Are you going on an Alaska cruise and making a stop at Juneau? Are you on a budget and looking for affordable shore excursions? Compared to other cruise destinations, Alaska cruise shore excursions are notoriously expensive- dog sledding and whale watching are over $200 per person, and experiences like glacier seaplane and helicopter rides are over $400 per person! Unfortunately, these prices are way more than what I was willing to pay for shore excursions for my family of four. Below, I will share how I was able to find affordable Alaska cruise shore excursions in Juneau for my family.
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How to Book Juneau Shore Excursion on the Cheap
In order to save money, I decided not to book our shore excursions through the cruise line. Instead, I waited until we arrived at the port to book a tour.
Juneau happens to be one of those cruise ports where there are many tour booths right at the port. As soon as you walk off your cruise ship, you will see many booths where you can buy tickets for various tours. That’s where we ended up booking our last minute tour.
A Warning About Last Minute Tours
While it may seem like a good idea to buy tours from the booths right at the cruise port, just know that it can backfire. Waiting to buy last-minute tours in Juneau is risky because the tours may be sold out. In fact, that’s exactly what happened to us with whale watching.
What we really wanted to do in Juneau was to go whale watching. But at over $200 per person through the cruise line, it was too expensive. I thought I’d risk it and see if I could book a cheaper whale watching tour at the last minute at the port. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the cruise port, all the tour operators selling whale watching tours were sold out. It was partly our fault for not getting off the cruise ship early. But I knew the risk of trying to go on tours last minute, there is a high chance of tours being sold out.
As a result, we had no choice but to book an alternative tour. After walking around and talking to different tour vendors, we decided to join a tour that visited both the Mendenhall Glacier and the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery.
Affordable Shore Excursions in Juneau
Mendenhall Glacier
Mendenhall Glacier is an easy and affordable shore excursion from the cruise port. You can find tour operators at the cruise port that will take you to the glacier.
The tour bus ride from the cruise port to the glacier took about 25 minutes. The tour was self-guided, meaning they dropped us off and instructed us on when and where to catch the bus back.
It was nice to be able to independently explore the glacier on our own. It was an easy walk, but with kids, it felt like a bit of a trek to reach the actual glacier.
If you’re hoping to walk on the glacier, you don’t. You only see the glacier from a viewing area but you don’t actually get to walk on it. To my surprise, it wasn’t as imposing as one might imagine a glacier to be. Sadly, it was a partially melted glacier. But I still think it’s worth visiting. It was amazing to be so close to a real-life glacier.
We also saw a lot of salmon in the streams on our walk to the glacier since we were there during the salmon spawning season. It was truly amazing to see.
Our first stop was at the visitor’s center, where we watched a video and got the kids an activity book to earn their Junior Ranger Badge. To be honest, the Junior Ranger activity book was both a blessing and a curse. It kept my kids so engaged that they were more interested in completing it than in looking at the glacier!
We ended up spending a disproportionate amount of time in the viewing area, since my kids refused to leave until they finished the activity book! So, if you are planning to have your kids participate in earning a Junior Ranger badge, just make sure you allocate enough time for that.
The Park Rangers were kind, and my kids were thrilled to receive their certificates. Overall, my kids really enjoyed the Junior Ranger program at Mendenhall Glacier; without it, I don’t think they would have liked it as much.
Salmon Hatchery
Our bus also dropped us off at Macaulay Salmon Hatchery. Again, it was a self-guided tour. Observing the salmon hatchery in action was a great learning experience for the kids. We got to see the salmon swimming up the salmon ladder! The glass viewing window was unique because it allowed us to see the salmon swimming against the current to spawn.
Inside the hatchery, thousands of baby salmon were in large fish tanks and aquariums, which the kids found captivating. And, the indoor visitor’s center had many interesting exhibits, including a life-sized bear display, a bald eagle display, and touch tanks.
Just know that it’s a small place, so if you can’t find a tour that will take you to the salmon hatchery, I’d say don’t worry about skipping it.
Whale Project Park
Our bus tour stopped at The Whale Project Park, home to a life-like whale sculpture fountain. It was a small park with amazing views of Juneau and the cruise ships!
The nice thing is that if you take a picture of the whale, it could easily pass for a real whale breaching the water. You can easily fool people and pretend you went whale watching!
Even if you don’t take a bus tour, you can easily walk from downtown to the park.
Red Dog Saloon
Our bus tour dropped us off at the Red Dog Saloon, a very popular tourist spot to grab a bite. The moment you step inside, you feel like you’ve traveled back to the mining era, with its swinging doors and floors covered in sawdust. Do visit it if you get the chance!
Shops in Downtown Juneau
The nice thing about Juneau is that the downtown is within a short walk from the cruise port. From the Red Dog Saloon, we worked our way exploring the numerous souvenir shops, galleries, and restaurants downtown before heading back to our cruise ship.
GoldBelt Tram (Mount Roberts Tram)
The GoldBelt tram is a convenient activity to do in Juneau as a backup in case the tour you want is sold out. You can’t miss it. The moment you step off the cruise ship, you’ll see the red tram. The ticket booth is right outside the cruise ship near the tour kiosk booths.
The tram ride is just 6 minutes and takes you to the peak of Mount Roberts, where you’ll find a restaurant, shop, and theater. The view is breathtaking, and you might even spot some bald eagles. What’s great is that the tram tickets are for unlimited rides, so if you have kids who enjoy it, you can ride multiple times.
More Tips for Booking Alaska Shore Excursions
If you’re considering following in my footsteps and going for the budget route, just be aware that there’s a chance you might end up with no tour at all! If you want to play it safe, you might want to book tours in advance through Viator. Their tour prices are usually cheaper compared to the cruise line’s tours. Plus, if you are a large group, you should price out the private tours on Viator, it might actually come out less expensive.
And if you’re planning to wing it and book a tour at the Juneau tour booths, just make sure you get there early. The earlier, the better because you will have a better chance of getting a tour that is not sold out! Check out my Alaska cruise packing list (free printable checklist)
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