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Holy Cow is Glacier Bay closed NEXT YEAR?

MudderBear

By MudderBear,
in Holland America Line

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RuthC

RuthC

Posted
Posted

If Lazey1 is right as to the reason, then Tracy Arm will be difficult, too. Most of it will be open, but approaching the glaciers will have a lot of ice in that season. If you do get to see one, it likely will be long distance viewing. 

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VennDiagram

VennDiagram

Posted
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1 minute ago, strickerj said:

Could just be a scheduling conflict with other vessels - I'm seeing cruises to Glacier Bay as early as May 1 for next year.

 

That's what I was thinking.  There are a limited # of permits for Glacier Bay, and there are a limited # of ships allowed per day.

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rkacruiser

rkacruiser

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I wonder if the change in your itinerary might be due to what the National Park Service might do?  I just checked the NPS web site for a few of the National Parks in Alaska and there are some closures of public facilities already in response to the CDC guidelines.  

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Janet76

Janet76

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This is not a good news for us.  We have booked with HAL because of Glacier Bay.  It is either HAL could not secure # of permits to Glacier Bay 2021 or might be due to NPS response to the CDC guideline.  Either way, we will be pulling out before final payment if this is true for next year.  

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rkacruiser

rkacruiser

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25 minutes ago, Janet76 said:

This is not a good news for us.  We have booked with HAL because of Glacier Bay.  It is either HAL could not secure # of permits to Glacier Bay 2021 or might be due to NPS response to the CDC guideline.  Either way, we will be pulling out before final payment if this is true for next year.  

 

As the current Alaska season approaches, I would suggest that you access the NPS web site once in awhile just to see what they are doing for 2020.  It is far too early to make any prediction as to what 2021 will bring.  

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Janet76

Janet76

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Cruise Line Industry has never experienced financial catastrophe like this one.  This means cutting costs to make up for the lost revenue.  Permits to Glacier Bay is expensive and will change routing to skip Glacier Bay NP in the next few years. We have rebooked for later this year but we have not heard from HAL of any sort of route change. More and more, we are leaning towards Alaska 2020 season not happening.

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rkacruiser

rkacruiser

Posted
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2 minutes ago, Janet76 said:

Cruise Line Industry has never experienced financial catastrophe like this one.  This means cutting costs to make up for the lost revenue.  Permits to Glacier Bay is expensive and will change routing to skip Glacier Bay NP in the next few years. We have rebooked for later this year but we have not heard from HAL of any sort of route change. More and more, we are leaning towards Alaska 2020 season not happening.

 

Cruising to Alaska and not visiting Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier, College Fjord?  An itinerary that did not include such would be a difficult itinerary to sell, I think.  Tracy Arm is an interesting area to visit providing the ice conditions permit it.  It does not substitute for either Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay in my opinion.  Regardless of whatever the Permits may cost, if a cruise line wants to sell Alaska cruises, the money has to be spent.

 

Of course, we, the guests, may well have to be those that provide such funds to do so.  

 

Will the cruises be more expensive than currently?  Who knows?  If they are, then one has a choice to make:  go or not go.  

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RuthC

RuthC

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3 hours ago, MudderBear said:

But HAL had in on their website for D6L ..... Hubbard Bay AND Glacier Bay.  Then poof, I book it (via a big box) and I get the "change in itinerary" email.   😒

Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay on the same cruise does not make sense. It's one or the other. Tracy Arm and Hubbard Glacier on the same cruise can happen. 

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MudderBear

MudderBear

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Posted (edited)

Truth be told, I guess I never even thought about the cost of permits.  But it's sort of selling Las Vegas without Casinos or New York without Broadway.  Well, I'll wait and see.  Stay safe and healthy everyone!!

 

CRUISE TOUR DETAILS Start Date: May 23, 2021 Ship: Noordam Journey: D6l: 10-Day Double Denali Voyage: N133  From Port: Whittier To Port: Vancouver
 

ITINERARY CHANGE NOTIFICATION: Due to operational reasons, scenic cruising to Glacier Bay has been changed to Tracy Arm and the departure time from Whittier, AK has been changed from 17:00 to 20:00.

Edited by MudderBear
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Janet76

Janet76

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7 minutes ago, sppunk said:

Permits were issued months ago. 
 

It’s a scheduling conflict, 100%. 

I hope it won't affect Alaska 2021. Its possible Disney Cruise Line may be the future cruise in terms of securing Glacier Bay permits.  

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rkacruiser

rkacruiser

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26 minutes ago, RuthC said:

Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay on the same cruise does not make sense. It's one or the other.

 

This is the reason that I chose to sail on Coral Princess last August.  Both were on her Southbound itinerary.

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Aquahound

Aquahound

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1 hour ago, RuthC said:

Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay on the same cruise does not make sense. It's one or the other. Tracy Arm and Hubbard Glacier on the same cruise can happen. 

 

Maasdam, Oosterdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, and Noordam all advertise cruises that hit both GB and Hubbard in 2021.  

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RuthC

RuthC

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9 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

Maasdam, Oosterdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, and Noordam all advertise cruises that hit both GB and Hubbard in 2021.  

I did not know that! That is very new, then. I've done 9 or so Alaska cruises on HAL, including the 1-, 2-, and 3-week cruises, one way and round trip, since 1993, and never seen both glacier experiences regularly scheduled. One 2-week cruise had Glacier Bay added on when a Princess cruise couldn't use their permit due to being caught in a storm, but that was a fluke. 

Thanks for the info; it makes sense now. I may have to plan another cruise to The Great Land! 

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