Who has done Alaska from Seattle on NCL? Itin question: Endicott Arm/Dawes Glacier times

[whataboutport]

The itin says first Endicott Arms/Dawes Glacier (cruising), then Juneau arriving 7am. Does that mean we cruise by the glacier in the very early morning hours?

 

The itin on the website before you book says Juneau, then Endicott/Dawes, which timewise makes more sense, but on the map they provided after booking, it looks like Endicott/Dawes comes first, then you get to Juneau. For those who have done this, which comes first? Do you recall approx times?

 

Both Juneau and Ketchikan have earlier departure times. What excursions are worthwhile in such a short period of time? We did book with the special promotion for excursions, but now I'm realizing it's only for the first person booked and with four people total, and the inflated prices the cruise line charges, seems hardly like a deal.

[BirdTravels]

You leave Juneau and the glacier part of the day starts at 1:30 pm and ends around 7:00 pm. We are out on our balcony or on deck for the whole time. It is clam fjord waters with whales and the occasional bear sighting and more seals as you get into the ice. 
 

Our favorite excursion from Juneau is the Glacier Explorer. You leave the ship and see the glacier up close and personal, the rejoin the ship after they finish their glacier watching. A few photos and recent Alaska cruises are on the links below. 
 

Glacier Explorer from the Bliss pictures starting at post 243

 

 

Glacier Explorer from the Joy starting at post 209

 

[Outerdog]

2 hours ago, whataboutport said:

For those who have done this, which comes first?

 

Both. Historically, there is a morning run down Tracy Arm / Endicott Arm, and an afternoon run down the Arm. We have done both. Arm morning, Juneau afternoon or Juneau morning, Arm afternoon. For your itinerary, it appears you will do the latter.

[whataboutport]

2 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

You leave Juneau and the glacier part of the day starts at 1:30 pm and ends around 7:00 pm. We are out on our balcony or on deck for the whole time. It is clam fjord waters with whales and the occasional bear sighting and more seals as you get into the ice. 
 

Our favorite excursion from Juneau is the Glacier Explorer. You leave the ship and see the glacier up close and personal, the rejoin the ship after they finish their glacier watching. A few photos and recent Alaska cruises are on the links below. 
 

Glacier Explorer from the Bliss pictures starting at post 243

 

 

Glacier Explorer from the Joy starting at post 209

 

Oh wow that sounds so cool. I'll look into that. So for my sailing, we booked a port side cabin. Since we do Juneau first, would the port side be better since we are going back down to the glacier? Or can you view on both sides? We are travelling with a toddler and after Juneau he will most likely be tired and want to nap.

[Travel R]

@whataboutport - thanks for asking the question, two days ago I booked the Bliss (for next June) w/ same itinerary and also noticed how the times were set up. I have just begun my research, but figured this would be a good question to begin with.

 

I have another question - how much of the glacier(s) do you see from the cruise ship itself?

 

@BirdTravels - I look forward to reading your reviews of your Bliss and Joy Alaskan cruises.

 

Thanks,

 

Travel R

 

 

Edited July 2, 2021 by Travel R

[Rick&Jeannie]

We have done the Dawes Glacier on another cruise line.  Different ships are able to do different things...the Celebrity Solstice has side thrusters; it was able to literally "spin" in place so that everybody could get a great view of the glacier.

[roger001]

When you're doing the glaciers, or even the Panama Canal, don't just plan you cabin only as the spot to watch.  For both of those, get out on the ship and wander the open decks to see it all.

[Travel R]

3 hours ago, roger001 said:

When you're doing the glaciers, or even the Panama Canal, don't just plan you cabin only as the spot to watch.  For both of those, get out on the ship and wander the open decks to see it all.

The Bliss has an observation deck (reportedly built specifically for Alaskan cruises) - does anyone know if it would be too crowded to even enjoy the view?

