Juneau Mendenhall Glacier Excursion Reviews

We did this on our own. Great way to spend 2 hours

Provider: Independent Operator

Great tour, good tour guide, and beautiful beyond my expectations! We even saw bears in September!

Provider: Princess Cruises

Another awesome sight, for this Florida Girl and her hubby. We got about 20 minutes to roam around the visitors center, plus walk out near the "beach" part of the lake, took pictures, etc. Again, tour guide was well informed of the area. Enjoyed!

Provider: Holland America Line

After lunch we went to the glacier, which is spectacular.

Provider: Holland America Line

Our glacier tour was combined with a whale-watching excursion and it was focused on photography. Our guide was an experienced photographer and she helped us each set our cameras so we could get the best possible images of the glacier. But the highlight of this stop was getting to see a black bear sow fishing in the creek along with her two cubs!

Provider: Princess Cruises

Due to a storm we couldnt do glacier bay. (the one day we had rain in two weeks!)so we really liked seeing this smaller glacier up close.

Provider: Princess Cruises

What a wonderful view, this was my first glacier. The blue ice is something to see.

Provider: Norwegian Cruise Line

Mendenhall Glacier was really beautiful, but we didn't have enough time there. The tour gave us one hour from the time we got off the bus til we had to be back on. That was not enough time. If you take a tour bus there and want plenty of time to hike around, be aware you don't have to get back on the bus. The rangers inside the visitor center can call a taxi for you so you can stay later. I wish we had known that. We would have walked all the way out to Nugget Falls instead.

Provider: Holland America Line

It was basically just a ride to the glaciar but for what it was at the price it was fine.

Provider: Independent Operator

After brief drive through city, arrived at Mendenhall Glacier where we had around 1 hour to check out the glacier, which was amazing! Saw mother black bear & 2 cubs as a bonus. The Information centre there had very good displays and also gave good view of the glacier from higher up. Also went to the Salmon Hatchery and had the Alaskan Salmon bake which were interesting & yummy!

Provider: Holland America Line

In Juneau: It rained alot, which we were told, if you go to Juneau, expect rain. We took a whale watching boat (holds about 120 people). We did see some hump back whales, but no breaches, but that is the luck of the draw. Sometimes they breach and mostly they don't. We had a good red salmon lunch at Orca Point which is an island restuarant. We also took a bus over to the Mendenhall Glacier and adjacent water fall. This was a beautiful area, and there is a gift shop and you can walk over to a creek and see 18 inch or more salmon swimming in the clear water.

Provider: Holland America Line

Fantastic!

Provider: Princess Cruises

Absolutely breathtaking. A bit of walking around involved. A very 'structured' access to the glacier. Nice photo ops here. An educational film and a museum like atmosphere and gift shop. Cold wet and raining while we were there in mid August.

Provider: Royal Caribbean International

Vessel docked in Juneau, most stores near harbor are owned by cruise lines. Got on a bus and headed to magnificent Medenhall Glacier National Park. Well worth the visit.

Provider: Holland America Line

Since we had already helicoptered to glacier, we went independently and had a very enjoyable time at the visitors' center and hiking the trails. The shuttle service was fine. The only problem I observed was at the glacier bus stop, some people who were there ten minutes before us and way before others arrived (they had just missed the last bus) almost didn't get a seat on the bus because late comers crowded in front of them. Maybe there should be some kind of "get a ticket" system there.

Provider: Independent Operator

it was fun excursion we were suppose to go on whales, bears and glacier but our bear part of the tour got cancelled due to weather which sucked didnt understand why we seen tons of helicopters and planes flying around but they still seemed to cancel ours which sucked! the glacier park was cool the glacier was breath taking we ended up taking a small hike and came across a mother black bear and her cubs eating salmon in the creek that was really neat

Provider: Princess Cruises

Beautiful sight. I wish we had more time to see it. The whale watching combo left us with little time

