Tracy Arm fjord catamaran on Hal

[TiogaCruiser]

Which, of course, is something we've all wanted on our HAL ships - right?:rolleyes:

 

At least its "nautical" :)

[vbmom87]

Alaska is so spectacular that it's hard to get too much of it.

And this time I'll be able to spend some quality time in Seattle, and actually enjoy my stay there, too! :)

 

This is exactly how I feel. I simply can't get enough of Alaska. I hope to get back again someday and bring my grandchildren.

[startwin]

I'm booking the catamaran excursion which boards directly from the Zuiderdam on Sept 2nd. It's been awhile since the last time I did this, so I will let you know if there have been any changes on the way the transition from ship to catamaran is made.

[dan1618]

I'm booking the catamaran excursion which boards directly from the Zuiderdam on Sept 2nd. It's been awhile since the last time I did this, so I will let you know if there have been any changes on the way the transition from ship to catamaran is made.

 

I believe they have added a fun slide that dumps into a giant ball pit.

[startwin]

I believe they have added a fun slide that dumps into a giant ball pit.

 

 

Oooooh that sounds fun:D Mind you, there's germs in those ball pits:rolleyes:

[cruz chic]

I believe they have added a fun slide that dumps into a giant ball pit.

 

Behave:D;):p.

[cruz chic]

I'm booking the catamaran excursion which boards directly from the Zuiderdam on Sept 2nd. It's been awhile since the last time I did this, so I will let you know if there have been any changes on the way the transition from ship to catamaran is made.

 

Even though I love this excursion I think I may do a whale watching one instead as it is a shorter day.

[luvteaching]

We did the Tracy Arm Fjord tour a few weeks ago on our trip on the Oosterdam. We got off the ship in Juneau Wednesday morning, got on a bus for a short ride to the other pier (walkable by many but not by DH who has mobility issues). At the Allen Marine pier it was a walk down a somewhat long gangplank, then a step over onto the catamaran. DH was able to walk all of it so that was good.

 

I think the confusion over the two tours is due to the ship's schedule. If you are on a ship that does Tracy Arm in the morning and docks in Juneau from say 1:00 - 11;00 or something like that, then the tour is offered at shipside and it would be an interesting transfer. If you are in Tracy Arm one day and Juneau the next then it is offered out of Juneau.

 

For us it was a wonderful day. We had gotten in quite close at Tracy Arm on the Oosterdam but seeing the glacier from the "Katlian Express" with our naturalist Alex explaining and telling stories was wonderful. Allen Marine got us so much closer to the glacier it was amazing. We saw lots of seals and pups on the ice floes and took tons of pictures.

 

They provide a nice lunch - turkey pesto wrap, chips, cookie, apple, and bottled water. There is free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate on board as well as beer and water for sale. The crew (Alex and Kevin) had fudge samples out, chocolate samples and finally came around with samples of smoked salmon and kelp pickles.

 

We were back in Juneau at 3:00 and back on the ship shortly afterwards. I was able to get DH settled in and got back off with some time to get some shopping done.

 

It was a trip that we've put on the backburner for a few years and we are so glad we did it!

 

Karen

[cruz chic]

We did the Tracy Arm Fjord tour a few weeks ago on our trip on the Oosterdam. We got off the ship in Juneau Wednesday morning, got on a bus for a short ride to the other pier (walkable by many but not by DH who has mobility issues). At the Allen Marine pier it was a walk down a somewhat long gangplank, then a step over onto the catamaran. DH was able to walk all of it so that was good.

 

I think the confusion over the two tours is due to the ship's schedule. If you are on a ship that does Tracy Arm in the morning and docks in Juneau from say 1:00 - 11;00 or something like that, then the tour is offered at shipside and it would be an interesting transfer. If you are in Tracy Arm one day and Juneau the next then it is offered out of Juneau.

