Juneau, Alaska

NCL Jewel 21-Day Transpacific Cruise Tokyo to Seattle

May 22, 2018 (Tuesday) -- Juneau, Alaska

Time in Port: 7:00 AM ~ 11:00 PM

Our ship arrived Juneau on time, before 7:00 AM. While we were having breakfast, TC, DC, and SC were already off the ship taking the public bus to the airport to pick up the rental vans that SC had reserved for the day. All we had to do was to wait on the ship until they call us to go onshore when they were ready for us. 

Sorry for the wrinkled dailies. Been carrying that around all day.

Our ship was docked right in front of the Mt. Roberts Tramway. With four ships in town, I thought we had the good fortune of being at the prime location.

After about an hour or so, the guys came back with the two vans. A Pacifica and a Sienna, both in excellent condition and pretty new. These vans can seat eight, including the driver and we got them for just around $60 a day each, a bargain indeed. We figured with a long day in port, it would be  better to have our own transportation instead of taking any tours or shuttles. The last I checked, it cost $32 per person taking the shuttles to Mendenhall Glacier and back. It would be ridiculously expensive for our group of 13 just to do that. Of course, there are public buses ($4 round trip) available which we saw many people taking but they had a long walk (about 1.5 mile) from the stop where they were dropped off to the park entrance. I would not recommend that, especially for us oldies in rainy weather. For those who wants to take the shuttles, there are many vendors in port selling last minute tickets.

Mendenhall Glacier

We did not realize that the Juneau airport was so far away from port until we drove past it on our way to the glacier. Kudos to the guys who sacrificed their sleep and got up early to pick up the vans so we could travel in comfort that day. With the long day in port, we were able to spend as much time as we wanted at each stop without worrying about catching a ride back to port. 

Several of us have the National Park passes which we brought along on this trip but nobody was checking. It was free entry for everyone. We were determined to hike the trail to Nugget Falls which we have never done before on our previous visits. 

Entering Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center area.

Following the trail to Nugget Falls.

The walk was quite easy and pleasant as we took our time admiring the natural surroundings.

Mendenhall Lake, Mendenhall Glacier, and Nugget Falls all in one shot.

This is as close as you can get to Nugget Falls.

The best place to be at the park.

Absolutely stunning!

Then we went inside the Visitor Center after trekking back on the trail.

Don't miss the movie that they show in the theater. It was beautifully done and worth your 20-minute there. For those who cannot walk the trail to the falls this would be a good place to see the whole view of the park. 

National Shrine of St. Therese

We have never visited this shrine before on all of our previous trips to Juneau because this is located quite far away from town. It's like 22 miles north from downtown Juneau. We were fortunate enough to have our vans this time so off to see this special shrine after we left Mendenhall Glacier. 

The Shrine is dedicated to St. Therese of Lisieux, the patron saint of Alaska. It is located near Shrine Creek off the Glacier Highway (7). I did not know what to expect when we walked out of the parking lot but quite pleasantly surprised by what we saw. This is a perfect location for a retreat house with serene and peaceful surroundings. 

The Shrine Chapel was built on the 'island', kind of reminded me of the lighthouse in Crescent City.

The Shrine Causeway

Sign posts along the walk to the island.

The Chapel built with beach stones at the site.

One of the many Stations of the Cross situated around the chapel.

Inside the Chapel

Holy Grounds

Whales were spotted in the channel while we were there.

The Lodge, the oldest building on the property.

They do have cabins for rent with certain limits and availability. It would be a nice experience staying here for a couple of days.

On our way back to town, I happened to see a car stopped on the other side of the highway with lights blinking. I figured there must be something happening up there. Sure enough, as we got closer, I could see a cute baby bear right up next to the highway. Unfortunately there was no place where we could stop to take pictures on this narrow stretch of Highway 7 but I certainly woke up those who were taking their naps in our van!

Chapel by the Lake

Before getting back to the ship for lunch, we stopped at the Chapel by the Lake near the University of Alaska campus. Not sure if the shuttles still take people here because we did not see any buses when we were there. We had visited this place a couple of times when we took the shuttles to Mendenhall Glacier. 

Worshiping with the beautiful view of Auke Lake.

This is a Presbyterian Church.

We got back to the ship for a late lunch at the buffet. Then gathered up again at 3:30 for our afternoon exploration.

We drove around downtown first but couldn't find parking anywhere, so we headed over to Douglas Island instead.

Looking back at the 'mainland' from Douglas Island. This could have been Suicide Falls.

Sandy Beach

Our two rental vans stopping at the Douglas Highway Parking at Homestead Park.

Homestead Park is an excellent spot to stop for photos of Juneau and the cruise ships.

All four cruise ships in town that day.

Coming back from Douglas Island, we drove north again to where the airport is and found the Fred Meyers Supermarket on the other side of the highway. We only stayed there for about half an hour because we did not find anything we needed. It rained pretty heavy when we left Fred Meyers so we thought maybe it was time for us to get back to port. We were dropped off at the pier while the guys returned the rental vans. It was a good thing that the rain stopped and we were able to do some shopping in town.

Walking up Franklin Street.

On our way back to port, we stopped at this vendor for some Filipino BBQ.

This photo does not do justice, We tried a couple of skewers and they were very delicious! They were $4 each with four or five big chunks of meat on each. Definitely worth a try.

Chin Chin

With our group all scattered around town, we decided that it would be easier to take care of dinner on our own. Some went to Tracy's Crab Shack for seafood, some went to the buffet, and for us, we wanted to try Chin Chin for the very first time.

Chin Chin is the Asian restaurant/noodle shop on the ship. Some items are complimentary but some are extra charge. It's a much more comfortable environment than the Shanghai's Noodle Bar on the Getaway with servers actually taking orders just like in the dining room. The Shanghai's Noodle Bar was more like a fast food type set up. You check off the items on the order form, turn it in and the waiters bring you the food. 

menu

I thought the cover of the menu was very pretty. 

The Sushi bar right next to Chin Chin.

Hot and Sour Soup, very good!

Egg Roll. Not bad.

Lemon Pepper Shrimp, one of the better dishes.

Combination Fried Rice, meh!

Sweet and sour pork. Oh no! Dried and tough.

Char Siu Noodle. Passable.

Spicy Seafood Udon. No, no, no! And that's not udon!

I liked their Panda Salad on the Getaway, and I liked this here also except missing the almond pieces.

Crispy Chestnut and Red Bean Triangle with Green tea ice cream. Good!

All in all, our thought was they need to have a REAL Chinese chef on board the ships. Our server Manjunath from India was really efficient and funny. He made our dinner here much more enjoyable despite the failure on food!

After dinner, we went out on deck to take some pictures before it gets dark.

Tracy's King Crab Shack is not a shack anymore. They now occupied the prime location in town, right off the cruise ship pier with long lines of customers at all hours.  Personally, I feel they are overpriced and overrated. But, hey, if king crab is your thing and don't mind spending big money...go for it!

No one can escape from the Alaska Shirt Company!

Later that evening, we watched as the other ships left port before us.

First, the Golden Princess.

Then the Radiance of the Sea. We were on her when we cruised from Sydney to New Zealand in 2014.

Houses on Douglas Island.

And, finally, the NCL Pearl.

It was 11:00 PM when our ship quietly left port that evening.

"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ."                                                                                              Ephesians 4:15