Whale Watching & Mendenhall

[jesusfreak7]

I think we're rescheduling a whale watching tour with Orca in Juneau at 9:00am; it last 3.5 hrs. Will we have time to go to Mendenhall Glacier too? Our ship leaves at 4:00pm. Sure don't want to miss the boat!:eek:

[wrp96]

Yes. When you contact Orca to reschedule, ask if you can arrange to take their shuttle to Mendenhall at the end of the whale watch tour. If they have a spot left on their shuttle to Mendenhall, it will save you some time.

 

 

Be aware that the shuttles to/from Juneau to Mendenhall cost $7 each way and they run every half hour. You will want to make sure to be on a shuttle back to Juneau no later than 3pm for a 4pm cruise departure.

[Toyz711]

auke bay, where orca's whale watching leaves from..is very close to mendenhall glacier. that's why so many people combine these 2 tours.

depending on how much you want to walk around, you could have an hour to two at the glacier. about 30mins back on the shuttle.

[Mrsosci]

We combined our 9:30 Orca whale watching and Mendenall with Orca. It was cheaper than town shuttles. We were back to ship by 3 after doing both. It was pouring rain all day but didn't stop us. I especially liked the glacier. Rangers were everywhere to answer questions. Tours and talks free of charge. We even walked to falls. Bear next to us at parking lot.

 

Whale watching OK. We'd already done Fjord tour in Seward and saw so much more wildlife and up close. Not whales about 1/2 mile away. Drove by the seals and eagles. If that's your version of seeing then it was OK.

 

Mrsosci

[jesusfreak7]

ok - that's what we've done.... booked with Orca (Harv & Marv sold out), then we'll go to Mendenhall. After the Mendenhall would we have time to do the tram too, if our ship sails at 4:00pm?

[i'mwong]

We did the Best of Juneau tour through Princess and had a fabulous time on the whale watch. We had atleast 8 sightings within just a few yards from our boat, but the highlight was a cow and calf that was within feet of our boat and the baby put on quite a show for us. We stayed there for about 30 minutes, which apparently is the longest amount of time allowed, watching that pair. The baby must have breeched the water 8-10 times while we were there. They both went down together and their tails fluted at the same time. It was amazing. It was the highlight of our tour.

 

In Seward we did the Northern Fjords tour and again, there were whales very close to the boat. I giant humpback did a breech so close to us it took my breath away, but of course I didn't have my camera ready! That tour really highlighted the wildlife. We were stunned by how much we saw and how close they came to us. We think they must be on the payroll!:D

 

On our tour in Denali, we saw 17 grizzly bears with one being about 10 feet away from our bus. Needless to say, our hope to see wildlife was met.

[dorijo]

we are doing the best of juneau on the golden princess. I with 2 grandchildren 11 and 16. Will they enjoy the salmon bake? Is there anything other than eating at it? For the $20 pp difference I could just take the glacier and whale watch with princess. What do you think?

 

Doris

[Mrsosci]

ok - that's what we've done.... booked with Orca (Harv & Marv sold out), then we'll go to Mendenhall. After the Mendenhall would we have time to do the tram too, if our ship sails at 4:00pm?

 

I think you would be cutting it really close. The tram is about a long 2 blocks from where we docked. It is across street from Orca. Orca will let you off after glacier where ever you want. We got were left off at ship around 2:30 - 2:45. A lot of folks we talked to were disappointed in tram thing. There's only the resturant and some steep trails.

 

Good luck,

 

Mrsosci

[i'mwong]

Doris,

 

We had three kids with us, 9, 11, and 20 (technically not a kid, but she is close enough);) and all three of them enjoyed the bake. There was a guy playing music and singing, you could walk to a waterfall that was just a short distance away down a path, they have gold panning, but it wasn't open when we were there, not sure why. Additionally, there is an area where you can roast marshmallows. You do not have to stay any particular length of time. Once you finish eating and are ready, you take a bus back to the pier which is easily close enough to walk to the shopping area. We just dropped our stuff off in our cabin and went back out. As far as the food goes, it was really good. There is an assortment of salads, salmon, fresh off the grill, with or without this sweet glaze, cornbread that is so good and beans. There were not a lot of kids at the bake, but we only had about 170 kids on our entire cruise. I hope this helps. It is really a good tour. We loved the whale watching and Mendenhall is amazing!

 

Laura

[dorijo]

Laura,

Thanks, I think I will keep it the way it is with the 3 things to see and do..Only thing, the kids don't eat salmon and I thought there were chicken and ribs included..Was there not? Was there enough time to shop a little?