Provider: Norwegian Cruise Line

The city tour included the trip to Mendenhall where our guide dropped us at the visitor's center parking lot which is as close as traffic can get to the glacier. On the way he also stopped for us to take photos at an area where the glacier was in the background and the area in front was full of wild flowers, which was nice of him. He gave us the option of returning to town with him in about 45 minutes or taking any MGT bus back into town either before or after his return (the tour operator had told us that our tour ticket gave us the option of using the MGT bus for travel back from the glacier if we preferred). We were able to walk forward to view the glacier which was quite impressive even from a distance. We then began to walk one of the trails that would bring us even closer to Mendenhall and got some good views. We didn't go quite as close as we could as we figured that we needed to return with our Regrettably when we got back to town we only had about 45 minutes left before we had to be back on board the ship and that seemed a little too short in which to attempt the tram ride, so we had to pass which was a pity since it was such a beautiful day.driver if we were to have any chance of going up on the Mt. Robert's Tramway. In retrospect I think I should have chosen an excursion which accessed the glacier by canoe.

Provider: Independent Operator

Great view of this glacier from the well equipped visitor centre. There is also a pretty water-fall to walk to or just view.

Provider: Celebrity Cruises

City tour was ok and took us to Douglas Island. We also went past the governor's mansion, capitol, etc. It was ok but not really too exciting. The mendenhall glacier was nice. Next time I will just book a bus to go to the glacier. We didn't have enough time to walk over to the Nugget Falls because of the time taken for the city tour. Cost was $30 but bargained the guy down to $25. For just the glacier RT bus ticket, it would have been $16 so I figured an additional $9 for the city tour part wouldn't be too bad but oh well.

Provider: Independent Operator

Great quick trip to Mendenhall without having to return to town to get to the whale watch.

Provider: Independent Operator

Glacier was gorgeous, my only complaint is our visit was an add on from the Whale Watching company and we only had 30 minutes there. There is a huge, beautiful waterfall about a 45 minute walk away that I would have loved to visit.

Provider: Independent Operator

I did the Nature Trail and Whale Watch and it was great -- we saw a bear and lots of whales including bubble feeding. It was a little pricy. This was a last minute decision and my alternative was to take the shuttle bus from the boat to the glacier, hike around and then go to the museums in town. If you do the glacier on your own make sure you find the boardwalks away from the visitor center on the far side of the parking lot - that's where we saw the bear.

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

The tour allowed for 1 1/4 hrs here. We walked to Nugget Falls we're we enjoyed the glacier and falls. This glacier was larger, but not as beautiful as the Sawyer glaciers we had seen earlier in the day. The Visitors' Center was interesting. We spotted black bears on the viewing area near the parking lot.

Provider: Holland America Line

A long hike, not for the weak of heart or out of shape. They said it was 3/4 of a miles but it was 2-3 miles at least. But it was so gorgeous, i tool over 100 photos on this hike to the glacier. We would definitely do it again

Provider: Celebrity Cruises

We took a brief city tour which ended at the Mendenhall Glacier. That was a spectacular sight and again, Alaskan scenery is just amazing and almost too beautiful for words. Our best cruise ever in terms of natural, rugged beauty.

Provider: Royal Caribbean International

Knowledgeable guides, pleasant, well organized

Provider: Holland America Line

I loved the Mendenhall Glacier, it's an absolutely beautiful area. While we were there, there were bear, eagle and salmon sightiings. We spent about 2 hours at the park, taking the hike to the waterfall as well as the salmon runs.

Provider: Independent Operator

We loved visiting Mendenhall Glacier, but felt a bit rushed with only having an hour to spend there.

Provider: Princess Cruises

This was a real plus. The Mendenhall Glacier is beautiful. We saw a bear and her two cubs walking the creek.

Provider: Independent Operator

We just bought tickets to ride the hourly shuttle up to the glacier and back. We weren't rushed and wandered around on our own. It was great!

Provider: Independent Operator

Fun! The tour guide was very funny and engaging. Loved this part of the trip.

Provider: Independent Operator

We bought shuttle tickets at the dock and enjoyed our visit to Mendenhall Glacier. The shuttle makes it easy to visit the glacier and spend whatever amount of time you choose exploring.

