Tour Operators at Dock in Juneau

[ColoCruze]

Hi all...we're headed to AK in Sept with my in-laws. They are interested in doing two tours through the ship - a Mendenhall Glacier/Salmon Hatchery tour combo and the Mt. Roberts tram tour.

 

I know the tram is walkable from the ship and I'm guessing might be better (and more cheaply) done on one's own...plus then there's the flexibility to not go if the weather's poor.

 

As for the glacier/hatchery combo. I know there's a $7 shuttle to and from the glacier that can be purchased from any of the tour operators at the dock. My question is, do any of them offer this combo tour? The ship's tour is $45pp, and I'd like to think it could be done for less...

 

So far the only thing I've seen on the boards for these two would be to split them...the shuttle to the glacier and then the city bus to the hatchery. (We can't do the bus to the glacier as my FIL couldn't walk the mile from the bus stop to the center.)

[ColoCruze]

One more quick question, if you don't mind...

 

Will the salmon be running in Ketchikan in mid-September? (We'll be there on 9/16) If we can see the salmon there, I'd just-as-soon skip the hatchery tour in Juneau.

 

Thanks everyone!

[MercedMike]

The ship's tours are very convenient, secure and well conducted. Unless you are just bound and determined to do it on local transportation, they are a very good option.

 

The shuttle to Mendenhall is $7 EACH WAY, or $14. That means that doing it on the ship's bus, which will be much more convenient, and then going to the hatchery only costs an extra $31 per person. Frankly that is a very inexpensive excursion in Alaska and simply for the ease of booking and convenience of a single bus I would do it that way.

 

Mt. Roberts is indeed very easy. I see no reason to buy that through the ship.

 

September is late for salmon to be in the streams. The hatchery is a different experience than a salmon run in the stream anyhow.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[ColoCruze]

Thanks...that makes sense to me! I appreciate your thoughts and your time...this board is such an amazing resource!:)

[trophy_23]

When we were there in early/mid sept there were many salmon jumping under the bridge on creek street.

[Budget Queen]

How long are you in port??

 

For clarification, the Mendenhall SHUTTLE bus and TOUR buses are two different things. The shuttle bus is JUST transportation. The tour buses, do give you commentary and several stops. The time at Mendenhall is only about 45 mins.

 

It is NOT worth $31 for a hatchery add on. It is only 3 miles outside of the downtown area, and about a $5 tour when you go independently. In the past there have been coupons at the dock visitor center. Taking a cab with a group is a cheap option, the city bus also stops here.

 

The salmon ladder is viewable for free, and the "tour" is pretty brief.

 

Yes there will be some salmon to be seen in Sept.

 

But you have three other port opportunities, of which you should also hit a look.

[Budget Queen]

When we were there in early/mid sept there were many salmon jumping under the bridge on creek street.

 

You are referring to a two week spread?? I'm assuming you were there on several trips??

 

It can be a complete miss on salmon later Sept. third week.

[MercedMike]

 

It is NOT worth $31 for a hatchery add on. It is only 3 miles outside of the downtown area, and about a $5 tour when you go independently.

 

No, probably not, for the independent minded. BUT the safety and convenience of a ship's tour, and of doing the whole thing on the same bus, with an informative guide may well be worth the extra amount to many people. Some people will traipse all around to save a few bucks, others will willingly pay a bit extra for the best experience. Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks.

[Budget Queen]

No, probably not, for the independent minded. BUT the safety and convenience of a ship's tour, and of doing the whole thing on the same bus, with an informative guide may well be worth the extra amount to many people. Some people will traipse all around to save a few bucks, others will willingly pay a bit extra for the best experience. Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks.

 

The poster asked for information on these locations being "done for less" of which I offered.

[trophy_23]

You are referring to a two week spread?? I'm assuming you were there on several trips??

 

It can be a complete miss on salmon later Sept. third week.

 

We were there 1day in port on a Sept 10-17 trip. Plenty of fish being caught under the bridge. I think we were in port on the 15th.

[iTinKso]

We took the Glacier Express ($14 round-trip) and received tour commentary up and back from the glacier. We were able to hike around and return to town on our schedule - the Express picks up on the half-hour. We chose to be dropped off downtown rather than in the parking lot near the tramway.

The tour buses are able to unload/load closer to the Visitor Center. We probably walked the equivalent of a city block to get to the pick-up area for the Express shuttle. Overall, it was worth it and fit what we had planned for Juneau.We skipped the Hatchery visit because we salmon fished in Ketchikan.

[tee_harbor]

Assuming there's four of you, that would be $180 to see the glacier and hatchery with the ship's tour. I'd check the 'tour' rates for cabs--it has to be better. As BQ said, the hatchery is small, doesn't take much time, and is only a few miles from town.

 

Or even better, rent a car with Rent a Wreck and see everything at your own pace. I just saw someone paid $71 with tax for the whole day.

 

Sorry, Merced Mike, but I've stood around by the dock, waiting for friends to disembark, and the way you all are shuffled along, lining up, buses all crushed in together, screeched at by clipboard-waving guides, doesn't say relaxation and comfort to me.

