Want to hear the crackle

[Jane T]

I am planning on cruising Alaska for the first time. I have heard that cruising some glacier areas or passages are better than others - closer to the ice, see more wildlife, hear the crackle of ice falling...I would love for someone to compare Tracy Arm to Glacier Bay to Inside Passage to Hubbard Glacier to Stevens Passage to Glacier Bay National Park to College Fjord. Also, if you have opinions about other ports, I'd love to hear. If there is somewhere else on this forum to find some of this info please let me know. Thanks!

 

:confused: :o

[MilliesMom]

We have cruised to Alaska twice .... once thru Misty Fjords and once thru Tracy Arm. Never heard or saw the cracking (calving) of the ice. The only ones that actually saw glaciers were those that took a tour out to Mendahall glacier. Our cruise this fall includes Hubbard Glacier ... I can't wait to see it.

 

The cruises to Alaska are phenomenal!!!! No comparison in my opinion to any other cruise we have taken. We love the ports, the wildlife you see along the way, the beauty ... WOW. It has been a dream to see Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay. So this year Hubbard Glacier for us.

 

Have a wonderful cruise whichever itinerary you chose.

[wolfie11]

The only destination where you will have a good chance of hearing the "crackle" is Glacier Bay. Up close glacier viewing at Marjorie Glacier is pretty much guaranteed. Hubbard Glacier would be the next most likely spot. Hubbard is bigger and more active than Glacier Bay, but the chances of being iced out and not getting close are higher there. Tracy Arm as a glacier day is a bit of a rip off, since most times the ships never get past the S-bend and you get a glimpse of ice in the distance if you're lucky. College Fjords is beautiful, but the only glacier that calves is Yale, and you won't get far enough up the inlet to see any significant calving. The glacier tours out of both Seward and Whittier will also get you up close to calving glaciers.

[Toyz711]

in glacier bay, another glacier for calving is john hopkins...but you can, only, get close later in the season. i didn't hear it, but DH was on the top deck..heard it and got to see the chuck fall off. it made his DAY!

[TomAndJane]

I guess we have been lucky both times we have sailed to Alaska. The first time was the Tracy Arm (Late May 04) and our ship was almost as close as the excursion smaller boat (this was very rare) to Sawyer Glacier. We saw it calve but could not hear it. When we went to Hubbard (Late May 05), we sat in front of her for about 1 1/2 hours. When the ice cracked it sounded like a shot gun going off and it must have calved 10 times!!!! This year we are going to Glacier Bay. Can't wait to see it!!!!!

[Chat Noir]

If this is high on your list I suggest you book an independent glacier day tour. We saw spectacular calving in both the Tracy Arm and Kenai Fords Nat'l Park areas, but both were on small boats. We also enjoyed calving at Glacier Bay, but not as spectacular as being up close (safely) and personal on the small boats. That said, if you're unable to book a small boat tour, Glacier Bay is my first choice, Hubbard would be second for ship sailing only. We were iced away from Hubbard last year. Glaciers in College Fjords were spectacular the year were were there, but we saw no active calving. You can also book independent day glacier sailings out of Whittier for more up close viewing of glaciers.

 

A few links for ideas :

 

Juneau

http://www.adventureboundalaska.com/

 

Whittier

http://www.majormarine.com/alaska-day-cruises/prince-william-sound-glacier-cruise/

 

http://www.princewilliamsound.com/736.cfm

 

http://www.26glaciers.com/travel/arc.cfm?tab=a

 

Seward

http://www.renowntours.com/?gclid=COeKzIGfzpICFQPHPAodRjh-Gg

 

http://www.kenaifjords.com/

 

http://www.majormarine.com/alaska-day-cruises/kenai-fjords-fullday-national-park-cruise/

[Jane T]

Thank you all for the information! I see I have a lot to learn - "calving" is a new term for me! We are just now planning for this July so I'm hunting quickly and appreciate the value of others past experiences.

;)

[stired]

We also saw and heard calving up close and personal on our small boat excursion into Prince William Sound on the PWS Wilderness Explorer Glacier cruise through Esther Passage. We were able to get very close to Surprise Glacier and were rewarded both with calving and getting close to numerous sea otters and seals sunning themselves on the ice floes. Fantastic trip! http://www.princewilliamsound.com/579.cfm

[brunolvr]

Thank you all for the information! I see I have a lot to learn - "calving" is a new term for me! We are just now planning for this July so I'm hunting quickly and appreciate the value of others past experiences.

;)

 

We were told on our cruise that calving is referred to as "white thunder" and that's what it sounds like! We've enjoyed "white thunder" in our 3 cruises that included Glacier Bay but not the 2 to Tracy Arm Fjord/Sawyer Glaciers.

[MichTraveler]

We have witnessed calving in Glacier Bay on the Princess ships. One year loud and lots of splashing. Other times less so but always something to "ooh and aah" about. We didn't get as close as small ships can, but the glaciers are huge.