Can you see too many glaciers in Alaska???

[Ayekayecee]

This may be a bizarre question to some, but as I am planning out excursions for our first cruise to Alaska next year, I am trying to figure out how many glacier excursions we should plan... sadly, our cruise is not going to Glacier Bay, so that will have to be another trip for another time...

 

That being said, we are spending a couple of days in Anchorage pre-cruise, and will be driving up to visit the Matanuska Glacier to climb on it and in it, then on the cruise will be cruising by the Hubbard and Sawyer Glaciers... so is that going to be enough? Or should we plan another glacier excursion in Juneau or Skagway?

 

The options are a bit overwhelming to say the least, so I appreciate all input!

[AKStafford]

I love glaciers... so for me: no. There is no such thing as too many glaciers.

[thinfool]

Yep, to me, walking on a glacier is a lot like trying to maneuver on a frozen sidewalk at home.

 

Otoh, the array of glaciers that are seen in College Fjord (near Whittier) presents an awesome visual experience.

 

Wildlife is much more my preference when visiting Alaska.

[masterdrago]

We have the same situation as you - pre cruise land tour - day and a half in Anchorage. Looks like all the excursions are to Mendanhall. I've been emailing many glacier cruise companies about Prince William Sound and Tracy Arm (when in Juneau). Most are saying best to book through cruise line but also to reconnect in October after the season is over. Some have said excursions may be added at a later date to the other glaciers. It might be too much to cram in on our time at Anchorage but I'm looking at renting a car, driving up early to Whittier, take as long a glacier tour as can and eat dinner at Seven Glaciers. At some point (Seward or Anchorage??), Royal provides a Resurrection Bay Wildlife cruise. In Juneau, we want to work in either a whale tour on a small boot or another glacier tour. Not sure about the timing because Radiance does not get into Juneau until 9am. We are still exploring and have not heard back from Royal (email) concerning any changes they might have to excursions (whale watching, glacier watching).

[OCSC Mike]

I’d say, like most things, it’s personal preference. On our recent trip we hiked/ice climbed on Spencer Glacier in Girdwood, saw Northwest Glacier during our 9-hour Kenai Fjord Tour (which was calving all over the place that day, very cool), went dog sledding on a glacier in Skagway, and saw Hubbard Glacier from the cruise ship (Radiance). We also saw other glaciers as we traveled from Fairbanks to Seward before the cruise.

 

For us, yes, we were kind of “glaciered out” in terms of seeing them from a distance but actually hiking on one, dog sledding on one that’s snow covered, and getting very close to one on a smaller boat like Kenai are all very different experiences.

 

Since you already plan to hike on one (one of our highlights), I would only consider adding more if it involved something beyond looking at them.

[OCSC Mike]

I'm looking at renting a car, driving up early to Whittier, take as long a glacier tour as can and eat dinner at Seven Glaciers. At some point (Seward or Anchorage??), Royal provides a Resurrection Bay Wildlife cruise.

 

If you’re eating at Seven Glaciers, I highly recommend a glacier heli/hike on Spencer Glacier with Ascending Path right there in Girdwood. We stayed 2 nights at the Alyeska Resort & they met us at the hotel (although you can basically walk to the helipad it’s so close). As mentioned above, hiking and ice climbing on a glacier was a highlight for us (climbing is optional, I actually passed & took pics of my wife doing it). It’s not cheap but it was just me, my wife, and our guide out on the ice.

 

As for Ressurection Bay, that’s in Seward. We did the 9-hour Kenai Fjord Tour a day before the cruise but they have a 6-hour version if you’re going on embarkation day that goes to different glaciers. Highly recommend that as well b/c we not only got really close to the glacier since it’s a smaller boat but also saw plenty of sealife (humpbacks, sea lions, harbor seals, otters, etc.). They also provided freshly baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast, chicken wraps/chips for lunch, and freshly baked cookies later on.

 

Hope this helps.

[unclerich]

This may be a bizarre question to some, but as I am planning out excursions for our first cruise to Alaska next year, I am trying to figure out how many glacier excursions we should plan... sadly, our cruise is not going to Glacier Bay, so that will have to be another trip for another time...

 

That being said, we are spending a couple of days in Anchorage pre-cruise, and will be driving up to visit the Matanuska Glacier to climb on it and in it, then on the cruise will be cruising by the Hubbard and Sawyer Glaciers... so is that going to be enough? Or should we plan another glacier excursion in Juneau or Skagway?

 

The options are a bit overwhelming to say the least, so I appreciate all input!

 

For us - it would be enough. In Juneau, go whale watching. En route, you'll see Mendenhall Glacier to appreciate its beauty, as well.

