Carnival Legend Tracy Arm Small Boat Excursion

[cruiseonthebrain]

Thanks to the great advice on the CC boards I booked the Tracy Arm small boat excursion. We did this yesterday and I am happy to report it was one of the best experiences of my life. We had perfect conditions. First we saw a whale breaching repeatedly. Then there were tons of seals on icebergs and porpoises playing. The sun came out- turning the color of the water and glacier into something only a greater power could have conceived. We saw and heard calving throughout the trip and a shooter twice the size of the boat we were on flew out from underwater up into the air creating quite a wake. If you have the opportunity to do this excursion it is well worth it- even without perfect conditions!

[tamirpr]

So glad you enjoyed it! I completely agree with you. Best excursion Carnival offers, hands down.

[cruiseonthebrain]

This is the only excursion I have ever done ( well, except for the Bahamian House in Freeport, that I would book over and over again. There is a downside though- I don't think any other experience on the rest of this cruise will even come close. We took a lovely rail tour today which I think I would have raved about. But after the boat trip to the glacier yesterday, I was very underwhelmed.

[pmcglothen]

Hi...I am booked on the Legend in May 2017 and I am trying to plan our excursion budget! I am unable to find the cost of this excursion so do you mind me asking the cost per person so that I can plan accordingly? I had thought about not doing it but after reading everyone's reviews, I think it is something that we have to do!

 

Thanks so much!

[kctwinmommy]

Hi...I am booked on the Legend in May 2017 and I am trying to plan our excursion budget! I am unable to find the cost of this excursion so do you mind me asking the cost per person so that I can plan accordingly? I had thought about not doing it but after reading everyone's reviews, I think it is something that we have to do!

 

Thanks so much!

 

Here's the link to the specific excursion...

https://www.carnival.com/shore-excursions/alaska/tracy-arm-fjord-and-glacier-explorer-170058

 

But it's $190/adults, $110/kids. It was definitely really cool to be that so close to the glacier when it was calving. Although we did 3 excursions that all involved glaciers, each one was unique and worth it.

[easyboy]

Thanks to the great advice on the CC boards I booked the Tracy Arm small boat excursion. We did this yesterday and I am happy to report it was one of the best experiences of my life. We had perfect conditions. First we saw a whale breaching repeatedly. Then there were tons of seals on icebergs and porpoises playing. The sun came out- turning the color of the water and glacier into something only a greater power could have conceived. We saw and heard calving throughout the trip and a shooter twice the size of the boat we were on flew out from underwater up into the air creating quite a wake. If you have the opportunity to do this excursion it is well worth it- even without perfect conditions!

Glad you enjoyed it!

[Fastfredcruise]

Not listed on the excursion list, and the link goes to a error message.

[kctwinmommy]

Not listed on the excursion list, and the link goes to a error message.

 

Odd, it was there the other day and it worked. Who knows, maybe in a few months they'll have it up again for next summer.

[robandlil]

Our May 2017 cruise has now cancelled our day of cruising thru Tracy Arm Fjord and has replaced it with cruising in Glacier Bay.

 

I haven't done any research yet on this, just noticed the change in the itinerary when checking to see if the price was lower.

 

Will we be disappointed?

Edited September 3, 2016 by robandlil
Wrong word

[cruiseonthebrain]

This is just from what I was told- and I am no expert. We missed Tracy Arm because the glacier is melting so fast that ice makes the arm impassable. We were blessed to get to sail into Endicott Arm which is normally closed to cruise ships. I thought it was phenomenol. But, from what I have read, repeat Alaska cruisers seem to prefer Glacier Bay to both Arms. I don't think you can go wrong. It is just all so beautiful.

[Fastfredcruise]

Which sailing are you on. The last May sailing still shows Tracy Arms

[Fastfredcruise]

Which sailing are you on. The last May sailing still shows Tracy Arms.

 

Also how do you check if the price is lower for your specific cabin class. The pricing seems to be cabin specific, based on type, and location. Is their a easy way to confirm current pricing.

[kctwinmommy]

Which sailing are you on. The last May sailing still shows Tracy Arms.

 

Also how do you check if the price is lower for your specific cabin class. The pricing seems to be cabin specific, based on type, and location. Is their a easy way to confirm current pricing.

 

The price was $190 for adults and $110 for kids. I don't know why it's not showing. Maybe they've changed the route?!

[Fastfredcruise]

Thank you fir your prompt reply. I also need guidance on how one determines if the pricing has changed fir a specific cabin, as the cost fir a specific class such as extended balcony depends on location. I hate the apple spell chec, cannot get fir correct

[robandlil]

Fast Fred

We are on the May 23 out of Seatle which is the bloggers cruise. Indeed it now shows Glacier Bay instead of Tracy arm. Also date change for Juneau.