Provider: Independent Operator

Took a local shuttle to the glacier. Hiked to the glacier and spent time in the visitors center. Took a taxi to a local garden, and then took the local bus back to the harbor. There was road construction, so the guidance that we were given about the bus routes was out of date.

Provider: Independent Operator

The trip to the Mendenhall Glacier was nice, but the mosquitoes were numerous and huge. I did not experience any bites, but they were a bit bothersome.

Provider: Independent Operator

After reading a lot of other cruise reviews, we decided to forgo any "paid" tours to the glacier and just jumped on a $16 round trip shuttle. These are lined up after the short walk into town and run every half hour. We walked the trail to Nugget Falls as well as a couple other trails and spent the better part of our afternoon here. Despite the rain it was absolutely incredible. I cannot stress how beautiful this location is. Don't let the word "hike" discourage you either - the main trails were flat and easily navigated. Those with limited mobility may struggle, but most can handle the main trails with ease. We had the whole place to ourselves for about the first hour before the tour buses arrived - yet another reason to skip the paid excursion. Even with the constant rain and coldish temperatures this was a high light of the trip.

Provider: Independent Operator

I'd give 5 stars for the great view. But once you've seen the views for a half hour or so, you are left with either walking trails (it was rainy, windy and cold so I did not) or just sitting around and waiting for your bus to take you back. I ended up taking a taxi back to the town because there was no way I could find anything enjoyable to do at the site for an additional two hours. Juneau has some fun shops and restaurants. Beware: this site is packed. Photos are hard to come by given the number of persons congregating around photogenic areas. The indoor center is even more packed when rainy and cold. If you don't like crowds, I'd see how many ships are in port that day and decide whether or not this site is for you. There were three ships in port on this day and this site could barely handle the crowds.

Provider: Norwegian Cruise Line

Awesome. Helicopter to glacier then walked for hour. Guide beyond excellent. She was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable. This is not to e missed.

Provider: Holland America Line

Juneau continued with the trend of overcast conditions, and once again, we had no big plans other than to take the MGT bus out to Mendenhall Glacier for a hike. We enjoyed a nice hike out to the waterfall and then hiked one of the shorter loop trails, just missed a close encounter with a bear, but did see a porcupine in a tree. After a couple hours we made our way back to walk around town and do some quick souvenir shopping. Before we boarded the ship, we headed over to Tracy's Crab Shack for an ice cold Alaskan beer and some very tasty crab cakes! As we sailed out of Juneau (10pm), some of the locals who live along the waterfront put on a display of fireworks as each shipped passed in front of their houses, which was neat to watch.

Provider: Independent Operator

If you're just doing a cruise, this is the most accessible glacier to see. It was easy catching the bus, and the hike to the foot of the falls was fairly easy. The Visitor Center has an informative film, and exhibits, as well as telescopes trained on the Dall Sheep on the mountain slopes.

Provider: Independent Operator

Mendenhall glacier was phenomenal. Just went to the visitor center, and then walked up to the falls by the glacier and took some spectacular pictures. It was surreal to be so close to a glacier. And almost made up for missed Helicopter Glacier landing tour.

Provider: Independent Operator

Mendenhall Glacier was very impressive. Especially the waterfall coming from Mendehall Lake. You will probably have only 45 min. at Mendenhall, I recommend taking the trail to the waterfall as soon as you get off the bus.

Provider: Norwegian Cruise Line

great experience on a small boat tour, followed by a stop at Mendenhall

Provider: Independent Operator

This was about a half hour visit on the way back from whale watching. It's a very pretty spot with an awesome glacier and a beautiful waterfall.

Provider: Independent Operator

Gorgeous area. Great trails that take you to salmon breeding areas. We saw lots of salmon. The Glacier is magnificent.

