Glacier Bay by Cruise Ship or Tracy Arm by small boat

[kfkirsch]

We are cruising to Alaska on the Norwegian Pearl, departing July 10th. This itinerary has us cruising through Glacier Bay with more port time at each stop. Currently, I have us booked on a Whale Watching Excursion in Juneau but a Tracy Arm Excursion caught my eye and I can't stop thinking it is something that cannot be missed. Unfortunately, it is not offered on the Pearl, cruising through Glacier Bay, so I would have to change plans and sail on the Star, which goes through Tracy Arm. This add on excursion brings you up close and personal with Sawyer Glacier, which I read is a phenomenal experience. So, my question is, continue with our plans on the Pearl through Glacier Bay or change to the Star so we can take the excursion to Sawyer Glacier?

[Budget Queen]

Have you sailed Alaska before?? Problem is, both have their pluses. IF you are open to it, switch cruiselines, and get on a Glacier Bay itinerary that has an all day in Juneau, then you can do both. Maybe HAL? If it also includes Sitka, it would be the "winner". :) Overall the Pearl has some lacking qualities.

[kfkirsch]

No, we have not sailed there before. In fact, this is our first time as a family (4 kids aged 8-14) cruising anywhere. I want to make sure we really knock it out of the park as best we can. I just called NCL and was told we would be able to both the whale watching excursion and the Tracy Arm excursion out of Juneau. I think its a no brainer to switch at this point. We can also get a balcony and one inside for $600 more than 2 insides on the Pearl. I would like to say we'd be back as a family and can make up for what we missed the first time around, but that is not likely to happen, unfortunately. This really is a once in a lifetime cruise with all the kids.

[Budget Queen]

No, we have not sailed there before. In fact, this is our first time as a family (4 kids aged 8-14) cruising anywhere. I want to make sure we really knock it out of the park as best we can. I just called NCL and was told we would be able to both the whale watching excursion and the Tracy Arm excursion out of Juneau. I think its a no brainer to switch at this point. We can also get a balcony and one inside for $600 more than 2 insides on the Pearl. I would like to say we'd be back as a family and can make up for what we missed the first time around, but that is not likely to happen, unfortunately. This really is a once in a lifetime cruise with all the kids.

 

You have a very tough choice, but if I am reading you right, you are now looking at going on the Star?? The add on Tracy Arm boat tour is over $200 pp, so it may negate the savings?? Glacier Bay is FAR superior in terms of glacier vastness and impressiveness, compared to Tracy Arm.

 

Not sure why you would think you couldn't do both excursions?? You still get your port time. The Tracy Arm excursion only leaves a 1/2 hour prior to the cruise ship leaving Juneau.

[donaldsc]

IMHO, I believe that in almost every case - the smaller the ship, the better the experience.

 

DON

[kfkirsch]

You have a very tough choice, but if I am reading you right, you are now looking at going on the Star?? The add on Tracy Arm boat tour is over $200 pp, so it may negate the savings?? Glacier Bay is FAR superior in terms of glacier vastness and impressiveness, compared to Tracy Arm.

 

Not sure why you would think you couldn't do both excursions?? You still get your port time. The Tracy Arm excursion only leaves a 1/2 hour prior to the cruise ship leaving Juneau.

 

On the Star, we can do both excursions. On the Pearl, it would be just the whale watching. Yes, the Tracy Arm is pricey and will surpass the savings, but I was willing to shell it out if the Pearl offered the Tracy excursion, so.... It seems getting both excursions we want plus a balcony on the Star would make up for not going on the Pearl? Could you tell me if Glacier Bay would still be worth it not being up close and personal to the glaciers and hearing the "white thunder"? Aren't the ships pretty distant from that experience?

[chipmaster]

IMHO Tracy Arm is a nice excursion, but a long one. Having done it and Glacier Bay would say both are nice but different. If I had to choose I'd do the Mendenhall HIke and whale watching over Tracy Arm if I had a full day choice.

 

We are cruising to Alaska on the Norwegian Pearl, departing July 10th. This itinerary has us cruising through Glacier Bay with more port time at each stop. Currently, I have us booked on a Whale Watching Excursion in Juneau but a Tracy Arm Excursion caught my eye and I can't stop thinking it is something that cannot be missed. Unfortunately, it is not offered on the Pearl, cruising through Glacier Bay, so I would have to change plans and sail on the Star, which goes through Tracy Arm. This add on excursion brings you up close and personal with Sawyer Glacier, which I read is a phenomenal experience. So, my question is, continue with our plans on the Pearl through Glacier Bay or change to the Star so we can take the excursion to Sawyer Glacier?

[Budget Queen]

On the Star, we can do both excursions. On the Pearl, it would be just the whale watching. Yes, the Tracy Arm is pricey and will surpass the savings, but I was willing to shell it out if the Pearl offered the Tracy excursion, so.... It seems getting both excursions we want plus a balcony on the Star would make up for not going on the Pearl? Could you tell me if Glacier Bay would still be worth it not being up close and personal to the glaciers and hearing the "white thunder"? Aren't the ships pretty distant from that experience?

 

It really doesn't matter in your case. The ship/cabin preference and your tour choices will certainly offer you a great trip.