Doesn't show the small boat excursion.

To check price changes, make a "dummy" booking on a travel site. We use cruise.com which lets you see a price for your category cabin without giving them any personal info.

[ABQrobin]

Glad you had as great a time as we did. It was my second favorite excursion of our trip, the first being the helicopter/glacier hike. Neither is cheap, but worth every penny. We are still talking about those excursions two months later.

 

MY VIDEO:

[kctwinmommy]

Fast Fred

We are on the May 23 out of Seatle which is the bloggers cruise. Indeed it now shows Glacier Bay instead of Tracy arm. Also date change for Juneau.

Doesn't show the small boat excursion.

 

Then that is a different cruise than we went on. We didn't go to Glacier Bay on our cruise. That would be why it's not showing up.

[easyboy]

Glad you had as great a time as we did. It was my second favorite excursion of our trip, the first being the helicopter/glacier hike. Neither is cheap, but worth every penny. We are still talking about those excursions two months later.

 

MY VIDEO:

That was a nice video. Thanks for sharing.

[engteacher]

We're booked on the Legend, leaving Seattle on July 25. There aren't very many excursions listed on the Manage My Cruise site. Do I need to wait until closer to sailing time? I like the White Pass Train but don't want the biking portion, and that Tracy Arm one you guys are talking about sounds wonderful!Am I just being too anxious?

[Fastfredcruise]

It seems that the excursions are not yet posted. They fill in most of the excursions about 6 to 9 months before the trip.

You can book the whitepass train directly and possibly save money. You will be on the same train as the ship excursion, so missing the boat is very low probability.

It is a short walk from the pier.

 

The train has nice scenery but can be redundant after awhile. I would not recommend it for young children. It goes up and back, so you can see both views.

[tamirpr]

When we cruised, the Tracy Arm excursion wasn't listed on the Tracy Arm day. It was listed under Juneau (?), I think. But once you clicked on the boat, it listed it was for Tracy Arm.

 

Also, they don't take reservations for it until January 1 of the year of the cruise. You have to email instead of reserving the traditional way via the website. I don't have the email address anymore. Sory.

[telebax51]

We did the Alaska cruise this August and the Tracy Arm Fjord excursion but had to do Endicott Arm Dawes Glacier because to much ice in the water to navigate. We wanted to be up close to the glacier on the small boat which was amazing BUT what they don't tell you is the cruise ship will also take you up close to the glacier if i had known i would have saved my $$ and stayed onboard, the pictures onboard the cruise ship were as good as the small boat pictures. So i just want to get this info. out there to those that may be interested

[kctwinmommy]

We did the Alaska cruise this August and the Tracy Arm Fjord excursion but had to do Endicott Arm Dawes Glacier because to much ice in the water to navigate. We wanted to be up close to the glacier on the small boat which was amazing BUT what they don't tell you is the cruise ship will also take you up close to the glacier if i had known i would have saved my $$ and stayed onboard, the pictures onboard the cruise ship were as good as the small boat pictures. So i just want to get this info. out there to those that may be interested

 

But that's not always the case. Our cruise ship was about 3-4 miles away, we were maybe 1/4-1/2 mile from the glacier. When it calved, it rocked our boat. They do say that the cruise ship follows the small boat in, because then they drop off the first group and pick up the 2nd. But our view was much better than on the ship, we know because it didn't move for a bit after we got back on board.

 

 

However, along the way to the glacier, we went into little parts, saw waterfalls, wildlife, etc... It was nice to be able to see everything, from both sides, instead of being on the big ship with 2,000 other people. Just my thoughts.

[telebax51]

But that's not always the case. Our cruise ship was about 3-4 miles away, we were maybe 1/4-1/2 mile from the glacier. When it calved, it rocked our boat. They do say that the cruise ship follows the small boat in, because then they drop off the first group and pick up the 2nd. But our view was much better than on the ship, we know because it didn't move for a bit after we got back on board.

 

 

However, along the way to the glacier, we went into little parts, saw waterfalls, wildlife, etc... It was nice to be able to see everything, from both sides, instead of being on the big ship with 2,000 other people. Just my thoughts.

 

That may have been your experience but ours was as i said when we got back on board there were a number of people in line at the tour desk complaining so i just want to give others a heads up on what to expect or questions to ask before they fork over $$.

[kctwinmommy]

That may have been your experience but ours was as i said when we got back on board there were a number of people in line at the tour desk complaining so i just want to give others a heads up on what to expect or questions to ask before they fork over $$.

 

Yes, I understand, not disagreeing or saying it didn't happen. But I think that's rare. We heard many people raving about it the entire time and people saying they regretted not doing it. I think it depends on the route and ice when you sail.