Provider: Independent Operator

Our first stop was Juneau on July 30th2012, with an excursion via "Blue Bus" to Mendenhall Glacier. The only way into Alaska's capital is by sea or air as no roads leave or come into Juneau! The weather along Alaskan coasts is typically overcast often including rain or snow in various volumes depending on the season. Weather in Alaska is changeable in a moment so one must be prepared. A bus driver ventured it had snowed on July 17th but the weather calendar did not reflect such an occurrence. I was not in Juneau on July 17th so I can't validate the driver's claim. Having noted the notorious weather- Alaska provides majestic sights regardless of the weather! So it was this date- misting rain fell as we stepped off of the bus at the park. The driver advised the walking routes in and around the glacier are considered mild to strenuous, my wife & I opted for the milder walk in light of the wet walking surfaces. We decided to include the glacier museum to momentarily get out of the rain. The temporary respite from the rain and the museum displays made the $3 per person price of admission well worth it. A few hours later and while returning to the bus stop we visited a stream side observation point in the park to see Sockeye Salmon spawning. A nearby Park Ranger explained the Salmon would complete their spawning run and die but would be replaced by Silver & King Salmon later in the season. Additionally, he pointed out an adjacent stream side trail used by hungry bears to snare the spawning Salmon. This excursion was the least expensive of the cruise yet thoroughly enjoyable!

Provider: Independent Operator

Good experience but needed to ferret-out information

Provider: Holland America Line

Fourth part of the trip. A flight over the Mendenhall glacier. This was awesome with on 5 of us in the small plane - I even sat next to the pilot. On criticism is that it would have been better if we had been supplied with headphones so the people in the back could have heard the pilot.

Provider: Princess Cruises

Booked online with Mendenhall Glacier Transport LTD. Excellent tour of Juneau and of the glacier with special visit to the Presbyterian Chapel by the Lake at Auke Bay Alaska. The window view of the glacier from inside the chapel is worth the trip. Plus you can stay and visit at the glacier as long as you would like and then return on the Blue Glacier Express that departs from Mendenhall Glacier every 1/2 hour.

Provider: Independent Operator

The trip to the Mendenhall Glacier was a bit rushed. I did walk out to the Glacier, but our group was getting ready to depart when I got back from my hike. Our whale watching, lunch, and trip to the Glacier were all part of one package trip.

Provider: Princess Cruises

My husband has been watching too much HD National Geographic channel and so he found the Mendenhall Glacier tame. It does just lie there... melting. This is not the walls of ice calving into a dark ocean type of glacier. The visitor's center is well appointed and the trails are pretty.

Provider: Celebrity Cruises

A great experience and photo expedition. We had an excellent guide and photographer that was friendly and very knowlegeable.

Provider: Princess Cruises

I enjoyed Mendehall Glacier more than Hubbard. The whole day went off smoothly and I felt I got my money's worth.

Provider: Celebrity Cruises

Fabulous and watch the video in the visitors lounge

Provider: Princess Cruises

Standard cruise ship port town, jewellery and souvenir stores with jacked up prices and hyenas waiting to sell you a trinket. People we met on the ship looked at a necklace that started at $16,000 who then haggled it down to $3,000. They didn't buy it. We went to the Mendehall Glacier by taxi - which was awesome.

Provider: Independent Operator

Rained all day!! Glacier and walk to Nugget Falls were worth getting wet for. Mt Robert's Tramway shrouded in mist so no point in going up. Got so wet had to go back to the ship and change.

Provider: Independent Operator

Great staff on tours, enjoyable photo safari on combo whale watch/ Mendenhall Glacier tour, but too pricey for the actual excursion. Princess price gouging!

Provider: Princess Cruises

Because of the excursion we took we were only here for an hour. Very disappointing. I wish we could have stayed longer. It was beautiful and there were trails that lead to the glacier and waterfall that I wanted to take but did not have time.

Provider: Disney Cruise Line

An absolute must! The glacier was beautiful, and for someone like me who is from Florida, it's truly something spectacular to see.

Provider: Celebrity Cruises

Mendenhall Glacier is well worth seeing. We walked the trail to the glacier and waterfall.