 

Calling a cab, having him pull up and open the door for me, or getting a nice healthy family member to go fetch the rental car while I waited in the Lido Lounge sounds much better. *shrug*

 

As you say, different strokes, different folks.

[Gohogs34]

We took the Glacier Express ($14 round-trip) and received tour commentary up and back from the glacier. We were able to hike around and return to town on our schedule - the Express picks up on the half-hour. We chose to be dropped off downtown rather than in the parking lot near the tramway.

The tour buses are able to unload/load closer to the Visitor Center. We probably walked the equivalent of a city block to get to the pick-up area for the Express shuttle. Overall, it was worth it and fit what we had planned for Juneau.We skipped the Hatchery visit because we salmon fished in Ketchikan.

 

Can you provide some info on fishing here? What all is required cost wise and can you release due to shipping cost sending them back? Thanks

[Sweet Dreamer]

iTinKso I've been having a sneeky peek at this board and the Glacier Express sounds like a great option for us.

 

Can you tell me where to pick it up from when we walk off the ship please?

Many Thanks

[Yukon]

iTinKso I've been having a sneeky peek at this board and the Glacier Express sounds like a great option for us.

 

Can you tell me where to pick it up from when we walk off the ship please?

 

It depends on which docking position you're at, but if there are no tour kiosks when you walk off the ship, there are many right by the tramway terminal, which is visible from any of the docks.

[Sweet Dreamer]

Thank you. That sounds easy enough :)

[cruisingmimi]

We just returned from our cruise. Juneau is a very easy port to do as everything is practically right under your nose when you get off the ship. There will be all sorts of vendor booths on the dock offering the different tours you can do. All the prices were the same, just different vendors.

 

You can see Mt. Roberts tram from where the ship docks and just walk about a block to where you enter the tram area. They offer tickets just to Mt. Roberts for $27. pp round trip and you can go up and down as many times during the day as you like. It was an absolutely gorgeous day when we visited, in the 70's. The tram ride to the top is spectacular if the weather and visibility is good. I would suggest that you wait til you are in Juneau and if it's a nice day buy your tickets at the tram. This is what we did. It wouldn't be as nice a ride if weather was cloudy.

 

When you get to the top, they have all sorts of walking trails you can explore, you can pick the trail according to how far you want to walk or just do the very short one that loops around and brings you back to the visitor's center. The visitor's center has souvenirs, books, etc. and all kinds of displays on the different wildlife you might see. There is also a telescope out on the deck and you can look down and see an eagle's nest. It was neat to see.

 

The theater was having a performance w/ some of the native performers but we didn't have that much time to take in the show. There is a restaurant there also.

 

The biggest attraction was the bald eagle that had been injured. Everyone was hovering around his cage, taking pics, etc. It was really a lovely day on the tram and visiting the top.

 

When we bought our tickets we purchased a combo ticket for Mt. Roberts Tram and bus tour to Mendenhall Glacier for $44. pp. It is about 1/2 hr. ride to the glaciers and the driver gave a commentary along the way. We saw several bald eagles in the trees along the way. The bus dropped us off very close to the visitor's center and came back to pick us up at a designated time. However, we only had 45 min. at the glacier and we did not have nearly enough time to explore there. The visitor's center is well worth visiting (they charge $3. pp but that was included in our combo tix and we only had to show our tix to be admitted to visitor's center). We viewed a short film of about 18 min. telling us about the glaciers, etc. It was worth seeing the movie as it previews what you will see. There are hiking trails out there but we didn't have time to take any. I was able to purchase a nice souvenir softbound book about the glaciers in the visitor's center. The 45 min. was up b4 we knew it and back onto the bus. The bus dropped us off back in town as we were planning to visit the Red Dog Saloon and do some shopping. We had a lovely day in Juneau.

 

If I were going again, I would simply buy the tram ticket for the $27. and take the regular Glacier Express bus ($14. pp) out to the glaciers so we would have had more time out there. It's an amazing experience to be up so close to the glaciers.

 

There are many stores across the street from the tram entrance to shop in. There was a large T shirt store that had all sorts of souvenirs. Prices were reasonable; however, it is what I would call the typical tourist trap stuff. There were many nice stores along the way to the Red Dog Saloon also.

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy your day in Juneau.

 

Mary

[Sweet Dreamer]

Thank you so much for your comprehensive reply.

I think we'll probably do as you suggest and buy the tram ticket for the $27. and take the regular Glacier Express bus ($14. pp) out to the glaciers.

 

Great advice.:cool:

[shepp]

If you're hikers rather than just sightseers, it's absolutely worth spending more than a mere 3/4 of an hour at Mendenhall. The East Glacier Trial is wonderful, not very tough, and snow-free when you get there. Did it in '08 and will be doing the same hike this time around.

[VT Hokie Cruiser]

Regarding the tram in Juneau, we have a morning trip planned but would like to do the tram in the afternoon. Is two hours enough time to do this, since it's near the ship?

[Putterdude]

You should be just fine with 2 hours.

[pattyj 1204]

Thanks to all for your ideas for Juneau. I did the salmon/glacier ship tour in 2002 and was disappointed in the short time we had at the glacier. So this time around we are going to go on the bus and then do the tram that we didn't do the last time. My husband is thinking about a car rental, but I'm not sure that would be a good use of time and money.