 

For us it was a wonderful day. We had gotten in quite close at Tracy Arm on the Oosterdam but seeing the glacier from the "Katlian Express" with our naturalist Alex explaining and telling stories was wonderful. Allen Marine got us so much closer to the glacier it was amazing. We saw lots of seals and pups on the ice floes and took tons of pictures.

 

They provide a nice lunch - turkey pesto wrap, chips, cookie, apple, and bottled water. There is free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate on board as well as beer and water for sale. The crew (Alex and Kevin) had fudge samples out, chocolate samples and finally came around with samples of smoked salmon and kelp pickles.

 

We were back in Juneau at 3:00 and back on the ship shortly afterwards. I was able to get DH settled in and got back off with some time to get some shopping done.

 

It was a trip that we've put on the backburner for a few years and we are so glad we did it!

 

Karen

 

Thanks for checking in with your experience :).

[dan1618]

Oooooh that sounds fun:D Mind you, there's germs in those ball pits:rolleyes:

 

No there aren't. Everyone has to use the Purell dispenser at the top of the slide. :D

[chrisbu315]

I took this excursion last week on the Volendam. There is a ramp from the ship to the catamaran - no Jacob's ladder. It was very similar to boarding a tender.

[RuthC]

I took this excursion last week on the Volendam. There is a ramp from the ship to the catamaran - no Jacob's ladder. It was very similar to boarding a tender.

Thank you for confirming what I've been expecting to find.

[cruz chic]

I took this excursion last week on the Volendam. There is a ramp from the ship to the catamaran - no Jacob's ladder. It was very similar to boarding a tender.

 

Thank you.

[startwin]

We did the Tracy Arm Fjord tour a few weeks ago on our trip on the Oosterdam. We got off the ship in Juneau Wednesday morning, got on a bus for a short ride to the other pier (walkable by many but not by DH who has mobility issues). At the Allen Marine pier it was a walk down a somewhat long gangplank, then a step over onto the catamaran. DH was able to walk all of it so that was good.

 

I think the confusion over the two tours is due to the ship's schedule. If you are on a ship that does Tracy Arm in the morning and docks in Juneau from say 1:00 - 11;00 or something like that, then the tour is offered at shipside and it would be an interesting transfer. If you are in Tracy Arm one day and Juneau the next then it is offered out of Juneau.

 

For us it was a wonderful day. We had gotten in quite close at Tracy Arm on the Oosterdam but seeing the glacier from the "Katlian Express" with our naturalist Alex explaining and telling stories was wonderful. Allen Marine got us so much closer to the glacier it was amazing. We saw lots of seals and pups on the ice floes and took tons of pictures.

 

They provide a nice lunch - turkey pesto wrap, chips, cookie, apple, and bottled water. There is free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate on board as well as beer and water for sale. The crew (Alex and Kevin) had fudge samples out, chocolate samples and finally came around with samples of smoked salmon and kelp pickles.

 

We were back in Juneau at 3:00 and back on the ship shortly afterwards. I was able to get DH settled in and got back off with some time to get some shopping done.

 

It was a trip that we've put on the backburner for a few years and we are so glad we did it!

 

Karen

 

That sounds great! But our excursion is directly ship-to-catamaran. I did it some years ago on another ship, and all I recall is a kind of platform from the ship (deck 2?) directly to the catamaran. This tour provides snacks and beverages, and is rated as "easy" but DH has decided not to go as he is a little unsteady on his feet these days.

[Itasca]

That sounds great! But our excursion is directly ship-to-catamaran. I did it some years ago on another ship, and all I recall is a kind of platform from the ship (deck 2?) directly to the catamaran. This tour provides snacks and beverages, and is rated as "easy" but DH has decided not to go as he is a little unsteady on his feet these days.

 

I, too, am not too steady on my feet, I use a cane. I found boarding the catamaran significantly easier than boarding the usual tender. He will probably not want tgo up to the top decks but the view from the front seats or any window seat is quite good.