[ChiefMateJRK]

29 minutes ago, Travel R said:

The Bliss has an observation deck (reportedly built specifically for Alaskan cruises) - does anyone know if it would be too crowded to even enjoy the view?

I think this is generally where most would recommend putting on a coat and getting out on deck to enjoy.

[Travel R]

11 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I think this is generally where most would recommend putting on a coat and getting out on deck to enjoy.

Sorry my question was not clear. I will reiterate: Is it too "crowded" (not too "cold") to enjoy the views from the observation deck on the Bliss for viewing the glacier?  Thank you.

[ChiefMateJRK]

11 minutes ago, Travel R said:

Sorry my question was not clear. I will reiterate: Is it too "crowded" (not too "cold") to enjoy the views from the observation deck on the Bliss for viewing the glacier?  Thank you.

Well, you likely should have figured out from my response that I have no frickin' idea, because I was recommending a deck viewing.  Your question was clear.  I just didn't have a clear answer, so I threw out some bonus advice.  Probably the first time that has ever happened on this here internet....  😝

Edited July 2, 2021 by ChiefMateJRK

[MorganClark]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Well, you likely should have figured out from my response that I have no frickin' idea, because I was recommending a deck viewing.  Your question was clear.  I just didn't have a clear answer, so I threw out some bonus advice.  Probably the first time that has ever happened on this here internet....  😝

 

"frickin'"? As a ChiefMate, you should know that the proper sea term is "friggin'". You know, as in "friggin' in the riggin'". (O.k., I'll shut up now and drink my beer...).

Edited July 2, 2021 by MorganClark

[Travel R]

On 5/21/2021 at 8:59 PM, whataboutport said:

Both Juneau and Ketchikan have earlier departure times. What excursions are worthwhile in such a short period of time? We did book with the special promotion for excursions, but now I'm realizing it's only for the first person booked and with four people total, and the inflated prices the cruise line charges, seems hardly like a deal.

Back to the topics at hand. . . .

 

On our last NCL cruise (this will be our 2nd on NCL), we had the excursion perk, thinking it was a good idea when we booked it.  However, out of the 7 ports we used it only twice.  All the other excursions were either DIY or through one of the third party companies (which, as others may not know are usually a lot cheaper than through the cruise line).  However, if the time is tight, you are guaranteed by NCL not to have to run down the pier to get to the ship before it leaves - they will not leave without you.

 

I am still in the very early stages of planning but thinking about taking a taxi [$35 each way in 2020] to the Mendenhall glacier (to the visitor center, then there is a trail (minimal effort) that takes you across the lake from the glacier), then depending on the time we may take a taxi to town and walk around (I'll probably already have a short walking tour planned) and have some lunch along the way. [The town is very walkable and is right off the pier where the ship docks.]

 

 

The excursion BirdTravel mentions (and links to) looks amazing - but also comes with a price tag (like you, I am paying for four).

 

From my research, Juneau is the only place in Alaska where it is almost guaranteed seeing a whale if you take one of those excursions. [Although note that there is a company in Icy Straight that states that they also guarantee seeing whales (we may loosen up the pocket books for this one - looks cool and from a quick glance, there does not seem to be a lot to do in that village).]

 

On the NCL excursion page for Juneau (https://www.ncl.com/shore-excursions/search?destination=Alaska+Cruises&port=JNU) there are a ton of tours listed (many being 4+ hours). A 7 am arrival means that the ship does not clear until 8:30-9:00, and you probably want to be back onboard by 12:30; and as you alluded to, there does not seem to be enough time to fit in most of these excursions.

 

We've got months to plan, but the above is what I have found so far on Juneau.

 

Sorry, I have not researched Ketchikan yet. I will return to this thread with what I find.

 

If you find anything, please let us know.

 

Travel R

 

[Travel R]

I was checking the itinerary today, and for the "Depart" time for Edicott Arm & Dawes Glacier, it states "Overnight" -- does this mean that this portion of the cruise will be conducted in the wee hours of the morning?

