Location:
Marine Park, Ferry Terminal or S. Franklin Dock are the three cruise terminals of Juneau. Ships may anchor and tender passengers to town when more than three ships are docked. All within easy walking distance to town.
At the base of grand mountain peaks and at the pristine waterfront of the Gastineau Channel is Juneau, Alaska’s Peak Experience.
Alaska’s capital city, Juneau is located in Southeast Alaska. The Tongass Rain forest climate provides Juneau with lush terrain and vibrant wildflowers. Early settlers included miners during Alaska’s gold rush and Russian fur traders. The Tlingit and Haida Indians were the first settlers to our area. Native Alaska influence is prominent today in Juneau.
Juneau offers unparalleled glacier viewing from Tracy Arm Fjord, Mendenhall Glacier, the Juneau Ice field and Glacier Bay National Park. Outdoor enthusiasts will love Juneau’s extraordinary kayaking, dog sledding, rafting, biking, hiking and glacier hiking. Winter enthusiasts will enjoy snowboarding and downhill, cross-country and heli-skiing.
Abundant salmon and halibut fishing is also available minutes from downtown. Wilderness cabins and fishing lodges cater to anglers seeking the remote Alaska fishing experience.
Juneau flight seeing excursions feature spectacular scenery. Incredible wildlife inhabits areas in and around Juneau.
Nearby Admiralty Island National Monument, features one of the largest concentrations of brown bear in the world. Icy Strait offers unprecedented whale watching.
Mendenhall Glacier – When in Juneau take a regular $2 bus ($4 round trip) from the center of town, where the boats dock, to the Mendenhall Glacier park. You can pay the driver in cash or buy two tickets at one of the many kiosks on the dock. Although you can’t get right up to the glacier, you get a great view of it and the visitors’ center is very informative. Or take the tour buses they are a very good value, give an interesting commentary, several stops. Yes, you load in the parking area near the tram. Booths line the sidewalks. It is an hour round trip, dock to Mendenhall. 20 minute ride in each direction
Tours/Excursions/Transportation:
Juneau is an easy walking town.
It rains a lot here, as Juneau is located in a rain forest.
It’s fairly easy to get to key attractions beyond downtown, such as Mendenhall Glacier, without renting a car. Numerous shuttle services offer inexpensive round trip rides. Inquire at the tourist kiosks lined up along the cruise docks.
The Mount Roberts Tramway climbs from 27 to 2000 feet bringing you into a pristine alpine environment in just six minutes. At the top you will find trails, an observatory, nature center, restaurant, bar, theater and two gift shops. It is right on the pier. when you get off the ship you will see it.
Behind Juneau lies the Juneau Ice field. Helicopter and floatplane tours are available.
Glacier Bay National Park & Gustavus
Located just 37 miles west of Juneau, the homestead community of Gustavus is the entry point for Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve. With no road access, Gustavus is easily accessible by year round scheduled commuter air service and during the summer by a scenic three-hour ferry ride or a 14-minute flight on a Alaska Airline 737 jet. The area is famous for its incredible country inns and lodges, most of which offer high levels of personal service and outstanding gourmet meals. Visitors to Gustavaus, population 386, can stay in the community or within the Park. During the day there are opportunities to take a day cruise into Glacier Bay National Park, fish for salmon or halibut, watch whales at Point Adolphus, or even play golf on the most scenic course in Alaska. Mountain bike and sea kayak adventures are also available.
Skagway
Located northeast of Juneau is Skagway, home of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and the beginning of the world-renowned Chilkoot Trail. Visitors to Skagway can retrace the steps of the Klondike Gold Rush miners by climbing the Chilkoot Trail or taking the famous White Pass and Yukon Railroad, which follows the Dead Horse trail. The railroad is one of the few narrow gauge railroads left in the world. Much of downtown Skagway has been restored to its turn of the century splendor. One of only three communities in Southeast Alaska accessible by road, daily ferry service during the summer is provided by the Alaska Marine Highway System (6 hours) or commercial fast ferry service (2 hours). Convenient scheduled commuter air connections are also available.
Haines
Northwest of Juneau, just ten miles west of Skagway is Haines, Alaska. Former home of Ft. Seward, Alaska’s first army post, was built 1903 to protect northern Lynn Canal’s deep-water ports. Also located in Haines is the 48,000-acre Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. The preserve is home to 250 pairs of resident eagles; however, from November to March bald eagle numbers increase dramatically to 4,000. Also located on the road system, Haines is accessible by the Alaska Marine Highway System (4 _ hours), commercial fast ferry (summer season 2 hours) and scheduled commuter air service.
Crewmembers will find incredible specialty shops featuring limited edition designer jewelry and beautiful Native Alaska design jewelry. Native carved silver bracelets with totemic designs are also popular items from our region. These bracelets will usually bear the animal representation of the wearer’s moiety and clan house.
