Solstice tendering in Juneau

[illiniwahoo]

I've read some horrible reports about tendering taking several hours when the solstice was in Juneau, and other reports that make it seem like no big deal. Can those with experiences in 2014 share them? What time did you get in line? What time did you finally get ashore? Would they let one person pick up tender tickets for 4 people, or do we all wait in line? We prefer to book private excursions, so I want to make sure I don't book one that's too early, but I also don't want to book one that's so late I worry about missing the ship!

[Shake]

Solstice is now only having tenders in Juneau every other week. Maybe you'll get the 50% non tender in Juneau. What week are you cruising?

[phoenix_dream]

Those of us who are in the unlucky 50% (as I am) would be interested in answers to the OP's questions if anyone can give us some info. Thanks

[az_tchr]

LY we tendered. Took about 20 minutes to get off. An hour in line to get back on. Tendering is always an adventure. Parents were in Falkland Islands and waited in line some 5 hours to return to the ship. Weather got worse and worse and they along with a couple hundred others spent the night in town.

 

Picking up tender tickets is always a bit different every time. To get off first you need to be in a suite or other higher priced cabin, Elite or better in Captains Club or on a ship's tour. The others wait to the numbers to be called. One person can pickup for several others. We have also had tendering take only a few minutes on the Millenium in Icy Point. A lot has to do with the weather both as to anchorage and speed of the process.

[illiniwahoo]

We are on the week of 5/29, which is a tender week according to the Juneau port schedule :(

[shotzyok]

How do you find out which week is tendered? We sail on May 8th.

 

 

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[Shake]

How do you find out which week is tendered? We sail on May 8th.

 

Yea!! Solstice May 8th cruise shows AJD for Solstice on 5/11 "AJD" which is No Tender. "AMP" is the one you don't want in Juneau.

 

Here are some abbreviations breakdowns:

 

AS = Alaska Steam Ship Dock

FKL = South Franklin Street Dock

CT = Cruise Ship Terminal

AJD = A. J. Dock

IVF = Int. Vessel Float

AMP = "Anchored Marine Park" - that is anchored in the harbor and tendered

 

And here is the Juneau 2015 port schedule. http://claalaska.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Juneau-JNU-2015.pdf

[aussiecruzer]

We did the small boat excursion to Tracey Arm in the morning and our catamaran returned us to the Solstice ( which was tendered in Juneau) about 1.30 pm. I went straight to pickup tender tickets for our group of 10 and I was given number 44. We had some lunch , went to our cabins to charge up our cameras ( after all the photos we took on the wonderful morning excursion) , and our tender was called at 3.30 pm. Coming back around 8 pm there was no line for tender to get back on board. There was no problem with me picking up tender tickets for our group of 10.

[illiniwahoo]

We did the small boat excursion to Tracey Arm in the morning and our catamaran returned us to the Solstice ( which was tendered in Juneau) about 1.30 pm. I went straight to pickup tender tickets for our group of 10 and I was given number 44. We had some lunch , went to our cabins to charge up our cameras ( after all the photos we took on the wonderful morning excursion) , and our tender was called at 3.30 pm. Coming back around 8 pm there was no line for tender to get back on board. There was no problem with me picking up tender tickets for our group of 10.

 

Experiences like Aussiecruzer's is what I am afraid of. Waiting two hours to tender is terrible! I really want to book a private whale watch, but don't know what time to book it for. Not booking until 4 pm will make it really difficult to also visit Mendenhall Glacier. But it seems unwise to book before then based on the above experience. Anyone else out there than can offer other experiences to know if that was an anomaly or pretty standard?

[lhbsurf]

Experiences like Aussiecruzer's is what I am afraid of. Waiting two hours to tender is terrible! I really want to book a private whale watch, but don't know what time to book it for. Not booking until 4 pm will make it really difficult to also visit Mendenhall Glacier. But it seems unwise to book before then based on the above experience. Anyone else out there than can offer other experiences to know if that was an anomaly or pretty standard?

 

We were on Solstice tendering in Juneau August 2014...I must say it was horrible!! We waited 2 hours in the Casino for them to call our tender ticket. Unfortunately, I believe that is pretty much the norm. We went right at the time they said to get tender tickets....apparently, others were told to show up early and had waited in line over an hour to get a ticket, but they didn't get on much before us. Some people had luck waiting until about the time they wanted to leave and begging the cruise line personnel to let them on the tender...but I wouldn't do that personally.

