Alaska Cruise Day 4- Juneau

Wednesday morning June 14 we docked in Juneau, capital city of Alaska. We made the mistake of trying to disembark when everyone else was- what a nightmare that was!  The lines to get off the ship were winding all the way down the hallway on one of the lower decks.  The problem was exacerbated by people coming down the stairs from other decks and jumping into the line without going to the end of the line.  When you get off the ship they scan your ID so they have a record of who has left the ship. That's what slows things down so much.  

We had another sunny day, with highs in the low 60's.  Got on the Juneau Tours bus at the dock which took us to the marina for a Whale Watch tour.  On the way there we saw a black bear, on the sidewalk by the Safeway! (this is a picture of a bear that Bill and Deb saw, also in town that day!)

The whale watching tour was on a catamaran with about 40 people on board- smooth sailing and a great day to be on the water! We saw at least 5 different humpback whales.  Our tour guides John and Amanda were great, and the captain was very good at getting us where the whales were.  Very enjoyable journey! 

Dressed for cold weather, we weren't sure what to expect on the water!

Deb and Bill opted out of this one and did a city tour instead.  
After the boat we were bused to the 18 mile long Mendenhall Glacier, where we were free to walk around and see the visitor center on our own time.  We didn't take any of the trails due to time and physical limitations. This is a definite must-see, the views of the glacier are l beautiful and the exhibits in the National Forest visitor center were great too. You can get here on your own, without  a tour. There are city buses leaving from the cruise docks all the time.

Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau

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We took the shuttle back bus to town, and stopped at the Red Dog Saloon for a beer. Sawdust floors, lots of cool things on display from the frontier days, and a 78 year old piano player who was singing raunchy songs.  A tourist trap but fun nonetheless.

We were back on the ship at 4:30, after changing we had a drink at Oceans bar, and went to the Main Dining Room for dinner (crab legs again!).  We walked around the deck for awhile and then went to a movie about Alaska with the ship's musicians providing the background music.  Back to the cabin by 9, it was a busy, fun day!