Balcony or Tracy Arm Fjord Excursion

[locogirl]

I am trying to cut costs on my trip and currently I am booked on NCL inside room. We are taking the Tracy Arm Fjord Excursion but I realized for the cost, I could have a balcony room. If you have done both and could have one vs. the other, which would you choose?

[Lessa11]

Balcony, unless they're sold out - Alaska has so much to see from the ship that I've heard it's worth it. I know the difference in price is painful, but I decided that's where I wanted to splurge.

[Mabers]

As far as I know, (but things could have changed).....the big ships do not get into Tracy Arm. You have to take a smaller boat, leaving the ship behind. It then meets you later when your Tracy Arm tour is over.

I have done this trip.....it is spectacular! I was also on an NCL ship, so maybe things are the same. There is a naturalist on board the smaller boat, pointing out things as you go.

Don't miss it if you can possibly do it.

M.

[Alaskalovr]

Tracy Arm Fjord Excursion!! The fjord is amazing and getting closer to the glaciers is more than you will ever see from your balcony. You can go up on deck if there really is something to see and have a better view but a chance to see the glaciers up close is huge!!! I enjoyed my balcony for sure but I was amazed by Tracy Arm fjord.

[Alaskalovr]

Oh I forgot to ask who is the excursion with.? If you go independent with Adventure Bound then I think you will love it!!

[grammy2attj]

I am trying to cut costs on my trip and currently I am booked on NCL inside room. We are taking the Tracy Arm Fjord Excursion but I realized for the cost, I could have a balcony room. If you have done both and could have one vs. the other, which would you choose?

We had both in May and if budget was limited I would choose the balcony. Tracy Arm is beautiful and you can stand outside on your balcony and get a view of it ~not as close but the beauty of the entire trip from your balcony is worth missing the close-up view of Tracy Arm Fjord Excusion. Enjoy! :)

[deadzone1003]

If your ship is already going into Tracy Arm, get the balcony, but if it isn't and you are using Adventure Bound, do the Tracy Arm excursion. It was the highlight of our cruisetour, second by my wife and 2 kids (and we had a balcony and an inside for the kids).

[cruiseej]

It depends a lot on your travel style, size of your group, and what you're looking for from the trip. I love having a balcony, but on our recent Alaska trip I found I was out there infrequently compared to being up on deck when there was scenic viewing from the ship. Now, we were on the Regent Mariner, a smaller ship (700 passengers) which makes it pretty easy to get up to the top deck for inside and outside viewing, and I might feel differently if my experience was on a much larger ship -- but to me, being able to see new things outweighs the comfort of seeing them from the comfort of your own balcony. If it's a choice between not seeing Tracy Arm or having to go up on deck to see the passing scenery, I think I'd choose the latter. But as I said, that depends on a lot of factors: size of the ship, your willingness and ability to move around a lot on the ship, whether you'd find a balcony a highlight of your trip, etc. (In a tropical location, I think the balcony has even greater appeal, because you are more likely to sit outside, enjoy a drink there, perhaps have meals there, than you are in Alaska, unless the weather gods are smiling on you.)

 

If you were doing other excursions which would take you up close and personal to a glacier, that might be a reason to go for the balcony over Tracy Arm. But I'm guessing from the budget tradeoff you're weighing, you're not doing a glacier boat tour in Seward or Whittier?

 

-- Eric

[BBQ Lover]

Like you, we were also wanting to cut costs. I was trying to decide between an upgrade or some excursions (including the Tracey Arm), and then decided to forget the budget and do both. That was 2 weeks ago and I still feel good about the decision. In two weeks I'll let you know if it was worth it.

 

I always end up spending way more than my original cruise budget. I might wince when I pull out my wallet, but I have yet to regret spending the extra money.

