Would you say no to an Alaskan Cruise if Glacier Bay was not included?

[Smokeyham]

I have a friend whose family is planning a cruise to Alaska.  Other family members are very keen to go on Celebrity, so there will be no visit to Glacier Bay.  The friend is very keen to see Glacier Bay, to the point that she thinks she will not join the family unless they choose a cruise that includes Glacier Bay.

What are your thoughts?  Are there other glacier locations that are as spectacular that are visited by Celebrity?  

Note... family members all pay their own way, so she is not turning down a free cruise.

[Aquahound]

Great question.  Would I say no?  Absolutely not!!!  Despite the rabid GB following on this board, and while I do agree that GB is spectacular, Alaska cruises can still be spectacular even without GB.  

 

I cruised Alaska on Quantum of the Seas 2 weeks ago.  We did not go to GB and frankly, we are still coming down off that cruise.  It was amazing and we had so much fun. 

 

Saying this will likely give certain folks a heart attack, but I firmly believe that Alaska cruises are not ALL about Alaska.  If not equally important, it is a close second that you be happy with the ship you are on.  If Celebrity is the line of choice, go with it.  You will still have a great time.

 

Some Celebrity itineraries visit Hubbard Glacier.  This glacier is much more spectacular than any single glacier in GB.  Dawes Glacier is pretty impressive as well, but ships rarely ever get close to it and even when they do, the time spent there is very short.  

[CruiserBruce]

No, of course not. But Glacier Bay would be worth another trip.

[Gsel]

I agree, GB is lovely, but there is much more to Alaska than glaciers. 

[karatemom2]

I wouldn't necessarily say "no" depending on what other scenic cruising option was being offered on the cruise itinerary. That being said, personally, I don't find any of the other scenic options as overall spectacular as Glacier Bay for the glaciers, scenery, wildlife and extended viewing opportunities. So, if I only had one opportunity to go to Alaska and this was going to be an expensive trip for me then I might say no in favor of spending the money on a trip that delivered what I really wanted to see.

[Octavias]

We are going on our Alaskan cruise next week and we chose Celebrity even though it doesn’t go to Glacier Bay.  In lieu of that we have booked an excursion that goes to Taku Glacier.  Getting to be up close and personal with a glacier more than makes up for it in my opinion.  However, if we go to Alaska again, I would choose an itinerary that includes it.  

[Crew News]

Just disembarked a HAL 14-Day Alaska cruise that did not include Glacier Bay.

[FishTastic]

If it will be the one and only Alaska cruise for your friend, then yes.

[nordicacres]

Glacier Bay NP was important to me. I specifically chose our cruise because it included GB and Hubbard. I sure hope to return to Alaska someday, but it was a priority for our first trip!

[antmaril]

I have been struggling with this question.  My friend and I are cruising to Alaska on the Discovery Princess out of Seattle next August (2025).  I offered to pay for the cruise if she pays for her airfare and excursions.  She accepted.  😁.  I have been to Alaska twice, including Glacier Bay, but this is her first trip.  Of course, GB is spectacular.  The cruise I have booked for us does not include GB, but rather, Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.  There is a pretty significant difference in the cost of these two cruises.  Since I am paying for both of us, I chose the more cost effective cruise.  
 

What do you folks think?  Will it be okay?

 

 

 

 

 

[nordicacres]

If a friend was paying my fare I would happily go to Endicott/Dawes! I wouldn’t give it another thought. How lovely of you!

[antmaril]

11 minutes ago, nordicacres said:

If a friend was paying my fare I would happily go to Endicott/Dawes! I wouldn’t give it another thought. How lovely of you!

Thank you!  I feel pretty confident that she will still enjoy the cruise even if we don’t visit Glacier Bay.  😀

[SightCRR]

51 minutes ago, antmaril said:

  I offered to pay for the cruise if she pays for her airfare and excursions.  She accepted.   Since I am paying for both of us, I chose the more cost effective cruise.  
What do you folks think?  Will it be okay?

Is it her airfare and her excursions or excursions for both. Better get firm decisions on excursions as they are so expensive in AK. Excursions very easily could be more expensive than the cruise. 

Edited May 22 by SightCRR

[donaldsc]

I have been to AK maybe 12 times so I have some preconceived notions about AK trips.  If this was my 1st trip I would say that GB is a necessity.  In fact Hubbard Glacier would also be a necessity as Hubbard in some ways more spectacular than GB because it is very large and you can get fairly close to it.  The problem with Hubbard and also Endicott/Dawes is that while you can be almost certain to get into GB often the ships do not get into the others because of ice.  

 

For those who have said that the ship you take to AK is almost as important as the itinerary - I would totally disagree.  The ship might be important for a Caribbean but to me the only thing that counts is what is outside of the ship.