Provider: Celebrity Cruises

Our bus driver was a woman and did a great job telling us about area as she drove us to sites. We enjoyed seeing the Glacier but wished we had had more time. There was a trail we could have walked to get closer to Glacier but did not have the time. There was also movie in visitor center and again we did not have time to see. Beautiful site, 'tho

Provider: Princess Cruises

The trip to Mendenhall glacier was great. Our driver/guide was so much fun and everyone had a good time on the way there and back to the ship. He made up for the lack of a guide for 45 minutes in the morning. On the way to the glacier we saw lots of bald eagles. We only had 45 minutes at the glacier so there wasn't enough time to even view the film, much less walk to see the waterfall or glacier. We did walk on a short trail but hurried back due to time constraints.

Provider: Disney Cruise Line

We enjoyed being driven to the glacier and getting to see it. We didn't get much time but it was beautiful. Our guide was very nice and told us lots of interesting things about the area so that was nice! There is nothing to do in Juneau itself other than tourist-trap shopping so we were glad we took this tour.

Provider: Celebrity Cruises

We enjoyed hiking to the waterfall & glacier base (45min round trip), but at $39pp you may want to just buy tickets for the express bus when you get off the ship-$16pp round trip. Our driver did provide good commentary; not sure if you get that on the bus.

Provider: Princess Cruises

Self tour, we went a couple of days earlier, rented a car and independently travelled.

Provider: Independent Operator

Outstanding!

Provider: Norwegian Cruise Line

The trip to Mendenhall glacier was nice and the bus trip was on one of their regular buses. The glacier is spectacular!

Provider: Independent Operator

got off the ship and bought a ticket for $30 for the glacier tour. Our guide was from Juneau and gave us a city tour as well. Fascinating landlocked city, and the glacier is not to be missed

Provider: Independent Operator

Best tour we have ever taken.

Provider: Independent Operator

Great river rafting tour...Mendenhall Glacier and River Got up close and personal with an iceberg Rapids class (3-4) Fun paddling!

Provider: Royal Caribbean International

Rode the blue bus to the Glacier. Very nicely marked trails to the glacier and for salmon and bear watching. Informative sessions at the pavilion and at the visitor center.

Provider: Independent Operator

There are no words to express the awesome beauty and magnitude of the Mendenhall Glacier. I came home with more pictures of this than anything else I saw. It was just spectacular. I recommend this for anyone visiting Alaska. I definitely would go back just to stand there and look at it.

Provider: Norwegian Cruise Line

Last year I walked the Nugget trail to water fall. I was snapping away with my two Canon camera's. When I got to the falls we lost the beautiful sunshine and clouds and rain began to fall. I wanted to change my batteries so I opened camer and to my horror I did not have a flash card. Bith of my camera's were missing thier flash cards. I remember emoving them the night before. I have a lot of flash cards. so a lot of my photo on way back has rain drops on the lens or they are dark and glommy. You must come here. I walked about half way again but it started to pour so I turned around and headed back

Provider: Holland America Line

There is a waterfall at the base of Mendenhall Glacier. It's an easy walk and about 45 minutes round trip. It's awe inspiring. Please go if you can. To see the force and volume of water is amazing. There were trails, but we only had an hour so we didn't get to explore any of them. You can leave all your stuff on the bus while you treck around if you want. There were so many things we wanted to do in Juneau, but the tour we took was all day. I don't regret choosing that one at all!

Provider: Princess Cruises

The whale watching was incredible. You get really close to them and get some spectacular view. You also get to see seals and sea lions. We missed the orcas but the group that went in the afternoon got to see them.

Provider: Princess Cruises

Mendenhall Glacier is a beautiful, and easy to reach park. It's a short drive outside of Juneau. There are many enjoyable hikes, and the viewing areas are numerous and wheelchair accessible. We enjoyed the Nugget Falls trail, taking us right to the huge waterfall beside the glacier.

Provider: Independent Operator

The visitor's center was interesting with great views of the glacier. We also enjoyed the movie inside.

Provider: Independent Operator

WE did the Mendenall Glacier with the Salmon bake. It would have been nice if it had not been 40 degrees and raining. The food at the Salmon bake was very good but we ate quickly because it was raining and cold. We took some pictures at the glacier but my camera got wet.