Sculpture and carved totem poles are popular art pieces for discriminating collectors of Alaskan artwork. Totems were created to tell the stories of Alaska’s Native people. Totemic designs also adorn bent wood boxes, ceremonial paddles and Tlingit halibut hooks.
The official U.S. currency is the United States dollar (symbol: $). ATM’s everywhere.
Major credit cards such as Visa and MasterCard are widely used and accepted, even for transactions worth only a few dollars. In fact, in some cases, it may be the only way to make a transaction. Note to overseas visitors: Prices of goods and services always seem lower than they really are, as taxes and gratuities are seldom included.
Most states have a sales tax, ranging from 2.9% to nearly 10% of the retail price; 4-6% is typical. Sales tax is almost never included in posted prices (except for gasoline, and in most states, alcoholic beverages consumed on-premises), but instead will be calculated and added to the total when you pay.
Tipping in America is widely used and expected. While Americans themselves often debate correct levels and exactly who deserves to be tipped, generally accepted standard rates are:
- Full-service restaurants: 15-20% (Often this is the only income of the wait(ress). Tips are either left in cash or you can add it to the credit card slip) Note: Few restaurants add an automatic service charge, in which case it is up to you how much you tip extra. Check your bill!
- Taxi drivers, hairdressers, other personal services: 10-15%
- Bartenders: $1 per drink if inexpensive or 15% of total
- Bellhops: $1-2 per bag ($3-5 minimum regardless)
- Hotel doorman: $1 per bag (if they assist), $1 for calling a cab
- Shuttle bus drivers: $2-5 (optional)
- Private car & limousine drivers: 15-20%
- Housekeeping in hotels: $1-2 per day for long stays or $5 minimum for very short stays (optional)
- Food delivery (pizza, etc.): $2-5, possibly more for very large orders
The U.S. has no official language at the federal level, but English is by far the standard for everyday use. Several states have declared their official state language as English. Spanish is also official in the state of New Mexico, where it is widely spoken; French is official in Louisiana and the Hawaiian language is official in Hawaii, but neither approaches the use of English and are official for primarily historical reasons.
The Juneau Public Library, located at 292 Marine Way adjacent to the Cruise Ship Docks, offers free internet access. The library is open from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm Monday through Thursday, and from noon to 5:00 pm on Friday through Sunday.
Emergency 911
In major metropolitan areas like New York and Los Angeles, many drugstores and supermarkets are routinely open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, while department stores, shopping centers and most other large retailers are typically open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and often with shorter hours on Sundays – generally 11 a.m. or noon to 5 or 6 p.m. On holidays, the tendency is to remain open (with the exception of the most important holidays like Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day where stores are generally closed)
- New Years Day (January 1) – most businesses closed; hangovers from parties the previous night, football parties. Primarily a secular holiday, and the major celebration occurs the previous night.
- Martin Luther King Day (third Monday in January) – many government offices and banks closed; diversity-awareness programs.
- St. Valentine’s Day (February 14) – no significant closures; romantic evenings out.
- Presidents Day (third Monday in February) – (also Washington’s Birthday) – many government offices and banks closed; few observances, many stores have sales.
- St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) – no significant closures; Irish-themed parades during the day, and parties in the evening. Travelers may want to be wary of the drunken revelry and associated drunk driving crackdowns.
- Easter (a Sunday in March or April) – few significant closures; Christian religious observances.
- Passover (timing somewhat similar to Easter; lasts a week) – Jewish religious observances.
- Memorial Day (last Monday in May) – most non-retail/tourism businesses closed; some patriotic observances; extensive travel to beaches and parks; traditional beginning of summer tourism season.
- Independence Day / Fourth of July (July 4) – most businesses closed; patriotic parades, fireworks after dark.
- Labor Day (first Monday in September) – most businesses closed; extensive travel to beaches and parks; traditional ending of summer tourism season.
- Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – Jewish religious autumn holidays.
- Columbus Day (second Monday in October) – many government offices and banks closed; few observances.
- Halloween (October 31) – no significant closures – trick-or-treating and costume parties in the evening.
- Veterans Day (November 11) – many government offices and banks closed; some patriotic observances.
- Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday in November, unofficially the Friday and weekend after) – most non-retail businesses closed; family gatherings, on Friday major Christmas shopping begins.
- Christmas (December 25) – most businesses and restaurants closed the evening before and all day; exchanging gifts, Christian religious observances. If you need food from a restaurant, your best bet will be hotels and Chinese or Indian restaurants. People from non-Christian religions often go to the movies and eat at Chinese restaurants on Christmas.
Place Categories: Cruise Ports
