Exploring Juneau, Alaska: Do’s And Don’ts

Want to come whale watching while in Juneau, Alaska? Or explore it in myriad other ways on offer? Here are our recommended do’s and don’ts.

The Do’s!

1. DO feel comfortable in booking direct with a local company. We offer high quality tours at lower prices compared to the excursions booked through the cruise lines. For sure, we want to maximize your hard earned vacation dollars, and ultimately enrich your experience while in Juneau. Furthermore, booking locally will result in your tour taking place on our smaller boats and buses as well. And be rest assured, our schedules are timed impeccably around all the cruise ships’ arrivals and departures. Simply, we await your pleasure!
2. DO keep your camera ready at all times. In addition, bring extra batteries. You never know when the bald eagles will be soaring, a black bear roaming nearby, or the whales with their calves surfacing! (Actually, with the humpback whales it’s usually every 7 to 15 minutes when they come up to breathe!)
3. DO wear layers, including a waterproof jacket. As well as shoes you don’t mind getting rained on. Juneau is a temperate rainforest after all! But then again, it may be hot. So, like we said: layering is a good strategy for your Southeast Alaska travel wardrobe. See more on recommended clothing all season round.
4. DO keep a cell phone handy if at all possible. Changes can happen, and we love being able to get in touch to keep you updated. As well, our dockside sales personnel and customer service representatives downtown keep their phones on their person at all times. Indeed, they are permanently on standby to offer assistance at anytime during your tour.
5. DO be aware (and dare we say beware) of Mondays! The BUSIEST day in our 7-day week. How come? Because we receive up to five cruise ships all arriving between 12 noon and 1:00pm. For sure, there can often be delays. Also, it’s worth noting that all the shuttles–although frequent–will be standing room only for the first hour or so. That said, we do our utmost in guiding you through. Although when it becomes really crowded, we may want to hold your hand!

Without Trying To Dampen The Excitement In Store, We Also Recommend The Following Don’t:

1. DON’T try to cram too much into your day. Primarily, you are on vacation. For that reason alone, no one wants invite stress from an itinerary that’s full to bursting! Also, when dealing with travel via Southeast Alaska’s waterways, changes aren’t only possible, they are inevitable. Please be aware of your “all aboard” cruise ship window. Absolutely give yourself a comfortable buffer of time. Of course, we will support you in that as well. For example, if you dock in on a Monday and book our Glacier and Whale Watching Combination, you will get approximately half an hour at Mendenhall Glacier. We appreciate that you want more, however, don’t wish for you to have to swim and catch your cruise ship as it pulls out.

All do’s and don’ts considered, we do invite you to one of the most stunning spots in Southeast Alaska. Juneau is many things. It’s chock-full of color, contrasts and conflicts. To start, it’s the only state capital to be accessed by sea or air. And it is the only one with an international border. It boasts more miles of trails than miles of road, where the latter’s pavement leads precisely nowhere.

Juneau sits on the edge of the Alaskan Marine Highway that never freezes yet lies below an ice field that never melts. Where the city is surrounded by glaciated mountains, it clings to a dense and vivid rainforest. What’s more, there are more animals than people. Consequently, there’s more uninhibited nature than the coastal city’s population. The do’s and don’ts aside, that’s not bad for a speck-sized oasis of civilization nestled in the USA’s largest national forest. Wild Alaska you will be, when you do decide to visit Juneau. Don’t miss out: it’s a place beyond your wildest dreams.

Taken by one of our guests, July 2016.