Day 3: Amazing Whale Watching And Mendenhall Glacier In Juneau, Alaska

Day 3 had the Inside Passage and Juneau in the Itinerary, and even though we would not dock until 1:00 PM, I wanted this day to be the most productive possible.

As I got used to this new hours for us, coming from New York City, I realized that waking up and immediately getting coffee downstairs on La Pattiserie was the best idea. We used the Beverage Package, that provides unlimited non alcoholic drinks. The pastries tho, had to be purchased separately, but we would go later for breakfast.

After getting coffee, we got ready to go to the last deck on this Ovation of the Seas cruise, just above us on the forward section of the boat, for the Vitality at Sea Fitness Center. Just the day before, I had gone to a Cycling Class, that I thought it was included, but no, I had to pay for it. I also almost pass out on that one, even though I considered myself in good shape. So, this time I went just for a regular day at the gym with my mom. We had to sweat those calories we were about to consume. The view was beautiful but the rain was kind of scaring me.

For breakfast, this one was of the only times we ditched the Windjammer Marketplace, and went to the Main Dining Room for breakfast. To be honest, having the ability to order from a menu seems just easier.

As we went deeper into the Inside Passage of Alaska, we went to get ready for the day and came out to the deck 14 as we approached Juneau, the capital of Alaska.

Even though it was slightly raining, I could not imagine doing the Extended North Star at this time around. Everyone was excited to finally see Alaska though.

A few cute houses started to pop up down the mountains surrounding the inside passage on the way to Juneau.

The view was just mesmerizing.

In Juneau, we had the Premier Whale Watch and Mendenhall Glacier Combo, literally the last time I bought for this trip. Just because, I thought that Juneau had a lot of things to do, and really watching whales for 3 hours did not seem super fun (I was wrong!)

We could see the highrises of Juneau, the seasonal cruises were already docked, since we were getting there past noon.

Juneau is like the mandatory stop for Alaska cruises, and it is crazy to me that the city is completely disconnected from the rest of the country. There are no roads coming into this capital, so I guess planes and boats will do it.

The excitment of finally getting out of the cruise for the first time, in our first stop and finally being able to set foot in the 49th state, was amazing. I was ready to be in Alaska.

And Juneau, despite the weather, was beautiful. The colors of the mountains contrasting with the colorful buildings, and the infinite waterfalls coming down the mountains on the back, it is just WOW.

The downtown was ready to receive one of the biggest cruises that visit them: Ovation of the Seas from Royal Caribbean.

Fast and easy we went down the gangway and we were setting foot in Alaska. Ovation of the Seas looked gigantic next to the small port.

And of course Juneau welcomed us.

I bought the tour through Viator, so it was not a Royal Caribbean excursion. The information was not the best, but it was clear enough for us to go by the Goldbelt tram, which by the way was one of the things I was going to do. We needed to be back at the boat by 9 PM, but the Whale watching ad then Mendenhall Glacier were going to take most of that time. I had also bookmarked other restaurants and stores in the city, but I could get back to see if I could do them at the end of the excursion.

It started raining and fortunately I had gotten waterproof rain jackets on Amazon, especifically for this cruise, and they were working already. The weather was horrible in the sense of the rain, but on this May 28, 2023 it was not as cold as expected. We ditched the Goldbelt Tram station and waited for the excursion bus on the businesses on the front. Got some hot cocoa to warm us a little bit.

I was just hoping that the rain stopped and we could be at that boat without the waters being to rough. I was with my mom after all.

And after a few minutes, a bus pick up us by the tram station on time. They checked the tour bookings, and off we went to the west side of Juneau, where the whale wharf is located.

There were harbor seals in the boat harbor and it just started to look like we were about to see a lot of animals on this excursion. The rain was also ending fortunately.

We got on the boat, and the tour guides / boat staff started to tell us how this works. Apparently the cannot use radars or any satellite to locate the whales, just radio communication between the whale watching boats. If someone would see a whale, they would tell the other boats in the area. They could not get too close to any whales, to avoid making them stressed or anxious. Of course seeing a whale is luck but they said there had been no excursions without seeing at least one whale.

And not too long after we went out in the waters, when a humpback whale was just around showing off.

It was amazing.

The scenery itself was enough for the excursion, I mean I was on a boat hehe

But in all seriousness, looking for whales was not really in my itinerary for this cruise, and even a few days later I was going to see whales from the cruise itself for free!

And this excursion cost $340 for both of us. A bit expensive in my opinion, but the experience itself is incomparable.

During the 2 hours on this boat, we watched a few groups and families and some loners. None made a huge jump but just thinking of these big animals being around us was magnificent.

We did see a lot of dorsal fins and tails though.

But again, the scenery was just amazing. I was finally in Alaska and could not believe it.

On the next day in Skagway, Alaska, I was going to go on a White Pass train, were the first rule was: NO HOGS! Meaning no one “owning” any spot, or al least for a few minutes. I wished they said this on this boat. A couple from Europe got themselves in the spot and never moved, not allowing others to see the whales or taking best pictures.

There was one lapse of time where there were no whales in the area, and everyone was just on the lookout.

Until a group started to move towards the shore and we could see some of them coming out.

The whales were so close to the shore that it was unbelievable. Since there was another whale also around us we could not move for a while. It was interesting seeing the boats forced to stop the engines while the whales were getting away from us.

And that was the last whale we saw, until we got back to the pier, and took a bus to the Mendenhall Glacier park. There, they dropped us for a bit more than 30 minutes, so we would not be able to hike to the Nugget Falls (a bit more than 40 min hike). Instead we stayed in the Visitor Center and around. We were still able to see Nugget Falls in the distance…

…And of course the majestic Mendenhall Glacier. It seemed surreal. I was not expecting it to be this tall.

And after taking a few photos from afar, we waiting for the last bus back to the city and the cruise port.

On the bus, the driver was telling us some things about Juneau and Alaska, and we got to see some bald eagles.

And the whale monument too.

With just one hour to spare we decided to just go back to the cruise. We were hungry and exhausted, and were scared of missing the main dining room reservation.

We were back in the cruise, and had dinner in the Main Dining Room. The cruise left Juneau while we were eating.

And after a bit we decided to go to the Production Showtime: Live. Love. Legs, which was fun to see, and multiple types of performers.

Last thing tonight was the Ovation Rocks Party, where I got a lava float mocktail, my new favorite drink, included in the beverage package.

And just like that the day ended, but this story continues in Skagway.