Provider: Celebrity Cruises

We booked an excursion with M and M Tours in Juneau prior to the cruise. The sister-in-law went to Jr. High with one of the drivers, and she arranged for him to take us. There were a total of 8 people on the tour and it was perfect. A tour of the city, Mendenhall Glacier, and the shrine outside of town. The 2 hour tour was very reasonable, intimate and Kenny the driver was very knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this AND Kenny. If you have the opportunity, look at the photo's that he has taken and his music CD's. We took the Mt. Roberts Arial Tram and had lunch at the top of the mountain. The weather was not cooperating, but the ride up through the clouds was breathtaking. The clouds parted several times and we were able to get some great photo's.

Provider: Independent Operator

The Mendenhall glacier was great. We took a lot of pics and video. The are several easy hiking trails and the scenery is beautiful.

Provider: Royal Caribbean International

Juneau was my favorite stop on this cruise, having close by access to shopping, the tram and numerous tour choices on the pier. If you wish to see the glacier, you do not need to book the excursion on the trip. For $16 return trip, you can take a bus to the glacier and waterfalls, that runs every 30 minutes. The visitor center has an admission charge, but you do not need to enter if you are only interested in photo ops, or hiking. It is a spectacular place to visit, and the short hike to the waterfall is well worth it. Other things to see is the governors house and the Alaska State museum, all which are within walking distance and easy to find by following the signage in town. I did not get to see the museum, as it was time to go back to the ship for dinner.

Provider: Independent Operator

They take you to a glacier viewing area by bus, however they do not allow enough time to walk down to a waterfall which is the closest you can get to the glacier. If you attempt this you definitely cannot go into the visitor's center. Our tour included a visit to a garden center with an overlook which was a waste of time except for the blueberry hot chocolate which was excellent.

Provider: Celebrity Cruises

Again, a great experience. My first up-close encounter with a glacier. Magnificent!

Provider: Holland America Line

We enjoyed the Glacier and hiked down to the waterfall. This is at least a 45 minute hike, depending on how long you spend taking pictures and sightseeing. Visitor center is informative. After the Glacier, we did the MT Roberts tram. The views are spectacular. Besides for the tram/visitor center on the top, there is a restaurant, nature center and 3.1 miles of trails. There was still considerable snow on top so we only ventured maybe 200 yards past the nature center to see the scenery from the wooden overlook platforms.

Provider: Norwegian Cruise Line

Northstar Trekking Level 1 tour - worth every penny (as I had read others say before I went). The young folks who work here were very delightful, accommodating, and friendly adn know their stuff! Helicopter flight was amazing! GO!

Provider: Princess Cruises

Rain Forest and Mendenhall Glacier - it was a GREAT Tour, I would highly recommend it! Great fun!

Provider: Holland America Line

We did this on our own after being dropped off there by the Harv and Marv whale watching tour. Fabulous! Walk down to the waterfall and the lake to get closer to the glacier. An easy 20 minute walk one way.

Provider: Independent Operator

Unfortunately, we got off the ship late which pushed everything back. We only had little time at the glacier (it was after 7 pm when we arrived and had to be back on board the bus at 8). We had less than an hour at the site and did not have any time to go into the town without the risk of being late for the ship.

Provider: Princess Cruises

We did the Helicopter/Glacier Trekking Tour. This was our FAVORITE!! Great guides, amazing scenery, good information provided, and professional pilots.

Provider: Princess Cruises

Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls was amazingly beautiful.

Provider: Independent Operator

Time at the Glacier was way too short not enough time to take a short hike and visit the center. Tram ride was also part of the package and that was great!

Provider: Celebrity Cruises

The glacier was impressive and one of the rare chances to see one up so close. I wish we had more time to go to the visitor center as those that did said that it was very nice with a great video about the glacier. It was at the end of our whale watching tour, but so glad we got the opportunity to see it!

Provider: Independent Operator

Beautiful Glacier and Waterfall ect. Take the walk out to the glacier. Allow a little time for this. Scenary is just awesome. Eagles.

Provider: Independent Operator

This was a great scenic attraction, but the visit to Glacier Bay was so much better.

Provider: Independent Operator