Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm?

[sundown1]

Hi: We are considering Star Princess and Norwegisan Bliss for next August. Itineraries are similar other than one goes to Tracy Arm and one goes to Glacier Bay. There is a $1200 price difference on a Balcony room for 2. Going to Glacier Bay is more expensive. Is it worth it??

[tracey.ostermann]

I am also interested in this same info..........looking forward to your feedback comparing these 2 locations.

[Coral]

Yes IMO. Especially if it is going to be your only trip.

 

Work with some travel agents. They may have group space (lower prices). Also look at the times in port. I believe the Bliss has really bad times in port.

Edited October 9, 2018 by Coral

[JT1962]

Hi: We are considering Star Princess and Norwegisan Bliss for next August. Itineraries are similar other than one goes to Tracy Arm and one goes to Glacier Bay. There is a $1200 price difference on a Balcony room for 2. Going to Glacier Bay is more expensive. Is it worth it??

 

 

Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm are very different and both worth visiting. For me, Glacier Bay would not be worth $ 1,200 more, all other things being equal. I would choose the itinerary that offers the most time in ports.

 

If you choose the option with Tracy Arm, see if they offer the small boat excursion into Tracy Arm. If so, it is well worth the cost and will get you much closer to the North & South Sawyer Glaciers. Just book the excursion as soon as you see it offered, as it sells out quickly.

[capriccio]

My biggest concern with choosing Tracy Arm is that sometimes, especially early in the season, it is blocked by ice. That isn't a problem with Glacier Bay. We have done Glacier Bay 3 times and never tire of it. Take a look at the National Park Service info on cruising Glacier Bay: https://www.nps.gov/glba/planyourvisit/cruise.htm. Cruise Critic had an article in August comparing the two: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1894.

[nini]

We have seen Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier, and Tracy Arm twice. The second time, our brave and skilled Captain (Crown Princess) was able to get us all of the way to the end of the Tracy Arm to see Seward Glacier! For us, we loved Hubbard Glacier more than Glacier Bay but cruising down Tracy Arm was lovely especially with Seward Glacier.

 

We very much prefer Princess, but have never been on NCL. We love the nature speakers and commentators on Princess.

 

[JT1962]

1 hour ago, nini said:

We very much prefer Princess, but have never been on NCL. We love the nature speakers and commentators on Princess.

 

Does anyone know how to change the font / color when viewing replies on an iPhone? I looked in the Help forum, but only saw how to change fonts when you post. The font in this post is very difficult to read. 

[Heidi13]

Sailed with Princess for over 35 years, but while we no longer use them, I still suggest they are the Alaska experts, as are HAL.

 

Been to Glacier Bay 20+ times and Tracy Arm 3 or 4, with a couple of cruises where we were unable to enter Tracy Arm due to ice. Both are spectacular in their own right - with Tracy Arm being fairly narrow. We had little issue back in the days of the original Princess ships, but the new mega ships will have some issues getting to the end of the arm.

 

Glacier Bay is wide open and Princess have rangers aboard providing excellent commentary. In Glacier Bay, every trip we got reasonably close to at least 1 glacier.

 

In my experience and opinion, if you can afford the more expensive cruise, do not miss Glacier Bay.