Exit glacier, Davidson glacier, or Mendenhall glacier?

Hello,

In June 2018, my husband, 8yo son, and I will be doing our first family cruise--a land & sea southbound (land first)--in beautiful Alaska! I'm trying to finalize our cruise port itinerary, and need your advice on what to focus on without doing too much (don't want to feel constantly on-the-go). We've ruled out any flightseeing. I definitely want us to get up close to a glacier though. Which do you recommend? We'll arrive in Seward on embarkation day around 11am on the Coastal Classic from Anchorage (bought tickets to beat the rush later). So we'll have time to board, lunch, and then look around Seward until getting back on the ship (Noordam) for an early dinner and enjoying the sail away.

In Haines, we're doing the Takshanuk Mountain Trail 4x4 in the afternoon.

In Juneau we plan to do the Discover Alaska's Whales (Gastineau Guiding) tour in the morning (less rough in the morning some say or is that a toss up?).

In Ketchikan, I'm not planning ahead--that's our last port before Vancouver so I want to allow us to chill out if we feel like we've run around enough already, maybe just shop.

I see 3 up-close glacier options:

1. Seward--Exit Glacier Guides 2h @1:15pm

2. Haines--Glacier Point Wilderness Safari (includes some wet hiking) 5h @6:45am (then 4x4 @3:15pm)

3. Juneau--Mendenhall Glacier on our own (after whale watching or first thing in the morning to avoid crowds?) including Nugget Falls

Should we do one, two, or all three of the above? Any other suggestions? Thanks!!!

My favorite way to see the glaciers is by air! On foot the Mendenhall glacier was child’s play compared to the views of Glacier Bay. Some of the helicopter tours will land on a glacier depending on conditions.

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You can never see too many glaciers, IMO. We are doing the train down to Seward, too, and we are going to try to get out to the Exit Glacier that afternoon. We are also booked on the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari, and for a third glacier, we are doing the Tracy Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer in Juneau.

You'll enjoy walking the Nugget Falls Trail. It's a beautiful hike that will put you very close to the waterfall.

We did Glacier Point Wilderness Safari and Mendenhall but not Exit. The Glacier Point Wilderness Safari was quite a different experience then Mendenhall. Mendenhall is easy and inexpensive, but you won't get close to the glacier - unless you book something special to take you there. It reminded me more of a city park, parking lots, buses, visitor center and a view of the glacier from quite a ways out. The Glacier Point Safari was an outstanding excursion for us. However it is costly and takes more time. It is a more remote place, no crowds, takes some effort to get there (but fun). I think an 8 year old would love it. Best part is we ended up at the face of the glacier, touching the ice, hearing up close the glacier runoff and falling ice. It was impressive. For us, there was no comparison, GPWS was a better experience.

I've been to Exit Glacier and Mendenhall - they are totally different experiences. At Exit Glacier, you get close to the glacier, and depending on what you do, you can hike up the mountain a bit and view the glacier from above. You also get close to the glacier, so you can easily see the striations. At Mendenhall, you see the glacier from afar and fairly close if you take the Nugget Falls trail - mainly flat and easily done. Being on the sand bar near the water fall is also interesting. Neither of these glaciers will give you the opportunity to see calving. I've not been to Haines, so can't comment on that.

You can never see too many glaciers, IMO. We are doing the train down to Seward, too, and we are going to try to get out to the Exit Glacier that afternoon.

Howdy Cruise_More_Often,

We were thinking about taking the train down to Seward and spending some time out at Exit Glacier. However, we haven't figured out any transportation arrangements for this event. If you don't mind us asking, how are you planning to get out to Exit Glacier and back?

Thanks

ddaz

GBY

Howdy Cruise_More_Often,

We were thinking about taking the train down to Seward and spending some time out at Exit Glacier. However, we haven't figured out any transportation arrangements for this event. If you don't mind us asking, how are you planning to get out to Exit Glacier and back?

Thanks

ddaz

GBY

I'm so glad you asked, because we hadn't firmed up how we were going to get out there. I just sent this link to my husband and friends we're cruising with.

Here you go -- http://www.exitglaciershuttle.com/

 

 

 

I'm so glad you asked, because we hadn't firmed up how we were going to get out there. I just sent this link to my husband and friends we're cruising with.

We went to Exit with the group you link. We have been to Mendenhall twice, the second time we walked the trail down to the sandbar mentioned above. Do both! Totally different. Both show the rapid retreat of glaciers over the last few years, but it is more stark at Exit. Mendenhall is an easier walk, more glacier-like view at the end.

Stan

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Here you go -- http://www.exitglaciershuttle.com/

 

Thanks Cruise_More_Often,

This was perfect and exactly the type of info we were seeking.

Thanks

ddaz

GBY

Just a quick comment on Ketchikan even though you didn’t ask 😊. Your 8 year old might really like the lumberjack show. It’s not too long and you’d still have time to walk around and shop. Make sure you walk to Creek Street, very neat area.

Thanks everyone! So we'll go to Exit glacier after lunch on the ship. I also found http://www.exitglacierguides.com who got good reviews. They have a "exit glacier naturalist hike" that seems good for us, though they have more involved tours listed as well.

We'll do the GPWS in Haines first thing in the morning (6:45), when everyone is well-rested, then have lunch, down-time on the ship, and the less physical, shorter 4x4 Takshanuk Trail at 3:15pm.

In Juneau, other than whale watching and tram (which my son really wants to do), we'll focus on the Nugget Falls trail at Mendenhall. **Anyone have any advice on what order to do things in Juneau? I read somewhere that whale-watching is smoother in the morning, but the tram and Mendenhall will get crowded later when the other 2 scheduled ships come into port.

mikuala, thanks, we definitely have the lumberjack show (you're right about my son being interested in that!) and creek street on our list for Ketchikan :)