 

We were late for our tour....but everyone else was also, so they waited on us for Harv and Marv's Whale tour (they were aware already that the tendering on Solstice was taking forever...I'd recommend taking the cell phone number of your tour operator as we did.) We were a nervous wreck, but it all turned out ok!! I probably wouldn't sail Solstice again just because of the tendering in Juneau.....but if I were on it again...I'd just be mentally prepared!!! I think we booked 4:00 which was the earliest they would book it and still had time for a quick trip to Mendenhall (to view, not to land.....).

[shotzyok]

Yea!! Solstice May 8th cruise shows AJD for Solstice on 5/11 "AJD" which is No Tender. "AMP" is the one you don't want in Juneau.

 

 

 

Here are some abbreviations breakdowns:

 

 

 

AS = Alaska Steam Ship Dock

 

FKL = South Franklin Street Dock

 

CT = Cruise Ship Terminal

 

AJD = A. J. Dock

 

IVF = Int. Vessel Float

 

AMP = "Anchored Marine Park" - that is anchored in the harbor and tendered

 

 

 

And here is the Juneau 2015 port schedule. http://claalaska.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Juneau-JNU-2015.pdf

 

 

That's great news! We are renting a car in Juneau so really wanted to get off as early as possible.

 

 

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[cle-guy]

On cruises with tendering, it makes sense to spend some extra on cabin and book Concierge or better to get priority tendering advantage, or to book all excursions through the ship which will ensure you are among first off.

 

I'm not a fan of booking ship excursions, but if I was in a tender port, I would absolutely book a ship excursion if not staying in a suite.

 

Also Captain's Club elite perks help with priority as well.

 

My experience in Grand Cayman with tendering was suites got off first before they announced, then Excursions came off before announcements then priority tenders for Elites and other cabins and then general cattle call.

[cruise kitty]

On cruises with tendering, it makes sense to spend some extra on cabin and book Concierge or better to get priority tendering advantage, or to book all excursions through the ship which will ensure you are among first off.

 

I'm not a fan of booking ship excursions, but if I was in a tender port, I would absolutely book a ship excursion if not staying in a suite.

 

Also Captain's Club elite perks help with priority as well.

 

My experience in Grand Cayman with tendering was suites got off first before they announced, then Excursions came off before announcements then priority tenders for Elites and other cabins and then general cattle call.

 

Hi cle guy,

 

They took away the concierge priority tendering away years ago, it's still available for Elite & above & suites....

 

I've always managed to be on one of the first couple of tenders by being in line a good two hours before they start handing out tickets, it's a pain, but worth it to me :)

 

After our next cruise, ( & 68 nights in concierge & above, the old system was not great for those who booked longer cruises) we will finally be elite, & won't have to line up any more, I feel I've paid my dues with line waiting :)

[Poodleleena]

We were on the Solstice last May and tendering in Juneau was horrible. They blamed it on rough seas. We had a ships excursion booked and were a hour late. Adding insult to injury our tour guide said the tour would be cut short because we were late and they were at the pier waiting. I asked if we be getting some money back. No? We got the whole tour. It was our guides first day and that was her only goof. It was a wonderful tour. Rainforest and whale watching.

 

 

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[cle-guy]

Hi cle guy,

 

They took away the concierge priority tendering away years ago

 

Would Concierge have had Priority Tendering in Feb 2013? I swore that was a perk when I was on a cruise then, I had a suite, my business partner had concierge cabin down the hall.

[cruise kitty]

Would Concierge have had Priority Tendering in Feb 2013? I swore that was a perk when I was on a cruise then, I had a suite, my business partner had concierge cabin down the hall.

 

No, I think it went away around 2008, (could be a year or so off) it was when they added to the elite captain's club benefits, they took it away from concierge class, & added it to the elite benefits...

 

Maybe your steward was kind enough to give both of you passes since you were traveling together, or maybe he just got very lucky...

