Our first port of call was Juneau, Alaska. We had the morning to rest and relax. We were able to get off the boat at 3pm and had to back onboard by 11pm. We had a planned excursion, the Gold Belt Tram. The tram is not timed and was within an easy walk so it was stress free. Shameless plug, watch our video below, like and subscribe.

We were able to disembark and walk right into Juneau. If you’re planning on shopping, eating or doing the Gold Belt Tram, all that is within an easy walk. I did not see any taxis but there were booths where you could sign up for excursions like Mendenhall Glacier. I didnt see a lot of people working the booths.

There wasnt much of line and we were able to get right on. They definitely put as many people as they can in the tram. It’s a narrated ride by a live person. When you get to the top there are shops, an educational movie and hiking. We did one of the hikes and got to see paragliders. It was a beautiful and easy hike. After the hike, we shopped and then went back down into downtown Juneau. My girls were super excited to find a Del Sol. The products change colors in the sun. They each got a t-shirt for a souvenir and we scored a free bag. After that, we went to Tracy’s Crab Shack. It kept coming up in things to do in Juneau and in all the Alaska facebook groups. It was amazing!!

After some delicious crab we walked further into downtown and explored the shops. We went by the capitol building and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. We thought about going back up on the Gold Belt Tram, the ticket is good for unlimited rides but no one the family really wanted to do it again.

From the kids point of view-

Ela (12)- “The narrator on the Gold Belt Tram was funny. I also loved Del Sol and the free bag. I got a polar bear shirt that changed colors. I did not enjoy the Gold Belt Tram. It was cool but it was crammed and that made it a little scary. The hike at the top was fun though. There wasnt a lot to do in Juneau. There was more adult things to do like crab eating and drinking alcohol. We ate dinner on the balcony and listened to a lady play the violin. It was beautiful.”

Piper (10)- “I really liked the hike at the top of the Gold Belt Tram. I did not like the ride up, it scared me. I didnt love the town, there wasnt much to do. But i did like that you could easily walk everywhere and seeing the capitol was cool. I’ve learned all the state capitols in school and love to see them. I loved Del Sol, i got a whale shirt. I didnt like the crab place, it smelled. ”

We found Juneau to be a bit lack luster and were happy we had booked an excursion. If we did it again, we would book the Mendenhall Glacier or something a little longer. I think you could easily fit in seeing the town with an excursion. As it got later, the vibe of the town changed into more of a bar scene. It was still super kid friendly. The best part of Juneau to me was the hike at the of the Gold Belt Tram and the evening. We ate dinner on the balcony which faced Juneau. There was a lady playing the most beautiful violin music. The sun was setting over the mountain range and ocean. The pier was lit up with slowly changing lights. It was so peaceful, i didnt want to leave. I was so happy we had decided to go back to the boat early. From my personal experience, some of my best travel memories have been from a plan b or a “failed” plan. I try to stop the “but we paid for this” mentally and do whats best for the family. It usually ends up being amazing, like this night was. Adventure on!