The next day of our cruise onboard the Brilliance of the Seas brought us to Juneau, Alaska’s capital! The morning started off with an early wake up to make sure we caught the best views of Tracy Arm Fjord and Sawyer Glacier. It was recommended by the crew and our amazing stateroom attendant that we wake up around 6 am to catch the best views. While it may seem rough to wake up this early, the views were undeniably worth it. The best views for us were between 8 am and 10 am but there was tons to see starting right around 6 and ending when we made it to Juneau in the afternoon. This is when I think the staterooms with a balcony or veranda are worth the extra upcharge. We sat on our balconies the entire morning just taking in the views and relaxing.
The views are somewhat indescribable and breathtaking but I’ll do my best to give you a preview. The fjord was so quiet and the only sounds you could hear were waves hitting the icebergs in the water and cracking of the far off glacier. The mountains surrounding the fjord made me feel so small it was overwhelming. The colors of the water were the most gorgeous clear turquoise I have ever seen, even clearer than the waters of the Caribbean. When we came closer to the glacier itself I was even more stunned. I didn’t think we could see anything bluer but the glacier proved me wrong! It was a beautiful sky blue and pictures just don’t do it justice. This would be the perfect time to have room service delivered for breakfast and enjoy your room.
After a few hours of relaxing in our rooms and enjoying the insane views all around us, we headed to the front of the ship for some coffee and a whole new set of breathtaking vistas. I would definitely recommend taking some time outside of your room and bundling up for a lap around the top deck of the ship. We hit the gym which felt great after a morning of lounging around and on our way back caught sight of towering mountains so close it felt like we could reach out and touch them. My mom snapped this squinty eyed smile picture of me because we both couldn’t believe it. It looked like the boat had smacked right into the rocks!
Once we enjoyed another lap around the ship it was time to grab some lunch and get ready for our adventures in Juneau. We had lunch at the Windjammer and made sure to carb up since kayaking was on our itinerary today. Definitely bundle up on port days because the weather can change quickly and drastically. We went from sunny and close to 70 degrees to cloudy, rainy, and in the 50s in under an hour. We grabbed our tickets for our excursions and headed to meet up with our groups in the theater. This was the same process as we followed in Sitka and it was very smooth! They led us off the boat and to our tour guides and then we were off for our next adventure!
There are tons of great options for excursions in Juneau, the most popular being anything to do with Mendenhall Glacier. My parents and uncle decided on the Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter excursion where they could actually hike on the glacier and drink the water! While this excursion is pricier than others, all three of them said it was 100% worth it. They took off on a helicopter tour around Juneau which later dropped them right on top of Mendenhall Glacier for some exploring. They were provided with a coat, pants, and boots with special spikes that allowed them to safely navigate the terrain. They had a chance to walk around the glacier and experience drinking straight from it. My mom brought us back some to try and it was amazing! Crisp, cold, and declicious!
The rest of us decided on the kayaking tour of the bay in front of the glacier. I will say we were a bit disappointed at how far away we were from the actual glacier, but with the glacier melting and water levels changing it looks different than some of the pictures available on the website. The bus ride to get to the bay where we were kayaking took about 30 minutes and once we got there we were greeted by our team that helped us get into our boots and gear for kayaking! We had to walk a little ways before going through a quick safety rundown and meeting our guide Emily, who was great! She got us started kayaking and we had an absolute blast with her.
Most of the kayaks were doubles so they will pair you up with someone if you don’t have a partner. My brother ended up kayaking with Emily. She told us all kinds of fun
facts about the area, including stopping to show us where Sarah Palin’s summer home was! We saw tons of seals and eagles as well as some orca whales which were further out in the deeper waters of the ocean, separately from us in the bay. We spent 2 hours kayaking and went as close to the glacier as we could before the water was so shallow we could touch the ground. Emily made sure everyone in our group got great pictures before we turned and headed back to shore. Once back on dry land they had some snacks for us including some smoked salmon dip which was delicious. We ditched our gear and grabbed a few more pictures before jumping on the bus back to Juneau. We got lucky and ended up on our own “private” bus since there were too many of us for the original bus. Our bus driver was so much fun and gave us tips on which shops to explore and where to eat before we would need to head back to the ship in the evening.
With our extra time in Juneau we wandered around the shops and restaurants before deciding on some Huckleberry ice cream and fudge as a snack to hold us over before dinner. There are tons of stores here so you can find the perfect souvenir to take home with you! There is a tram that takes you to a vista point to look out over Juneau but we dediced to skip this as we heard there were long wait times and it was not worth it. Once my parents finished their excursion we met up for dinner at the Alaskan Brewing Company. This was a great place for a big group and had cool views of the other docked cruise ships. If you’re a brewery fan this is a must stop. We tried a flight, some ciders, and even a house seltzer, all of which were delicious. We also tried the pretzels with beer cheese, a few sides, and the crab legs. This was the perfect meal for all of us and we really enjoyed it.
Once we finished eating around 7 pm everything seemed to be shutting down early so we stopped in one last souvenir store before walking back to the ship. There are options for buses to get back to the ship, but we actually enjoyed the walk and taking in the scenery of Juneau before getting back on board. This was easy to do, but just make sure you always have your Sea Pass card on you! We showered and changed since we were a bit sweaty from our adventures and met back up for dinner back in the dining room as we sailed away from Juneau. This excursion was one of my favorites (2nd only to our time in Ketchikan) and I would definitely recommend splitting up one day to make sure everyone gets to experience what they want!
Stay tuned for our adventures to Haines and Ketchikan before returning back to Vancouver!
Adventure is out there! -Ashley