 

For those who have some free time in Anchorage, especially if you're already planning a rental car, drive down to www.alaskawildlife.org/ - the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Less than an hour's drive south of Anchorage (an incredibly beautiful drive) and you'll see bison, moose, bears, deer and more - up close and personal (behind an electrified fence).

[JT1962]

For me, the answer is no, but I have friends that say “you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.”

 

There are 2 things to consider:

 

1. Some of the glacier experiences are missed due to weather. Flights to walk or dog sled on a glacier, or see one from above, are some of the most frequent cancellations. Some ships will miss seeing or getting close to Hubbard, Sawyer (Tracy Arm) or Dawes (Endicott Arm) Glaciers due to weather or ice. The more excursions you have booked, the better your chances of seeing glaciers.

 

2. Most of the glacier experiences are different. Some you see from a distance (Mendenhall, etc.), some from the deck of your ship (Hubbard), some you can get close to on a small boat excursion (Tracy Arm) and others you can walk or dog sled on. All give you a very different experience.

 

 

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[Ayekayecee]

Thanks for the advice, everyone! I greatly appreciate the different viewpoints to consider as we continue to mull over all the options!

 

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Edited July 7, 2018 by Ayekayecee

[Budget Queen]

Nope. Glaciers are in a constant state of change. Always a unique one time experience. You have to figure out what YOU want out of your trip???? Some people don’t care if they see any. Me I want it all!

[masterdrago]

I’d say, like most things, it’s personal preference. On our recent trip we hiked/ice climbed on Spencer Glacier in Girdwood, saw Northwest Glacier during our 9-hour Kenai Fjord Tour (which was calving all over the place that day, very cool), went dog sledding on a glacier in Skagway, and saw Hubbard Glacier from the cruise ship (Radiance). We also saw other glaciers as we traveled from Fairbanks to Seward before the cruise.

 

For us, yes, we were kind of “glaciered out” in terms of seeing them from a distance but actually hiking on one, dog sledding on one that’s snow covered, and getting very close to one on a smaller boat like Kenai are all very different experiences.

 

Since you already plan to hike on one (one of our highlights), I would only consider adding more if it involved something beyond looking at them.

In '95, we overnighted on one in a tent (have to find my Fuji Velvia slides to ID it) so I mostly want to see one up close on a small boat and watch and hear it calve. Several of the ship and pre tours get within view but I want more.

[ColoradoMom!!]

Just back from our SB Coral Princess June 27th - July 4th.

 

Yes, in a way we were glad hit some land by the time we got to Skagway into our trip.

 

Our day at Glacier Bay was unusually cold and foggy on the way in. Fortunately it cleared some for Margerie and Lamplugh. Hubbard was again was on a pretty grey day.

 

We did the 5 Glacier Taku Lodge/Floatplane trip and saw a bunch. We visited Portage Glacier on our extra day in Anchorage on a drive out to Turnagain Arm. So we saw a ton of glaciers.

 

But THE BEST decision we made was to do the 26 Glacier cruise in Whittier before boarding our actual cruise. It was our first exposure to Glaciers- so the WOW factor was in play, but we were able to get soooo much closer on that little excursion than one can on the cruise ship.

 

It was rainy and super grey when we got to Whittier that day, but as we made our way out on the boat, it cleared up. That was one of my favorite parts of our whole trip.

[OCSC Mike]

In '95, we overnighted on one in a tent (have to find my Fuji Velvia slides to ID it) so I mostly want to see one up close on a small boat and watch and hear it calve. Several of the ship and pre tours get within view but I want more.

 

When we hiked/ice climbed in Girdwood, our helicopter landed right near a couple large storage containers which our guide explained contained the tent/camping stuff for staying overnight (which they also offer). Probably a bit much for us but did sound cool.

 

I know we got lucky seeing all the calving in Seward and I’m very thankful. The sound comes several seconds before anything breaks off so you get a warning to look around and figure out where exactly to look. We also saw an ice waterfall (which the staff said is very rare)?as well as a large stream of silt sliding down the glacier for so long that it left large mounds at the base of the glacier. Anyway, calving is obviously unpredictable but I agree with trying to find smaller boat tours to look for it. The nice thing about Kenai was even if you don’t see calving, you see plenty of sealife & should get really close to the glacier regardless. On our boat, the captain basically docked the bow just in front of a waterfall that comes off the glacier so everyone takes pics where you’re almost under it but not quite. I’m sure I’ll post pics of that when I get around to my trip review.

[Ayekayecee]

Okay, we have decided to see another glacier with our Juneau excursion!! Instead of Mendenhall, we are going to splurge and go a different direction... we found an opportunity that combines a helo tour with an airboat tour of Taku Glacier, as well the chance to walk on the glacier as well! I am too excited and am looking so forward to this once in a lifetime trip! Needless to say, I think we will be covering glaciers from literally every angle now. :D

 

Thank you all for your feedback! Happy cruising!