deep1 Posted July 9, 2023 Report Share Posted July 9, 2023 Just found out that Blue Bus and a couple others didn't get their forestry licenses renewed and aren't doing the shuttle to the glacier. Royal has two reasonable excursions that just quick photo op at the glacier with the emphasis on either the salmon hatchery or the glacier gardens instead. Other excursions too expensive for our budget. Fiancé and I want to go do the walk to Nugget falls and get some quality time at the glacier. Any idea of taxi costs? Other options? Matt suggested jeep rental earlier this year but that is way out of budget... Open and hopin for a solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted July 9, 2023 Report Share Posted July 9, 2023 I don't know the cost of a taxi, but I would highly recommend that you try to hike out to the falls. We did the whale watch and did a short hike to the lake near Mendenhall glacier, but I was wishing we had done one that hiked out to those falls. It looked really worth it. deep1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristiZ Posted July 9, 2023 Report Share Posted July 9, 2023 There’s a city bus that will drop you just over a mile from the Visitor Center. The walk is on a paved path, so no worries about traffic. Might be Route 3, if I recall. Peter D 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rackham Posted July 9, 2023 Report Share Posted July 9, 2023 32 minutes ago, KristiZ said: There’s a city bus that will drop you just over a mile from the Visitor Center. The walk is on a paved path, so no worries about traffic. Might be Route 3, if I recall. Someone over on Reddit apparently is part of the visitor bureau for Juneau. Bold face added. "I operate Travel Juneau, the visitor bureau for the city. If you are inbound to Juneau after July 7, please be aware: Transportation and tours to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center and the area around it operate under annual permits through the USDA Forest Service. Because of record-breaking numbers of visitors to Alaska’s Capital City, all shuttle operators are approaching their annual limit. There is a small pool of combo tours to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center available for purchase same-day on the docks. We encourage your to consider taking a city or whale-watching tour, take in our award-winning state museum, or enjoy our walkable downtown. Alternatives to the glacier shuttles include car rental, taxis, Uber or Lyft. Travel Juneau asks that visitors not use the municipal bus system. We appreciate your understanding!" In response to why they're asking people not to use the bus. "We've been asked by Capital Transit to discourage use of the public bus, as it's been displacing the residents who rely on it at various times of the day and especially on weekends. I have friends and family who ride the bus, and they frequently have to wait for another bus because the one they wanted was completely full." https://www.reddit.com/r/Cruise/comments/14tm7n3/heads_up_no_walkup_shuttle_ticket_sales_in_juneau/ DDaley and KristiZ 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted July 9, 2023 Report Share Posted July 9, 2023 6 hours ago, Rackham said: Someone over on Reddit apparently is part of the visitor bureau for Juneau. Bold face added. "I operate Travel Juneau, the visitor bureau for the city. If you are inbound to Juneau after July 7, please be aware: Transportation and tours to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center and the area around it operate under annual permits through the USDA Forest Service. Because of record-breaking numbers of visitors to Alaska’s Capital City, all shuttle operators are approaching their annual limit. There is a small pool of combo tours to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center available for purchase same-day on the docks. We encourage your to consider taking a city or whale-watching tour, take in our award-winning state museum, or enjoy our walkable downtown. Alternatives to the glacier shuttles include car rental, taxis, Uber or Lyft. Travel Juneau asks that visitors not use the municipal bus system. We appreciate your understanding!" In response to why they're asking people not to use the bus. "We've been asked by Capital Transit to discourage use of the public bus, as it's been displacing the residents who rely on it at various times of the day and especially on weekends. I have friends and family who ride the bus, and they frequently have to wait for another bus because the one they wanted was completely full." https://www.reddit.com/r/Cruise/comments/14tm7n3/heads_up_no_walkup_shuttle_ticket_sales_in_juneau/ Annual limit? That would suck for an August or September cruiser to be denied access to the park because of higher number earlier in the season. Seems like a reason to go in May or June. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaska mcleods Posted July 9, 2023 Report Share Posted July 9, 2023 THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting about this!!! We arrive on the 16th of this month and a few members of our extended family group were going to wing it when they go to Juneau! This totally impacts them, and as the planner for the group, am glad to have this knowledge now and not when arriving!! I'll be following along and frantically searching for what to do with the few members of our group who are not planners and didn't want to pre-book something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeeden Posted July 9, 2023 Report Share Posted July 9, 2023 We are scheduled to go on a southbound cruise leaving July 21st on radiance. My family and our close friends (4 other families) I'll book the blue bus in the early March and received our cancellations yesterday. I'm trying to figure out what we should do. We really wanted our children to see the glacier and it was going to be a highlight. We have whale watching and other activities in other ports already booked. The taxis Uber and other options just don't seem very viable given the crowds and their inability to drop off at the visitor center. