lunarsongbird
Disney Magic is a Must
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2016
Here we are in Juneau! We were just arriving into the port as I peeked out of our drapes.
Someone on another ship a couple years ago made a nice time lapse of what it looks like on the approach to Juneau:
We had BIG plans for Juneau. It was the biggest and most elaborate excursion that we booked- AND the one I was looking forward to the most. To me- it felt like the epitome of Alaska rolled into one long day. We were going on :: drumm roll:: the best of Juneau!
I had read a couple reviews that said the "Best of" excursions weren't that great, but we had a wonderful time.
Three Tours in One
Observe whales by catamaran on the way to a delicious salmon bake and sail to one of the great glaciers.
On this adventure you will...
- Travel by motorcoach on an approximately 25-minute scenic narrated drive to Auke Bay, where you will board a spacious, comfortable catamaran designed for wildlife viewing. Whale watching is guaranteed on this 2.5-hour cruise!
- Relax in a warm, comfortable, spacious main cabin, surrounded by large windows, as your experienced captain guides you through the island-studded waters of Stephen's Passage. Against a majestic backdrop of snow-capped peaks and glaciers, the onboard naturalist will explain the behavior and habitat of wildlife you may encounter, including humpback and killer whales, Steller sea lions, Dall's porpoise, harbor seals, bald eagles, bears and deer. The operators of this tour guarantee you will see a whale. If you don’t, you'll receive a $100 USD cash refund as you disembark the vessel (in the past 15 years, whales have been sighted on every tour).
- Take a break from cruising to step ashore at Orca Point Lodge on Colt Island and enjoy a feast that includes grilled wild Alaska salmon, chicken, vegetable medley, rice pilaf, coleslaw, fresh-hot rolls and desserts. The lodge offers peaceful seclusion with modern comforts in a remote wilderness setting. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes and take a stroll along the beach during your one-hour visit.
- Finally, board the catamaran for the 30-minute return cruise to Auke Bay, where you'll take a short scenic drive to the famous Mendenhall Glacier.
- At the Visitor Center you'll have the opportunity to talk with Forest Service interpreters and learn about the awesome force of glacial ice. You'll have the opportunity to take pictures and explore the various exhibits and trails during your approximately one-hour visit.
- Conclude your tour on a 20-minute narrated drive back to Juneau Harbor and the ship.
Sure... it was a 6.5 hour excursion with a newly walking 15 month old....but what could possibly go wrong?! (Teehee.)
You'll see in the above picture that we were MUCH better prepared for this all day adventure. We brought both baby carriers, tons of food and toys, proper clothing... We were ready!!
This was the only morning that we went to the Beach Blanket Buffet for breakfast. I knew that we needed some serious fuel for this big day. I do have the habit of turning into a major crankopatamus without enough food.
I was really pleased with the service at the BBB. When I was trying to balance a couple beverages and my tray, a crew member helped me carry them to our table and then went to get us coffee. The buffet offered many different options and I appreciated being able to try to feed William a variety of different foods... including more smoked salmon! That baby loves smoked salmon.
The Best of Juneau left at 9 AM. A few other different tours were also loaded onto our bus, as there were tours that just included the whale watching and lunch.
To be honest, I didn't do much research on Juneau, because for me- this day wasn't about the city, but the overall modern-day Alaskan experience. Yippee! Juneau definitely feels like the most modern of the ports we stopped at on our cruise.
Within a few minutes, we were driving by city hall with it's gorgeous mural depicting Tlingit mythology of creation in which Raven discovers mankind in a clam shell. I had this overwhelming feeling that it was going be a great day.
Our bus driver joked, as all drivers do, and told us a bit about the history of the Juneau-Douglas bridge (or Douglas-Juneau bridge...depending on who you ask) and he pointed out bald eagles, which filled me with the excitement of a small child, despite the fact that I had seen bald eagles in the wild before, BUT... these were ALASKAN Bald Eagles!!
Per promised, in less then 30 minutes, we arrived at a floating dock to board the fantastic St. Juvenaly.
The boat was quite spacious. There was plenty of room for a little walker to fall, I mean..walk... around the boat. I would love to say that we planned it that way, but it was just a happy happening. This whale watching experience was perfect for a little person. I'm glad we weren't on a small boat and Andrew remarked that he wouldn't have liked how the small boats REALLY rocked when everyone scurried to one side to see wildlife.
And the views were quite expansive.
This was just from sitting in our seats. Isn't the mountain range stunning? It would have been a beautiful ride, even if we hadn't seen whales.
The St. Juvenaly provided two sets of very nice binoculars to borrow and maps on every bench. They also provided free hot chocolate, coffee and pastries in the back (in front of the two very nice lavatories. You didn't forget that I had a bathroom fixation, did you?)
In fact, William was too fixated on his free pastry here to look up for our family picture:
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