 

[Travel R]

I contacted NCL (via Chat) and asked about the timing for the itinerary.  The agent/representative responded as follows:

 

"Based on the itinerary, it looks like you will depart from Ketchikan at 3 pm and will arrive at the endicott arm dawes glacier around midnight on 06/28/22, then dock in Juneau on the 28th by 7 am."

 

This definitely gives me something to think about (and I'll bring this information to my family when everyone is home tonight).  I am going on an Alaskan cruise to see glaciers. Yeah, it's Alaska, but it's the glaciers that are the highlight.  The title of this cruise is highlighted as "Alaska: Dawes Glacier . . . . ."  If I do not cancel, I guess I am going to be taking my nap at 3 so I can be up.

 

Re-reading the agent's comment, I am not sure if it means reaching the view of the glacier at midnight or Endicott Arm. If it reaches the Arm at midnight (which makes more sense), it could be 3 or 4 am when the ship reaches the Dawes Glacier. I could wake up that early to see the glacier and see the return trip backup the Arm [it is 4 hours later already in my hometown, so technically would be waking up at 7 or 8 back home].

 

Travel R

 

[Travel R]

I've decided to jump ship. 

 

Booked the Serenade out of Vancouver on the 26th. Enjoy your cruise.

[BirdTravels]

21 hours ago, Travel R said:

I contacted NCL (via Chat) and asked about the timing for the itinerary.  The agent/representative responded as follows:

 

"Based on the itinerary, it looks like you will depart from Ketchikan at 3 pm and will arrive at the endicott arm dawes glacier around midnight on 06/28/22, then dock in Juneau on the 28th by 7 am."

 

This definitely gives me something to think about (and I'll bring this information to my family when everyone is home tonight).  I am going on an Alaskan cruise to see glaciers. Yeah, it's Alaska, but it's the glaciers that are the highlight.  The title of this cruise is highlighted as "Alaska: Dawes Glacier . . . . ."  If I do not cancel, I guess I am going to be taking my nap at 3 so I can be up.

 

Re-reading the agent's comment, I am not sure if it means reaching the view of the glacier at midnight or Endicott Arm. If it reaches the Arm at midnight (which makes more sense), it could be 3 or 4 am when the ship reaches the Dawes Glacier. I could wake up that early to see the glacier and see the return trip backup the Arm [it is 4 hours later already in my hometown, so technically would be waking up at 7 or 8 back home].

 

Travel R

 

It means it’s time to get another agent cuz the person you’re talking to is clueless. 
 

Post #2 in this thread discusses how the glacier watching works. 

Edited July 4, 2021 by BirdTravels

[Travel R]

The response came directly from an NCL agent. They even took a few moments to find the information. 

 

I was not going to argue, and not spending my time contacting another agent.

 

I am going to continue to follow this thread. If anyone else with this Bliss itinerary decides to contact NCL with this inquiry, I would be interested to see if they are provided with a similar response.

 

Cheers,

 

Travel R

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Travel R]

Shame on NCL for providing me with the wrong information (the rep is an agent of the organization).  The Cruise Line Agency of Alaska (@ claalaska.com) provides a schedule of every single ship to sail in each of the Alaskan ports and destinations.  The site has the posted sailings for 2022.

 

As shown on their website, the Norwegian Bliss is scheduled to sail the Endicott Arm between 5 PM and 9 PM local time, and the 7 AM port time for Juneau:

 

 

I was looking for the number of ships that would be in port as the same time as the Serenade, I discovered that the schedule also included the time schedule for non-port destinations in Alaska, such as the Endicott Arm.  With a quick look at the date, I was able to find the above.

 

Although I am not on this cruise any longer, I figured I would share the above information so that it might help others.

 

Edited July 5, 2021 by Travel R

[HowardK]

Can I ask pros and cons of this route vs. the other one that has Skagway and less time in Victoria?

It seems this one goes on Saturday and the Sunday one is the Skagway/Glacier Bay route.Thanks