 

There have been times where I showed up for the early line up & they told me just to grab my DH when we were ready & head to the tenders, we ended up on the tender that takes the Celebrity photographers over. :)

[verodoodle]

We did the small boat excursion to Tracey Arm in the morning and our catamaran returned us to the Solstice ( which was tendered in Juneau) about 1.30 pm.

 

Aussiecruzer - I see you did the small boat excursion to Tracey Arm. I have that planned for for our Aug. cruise. What can I expect?

 

Thanks

Dave

[aussiecruzer]

We did the small boat excursion to Tracey Arm in the morning and our catamaran returned us to the Solstice ( which was tendered in Juneau) about 1.30 pm.

 

Aussiecruzer - I see you did the small boat excursion to Tracey Arm. I have that planned for for our Aug. cruise. What can I expect?

 

Thanks

Dave

 

Dave you are in for a real treat. By far this was the highlight of our Alaska cruise. In the morning you will wake to see the towering cliffs of the fjords with occasional icebergs floating by. We had breakfast then had to leave the awesome views to meet at Celebrity central I think around 7.45 or 8 am. At 8.30 we were taken and transferred onto the small boat ( which is really not small at all) I Believe it holds about 150 passengers. This excursion tends to sell out so its good you have booked already. We sped away from the Solstice which then turned back and headed back out Tracy arm Fjord to Juneau. We then proceeded much much further into the Fjord, right up the North and South Sawyer glaciers. We spent some time at each glacier and saw quite a lot of calving. The colours are amazing. Lots of seals lying on icebergs waiting to give birth in August, apparently its like a maternity ward for them, they can wait there for birth without fear of predators. The majesty of the whole Fjord and glaciers is awesome. On our way back to Juneau we were lucky enough to spot 2 whales and followed them for about 10 minutes, watching them play. Be prepared for the cold, I needed coats, gloves, beanies etc. It is very cold at the glaciers but so so stunning and so worth it. I was totally happy with the morning's excursion so anything else for the day was just a bonus. So it did not worry me having to wait till 3.30 for our tender. We still managed to catch the $10 bus to Menenhall glacier and walked to the foot of the waterfall there, and enjoyed that a lot. After we caught the bus back I went to Juneau library for a while to use the free internet before catching a tender back. I hope you enjoy the excursion as much as I did :)

[phoenix_dream]

I think some of the tender horror stories tend to be more due to bad seas at the time than necessarily because it was Solstice (or any S class ship). A couple years ago we took a west coast tour with four tender ports on an S class ship. These ports were not used to receiving many cruise ships, so they did not have large boats available to help like some regular cruise ports do. I do not recall any huge lines waiting for tendering at any of these ports. To be completely open about it - we are Elite+ so were able to get earlier tender tickets, but by the time we disembarked (and we went early as we wanted a lot of time in each port) there were no lines (or very, very short lines) regardless of status. I did not hear anything about long wait times. The only exception was getting back on the ship at one port because the seas had kicked up a lot. That was quite an adventure! - one of the lines connecting our tender to the ship snapped while people were unloading and they had to take the tender back to the rocking and rolling seas for over half an hour while they turned the ship to create a calm water space. We fortunately had already gotten off the tender and watched the drama from the ship.

 

So then I guess the question is, do they often encounter rough seas around Juneau? I haven't seen that but I have only been there 3 times.

[dkjretired]

 

Dave you are in for a real treat. By far this was the highlight of our Alaska cruise. In the morning you will wake to see the towering cliffs of the fjords with occasional icebergs floating by. We had breakfast then had to leave the awesome views to meet at Celebrity central I think around 7.45 or 8 am. At 8.30 we were taken and transferred onto the small boat ( which is really not small at all) I Believe it holds about 150 passengers. This excursion tends to sell out so its good you have booked already. We sped away from the Solstice which then turned back and headed back out Tracy arm Fjord to Juneau. We then proceeded much much further into the Fjord, right up the North and South Sawyer glaciers. We spent some time at each glacier and saw quite a lot of calving. The colours are amazing. Lots of seals lying on icebergs waiting to give birth in August, apparently its like a maternity ward for them, they can wait there for birth without fear of predators. The majesty of the whole Fjord and glaciers is awesome. On our way back to Juneau we were lucky enough to spot 2 whales and followed them for about 10 minutes, watching them play. Be prepared for the cold, I needed coats, gloves, beanies etc. It is very cold at the glaciers but so so stunning and so worth it. I was totally happy with the morning's excursion so anything else for the day was just a bonus. So it did not worry me having to wait till 3.30 for our tender. We still managed to catch the $10 bus to Menenhall glacier and walked to the foot of the waterfall there, and enjoyed that a lot. After we caught the bus back I went to Juneau library for a while to use the free internet before catching a tender back. I hope you enjoy the excursion as much as I did :)

