Whale watching and Mendenhall glacier excursion through NCL

[Weetahbugdotcom]

Hi all- anyone have any experience with this tandem excursion? I have read a few reviews mentioning you only have an hour to do the glacier. Originally I was thinking no excursions and just do everything I felt like doing myself (i like to hike.) but I would like to see some whales. Any experience with the excursion team allowing you to stay at the glacier and arrange your own way "home"to the ship to get some more time there?

 

 

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[garycarla]

RE: Finding your own way home from the Glacier?

 

I see no reason why not. There is/was a city bus that runs to the parking lot. Takes you right into town. We did that once, and did a rental car once.

 

Can not imagine, even if a "rule" - if you do not get on the bus, what can they do?

 

I assume you would of course notify the tour guide so they do not wait for you. A nice long walk getting up closer to the Glacier is what we did.

[dexddd]

Can't speak to the whales but there are a whole bunch of tours right in town, some of which are a cheap bus ride to/from the glacier.

[morrisretired]

You could probably book a combo whale watching and Mendenhall Glacier tour right at the dock. We did several years ago, and it was a lot cheaper than the ship's same tour. There were six of us and we just checked around the tents until we found our best price, for a whale and glacier tour. The shuttle took us to the boat first, and then came back to pick us up, and then took us to the glacier. They had it all planned out and it worked fine. There was just the 6 of us on the boat, plus the pilot and first mate. They served coffee and hot chocolate to keep us warm. You could get out of the weather if you got too cold. It did rain a little, but it was very enjoyable trip. One whale came within 100 feet of us. Be warned, there are big mosquitoes at the glacier, and they are attracted to dark clothing. After we got tired of walking around at the glacier, the shuttle took us back to the ship.

[Weetahbugdotcom]

Thanks all! I was planning on just doing a bus or cab to the glacier (it's just me.) but I am thinking more and more about whales and a combo trip (if they will let me stay at the glacier and come back on my own) seems the most likely. We'll see, I still have a few hundred days to think about it!

 

 

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[Quilting_Cruiser]

I was just there last week and the city bus doesn't go to the parking lot. It stops about a mile from it. As I understand it, they need a permit to go to the parking lot (enter the national park?) and the city buses don't have them. the Blue Bus was $35 pp RT from right by the Mt. Roberts tram. If you take a cab, they'll charge you additional to cover the cost of entering the park.

[garycarla]

I was just there last week and the city bus doesn't go to the parking lot. ....

 

Okay then. Either the rules have changed or I am totally mistaken. We walked from the nature center to the parking lot a few years ago.

 

Times change.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Okay then. Either the rules have changed or I am totally mistaken. We walked from the nature center to the parking lot a few years ago.

 

Times change.

 

 

I think it changed in the last couple of years.

[C Cruise Dude]

Hi all- anyone have any experience with this tandem excursion? I have read a few reviews mentioning you only have an hour to do the glacier. Originally I was thinking no excursions and just do everything I felt like doing myself (i like to hike.) but I would like to see some whales. Any experience with the excursion team allowing you to stay at the glacier and arrange your own way "home"to the ship to get some more time there?

 

 

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I recorded the video below in Victoria (our last stop) on an NCL excursion.

We also took a whale tour in Juneau.

[Weetahbugdotcom]

I recorded the video below in Victoria (our last stop) on an NCL excursion.

 

 

 

 

 

We also took a whale tour in Juneau.

 

 

 

Amazing. Thanks for sharing!

 

 

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[NMLady]

Hi all- anyone have any experience with this tandem excursion? I have read a few reviews mentioning you only have an hour to do the glacier. Originally I was thinking no excursions and just do everything I felt like doing myself (i like to hike.) but I would like to see some whales. Any experience with the excursion team allowing you to stay at the glacier and arrange your own way "home"to the ship to get some more time there?

 

 

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Ask your question on the Alaska forum. Someone there will probably recommend the private whale watching tour that will drop you off at Mendenhall Glacier after the whale excursion. I don't remember the name but it was highly recommended to those who wanted to do both.

[CatsinShow]

I was just there a few days ago. It costs $35 to get the Glacier Express bus to/from Mendenhall. The bus leaves every 30 minutes I believe. If I were you, I would book both separately especially since you like to hike. If you weren't a hiker, I would say to do the combo.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

I was just there a few days ago. It costs $35 to get the Glacier Express bus to/from Mendenhall. The bus leaves every 30 minutes I believe. If I were you, I would book both separately especially since you like to hike. If you weren't a hiker, I would say to do the combo.

 

 

If you're talking about the Blue Bus, it's every 20 minutes. Yes, it's $35, but they add some tax to that, too. I come from a state with no sales tax, so that's always a little surprise for me. LOL.

[NCLfamily]

Ask your question on the Alaska forum. Someone there will probably recommend the private whale watching tour that will drop you off at Mendenhall Glacier after the whale excursion. I don't remember the name but it was highly recommended to those who wanted to do both.

 

We are doing this with Captain Harry in 2 weeks :D

 

 

3 hour whale watching tour and then they are taking us to the visitor centre and then back to the ship.

[Laszlo]

Went last year, we actually saw the most amount of whales in Victoria on the a 3 hour whale watching tour

[Weetahbugdotcom]

We are doing this with Captain Harry in 2 weeks :D

 

 

 

 

 

3 hour whale watching tour and then they are taking us to the visitor centre and then back to the ship.

 

 

 

How long are you at the glacier though? The combo NCL Tour is also 3 hours of whale watching but I would like to spend more than an hour hiking, to be honest.

 

 

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[CatsinShow]

How long are you at the glacier though? The combo NCL Tour is also 3 hours of whale watching but I would like to spend more than an hour hiking, to be honest.

 

 

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The norm I heard in Juneau is 2 hours on the water, 1 hour for transfers and all that.

[Peachypooh]

My sister did this and said that she felt it was too short at the Glacier, she would have liked to hike a bit more.

We rented a car and drove ourselves to the glacier and stayed as long as we wanted. We saw dozens of whales right

from our balcony on the ship so didn't do a whale watching excursion.

[NCLfamily]

We don't want to hike as such. We are going to walk to nugget falls and get a few pics of the glacier. A couple of hours doing that will be fine for us. Ship is in port for 8 hours.

 

 

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