[kfkirsch]

IMHO Tracy Arm is a nice excursion, but a long one. Having done it and Glacier Bay would say both are nice but different. If I had to choose I'd do the Mendenhall HIke and whale watching over Tracy Arm if I had a full day choice.

 

Thank you. I think I have convinced myself that I agree! I keep flip-flopping, but the consensus seems to be Glacier Bay.

[chellochariot]

I like budgetqueen's advice. Switch to HAL and you can do both. We are planning our excursions now and have been a little stumped on Juneau. Originally, we thought rafting from Mendenhall Glacier sounded fun, but after reading the reviews, we decided it isn't likely as fun as it sounds. We plan to do an independent boat tour in Sitka as sort of our highlight and aren't sure if we want to do another, but since Southeast Alaska is all about the ocean anyway, why not. With that being said, we are seriously considering the Tracy Arm cruise while in Juneau. I'm not too interested in walking around a town with 5 cruise ships and another glacier experience would really satisfy my hunger for glaciers! It seemed to us that HAL offered the best schedule for our interests, Glacier Bay and Sitka are two places we DID NOT want to miss!

[kfkirsch]

I like budgetqueen's advice. Switch to HAL and you can do both. We are planning our excursions now and have been a little stumped on Juneau. Originally, we thought rafting from Mendenhall Glacier sounded fun, but after reading the reviews, we decided it isn't likely as fun as it sounds. We plan to do an independent boat tour in Sitka as sort of our highlight and aren't sure if we want to do another, but since Southeast Alaska is all about the ocean anyway, why not. With that being said, we are seriously considering the Tracy Arm cruise while in Juneau. I'm not too interested in walking around a town with 5 cruise ships and another glacier experience would really satisfy my hunger for glaciers! It seemed to us that HAL offered the best schedule for our interests, Glacier Bay and Sitka are two places we DID NOT want to miss!

 

If you did the Tracy Arm excursion on HAL, do they bring you back to the ship in Juneau or do they bring you back to a waiting ship in the Passage somewhere?

[Budget Queen]

If you did the Tracy Arm excursion on HAL, do they bring you back to the ship in Juneau or do they bring you back to a waiting ship in the Passage somewhere?

 

You do NOT get any ship delivery, unless Tracy Arm is on the itinerary, AND the excursion is a ship tour. IF you are looking at a Glacier Bay itinerary, then you need to have at least a 7-7 Juneau port time, to add a round trip Juneau Tracy Arm boat tour.

[vbmom87]

If you haven't booked any airfares yet, I would slow down and do a little more research. With this sounding like a likely once in a lifetime trip, I would think more about the itinerary and seeing all you wanted that was a priority. I wouldn't worry so much about ship and which one I could get a balcony on. (JMHO)

 

I was on a HAL cruise that visited Glacier Bay and College Fjord and had enough time to take the all day Adventure Bound trip tour out of Juneau to Tracy Arm Fjord. Both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm were highlights o four trip, both surpassing Denali for us. However, if you have any priority for glaciers, go with Glacier Bay. ALthough the glaciers at the end of Tracy Arm are nice (if you get to see them), as BQ has often stated, they are a bit down on the scale for impressiveness. The fjord itself is beautiful.

 

If you look at the HAL roundtrips out of Vancouver, they have an itinerary that goes to both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm. I have read many good reviews of that itinerary. Like BQ mentioned some of their other itineries include Sitka which is supposed to be a fantastic port for those with wildlife priority.

 

Good luck with your planning. I went crazy in 2007 and 2008 planning our 2008 cruise. We originally signed up for whale watching in Juneau, but switched to Tracy Arm once we realized we had enough time to do it. We were not disappointed.

[kijolu]

We did the Tracy Arm excursion on NCL Sun in 2007. It cost nearly $800 for our family of 4. We did get close to the glacier and a large iceberg. We were really loving the trip until our small boat went around a corner and we saw our ship waiting for us. It had been following along the whole time! We felt ripped off that we had spent so much money just to get a little closer to the glacier than everyone else on the ship!! We weren't the only ones on the boat to feel this way. IMHO it's not worth the expense.

[vbmom87]

We did the Tracy Arm excursion on NCL Sun in 2007. It cost nearly $800 for our family of 4. We did get close to the glacier and a large iceberg. We were really loving the trip until our small boat went around a corner and we saw our ship waiting for us. It had been following along the whole time! We felt ripped off that we had spent so much money just to get a little closer to the glacier than everyone else on the ship!! We weren't the only ones on the boat to feel this way. IMHO it's not worth the expense.

 

From my reading, some days the add on excursion does get a lot closer to the glaciers than the cruise ship. Other times they both make their way pretty far. I have to say, going on the Adventure Bound boat, I loved being so close to the water and seeing the wildlife and icebergs more up close and personal. On the cruise ship, you are much higher up, but granted, for the most part you are traveling the same fjord. Since I have already been on a small boat experience, unlike some others on this board, I would not pay for the add on excursion if I were on a future cruise that went to Tracy Arm. I would take my chances on what I was going to see. If money were no object, yes, I would take the add on tour. However, in my situation, I would save those dollars for an excursion I have not yet been on.