Tracy Arm

I have checked the guidebook I have and read up on these boards but am still confused :confused: One of the sailings I am contemplating has Tracy Arm but the time is from 9 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. This is last week of May. I have read that sometimes Tracy Arm is missed due to ice but I assumed that meant the ship couldn't sail into it. My guidebook mentions cruise ships going into Tracy Arm. I have also read about excursions on a smaller boat into Tracy Arm so I assume that is what this stop is for. Is this excursion booked only through the cruise line? How do you meet back up with the ship? Next stop that same day is Juneau but not until 1 p.m. I have checked excursions on HAL's website and there are a few but they really do not mention the specifics of these excursions. Can you please enlighten me:o

I have checked the guidebook I have and read up on these boards but am still confused :confused: One of the sailings I am contemplating has Tracy Arm but the time is from 9 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. This is last week of May. I have read that sometimes Tracy Arm is missed due to ice but I assumed that meant the ship couldn't sail into it. My guidebook mentions cruise ships going into Tracy Arm. I have also read about excursions on a smaller boat into Tracy Arm so I assume that is what this stop is for. Is this excursion booked only through the cruise line? How do you meet back up with the ship? Next stop that same day is Juneau but not until 1 p.m. I have checked excursions on HAL's website and there are a few but they really do not mention the specifics of these excursions. Can you please enlighten me:o

Ashort stop like that is cakked a service call for excursions. Yes Tracy arm can get ice plug at anytime of the season.

If your itinerary on HAL shows Tracy Arm Inlet with a little # 2,3 then you can sign up through the ship's excursions for the Tracy Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer.

I am signed up for my cruise. You will get off the ship and transfer to a smaller vessel for the ride up the fjord. They take you back to the ship in Juneau. The total time is about 6 hours. I have read that if there is too much ice, they go to a different glacier than Sawyer. Cost is $239.95 per person.

If your itinerary on HAL shows Tracy Arm Inlet with a little # 2,3 then you can sign up through the ship's excursions for the Tracy Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer.

 

I am signed up for my cruise. You will get off the ship and transfer to a smaller vessel for the ride up the fjord. They take you back to the ship in Juneau. The total time is about 6 hours. I have read that if there is too much ice, they go to a different glacier than Sawyer. Cost is $239.95 per person.

This must be what it is. Thanks. There is a little SC and SX beside Tracy Arm Inlet which says stands for Service Call and Shore Access Limited to Excur.

For itineraries with Tracy Arm in the morning and Juneau in the afternoon....

• the cruise ship makes a brief service stop outside Tracy Arm Fjord in the morning. Check Holkham Bay on Google Maps.
  
• While in the Bay.... passengers booked on the popular sold out Tracy Arm excursion will board a tiny boat to explore the 31 miles of the Fjord in search of Sawyer.
  
• after the tiny boat transfer.... the cruise ship will continue the 50 miles North to Juneau. Arriving early afternoon.
  
• after the tiny boat meets Sawyer.... it will travel 80 miles to rejoin the mothership docked in Juneau.
  

They say when ships can't make it into Tracy Arm to see Sawyer... Endicott Arm is substituted with the Dawes glacier.

Here's NCL's vid on the excursion and the tiny boat.

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For itineraries with Tracy Arm in the morning and Juneau in the afternoon....

• the cruise ship makes a brief service stop outside Tracy Arm Fjord in the morning. Check Holkham Bay on Google Maps.
  
• While in the Bay.... passengers booked on the popular sold out Tracy Arm excursion will board a tiny boat to explore the 31 miles of the Fjord in search of Sawyer.
  
• after the tiny boat transfer.... the cruise ship will continue the 50 miles North to Juneau. Arriving early afternoon.
  
• after the tiny boat meets Sawyer.... it will travel 80 miles to rejoin the mothership docked in Juneau.
  

They say when ships can't make it into Tracy Arm to see Sawyer... Endicott Arm is substituted with the Dawes glacier.

 

Here's NCL's vid on the excursion and the tiny boat.

 

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Thank you! Looks amazing.

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We signed up this on our last cruise on X, there was too much ice in Tracy Arm for the cruise ship so the ship headed straight to Juneau. We got off the ship and transferred to a smaller vessel for the ride up to South Sawyer . They take you back to the ship in Juneau. It was a long day - we departed the ship around 7.45am and got back around 2pm BUT the glacier was amazing...if you can book this excursion I highly recommended this trip.

We are returning next year and plan to go whale watching this time round.

Thank you for the video!

I am booked on the NCL Jewel and this excursion is offered - leaving from Juneau and re-boarding the ship in Tracy Arm later in that afternoon.

The only reason I haven't booked yet is because the port day is May 29. I have been reading that ice can be an issue at any time of the year so I guess I will take a chance and hope it is as wonderful as everyone says it is. :D

Thank you for the video!

 

 

 

I am booked on the NCL Jewel and this excursion is offered - leaving from Juneau and re-boarding the ship in Tracy Arm later in that afternoon.

 

 

 

The only reason I haven't booked yet is because the port day is May 29. I have been reading that ice can be an issue at any time of the year so I guess I will take a chance and hope it is as wonderful as everyone says it is. :D

We went in May of this year with Adventure Bound and made to to both North and South Sawyer Glaciers. The small boats can usually maneuver around the ice, so you have a much better chance of getting closer than the ships. Here are a few pictures:

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Wow! Amazing pictures. I definitely want to do this!

Great videos and amazing photos! Thank you so much for sharing them with us.

We are doing this excursion in June. Ours will start and end in Juneau since the ship will be there from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

We did this excursion in 2006 on our first Alaska cruise, and we have wanted to go again since then.

The only reason I haven't booked yet is because the port day is May 29. I have been reading that ice can be an issue at any time of the year so I guess I will take a chance and hope it is as wonderful as everyone says it is. :D

Can someone confirm if Endicott and the Dawes glacier is substituted if the ships are not getting into Tracy Arm in the early season?

Most of the time it is. I have been to Endicott Arm 2x (one on large ship and one on small boat).

Endicott Arm is a much easier transit. It isn't windy like Tracy Arm and it is easy to get to the face of the glacier. Not as scenic as Tracy Arm.

Great videos and amazing photos! Thank you so much for sharing them with us.

 

We are doing this excursion in June. Ours will start and end in Juneau since the ship will be there from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

 

We did this excursion in 2006 on our first Alaska cruise, and we have wanted to go again since then.

We went June of 2017 with Adventure Bound and it was the highlight of my whole trip. Tracy Arm is beautiful and being on a smaller boat, we saw whales, bears, seals, sea lions & eagles. We left from Juneau and was gone the whole day. If I knew how to put pictures on here I would upload mine