When they say 1:45 to 8pm is that the time they drop you at the salmon bake or the time you are done eating? The ship leaves at 10pm

Doris

[i'mwong]

Hi Doris,

 

I couldn't remember about the chicken and ribs, so I asked my husband and he verified that there was both. Everything runs together. I tried to keep a journal, but got a little behind! Our excursion was the first thing in the morning, so I am not sure of the time of yours in relation, but we met on the pier around 8:30 and we took a bus from the salmon bake back to the pier around 3:30. We were the last ones to leave the bake since my son was enjoying the roasting marshmallows so much. We then put our stuff in the room and went back out shopping. There tour itself does not allow any time for shopping, other than the small gift shop at the salmon bake. You should have time to shop before you leave if you go on the afternoon tour. You meet the bus right outside on the pier. Hope that helps,

 

Laura

[dorijo]

Laura,

Were you on the golden princess? we are only arriving at 12pm that is why tour starts at 1:45. we are there 12 to 10pm. If we get in on time i guess we can scoot over to town otherwise maybe the shops will be open after 8 - 8:30pm..thanks for your help.

we are doing bering sea crab in ketchikan only there 6am to 12:30 so taking ship tour again.l.then doing chilkoot charter to the yukon in skagway for 7hr trip..did you go to victoria? if so what did you do there?

doris

[i'mwong]

Hi Doris,

 

Sorry to get back to you so late. We were out of town for the weekend.

 

We were on the Coral Princess. We arrived very early in the morning and did not leave until around 8:30, so our time there was a bit different than yours. I didn't realize that there would be such a difference. I wish I knew the hours for the stores, but I would imagine that they stay open late on port days. Just not sure. Sorry.

 

We did the Yukon excursion where we took the bus up and the train back. It was really nice. I enjoyed the bus portion more than the train portion. Perhaps it was because you couldn't stop for pictures if you wanted! We only saw one bear and it was running in front of the train on the track. It was a really nice tour, though. I loved the bus portion. We stopped a lot for pictures and our guide was very knowledgeable. Others like a smaller tour so they opt for an independent. We went with the cruiseline. I read good things about the independents. The one you are taking has a good reputation from what I read here. Maybe next time when I am more familiar with what to expect I will go that route. Many people rent their own cars and drive up. That would be nice too. I enjoyed the narration that came with the tour, though.

 

We were in Ketchikan only from 6-2:30. My husband and his cousin went fishing with the kids and the two moms went to the Totem Pole and Lumberjack show. It was a lot of fun. We all wanted to go fishing, but the limit is only 6 passengers and there were 7 of us, so we opted out. Glad we did, because I loved hearing the history behind those poles. Our guide was a local man and he was a great storyteller. The lumberjack show was fun too. I think my son would have loved it, but he did catch a 17 lb. King Salmon that made his day worth it!

 

We did not go to Victoria, so I can't help you there. I know the Buchart Gardens is supposed to be lovely. I am not 100% sure if I spelled that right!

 

Make sure you take rain gear! You will most likely need it!

[inkmahm]

...

On our tour in Denali' date=' we saw 17 grizzly bears with one being about 10 feet away from our bus. Needless to say, our hope to see wildlife was met.[/quote']

I have to ask if you did the Tundra Wilderness Tour or if you did the shuttle on your own farther in to the park? I keep reading here that we won't see many bears unless we do the shuttle and not just the TWT offered by Princess...

[i'mwong]

inkmahm,

 

We did the 13 hour bus tour that was offered. It is called the Katishna Experience (not sure if it is spelled right). We saw many of the bears on both the upward and downward trip. The one that was so close was on the bus ride up, but on the way back down, we saw many too. They walked along our bus, crossed in front of our bus, were on both sides of the bus, it was unbelievable. The Katishna Experience takes you 93 miles into the park. It is as far as you can go. Your bus is boarded by a ranger for part of the way and you walk a couple of times to different places. The mosquitos were crazy! I know those bug nets look odd, but I really recommend them. People around us were getting eaten alive, but we were fine. We also used deet spray. Even the poor ranger was getting attacked. You learn about a really interesting lady by the name of Fannie Quigley on the tour and visit her house. I thought she was remarkable. The trip is a bit expensive, but we decided to do it since we don't know when we will ever get back.

 

If you do end up taking the bus trip, I recommend you ride in the back seats of the bus. I know you have to wait on people to get on and off, but there is a space where one row of seats is missing and you get a great place to take pictures out that window. The window on that last seat is also bigger. Whatever you decide, you will have a great time.

 

Enjoy!

Laura

[inkmahm]

Wow, 13 hours? Not on this trip for us. We have the TWT scheduled and then another tour later that night when we get back. 8 hours is long for sitting for me. We did it in 2005 and are doing the same one in August. Maybe we'll consider the longer one for our next trip to Alaska.