Tracy Arm Cruising, ?Sawyer Glacier?

[StanH1000]

Sapphire Princess and Diamond Princess will do Tracy Arm ruising instead of Glacier Bay or Yaccatuk Bay. Does anyone know if this includes a turn around at Sawyer Glacier?

[catmand]

My memory isn't what it used to be and I am sad to think I can not remember the name of something so spectacular but I THINK it was Sawyer Glacier at the end of Tracy Arm. Our ship did sail to sightseeing distance and made a slow turn at this glacier. It surely was beautiful.

[mii]

Yes it does do a turnaround at Sawyer Glacier. If for example you are on the port side the ship will do a 180 degree turn so that the starboard side also sees the glacier. Most times the ship cannot get too close as there are iceburgs(small ones) and the ship cannot get really close but the scenery is magnificent and the Tracy Arm is beautiful. Hope this helps.

 

Marilyn

[Budget Queen]

There are 2 glaciers - the Twin Sawyers. AND some ships do not get up far enough to see them both. But all ships have to turn around. :) It's a dead end.

[AK*Angel]

Tracy Arm has the Sawyers, Tracy Arm is much more spectacular and beautiful than Glacier Bay in my opinion. GB is so vast and you can't get close to the glaciers by law, Tracy arm is a Fjord so the majesty of the steep cliffs right above you is incredible. Depending on the time of the year, you are able to get closer to the glacier, it depends on the ice flow but there are no laws of distance to stay away in Tracy Arm.

 

Enjoy!

[wolfie11]

Actually, there's no "law" in Glacier Bay about distance from glaciers, but 1/4 mile is highly recommended. This is because of danger from falling ice and the shooters that can pop up at anytime from below the water. There major factor in approaching a glacier in a large cruise ship is time. If there are a lot of icebergs in the water, the ship has to slow down to 8 knots or less to navigate. This can add up to an hour to a schedule. The crew is under enormous time constraints to get to the next port. If the ship is late getting into Ketchikan, for example, there is no dock space and the passengers have to tender, causing a lot of complaints.

 

Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay are two unique areas with the only thing in common that they both have glaciers at the end. They both offer unique experiences. But there is no guarantee that you will get closer to a glacier in one than in the other.