 

We did the same thing, as a matter of fact it sounds like we were on the same boat, but we docked so probably not. Although our cruise docked in Juneau, we got back on the ship, had lunch and then went on another excursion. I think for anyone coming back from this excursion, you do get back at lunchtime so don't have to rush back out right away. Also, this was our best excursion of the cruise.

Edited March 24, 2015 by dkjretired

[Di13]

So glad i found this thread, my daughter and I are going on our cruise of a lifetime to Alaska in June and didn't realise it was a tender in Juneau, we were looking to book an excursion independently, but am not so sure now, think we would feel a bit safer booking through the ship. Can anyone recommend a 'must see ' tour in Juneau please?? Thank you.

[aussiecruzer]

When we went alternate weeks Solstice tendered in Juneau. Please check and see if you are tendered or not. Though it can change, In fact when I booked our itinerary showed docked at Juneau, then it was changed a few months later, but it all turned out fine.

[jonesdee]

@Di13

 

The ship books the same tour companies that you could book on your own and although the ship does add to the cost sometimes it is not much more. We like the convenience of booking through the ship and the guarantee return although most of the Alaska tour companies do guarantee return they may not wait if your late so we were glad we booked through the ship.

 

My husband and I enjoyed an excursion that included a short hike through the rainforest to a lake opposite the glacier then back on the bus to board a boat for some whale watching. It was a thrill to see the whales and we got some great photos.

 

My daughter and son in law booked helicopter ride to top of glacier for dog sledding. It was cancelled due to weather which happens often and then wound up canoeing on lake really close to glacier. They were very disappointed but glad they saved the money the other trip would have cost.

 

In Skagway we enjoyed the White Pass railroad which was paired with a trip to meet sled dogs, hold the puppies, and watch a demonstration of a musher.

 

In Ketchikan , we walked around town and immediately bought our fleece jackets at Ketchikan Trading company for $20 and never took them off for the rest of the trip. We also took a tour that we booked at the dock to ride around see some Eagles and totems. It was fine but whales, railroad, and puppies were definitely the highlight. We went early May so not much wildlife yet.

 

Sailing Tracy Arm fjord was also beautiful.

 

I would love to return perhaps in summer but maybe not. I think if you have never been to Alaska that whatever you pick you will enjoy.

 

Have a great trip.

 

Nancy

[curtdesilets]

The Tender lets you off right in the middle of town. When Solstice docks at the port in Juneau, because of it's size, it must dock at the furthest dock South of the town. Apparently it's a pretty long walk into town from there.

 

Here is a map provided by one of our roll call members. The ship at the bottom would be the Solstice if it were docking. The Tender lets you off right in the center of town (Marine Park):

 

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/58.292885,-134.395276/Tracy%E2%80%99s+King+Crab+Shack,+South+Franklin+Street,+Juneau,+AK,+United+States/@58.2951499,-134.3987796,473m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m10!4m9!1m1!4e1!1m5!1m1!1s0x5400df787ccacd01:0x1d91f58f3531eaf8!2m2!1d-134.402289!2d58.297397!3e2?hl=en

Edited March 26, 2015 by curtdesilets
Added map

[InTheWASide]

I've read some horrible reports about tendering taking several hours when the solstice was in Juneau, and other reports that make it seem like no big deal. Can those with experiences in 2014 share them? What time did you get in line? What time did you finally get ashore? Would they let one person pick up tender tickets for 4 people, or do we all wait in line? We prefer to book private excursions, so I want to make sure I don't book one that's too early, but I also don't want to book one that's so late I worry about missing the ship!

 

We cruised last May on Solstice and docked... maybe something has changed for 2015? We only tendered at Icy Strait Point