Celebrity Solstice - Endicott Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer Excursion Question

[Ariyel]

Hi, firstly I cross posted this in the Celebrity forum.  If I should only have it one place or the other please let me know and I'll delete appropriately.

 

We're taking the Celebrity Solstice RT Seattle cruise departing June 28, 2019.  The day we cruise Endicott Arm we are there in the morning and then have port in Juneau from 1:30 to 10 PM the same day.  In reading up on this I was interested in taking the excursion that leaves from the ship (around 7:30 or 8 AM) while you're approaching Endicott Arm and gets you closer to the glaciers in Endicott Arm before rejoining the ship in Juneau (shortly after the regular docking time).  I thought this was the excursion titled "Endicott Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer Excursion", however when I went to sign up for this excursion it showed as starting at 1:30 PM (the same time we dock in Juneau).  I called Celebrity and the rep I spoke to said this excursion does indeed start at 1:30, which would mean it would take almost our whole time in Juneau since it's listed as a 5 hour excursion.

 

Does anyone know for certain, or have personal experience if this particular excursion leaves from the ship in the morning when you're already in Endicott Arm or if you get to Juneau and then this excursion turns around and goes back to Endicott Arm and then back to Juneau?

 

Thanks for any insight!

[Ariyel]

I think I found my answer, but posting in case it's useful to anyone else looking into this issue.

 

I did some more poking around and I was pretty sure from other posters that the tour operator for the excursion that leaves from the ship in the morning to get closer to the glacier was run by Allen Marine Tours, so I emailed them directly to inquire if they were the tour operator for the Solstice on my date (July 1, 2019).  

 

I got a very courteous and quick reply back confirming they are the tour operator and they have the tour scheduled for 8 AM at the Solstice in Endicott Arm, ending in Juneau at 1:30 and they do NOT have a tour scheduled to depart Juneau at 1:30 PM.

 

Here's what the email from Allen Marine said:

 

Greetings from Alaska! Thank you for your interest in our tours.

 

Endicott Arm is located 45 miles south of Juneau, the main difference between our one-way and roundtrip tour is travel time. The shorter one-way tour can only be booked through a cruise ship offering it through their shore excursion page. This is due to the fact that our catamaran will pull up right next to the cruise ship near the glacier, load guests directly from the ship, take guests on the up-close tour for great views of ice-bergs, waterfalls, any wildlife we may come across, and of course at least one tide-water glacier. Then our boat will bring you into Juneau.

 

Your research is correct. We do have an Endicott Arm tour scheduled with the Solstice that beings at 8:00am and ends at 1:30pm back at the ship that will be docked in Downtown Juneau. We do not have a 1:30pm to 10:00pm on our schedule. That being said, tour times can change but this one has been reoccurring for a couple seasons and no one from Celebrity has contacted us about any changes.

 

I hope you found this information helpful. Please let me know if you have any other questions. We look forward to taking you out to see Endicott Arm this summer!

[hd57]

Hello,

We are a family of 4 , taking the same cruise in August '19. I was looking at the ship's cruise planner and happened to notice this particular excursion. Does not provide any detailed info. Thank you for doing the research and posting. Would appreciate any further info. Did you book this tour via Celebrity or a third party you mentioned ? If you don't me asking have you booked any tours in Juneau and Skagway ? Thanks

[Ariyel]

7 hours ago, hd57 said:

Hello,

We are a family of 4 , taking the same cruise in August '19. I was looking at the ship's cruise planner and happened to notice this particular excursion. Does not provide any detailed info. Thank you for doing the research and posting. Would appreciate any further info. Did you book this tour via Celebrity or a third party you mentioned ? If you don't me asking have you booked any tours in Juneau and Skagway ? Thanks

 

I did book this particular excursion (the Endicott Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer) through Celebrity - you could only book it through Celebrity since the 3rd party vendor picks you up directly from the ship while out at sea.

 

For Juneau we did not book another excursion, but instead we arranged a rental car through Juneau Car Rentals.  We're hoping to drive up to Mendenhall Visitor Center and walk out to Nugget Falls without being tied to an excursion timetable.  We may also use the car to do a little more exploring afterward.

 

For Skagway we booked a train/bus White Pass trip through Chilkoot Charters, specifically because it also included a sled dog stop along with the other things we wanted out of that trip (train ride and getting as far as Lake Bennett).  We booked the Yukon Rail & Bus Excursion With Dogcart Experience.

 

Edit to add:  Our trip starts in about 10 days.  I plan to do a trip report when I'm back.  If there's anything specific you want me to look into post back and I'll try to do so.

Edited June 18, 2019 by Ariyel

[hd57]

Thank you very mush for sharing the info. Very much appreciated. Did you book white pass trip through the cruise line ? I generally try to avoid booking via cruise lines as the tours are too crowded. First time Alaska cruiser. As a matter of fact , i have never done so for the past 4 sailings in Europe.  First time Alaska cruiser. Did you book any whale watching excursion ?  Would love to hear your opinion about the excursions . Thank you