Juneau Car Rental

[julie3fan]

Thanks for those additional destinations.  I haven't checked out the closing times yet of the museums, or sunset, so I have some homework to still do with my itinerary.  I'm glad it's a long port day!

[mapleleaves]

on pg 26 of the Juneau Visitor Guide there's a small hwy map.  It includes DISTANCES to Mendenhall and a few places along the coast.  Gives you a good idea of how little roadway there is in Juneau. 

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/10785063#/10785063/26

 

[ErLee]

I've just booked a car with Juneau Car Rental for June 15th, $94 for a midsize, and it's 1/4 mile from Franklin dock where our ship will be.  We actually have a whale watch booked with Jayleen's at 2:30pm, but plan to use the car all morning to see Mendenhall and whatever else we have time for before meeting up for the whale watch.  

[julie3fan]

FWIW, I actually booked with Juneau Car Rental first, for a midsize car, total cost $94.30.  Then I checked the price with Avis, and for a full size it was $120.47.  For about $26 more, I'm thinking we might go with Avis, as the car will be much newer, and with much lower mileage.  I've read several reviews of JCR, and a fair amount of them have commented on the overall poor condition of the cars, which makes me a little nervous.

[stevejco]

2 hours ago, julie3fan said:

FWIW, I actually booked with Juneau Car Rental first, for a midsize car, total cost $94.30.  Then I checked the price with Avis, and for a full size it was $120.47.  For about $26 more, I'm thinking we might go with Avis, as the car will be much newer, and with much lower mileage.  I've read several reviews of JCR, and a fair amount of them have commented on the overall poor condition of the cars, which makes me a little nervous.

Same here. Your booking confirmation from Juneau Car Rental will include your rental vehicle's VIN#. You can easily check this on line to see what your getting.   My vehicle was an 18 year old  PT Cruiser that a previous customer gave a horrible review. This prompted me to cancel and book with Avis. Based on a good number of positive reviews I'm pretty sure most vehicles are probably ok but I didn't want to chance it.

[ErLee]

Based on all the great reviews I’ve read, the older car thing doesn’t bother me a bit for a one day rental. One of our cars is 19 years old with 200,000 miles on it, and it runs great so maybe that inspires confidence in me 😊.  I loved the lady I talked to on the phone, so that sealed the deal for me!

[Anita Latte]

IIRC Juneau Car Rental used to be a Rent a Wreck location. They are known for renting older, higher mileage cars for what can be a lesser rate than other rental agencies that tend to keep newer cars with lower mileage. We used Avis because I had recently read about the rate hikes of Juneau Car Rental and the price difference was insignificant, especially considering that for less than $20 more, I could get a current year Toyota Camry...and since we would be returning our rental after hours, we felt more confident dealing with a national chain for any issues that might arise with an inspection on the car.

 

For everyone planing their own driving and sight seeing, I urge everyone to take a look at the tide tables. Taking a quick look in June, there can easily be a 20 foot difference between high tide and low tide. This will have a tremendous impact on the condition of say, Eagle Beach. I recall reading a review where the reviewer was extremely disappointed in Eagle Beach because of the affect of the tide at the time that they were there. 

 

And because of this huge difference in water coverage, think about how that land that is revealed at low tide is a perfect breeding ground for mosquitos. And plan accordingly. I've never been around so many mosquitoes and whatever else the little bugs were as I was at Fish Creek. You can see them flying around in the pictures where the camera would focus on them instead of the landscape in the distance...and the bugs on our heads made our hats look like sesame or poppy seed bagels...simply covered in bugs. I don't say this to be discouraging...I saw this as friendly advise for being prepared.

 

Also...If no one has looked at it yet, there's a book out there called the Milepost. It gives details for each mile on all the highways in Alaska. IDK that it would be worth purchasing for JUST Juneau. We were doing a land tour post cruise, so it was worth it for us. I did see the book in my local Barnes & Noble, so it might be worth checking out in the store. I think there might be a website too...

[tysmomm]

I just ordered the milepost book.  Thank you!  the 2019 version releases from Amazon in two days.  We spend a lot of time in Alaska on land.  This book will be very helpful.  One of the best books I have purchased for cruisers is the book entitled:  Inside Passage Walking Tours by Julianne Chase Patton.  Great information for each of the little port towns, including Juneau. I am going to compare prices between AVIS and Juneau Car Rental.  If it is a small difference for a nicer car I will probably change over my reservation.  

 

[quack2]

For those that may be wanting to rent a car after going whale watching out of Auke Bay, see if the whale watching company will drop you at the airport on the way back.  That may give you some better rental options.  You may need to taxi back to the ship from the airport when you done with the car.  Fortunately, two years ago I was able to share a cab with some incoming ship crew members.

 

Two years ago, I went out with Harv and Marv in the morning, then rented a car to go to Shrine of St. Therese, Mendenhall Glacier and a couple of other places.

[Whimsy88]

On 2/28/2019 at 12:27 PM, Gaynors said:

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.  

Yes. This is exactly what we got for July!

[Glaciers]

On 3/8/2019 at 5:32 PM, quack2 said:

For those that may be wanting to rent a car after going whale watching out of Auke Bay, see if the whale watching company will drop you at the airport on the way back.  That may give you some better rental options.

We’ve used Juneau Car Rental and previous to them Rent a Wreck with no problems.  We were dropped at the Juneau airport a few years ago and it was convenient to rent from one of the majors there. We booked early and rebooked several times as the price dropped. Ended up with a rental for $18 the end of May.  It’s worth exploring these options if it’s not too inconvenient getting to/from the airport.

[Budget Queen]

On 3/2/2019 at 2:46 PM, ErLee said:

I've just booked a car with Juneau Car Rental for June 15th, $94 for a midsize, and it's 1/4 mile from Franklin dock where our ship will be.  We actually have a whale watch booked with Jayleen's at 2:30pm, but plan to use the car all morning to see Mendenhall and whatever else we have time for before meeting up for the whale watch.  

 

You have to go around  and not direct,  to get to Juneau Car Rental.   The coastal transit is blocked off.   It is farther than 1/4  mile from your dock.     And up hill.    

[ErLee]

12 minutes ago, Budget Queen said:

 

You have to go around  and not direct,  to get to Juneau Car Rental.   The coastal transit is blocked off.   It is farther than 1/4  mile from your dock.     And up hill.    

Thank you for the info!!  Not too worried about it, we live in a very hilly area and walk them every day!

[Budget Queen]

3 minutes ago, ErLee said:

Thank you for the info!!  Not too worried about it, we live in a very hilly area and walk them every day!

What is your port time?   

 

[ErLee]

52 minutes ago, Budget Queen said:

What is your port time?   

 

 

9 - 8

[Budget Queen]

55 minutes ago, ErLee said:

 

9 - 8

 

That is excellent.   You are driving to your whale watch?    Makes the best use of your time.   Can  really have an excellent day.   :)   

[ErLee]

6 minutes ago, Budget Queen said:

 

That is excellent.   You are driving to your whale watch?    Makes the best use of your time.   Can  really have an excellent day.   🙂  

 

I said that wrong...it’s 8 - 9 😆. Do you have suggestions of what to see there?

 

I was thinking perhaps I should contact them about driving there instead of being picked up. Is it likely we’d be seeing other things in the same direction as where the whale watch launches so it would be better to meet her there than have to go back to the dock area for pick up?

Edited March 11, 2019 by ErLee