Juneau Car Rental

[tysmomm]

Hello.  My husband and I will be in Juneau this upcoming June, 2019.  We were thinking of renting a car and seeing the sights ourselves.  However, it looks like you can only rent a car from the airport.  Is this true?  If so, is the taxi ride to and from the airport worth it?  We will be in port on a Sunday and we dock at 6:30 am and leave at 5:00 p.m. so I don't think we have a great deal of time to rent the car, return it, do the sightseeing, shop, eat, etc. Also, it is a Sunday so I am assuming the attractions and sights, stores, etc. may open a bit later than usual?  Maybe we are better off to just walk around and perhaps take a taxi out to Mendenhall Glacier.  I see that Juneau is a rather large city compared to Ketchikan and Skagway.  That's why we were thinking of renting the car in Juneau to get around vs. the other two ports of call, where we can clearly walk around and be entertained.  I know about the tram and the museums, but I think we would like to go to Mendenhall Glacier this trip as we have not been there before.  Looking for advice on a car rental or not.  If not, can we take taxis easily enough to and from the things we want to see and do outside of downtown?  Thanks in advance.    

[SbbquilterUT]

There is an Avis rental a short distance from the pier, we walked to it.  

[zqvol]

What ever you decide book early. There are not a lot of options.

[tysmomm]

Thank you both!  I will definitely book by this weekend.  Sbbquilter, how long ago were you there?  My husband researched the car rentals and says that he was told only car rentals are at airport.  It doesn't mean his research is accurate (ha!) which is why I asked how long ago you were there.  I was thinking maybe that location has closed down.  

[julie3fan]

I recently reserved a car from here for our upcoming cruise.  Walking distance from the dock, and less than $100 for the day.  

 

JUNEAU CAR RENTAL COMPANY
2450-C INDUSTRIAL BLVD
JUNEAU, AK 99801
(907) 957-7530(W)
(866) 535-7649(Fax)

[klfrodo]

I go to Juneau for work almost monthly.

There is only 50 miles of paved road.

If you get a taxi to the airport, you're almost to Mendenhall

I think it would be a waste of money for a rental car but to each their own.

[SbbquilterUT]

We contacted the actual merchant in Juneau, not through the Avis website.  We were there in June 2018.  Our group was 6 so we rented a large vehicle - bus transfers would have been $45 pp round trip, so for us the rental made sense.  We also made a visit to the Alaska Brewing company for aa bit of beer tasting.  Drove along and stopped to view the spectacular eagles as well.

 

Avis Downtown

101 Mill Street

 

907-789-7999

[tysmomm]

Again, thank you everyone!  This is super helpful information.  I am contacting AVIS today.  I definitely want the car rental because there are 5 of us, and buying roundtrip bus fares and paying for taxis will be more money than the one day car rental, also it will give us freedom to do what we want, when we want!  Thanks again!  :)

[Whimsy88]

On ‎1‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 4:12 PM, tysmomm said:

Again, thank you everyone!  This is super helpful information.  I am contacting AVIS today.  I definitely want the car rental because there are 5 of us, and buying roundtrip bus fares and paying for taxis will be more money than the one day car rental, also it will give us freedom to do what we want, when we want!  Thanks again!  :)

tysmomm:

 

Would you care to share what information you received?  Husband and I are in the same quandry (different boat, though! )  I can get a $25 gift card for Avis from CC points, and another couple on our cruise is interested in splitting the cost of the rental.  Makes it very affordable, I think.  But I would like to know what you found out about distance, etc.

[SbbquilterUT]

Last May we paid $96.60 for a Minivan at the Avis very near the dock.  The drive to Mendenhall was less than 30” with free parking (limited space).  Then we visited the Alaska Brewing Company for a bit of beer tasting.  Then back to the downtown area for a seafood feast.  A lovely day at our own pace.  Warning- we did rent 10 months in advance as the availability is limited.

