Alaska - Mendenhall Glacier questions

[SnorkelFool]

I will be cruising in a couple of weeks with our six month old. We do not plan to do any organized excursions so we will have the most flexibility depending on his mood.

 

Here are my questions for Mendenhall:

 

1) Will the shuttle accommodate a stroller? I live in Chicago and take the bus regularly with our stroller, but baby stays in stroller for safety reasons... I do not break it down (it's the type that the car seat sits on a small metal frame). Is that possible on the Mendenhall shuttle?

 

2) Does it even make sense to take a stroller to Mendenhall Glacier? If we wanted to walk some of the paths, I would think that maybe a stroller would not be ideal. I do have a carrier for him as well, but prefer to have the stroller available too for when my back/shoulders give out. How much time would you imagine we would spend at Mendenhall?

 

3) How long is the shuttle ride?

 

4) We are only in port from 2-10pm and will be back on the ship by 7pm most likely. Is it worth it to rent a car instead to get around? How much time would that eat up just to get the car assuming we rent from RAW? Seems like it would be more trouble than it's worth for such a short time.

 

5) Besides Mendenhall and the Mt. Roberts tram, is there anything else you would recommend we see in Juneau with baby in tow?

 

Thanks.

[mevers]

You might have better luck inquiring over on the "Port of Call" Alaska board.

 

I asked the board about strollers at Mendenhall and the response was that there was indeed a paved trail around the area.

 

As far as the shuttle, I have no clue.

 

Ask the Alaska board as there are some natives on it who might know. Good luck.

[wrp96]

The shuttles are old school buses. I don't know how easy it would be to maneuver the stroller onto them.

[lovesublime]

We've been twice, but not with a baby. The stroller is doable. There are paved walkways at Mendenhall as well as more rugged trails that you may or may not be able to take a stroller on. You can stay at Mendenhall as long as you like-just don't miss the last shuttle back. Also, keep in mind there are no facilities except for restrooms. I recommend that you wait until you arrive in Juneau before purchasing tramway tickets-as you won't know what the weather will be (highly unpredictable). If it's raining, foggy and overcast you won't have good views and some consider it a waste of money.

 

Forget the rental car. Your money would be better well spent on an organized excursion-such as whale watching. We've done it each time we've been in Juneau and it's great fun. The baby can go too.

[cantw8togo]

It has been a number of years since my kids were babes in arms, but I remember relying heavily on a supportive baby carrier such as the Baby Trekker, where the baby's weight is distributed on your hips, and not all on your shoulders. Using a ergonomic carrier means that you don't have to worry about accessibility on buses, stairs, getting in and out of stores, etc., especially since Juneau tends to be a bit of a hilly city. As an added bonus, carrying your baby is a great form of exercise and I was surprised how quickly I lost the pregnancy weight. :D Start off with a couple of short jaunts before your trip and build your stamina up to a longer walk, so that your time in Juneau doesn't become a painful endurance trip. :eek: I did pack a reclining umbrella stroller when we travelled, but I tried to carry them as much as possible because in the end, it was easier.

 

Have a great time travelling with your young one. It is such a special time.

 

N.

[Kuffam]

We did rent a car from RAW and it work out fine, did take a nice drive. However, if you just want to see Mendenhall glacier it would not be worth it. If you sail to Glacier National Park, I would skip Mendenhall and just walk around downtown.

[bbcruiser]

Our little guy was 19 months old when we went in 2004. We took a hiking backpack with us which worked great. It might be a little harder to get closer to the glacier with a stroller (if I recall correctly, we took a short hike to get close to the foot of the glacier).