportation downtown which puts you close to Pike Place Market. The rates you posted are actually pretty good for cruise season. There are also a ton of good restaurants within a 10 minute walk of the hotel in Belltown along 1st & 2nd Aves.

If not walking to Nugget Falls your current tour may give you enough time there. Another option is Juneau Whale Watch. After the whale watch they take you to the glacier. Their busses depart the glacier every 30 minutes or so back to the ship and you can stay as long as you want, as long as you don’t miss the last bus.

There are some good suggestions here as they are light-weight and don’t take up a lot of room. You’re not really doing any hiking and most of the time you’ll be on the deck of a boat, a bus or a city street. I take two pair of sneakers and trade them out as needed.

What entry fee?

Use Port Valet. Once you set your luggage outside your cabin door the night before disembarkation, it will be at your destination airport when you arrive. If you have carryon luggage you want to store for the day, there is luggage storage near Pike Place Market at the Purple Store. The Edgewater Hotel has luggage storage as well next door to the cruise terminal. https://www.portseattle.org/page/port-valet-enjoy-seattle-luggage-free

I’m surprised that during a “port stop” the line isn’t arranging for any kind of excursions, even a shuttle into downtown. Just odd. I walk along the route Gardyloo posted almost daily. There are always cruise folks walking to/from downtown and Pier 91 with their luggage, most are light packers. In your case you would have very little if any luggage. It’s a great walk on a nice day. For a time Expedia was doing improvements to the trail in back of their property. The detour shown in the video is no longer required and the trail follows the waterfront now all the way to the terminal. There are also restrooms and a drinking fountain just past this area. If you’re at all into birds, there are pair of peregrine falcons that hunt almost daily at the grain terminal along the way. Ospreys have a nest at the cruise terminal that is usually occupied seasonally and they hunt along the waterfront. Bald eagles, coopers hawks. Certainly don’t see them every day but frequently during the summer. You might also see a tall, old, gray-haired guy with a big camera lens sitting on a rock waiting for them to appear.

If you are going early in the season there can be black bears along the road north towards the Shrine of St Therese eating dandelions. The hatchery began dumping fish at the shrine years ago and there are sometimes humpbacks closer to shore in that area.

There are a few operators who spend 3 hours on the water like Harv n Marv & Jayleen’s which is a bonus. The boats are smaller and prone to movement more than the larger boats so if motion sickness is an issue it might be better to go with the larger boats. Juneau Whale Watch has 2 hours on the water on a larger catamaran type vessel. Our trips with them had about 25 passengers with plenty of room at the rail for viewing. They also have a combo tour that can take you to Mendenhall Glacier after the whale watch and then back to the ship. They have buses back every 30 minutes or so.

@brnsofia Your original post seemed to indicate that if you couldn’t dock in Skagway you’d prefer not to cruise Alaska at all. Most are trying to give you options on how to do that. None are very appealing though and cruise lines can change ports for whatever reason at any time.

It would be rare that ice is an issue in Glacier Bay. You’ll sit in front of Margerie Glacier which is good for calving most of the time. Depending on when in May you’d be there, early in the month the snow is usually down to the waterline near the glaciers. By mid to the end of May the snow usually has retreated up the mountains. From Margerie you’ll usually head past Lamplugh glacier and towards Jaw Point where you will get a view of Johns Hopkins Glacier from a distance. The Johns Hopkins inlet is closed from May1 through June 30 due to seal mating and pupping.

We’ve done Harv n Marv a couple of times and Juneau Whale Watch 4 times. The advantage of Harv n Marv, as well as Jayleen’s, is that they spend 3 hours on the water. JWW has the larger 2-deck catamaran boat that is much more stable but only allow 2 hours on the water. They do have a combo whale watch/Mendenhall Glacier tour that is popular.

@Golfbag The catamaran returns to Whittier and you will be transported by bus to Anchorage. We’ve done the tour but not the transfer. The tour is exceptional.

Chances are you already have what you’ll need. The temps will be very similar to what you’re used to in January with a lot more rain. At the least, a waterproof, light weight hooded coat. I take nothing other than tennis shoes for exploring off-ship. Of course, if you’ll be doing any hiking you might consider a low top hiker. Everything else is just layers under the coat that are easy to put on and remove as needed.

We’ve used Juneau Whale Watch several times and will use them again. Their combo tour takes you to the glacier after the whale watch. They have buses back to the ship from the glacier every 30 minutes or so. You can stay as long as you want. Just don’t miss the last bus.

There are a few hotels downtown that offer an airport shuttle and it’s the best place to explore from for a day without a car. I think the trick might be the hotel allowing 10 people into one room even for the day. The Visit Anchorage office used to have a list of hotels that provide a shuttle. If you stay anywhere other than downtown you will most likely need transportation to get to most of the venues. The airport area near Lake Hood is good and the walk around the lake is nice if the weather is good. They used to have a segway excursion that would take you around the lake while watching the float planes come and go. There’s also the Aviation Museum that is walkable from the airport hotel area. Depends on what you see your day looking like. Downtown or the airport. Midtown hotels can be cheaper but again, you’ll need transportation.

I have my own issues with them but am curious about the details of what you posted.

We’ve been out with Juneau Whale Watch 4 times. We had about 25 passengers on each of our trips with plenty of room at the rail for viewing. The combo tour takes you to the glacier after the whale watch and then back to the ship. They have buses back to the ship every 30 minutes or so, so you can take your time at the glacier as long as you don’t miss the last bus. Their boats are very stable.

Unless you have time for some exploring stay near the airport to save some money. Look at the Mediterranean Inn, Belltown Inn and the Mayflower in the downtown area. The Mediterranean is actually near the Space Needle with a quick 3 minute monorail ride to the downtown area.

The primary construction near the Marriott is almost complete with the new road opening in the next month or so. The trains do run behind the Marriott but I’ve only read a few noise issues from it. When we’ve stayed there I do not remember any train noise so it must have been slight. Not quite as convenient as being across the street but just 4 blocks away is the Belltown Inn with a gradual downhill walk to the terminal. I like the location much more than the Marriott as there are many more restaurants nearby. Hard to beat just walking across the street to the cruise terminal though.

The Alaska Railroad provides the only rail transport to Whittier although the cruise lines contract for their own cars. The Glacier Discovery train departs Anchorage at 9:45am arriving Whittier at 12:05. If this is your departure time you’ll at least be on the same train, possibly not in the same cars. I believe you need to contact Princess direct for any additional bookings specific to their cars. There are Ubers/taxis and the bellman at the Cook can assist. https://www.alaskarailroad.com/

@wolfie11 We haven't hiked the trail in several years but we had terrific views from the trail or a short distance from it and we didn't go to the end. I would never suggest anyone scramble down to the glacier from the trail. There has been several rescues in that area. Has the glacier receded so much that there is no longer a good view?

Look at the West Glacier Trail for a hike. It affords fantastic views of Mendenhall Glacier from obove it and you don't need to hike the entire trail for the views.

The Alaska king crab seasons have been canceled the past two years and now, as noted, snow crab. The US has banned seafood imports from Russia who actually supplied most the king crab in the US. A recent article indicates that much of the king crab is now coming from South America.