[Whimsy88]

4 hours ago, SbbquilterUT said:

Last May we paid $96.60 for a Minivan at the Avis very near the dock.  The drive to Mendenhall was less than 30” with free parking (limited space).  Then we visited the Alaska Brewing Company for a bit of beer tasting.  Then back to the downtown area for a seafood feast.  A lovely day at our own pace.  Warning- we did rent 10 months in advance as the availability is limited.

Do you recall - is that what comes up as the Mill Street location?

[SbbquilterUT]

Yes - that is the Mill Street location, walkable from the dock area where we were.

[Gaynors]

We currently have a reservation with Avis in Juneau for June 5th 2019 - location says "Cruise ship Port Area" but the address is Mill Street.  For a small car with taxes it is just under $115 for the day.  

[Anita Latte]

Be aware of where your ship docks. We were in the first berth, closest to downtown and it was over a mile to walk to the Mill St location. The walk isn't flat. Dealing with knee issues in our group, we ended up taking a taxi to and from Avis. So look up your berth to plan accordingly for your morning and drop off. Also...if you do need a taxi to get back to your cruise, leave yourself plenty of time...it took a while for the taxi to arrive.

 

FWIW...for our Juneau plans, we loved having the rental car. We went fishing on Douglas Island. We went to Mendenhall on our own pace. We had lunch at the Sandbar and Grill, which is a local hangout. Not the fanciest place in the world...but the fish and chips were excellent and very affordable. Local brews were on tap too.

[Glaciers]

If there is a ship at the AJ Dock there will be a bus that transfers folks from there to the tram. It doesn't save much walking for Avis but Juneau Car Rental is a block away. Haven't used it for several years but it used to be $3.

[Eileen G]

We just rented a car from Avis at Mills for $109 total. We have rented a car several times in Juneau. There are plenty of interesting sights to see. Last time we went the the Treadwell Historical Mine on Douglas Island. There is a great trail with a walking tour you can download. It really reminded us of Indiana Jones.

[Gaynors]

On 2/28/2019 at 1:50 PM, Anita Latte said:

Be aware of where your ship docks. We were in the first berth, closest to downtown and it was over a mile to walk to the Mill St location. The walk isn't flat. Dealing with knee issues in our group, we ended up taking a taxi to and from Avis. So look up your berth to plan accordingly for your morning and drop off. Also...if you do need a taxi to get back to your cruise, leave yourself plenty of time...it took a while for the taxi to arrive.

 

FWIW...for our Juneau plans, we loved having the rental car. We went fishing on Douglas Island. We went to Mendenhall on our own pace. We had lunch at the Sandbar and Grill, which is a local hangout. Not the fanciest place in the world...but the fish and chips were excellent and very affordable. Local brews were on tap too.

Our ship docks at the Franklin Street dock - you wouldn't happen to have any idea how far that is to the Avis?   We don't mind walking but it's good to know ahead of time how long a haul you have  - plus depending on the weather it good to know your options.

 

Loved your trip report -  we are also doing the one way cruise but southbound and are camping up in Alaska for 7 days prior to getting on the cruise - I like the idea of a little roughing it before getting pampered!!  Since we are camping first we are bringing our camping gear on the plane with us then shipping it home before the cruise.   Can't wait!!!

Edited March 1, 2019 by Gaynors

[Gaynors]

16 hours ago, Eileen G said:

We just rented a car from Avis at Mills for $109 total. We have rented a car several times in Juneau. There are plenty of interesting sights to see. Last time we went the the Treadwell Historical Mine on Douglas Island. There is a great trail with a walking tour you can download. It really reminded us of Indiana Jones.

Thanks for the suggestion - I hadn't seen that yet.

[Eileen G]

18 minutes ago, Gaynors said:

Our ship docks at the Franklin Street dock - you wouldn't happen to have any idea how far that is to the Avis?   We don't mind walking but it's good to know ahead of time how long a haul you have  - plus depending on the weather it good to know your options.

 

Loved your trip report -  we are also doing the one way cruise but southbound and are camping up in Alaska for 7 days prior to getting on the cruise - I like the idea of a little roughing it before getting pampered!!  Since we are camping first we are bringing our camping gear on the plane with us then shipping it home before the cruise.   Can't wait!!!

