Slidell_Cruiser Posted July 1, 2022 #1 Share Posted July 1, 2022 I thought one of the primary reasons to sail Alaska is for glacier viewing…. now due to engine issue Quantum is not going….. sorry this is rubbish, lose a port or two but do the Glacier run, with a tug if you have to for safety…. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted July 1, 2022 #2 Share Posted July 1, 2022 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la_croisiere_s'amuse Posted July 1, 2022 #3 Share Posted July 1, 2022 Unfortunately the glaciers (Hubbard, Dawes, Glacier Bay etc.) are never a guarantee. Like any port, they can be unsafe due to a variety of factors. I've missed them due to weather, and it's a bummer, but the Alaska itineraries have so much natural beauty with or without glacier viewing. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverbeenhere Posted July 1, 2022 #4 Share Posted July 1, 2022 Captain Stubing has it right. We’ve been on numerous Alaska cruises and missed getting into various Glaciers five or six times. It sux, but that’s cruising to Alaska. Now hope for no fog!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jk04 Posted July 1, 2022 #5 Share Posted July 1, 2022 2 hours ago, Slidell_Cruiser said: I thought one of the primary reasons to sail Alaska is for glacier viewing…. now due to engine issue Quantum is not going….. sorry this is rubbish, lose a port or two but do the Glacier run, with a tug if you have to for safety…. I understand your frustration. We were on the Shuddering Princess (Crown) last month out of Seattle. Before the cruise started the itinerary changed due to 'scheduled engine maintenance'. Our time in Juneau was shortened by 2 hours and Ketchikan was swapped to Icy Strait Point and reduced by 3 hours. Unfortunately, Crown couldn't keep up and then developed a problem with the diesel generator. So, the time in Juneau was changed two more times which reduced the time in half and Icy Point dropped altogether. We did keep Glacier Bay. So, we had a nice Alaska drive-by. We did get $200 non-refundable OBC as a Goodwill gesture. The crew, on the other hand, was fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BirdTravels Posted July 1, 2022 #6 Share Posted July 1, 2022 2 hours ago, Slidell_Cruiser said: I thought one of the primary reasons to sail Alaska is for glacier viewing…. now due to engine issue Quantum is not going….. sorry this is rubbish, lose a port or two but do the Glacier run, with a tug if you have to for safety…. Cancel your cruise if it is Glacier or nothing. We were on the Quantum a few weeks ago. After being out in the freezing cold starting at 4:30 am, this is as close as we got (probably 5 to 8 miles out) due to ice in the water. (Didn't want to be like the NCL ship). Wasn't worth the trip. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovescats5 Posted July 2, 2022 #7 Share Posted July 2, 2022 It will be interesting to see if they can resolve the problem by September. Glacier would not be a deal breaker, we are in the Royal Loft for the first time so that will be part of the experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Posted July 2, 2022 #8 Share Posted July 2, 2022 (edited) Why so many ships sailing in Alaska are having engine problems all the sudden? Is it the Price of fuel or the grade of fuel they are burning now causing an issue? Edited July 2, 2022 by Jimbo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Posted July 2, 2022 #9 Share Posted July 2, 2022 4 hours ago, BirdTravels said: Cancel your cruise if it is Glacier or nothing. We were on the Quantum a few weeks ago. After being out in the freezing cold starting at 4:30 am, this is as close as we got (probably 5 to 8 miles out) due to ice in the water. (Didn't want to be like the NCL ship). Wasn't worth the trip. Can't even see small pieces of ice in the water in your picture, you sure it wasn't another issue? Been on ships in Alaska they still sail through water with ice chunks floating on top. There is like nothing in your picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BirdTravels Posted July 2, 2022 #10 Share Posted July 2, 2022 15 minutes ago, Jimbo said: Can't even see small pieces of ice in the water in your picture, you sure it wasn't another issue? Been on ships in Alaska they still sail through water with ice chunks floating on top. There is like nothing in your picture. Yup. We sail Alaska every year. Sometimes twice a year. There was a lot of ice in the water. This was the Glacier Explorer coming along side the Quantum to pick up passengers to get up close and personal with the glacier. Here, we're actually maneuvering around some of the growlers 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker19 Posted July 2, 2022 #11 Share Posted July 2, 2022 6 hours ago, Jimbo said: Why so many ships sailing in Alaska are having engine problems all the sudden? What other RCI ship is having issues? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Posted July 2, 2022 #12 Share Posted July 2, 2022 1 hour ago, Biker19 said: What other RCI ship is having issues? Didn't say there was another RCI ship at this time, I just said other ships seem to be having other engine problems in Alaska. Just wondered if this is becoming a trend or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare island lady Posted July 2, 2022 #13 Share Posted July 2, 2022 If they have to skip something...makes sense it would be a glacier. Not only if the engine problem got worse...but the state would not like them stranded in there. Another factor. RCI does not make money on visiting glaciers...shore excursions at the ports...yes. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly333 Posted July 2, 2022 #14 Share Posted July 2, 2022 8 hours ago, Jimbo said: Why so many ships sailing in Alaska are having engine problems all the sudden? Is it the Price of fuel or the grade of fuel they are burning now causing an issue? I think hearing ncl hit a iceberg scared a lot of captains. 