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deep1 Posted July 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2023 15 hours ago, KristiZ said: There’s a city bus that will drop you just over a mile from the Visitor Center. The walk is on a paved path, so no worries about traffic. Might be Route 3, if I recall. What about bears? That and the city are requesting that we don't use the local bus as residents depend on it for getting to work and tourists would overload the system. KristiZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deep1 Posted July 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2023 The whole point of going to Alaska is to see uniquely Alaskan stuff! Not take a city tour.... Not see whales that can be seen in places a whole lot closer to home.... If I just want a cruise I can get one for about half the price on the same cruise line about an hour away from where I live and not involve hotels$$$$ or air$$$$$! This is really the only glacier that we get on this cruise. Endicot you never get close to and more often than not, its fogged in or ice keeps you out. Big portion of Juneau income is derived from tourism and more specifically cruise based tourism. This isn't Juneau or even Alaska making this call. This is the fed that runs the national parks and forests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rackham Posted July 9, 2023 Report Share Posted July 9, 2023 4 hours ago, deep1 said: What about bears? That and the city are requesting that we don't use the local bus as residents depend on it for getting to work and tourists would overload the system. Here's my position with Juneau apparently asking tourists not to use the bus to get to Mendenhall with the majority of people not following this stuff on Reddit. I would try to find another way to the glacier with the bus as a last resort. Knowing the Juneau is asking tourists to stay off the bus, them asking can lead to policy or route changes to discourage riders out to the visitor's center. With how high a priority visiting the glacier is for many, waiting till port to find alternative transportation to Mendenhall if the bus won't work will be too late. Keep the bus in mind, but don't stake a port day on it. deep1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJCruisers Posted July 10, 2023 Report Share Posted July 10, 2023 Add me to the group that was cancelled by M&M as well. This was MY must do for this trip and I'm bummed. I hope to get a car from Turo to make it up there. Didn't want to have to pay the extra money but this is a trip of a lifetime for us. deep1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus527 Posted July 10, 2023 Report Share Posted July 10, 2023 There's an article posted recently on RC Blog by one of the female writers that said she rented a bicycle with her travel partner and rode out there, then back in the rain. I'll try to find the link - that might be an option? Definitely cheaper than a Jeep! EDIT: Found it. Look under "Worry About Weather Too Much." https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/07/05/alaska-cruise-mistakes-to-avoid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJones Posted July 10, 2023 Report Share Posted July 10, 2023 We rented a car in Juneau last year so we could visit the glacier at our own pace. You will likely get a much older model car, but we highly recommend Juneau Car Rental deep1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carotthat Posted July 11, 2023 Report Share Posted July 11, 2023 For our upcoming cruise in three weeks, I booked a smaller SUV with AVIS - pickup and dropoff is at the dock area. Was around 280$/day, even cheaper and more comfy for a family than taking the blue, green or what so ever bus. And you can explore the whole area around Juneau on your own! NJCruisers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJCruisers Posted July 11, 2023 Report Share Posted July 11, 2023 6 hours ago, Carotthat said: For our upcoming cruise in three weeks, I booked a smaller SUV with AVIS - pickup and dropoff is at the dock area. Was around 280$/day, even cheaper and more comfy for a family than taking the blue, green or what so ever bus. And you can explore the whole area around Juneau on your own! I ended up booking a car thru them as well, my husband wasn't comfortable with Turo. There will be 4 of us in a Kia but we will make the best of it! I just hope they don't give our car away before we get there. Our ship arrives later in the day and our pick up is 4pm. deep1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carotthat Posted July 12, 2023 Report Share Posted July 12, 2023 Turo was almost the same price as AVIS. No advantage there around our dates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDaley Posted July 12, 2023 Report Share Posted July 12, 2023 I booked a kayak excursion to Mendenhall for September and I’m hoping my excursion/transportation there is not affected! I have not received any cancelation as of now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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