 

 

We are also on Princess and at the Franklin St dock. The Avis place is just down the street away from town. Maybe a 10 minute walk. You can always send one person to get the car and then pick up everyone else at the ship since that person will be passing the ship anyway. Same with return. 

[Anita Latte]

13 minutes ago, Gaynors said:

Our ship docks at the Franklin Street dock - you wouldn't happen to have any idea how far that is to the Avis?   We don't mind walking but it's good to know ahead of time how long a haul you have  - plus depending on the weather it good to know your options.

 

Loved your trip report -  we are also doing the one way cruise but southbound and are camping up in Alaska for 7 days prior to getting on the cruise - I like the idea of a little roughing it before getting pampered!!  Since we are camping first we are bringing our camping gear on the plane with us then shipping it home before the cruise.   Can't wait!!!

 

For future reference, you can generally find maps and things of the different ports. This is the one that I had referenced for Juneau:

 

http://cruiseportwiki.com/Juneau

 

If you click to see the larger map of the Franklin St and AJ docks (they are pictured together), google maps opens a new window, and you can do directions to see the distance:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Avis+Car+Rental/58.292931,-134.395653/@58.2904513,-134.3945456,1201m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m9!4m8!1m5!1m1!1s0x0:0xd9c3367e12f65ae9!2m2!1d-134.385306!2d58.287862!1m0!3e2?hl=en

 

The other thing you can do...once you know the directions...is do the street view at your dock:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@58.2929443,-134.3952733,3a,75y,232.45h,81.95t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sxPjKNIF_ef0Obd-vNMMo9A!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DxPjKNIF_ef0Obd-vNMMo9A%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dsearch.TACTILE.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D96%26h%3D64%26yaw%3D325.187%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

 

And then "walk" it, which you will see is basically up hill the entire way, up the street until you turn on Mill. That should help you to figure out your timing.

 

Have fun camping! We had a blast. Don't forget to take bug repellant!!!

[Gaynors]

51 minutes ago, Anita Latte said:

 

For future reference, you can generally find maps and things of the different ports. This is the one that I had referenced for Juneau:

 

http://cruiseportwiki.com/Juneau

 

If you click to see the larger map of the Franklin St and AJ docks (they are pictured together), google maps opens a new window, and you can do directions to see the distance:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Avis+Car+Rental/58.292931,-134.395653/@58.2904513,-134.3945456,1201m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m9!4m8!1m5!1m1!1s0x0:0xd9c3367e12f65ae9!2m2!1d-134.385306!2d58.287862!1m0!3e2?hl=en

 

The other thing you can do...once you know the directions...is do the street view at your dock:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@58.2929443,-134.3952733,3a,75y,232.45h,81.95t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sxPjKNIF_ef0Obd-vNMMo9A!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DxPjKNIF_ef0Obd-vNMMo9A%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dsearch.TACTILE.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D96%26h%3D64%26yaw%3D325.187%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

 

And then "walk" it, which you will see is basically up hill the entire way, up the street until you turn on Mill. That should help you to figure out your timing.

 

Have fun camping! We had a blast. Don't forget to take bug repellant!!!

 

Thank you!!

 

Hopefully after a week of hiking and exploring in Alaska we should be able to handle the walk.  But it's nice to know we have other options too.  If the weather isn't cooperating it might be nice to send one person to get the car, rather than all of us.  The Avis is actually closer than I thought it would be.

 

Thanks for the tip on the bug repellant - it's on the list already - I've picked up some 100% deet to take - we are hopeful since we'll be there early in the season (late May) the bugs might not be too bad yet (wishful thinking).

[tysmomm]

Thanks everyone for this additional information.  My Coral Princess ship will be coming in on June 23rd and docking at Franklin Dock.  We have a Juneau Car Rental reservation.  It doesn't look like it is too far away.  My family is fit and it looks like an easy walk.  Anyone know for sure?  Also, we would love to hear more about the car rental itineraries that people took.  We are planning Mendenhal Glacier first thing before the crowds, I'd love to see the old mining museum, the gardens, spend some time at the brewery and hopefully see some wildlife along the way.  We shall see what we actually accomplish.  Anyone know "off the beaten path" adventures we could do or see with the rental car?  