3rd thread about this, everyone starts a new thread cant just post on a existing thread. I agree seeing 2 glaciers during my alaska cruise was my favorite thing. .. still wonder if it has to do with ncl. Arent we supposed to be worried about global warming, not more ice in the water? Why cant rcl fix this issue, if are changing august cruises seems like enough time to sit out a week and fix it instead of altering every cruise there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reallyitsmema Posted July 2, 2022 #15 Share Posted July 2, 2022 13 minutes ago, island lady said: If they have to skip something...makes sense it would be a glacier. Not only if the engine problem got worse...but the state would not like them stranded in there. Another factor. RCI does not make money on visiting glaciers...shore excursions at the ports...yes. 😉 Both Ovation and Quantum have excursions at Dawes Glacier. They have an extended Northstar experience that goes out over the side of the ship. They also have the Glacier Experience which is the boat that is pictured above that goes to the face of the glacier. The ship stops in the fjord to load the excursion boat and after they excursion, the boat takes the passengers to Juneau to catch up with the ship that has already left the fjord. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time4u2go Posted July 2, 2022 #16 Share Posted July 2, 2022 18 minutes ago, island lady said: RCI does not make money on visiting glaciers Yes they do. There are excursions on smaller boats that take you closer to the glaciers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Posted July 2, 2022 #17 Share Posted July 2, 2022 I guess you are taking a chance when booking a cruise that has only the smaller glaciers on the itinerary......Best to only book an Alaska Cruise going to Hubbard or Glacier Bay if you really want to see Glaciers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcur Posted July 2, 2022 #18 Share Posted July 2, 2022 If someone asked me (and, no one ever has) what my primary reason for an Alaska cruise was, I'd tell them it would be to sail the inside passage, and all the natural beauty along the way and back. I was meh about the glaciers, and wow'd by the soaring eagles, and amazing views. JMO. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare island lady Posted July 2, 2022 #19 Share Posted July 2, 2022 43 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said: Both Ovation and Quantum have excursions at Dawes Glacier. They have an extended Northstar experience that goes out over the side of the ship. They also have the Glacier Experience which is the boat that is pictured above that goes to the face of the glacier. The ship stops in the fjord to load the excursion boat and after they excursion, the boat takes the passengers to Juneau to catch up with the ship that has already left the fjord. That's nice. Sounds like fun! 🙂 But still the trade off for one of the touristy ports with buses picking up loads of pax IMHO..not the same $$. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare island lady Posted July 2, 2022 #20 Share Posted July 2, 2022 (edited) 53 minutes ago, time4u2go said: Yes they do. There are excursions on smaller boats that take you closer to the glaciers. Ahh...found that out just now. Thanks! Bet it's a fun excursion 🙂 Was thinking of our last few B2B Radiance cruises that went to Hubbard glacier...no pax taken off the boat there. Though compare small boats to bus loads of pax loading up at the regular ports...if they had to decide to skip one or the other. My bet is the bigger $$. Edited July 2, 2022 by island lady Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saab4444 Posted July 2, 2022 #21 Share Posted July 2, 2022 4 hours ago, pcur said: If someone asked me (and, no one ever has) what my primary reason for an Alaska cruise was, I'd tell them it would be to sail the inside passage, and all the natural beauty along the way and back. I was meh about the glaciers, and wow'd by the soaring eagles, and amazing views. JMO. Big ships out of Seattle like Quantum and Ovation also don't go through the Inside Passage, they drive on the west side of Vancouver Island to Alaska. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcur Posted July 2, 2022 #22 Share Posted July 2, 2022 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Saab4444 said: Big ships out of Seattle like Quantum and Ovation also don't go through the Inside Passage, they drive on the west side of Vancouver Island to Alaska. That's why I Iike the smaller ships: to me the inside passage is the only way to go. I live on the West Coast, and it's rocky all along the entire left side of this continent from Ensenada up to Alaska. I've sailed in and out of San Pedro, San Diego, Seattle, and Vancouver, and I live in the SF Bay Area. It's just rocky sailing the first or last day of a cruise. That's also why I am not interested in the West Coastal cruises, too. Edited July 2, 2022 by pcur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doppelganger2621 Posted July 2, 2022 #23 Share Posted July 2, 2022 5 hours ago, firefly333 said: Arent we supposed to be worried about global warming, not more ice in the water? How do you think the water gets more ice in it? It’s because the glaciers are melting and breaking apart—hence the ice is ending up in the water. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time4u2go Posted July 3, 2022 #24 Share Posted July 3, 2022 10 hours ago, Jimbo said: I guess you are taking a chance when booking a cruise that has only the smaller glaciers on the itinerary......Best to only book an Alaska Cruise going to Hubbard or Glacier Bay if you really want to see Glaciers. I agree. Hubbard and Glacier Bay are by far the highlights 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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