Tracy Arm Fjord and Whale Watching in Juneau

[coco33]

Hello everyone, I have booked my first ever cruise to Alaska and will be on the Carnival Legend. The ship arrives at 7:00 am and leaves at 10 pm. I have already booked the whale watching/mendenhall glacier tour with Orca Enterprises which should last 3 hours roughly. I was wondering if I could squeeze a Tracy Arm Fjord tour as well. All the tour companies that I have checked seem to have long excursions of at least 7 hours. I would prefer some thing shorter. Could someone please guide me on what to do? Is this going to be an either or situation.

[varoo]

Hello everyone, I have booked my first ever cruise to Alaska and will be on the Carnival Legend. The ship arrives at 7:00 am and leaves at 10 pm. I have already booked the whale watching/mendenhall glacier tour with Orca Enterprises which should last 3 hours roughly. I was wondering if I could squeeze a Tracy Arm Fjord tour as well. All the tour companies that I have checked seem to have long excursions of at least 7 hours. I would prefer some thing shorter. Could someone please guide me on what to do? Is this going to be an either or situation.

Afraid so. It really does take the full day if you need to travel down to Tracy Arm from Juneau, cruise through Tracy Arm, and then get back to Juneau that day.

 

If you really want to do whale watching + Mendenhall Glacier at Juneau and also visit Tracy Arm on the same cruise, you may want to consider a cruise that goes to Tracy Arm and offers the small boat excursion right from the cruise ship.

 

Another option with long port times in Juneau, if you are on a cruise ship that doesn't visit Tracy Arm at all, would be to take northbound and southbound cruises.

Then you could do the whale watching excursion + Mendenhall + other Juneau sightseeing in one direction, and take a full day Tracy Arm excursion from Juneau going in the other direction.

 

It should be a leisurely trip with plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and wildlife without being rushed.

 

Edited April 12, 2015 by varoo

[zqvol]

Hello everyone, I have booked my first ever cruise to Alaska and will be on the Carnival Legend. The ship arrives at 7:00 am and leaves at 10 pm. I have already booked the whale watching/mendenhall glacier tour with Orca Enterprises which should last 3 hours roughly. I was wondering if I could squeeze a Tracy Arm Fjord tour as well. All the tour companies that I have checked seem to have long excursions of at least 7 hours. I would prefer some thing shorter. Could someone please guide me on what to do? Is this going to be an either or situation.

 

 

It's over a 100 miles on the water to complete this excursion, it really cannot be done in less than 7 hours, so in short you are not going to find anything that is shorter.

[coco33]

Thanks everyone for the advice.

[Dizzneefan]

We are on the legend and have booked the small excursion off the ship for Tracy Arm. Have you looked into that?

[chipmaster]

If you are doing another Glacier Scenic I'd say skip the long run to Tracy and enjoy a more leisure time in the town and your current planned excursion.

 

For ships that sail Tracy Arm as another poster mentioned they offer a drop off excursion in the fjord where you board a smaller ship that offers a closer experience and gets back to Juneau closely timed to the main ship. IMHO that is doable but if you never have been to Juneau I would say enjoy the town and Mendenhall and the other attractions.

[coco33]

We are on the legend and have booked the small excursion off the ship for Tracy Arm. Have you looked into that?

 

It is unfortunately booked up. :sad: I wish there was a small excursion in Glacier Bay too.

[Budget Queen]

It is unfortunately booked up. :sad: I wish there was a small excursion in Glacier Bay too.

 

Did you get on the waiting list? IF they get enough people, they may have the ability to take a larger boat or an additional boat.

 

Both tours are confirmed full?

[coco33]

Did you get on the waiting list? IF they get enough people, they may have the ability to take a larger boat or an additional boat.

 

Both tours are confirmed full?

 

Yes I have placed on the wait list, hopefully more people are interested so we can get another boat. Thanks for the reponse btw.

[Budget Queen]

Yes I have placed on the wait list, hopefully more people are interested so we can get another boat. Thanks for the reponse btw.

 

I think you are on the legend? I've seen the posts about the sold out tour. I'm also on that sailing.

[coco33]

I think you are on the legend? I've seen the posts about the sold out tour. I'm also on that sailing.

 

Wow that is great. :) Yes I am also on the Legend, cruising May 18, what about you?

[Budget Queen]

Wow that is great. :) Yes I am also on the Legend, cruising May 18, what about you?

 

Yes, I'm on that sailing.

[Dizzneefan]

Are you basing it on the website saying it is booked or an email from the company. For the small boat you have to contact them directly and NOT through the Carnival site to book shore excursions. You can click on it to get the email instructions to contact them.

[coco33]

Are you basing it on the website saying it is booked or an email from the company. For the small boat you have to contact them directly and NOT through the Carnival site to book shore excursions. You can click on it to get the email instructions to contact them.

 

Yes I contacted Carnival because they had a "from the cruise ship excursion tour" to go to the Tracy Arm Fjord, Carnival then emailed me back that it is unfortunately booked up. The Legend arrives in Juneau on Wednesday, but for some reason All Marine tours (the company that does the Tracy Arm Fjord tour) is not operating that day. I realized I can't do both now, it is ok. Whale watching is way more important to me. Lol

[chipmaster]

It is unfortunately booked up. :sad: I wish there was a small excursion in Glacier Bay too.

 

FWIW in my larger group I was the only one that did it, it was unique in being small boat close to the water line, we did get to sail close to the rocks, ice etc... but the views from the ship are equally spectacular so don't fret. But since it seems you are sailing the fjord, I'd say for SURE DON'T book the round trip to Tracy from Juneau that wouldn't be worth it IMHO!

[logbook]

We are on the legend and have booked the small excursion off the ship for Tracy Arm. Have you looked into that?

 

We just booked the Legend and I don't see that Tracy Arm excursion. How did you book that? We don't go until July 2016, so maybe it's just not offered yet?

[Dizzneefan]

Here is a link to a description of the tour http://www.carnival.com/shore-excursions/juneau-ak/tracy-arm-fjord-and-glacier-explorer-171053 but you can't book it straight from the Carnival site. You have to e-mail them at alaska_tracyarm@carnival.com

[coco33]

Here is a link to a description of the tour http://www.carnival.com/shore-excursions/juneau-ak/tracy-arm-fjord-and-glacier-explorer-171053 but you can't book it straight from the Carnival site. You have to e-mail them at alaska_tracyarm@carnival.com

 

Yes, I emailed them in early April, wondering if there were any seats available, but at that time it was all booked up. But an update on my situation, Carnival contacted me and said they have an additional tour that is going to Tracy Arm that day, so I am getting to go on this excursion after all.

 

For the Carnival Legend cruisers on May 18, Tracy Arm Fjord on Wednesday and Juneau on Thursday.

 

I am so excited. Lol. I can't wait to meet you all.

Edited April 24, 2015 by coco33

[logbook]

Thank you. I emailed them and they said it's too soon to book, since we are going in 2016. I'll check back later!