 

[Anita Latte]

1 hour ago, tysmomm said:

Anyone know "off the beaten path" adventures we could do or see with the rental car?  

 

We went fishing in Juneau. We fished at Fish Creek Park on Douglas Island. It's a part of the Mendenhall Wetlands Refuge.

 

You walk two different ways from the parking lot. One goes more directly toward the sea shore and the other goes a more round about way...over a bridge over Fish Creek and you can still walk down to the sea shore area or up toward the ski resort (longer trail that we didn't hike). Over the bridge way, there's a pond-like body of water where there were many, many local fishermen fishing for King Salmon. MANY fishermen. There were also several eagle nests around that pond. I learned that if you know where an eagle nest is, you can almost always find those eagles again because they often return to the same nest year after year.

 

If you do hike out to the shore, be sure to bring bug repellant. Personally, I'm not a DEET fan. We used the made in Alaska product, Alpenglow. When you hit the water, depending on the time of day, the tide will be high or low. The difference in high and low is mind boggling. You can see Mendenhall Glacier in the distance from the shore. At high tide, the foreground is all water...at low tide, the foreground is mushy, bug ridden exposed ground.

 

Lovely area. The spring bloom at the end of June was gorgeous. 

 

Other off the beaten path is the Sandtrap Grill and Bar. Excellent and affordable fish and chips. Local brews on tap. Something of a dive...a local hangout.

[julie3fan]

We don't go to Juneau until later this season, but I've mapped out a route that includes some nice things, both on and off the beaten path.  We'll start out by driving all the way out (north) to Point Bridget State Park, which is our furthest destination.  On the way back we'll stop at Eagle Beach, then the Jensen-Olson Arboretum.  Then on to the National Shrine of St. Therese, followed by Mendenhall Glacier.  Then depending on the time and our energy levels, we'll stop at the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery.  In town we might stop at the Wickersham State Historic Site, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Juneau-Douglas City Museum, and/or Alaska State Museum. 

 

We don't figure we'll spend too much time at any of the stops, since some of us have mobility issues, so we'll just be enjoying the scenery at some of these stops.  Google maps shows the round trip from the cruise dock is about 80 miles, and 2 hours of actual driving.  So we'll be able to take our time and enjoy ourselves.  We have a 10 pm departure, so we won't be worried about getting back to the ship on time.   

[dfilpus]

13 hours ago, julie3fan said:

We don't go to Juneau until later this season, but I've mapped out a route that includes some nice things, both on and off the beaten path.  We'll start out by driving all the way out (north) to Point Bridget State Park, which is our furthest destination.  On the way back we'll stop at Eagle Beach, then the Jensen-Olson Arboretum.  Then on to the National Shrine of St. Therese, followed by Mendenhall Glacier.  Then depending on the time and our energy levels, we'll stop at the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery.  In town we might stop at the Wickersham State Historic Site, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Juneau-Douglas City Museum, and/or Alaska State Museum. 

 

We don't figure we'll spend too much time at any of the stops, since some of us have mobility issues, so we'll just be enjoying the scenery at some of these stops.  Google maps shows the round trip from the cruise dock is about 80 miles, and 2 hours of actual driving.  So we'll be able to take our time and enjoy ourselves.  We have a 10 pm departure, so we won't be worried about getting back to the ship on time.   

We're planning a very similar itinerary for our Juneau DYI excursion. In addition to all of the sites on the above list, we are planning going over to Douglas Island. On the north end of the island, there is a boat launch with a great view of the sound with Mendenhall Glacier across the water. Going south on the island, there is Homestead Park and Savikko Park and Treadwell Mine, with views of Juneau across the water. We may also get to the Last Chance Mining Museum and the Point Bishop-Dupont Trail at the south end of the highway. A rental car gives access to so much more around Juneau.