Juneau excursion help

[Chrislovesdisney]

I’m looking into the excursions for Juneau - we are not interested in booking outside of DCL and we definitely know we’d like to visit Mendenhall Glacier. There’s still a bunch of versions of this tour, some with the salmon hatchery, rainforest gardens, state museum, tram to Mt. Roberts. Our children are 6 & 9. Any thoughts on which sights of these are a must-see? Tia!

 

[dcassetta]

I know you said you want to book through Disney but Mendenhall is incredibly easy to visit on your own and you do not need to book ahead. Once disembarking buy a roundtrip shuttle ticket. They run back and forth to Mendenhall all day long. Then you can see the park at your own pace. The same is true for the Mt. Roberts tram. If it is very rainy or cloudy on the day you visit Juneau, you may not wish to do the tram.

 

[jldcherry]

We also struggled with what to book in Juneau for our upcoming Alaska cruise. In the end I went through and decided what was in our budget, and what we (parents) were interested in, and then went through the remaining options together as a family (my kids are also 6 and 9). The kids surprised me with their votes and it made me wish I'd asked them sooner! It really narrowed it down for me.

 

[happycamper47]

We did the Mendenhal/whale watching with our grands in 2019, ages 14, 11 & 9 and they really enjoyed that tour.

 

[mullysisters]

I booked two excursions through local companies that I found on the Travel Alaska state site. The first one was my favourite but they cancelled it for some reason and offered me a much later time. I wasn't interested. The fee was back on my card the next day. I'm still doing the whale watching tour.

 

[Akck]

For kids 6 & 9, besides the glacier, I’d do the State Museum. They have many interactive displays that would be fun for kids. Depending on when your trip is, there can be snow within hiking distance at the top of the tram if that interests you. As others have said, if there are low clouds the views won’t be as good. I find the hatchery most interesting when salmon are returning. Best times are July-August, lowest month would be May. Likewise, at the glacier, there is a viewing platform where you can see a bear or two catching returning salmon.

Other things to do within walking distance in the downtown area are the City museum and you can tour the state legislature building. There is a cost for the museum, but the legislature tour is free (not sure if they’re still doing it with Covid).

 

[melissajx3]

We did the Whale Watching, Salmon Bake, and Mendenhall Glacier (JU22) excursion and had a great time!

 

[Disneyfam854]

We are looking to do the Mendenhall Glacier Adventure Hike. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with this one? I know glacier can be done on own, but feel safer doing the hiking trails with a guide due to wildlife and extra eye on time- just hoping it’s worth the additional cost?

we are also planning to do tram on own- cheaper as mine will still qualify as a child vs w/Disney.

 

[TinkLoverSam]

We are doing the Alaska Whales and Science adventure with our almost 7yo and 2yo. I think my science loving 6yo will love it and the 2 yo gets to go with the flow. We did this tour in 2014 as adults as a last minute backup for a cancelled excursion and really liked it and the family with kids on the excursion with us also seemed to enjoy it.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

We are looking to do the Mendenhall Glacier Adventure Hike. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with this one? I know glacier can be done on own, but feel safer doing the hiking trails with a guide due to wildlife and extra eye on time- just hoping it’s worth the additional cost?

we are also planning to do tram on own- cheaper as mine will still qualify as a child vs w/Disney.

There’s a great vlog young at the parks that did this looks like a great time.

 

[Akck]

We are looking to do the Mendenhall Glacier Adventure Hike. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with this one? I know glacier can be done on own, but feel safer doing the hiking trails with a guide due to wildlife and extra eye on time- just hoping it’s worth the additional cost?

we are also planning to do tram on own- cheaper as mine will still qualify as a child vs w/Disney.

While I haven’t hiked all the way to the glacier, but my kids in their teens and 20’s have in the past. This is technically an off-trail/animal trail hike, but once you find the beginning, it’s fairly easy to follow. It is steep in parts where you feel safer moving with 3 points of contact. It’s probably safer with a guide, since they’ll know the current glacier conditions. Be prepared to be tried that evening.