 

Just my opinion.

 

DON

[antmaril]

3 hours ago, SightCRR said:

Is it her airfare and her excursions or excursions for both. Better get firm decisions on excursions as they are so expensive in AK. Excursions very easily could be more expensive than the cruise. 

She will pay for her airfare and her excursions. We won’t be choosing the most expensive excursions.  The most expensive will be in Skagway.  We want to do the Yukon/White Pass Railway.    I will pay for the cruise for both of us and the cost of the hotel in Seattle.  

Edited May 22 by antmaril

[antmaril]

5 hours ago, FishTastic said:

If it will be the one and only Alaska cruise for your friend, then yes.

Well, she is almost eight years younger than me, so she may do this again.  I don’t know that for sure.  I think I will stick with my plan.  We will still have good time, I’m sure.   

[Cruzaholic41]

Not a chance in heck would I turn down a cruise that doesn’t go to Glacier Bay. I’ve done several that didn’t go there and they were still wonderful. 
 

And yes, of course the ship is important. It’s a cruise vacation. 

[Oakman58]

4 hours ago, antmaril said:

I have been struggling with this question.  My friend and I are cruising to Alaska on the Discovery Princess out of Seattle next August (2025).  I offered to pay for the cruise if she pays for her airfare and excursions.  She accepted.  😁.  I have been to Alaska twice, including Glacier Bay, but this is her first trip.  Of course, GB is spectacular.  The cruise I have booked for us does not include GB, but rather, Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.  There is a pretty significant difference in the cost of these two cruises.  Since I am paying for both of us, I chose the more cost effective cruise.  
 

What do you folks think?  Will it be okay?

 

 

 

Just because it doesn't include GB doesn't mean it won't be a fantastic cruise.  She can always pay for her own cruise some other time/year that includes Glacier Bay.
 

Edited May 22 by Oakman58

[SirTomster]

Ask me in July.   In June doing a Southbound and will be visiting Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay.

 

Also, before the cruise, we will be going to Portage Glacier and doing the Kenai Fjords Northwestern Tour which will include glaciers from a much smaller boat.

 

So maybe after visiting those, Glacier Bay will not be that awesome.

 

But I have only been to Alaska once and luckily was able to include Glacier Bay and it was a fantastic event.  The highlight of the cruise in my opinion.  I can still hear the glacier crackling from that trip 12 years ago.  

 

So if you ask me today, I would not do a cruise that did not include Glacier Bay.  But maybe after my Glacier overload next month, I might answer differently.

[Kat915]

No. I actually like Hubbard glacier more than glacier bay and celebrity goes there.

Glacier bay was foggy 1 out of the 3 times that I have been there.

[Coral]

I have had horrible luck at Hubbard Glacier. Most of the time we don't even get close. Or it is incredibly foggy. One year, no ships got to go to Hubbard.

 

I have had amazing luck at Glacier Bay. Weather has always been great.

 

She can take a flight over to Glacier Bay in Skagway. It won't be cheap but I hear it is amazing.

[dmwnc1959]

Absolutely not. The last time I was in Glacier Bay it was raining and you really couldn't enjoy it. Of the five times that I've been to Alaska everything else other than the glacier days were the most important part of an Alaskan experience. The shore excursions are incredibly important - get out away from the city and see the surrounding areas, do a helicopter glacier tour or float plane excursion out to a glacier area like Taku, enjoy a salmon bake, take the White Pass & Yukon rail trip, enjoy a whale watching adventure, or jet-boat down to Misty Fjords. Don't skip Alaska simply because you cannot see Glacier Bay. 

[Nikulai]

This is going to be a personal choice... I knew I wanted to do Sitka and Glacier Bay, so I only looked at cruises that had those itineraries as I don't know if I will get back to Alaska, and when. If I knew I would have additional opportunities, I might have prioritized other things. I know I would like to get back and see Denali, but there is limited time and money, so I prioritized what was important to me. Clearly that would not have been the right decision for anyone but me - see all the posts above as proof. 

[Jnsplace1]

My first AK cruise did not do Glacier Bay, and I am not sure that I knew what I was possibly missing?  Instead, it was Hubbard and I thought it was stellar.   

 

This next cruise because it's not only my honey's first cruise ever, but also first one on an AK cruise.  I specifically choose a GB itinerary.   

 

So, do you go not knowing, and enjoying anyway?   Sure why not?  AK is lovely.  

[wcook]

Hundreds of thousands of people go on cruises to Alaska each year that don’t visit the National Park. They typically see amazing scenery and have fantastic experiences. There’s another group who are on cruises that do visit the National park but have lousy weather that day. 
 

Me? I’d jump on any cruise to Alaska I could. But I’d never tell somebody else how to live their life.