[DizzyDallasDi]

I was in a stern balcony on HAL's Zuiderdam on her May 23 Alaska cruise. I spent the entire time we were in Tracy Arm (spectacular scenery !!) on my balcony, as did many of my neighbors. I don't know what the price difference is between a balcony room and a shore excursion, but based on my experience the price of the stern balcony was worth every penny. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

 

Diane

[mooline]

I would find some way to dig up the extra $187 or so and do both. Even if I had to grovel and beg from someone - a balcony in Alaska is a VERY nice thing to have, not just for the fjord transit but for the entire trip. And I am now among those who say that the jet boat excursion is absolutely a MUST-DO. You have the best of both worlds - an up close look at the glacier and, when you get back on the ship, a second look at the wonderful scenery of the fjord as you cruise out of the area.

 

I was really skeptical about the jet boat - almost cancelled it in fact, based on reports that the NCL Star was making the transit deep into Tracy Arm and close to the glacier. But I've learned that "close" is a relative term. The jet boat gets you so close that you actually feel like you are right there, vs just "seeing" the glacier.

 

Here is a link to my Webshots album with photos of the tour: http://travel.webshots.com/album/573202482esEeKP

 

As it turned out, the ice conditions in Tracy Arm changed and the Star could not make it into that fjord at all, so we cruised Endicott Arm up to Dawes Glacier. It was spectacular scenery all the way. When we were at the glacier, we saw two calvings - one large enough to generate white thunder and an exciting wave. We also observed a rainbow that formed over the glacier.

 

The jet boat stops to allow you to view wildlife (whales, eagles, etc) and the landscape (waterfalls!) right up close. You will see those pictures in my album and here is a link to a video of one waterfall; you can hear the naturalist talking about campers on the other side of the area: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=mooline1&view=videos#play/uploads/3/KKdV-AYg_fA

 

The jet boat is very comfortable and free coffee/tea is available throughout the trip. Snacks can be purchased as well.

 

I am so, so glad we did not cancel this excursion. Sure, we could have enjoyed the scenery from the ship - but we never would have known what we missed.

 

All 6 of my family members voted this as the best shore excursion of the cruise - and we spilt up, doing many different excursions. But every single one of us agreed that this tour was truly incredible.

 

Go, if there is any way that you can - and enjoy!

[Marie321]

We have had a balcony and an oceanview room on cruises to Alaska. We have also recently completed Adventure Bound. With the oceanview rooms, we just went out to the promonade a lot and did a lot of deck viewing. I found that I enjoyed this as much as our balcony rooms that we had previously.

 

I would go for Adventure Bound. We were able to get right up to South Sawyer Glacier. When the glacier calved, we rode a small wave. We even saw a huge calving from an underwater spot. That piece was huge and popped up dramatically! Awesome! At the same time, Steve is very safe in his operation! We saw so many seals lying in the icebergs! Steve took us right up to a waterfall. The scenery is gorgeous! We saw 3 bears. So many types of birds. Go for Tracy Arm on Adventure Bound!

[Cruisin Oma]

When I was on NCL, our ship went into Tracy Arm itself. Got to see the glacier calving right from my balcony on the ship.

 

You never said what your itinerary was, so it would be helpful to know if you are going to College Fjord or Glacier Bay - must have balcony for those!

 

The one time we tried to go on deck while we were in Glacier Bay, we got jostled and shoved around and there are strangers in all my pictures of this beautiful scenery.

[jenjens1023]

It would be very helpful to know if your ship goes into Tracy Arm. Not all ships do, and even those can't get as close as Adventure Bound can.

 

We had and obstructed view room on a ship that did not go into Tracy Arm so we took Adventure Bound. It was incredible and I highly reccommend it. We got within a few hundred feet of the glacier, the captain shut off the engine and we just sat there listening to the ice and the seals. Amazing. Your big boat can't to that.

 

During our College Fijord and Glacier Bay days we were up on deck with everyone else. But we were always able to see well. What happens when you're standing on your balcony and there are whales playing on the other side of the ship? When you're on deck you just move to where the action is. In a balcony, you'd miss the fun.

 

Let us know what you decide.

[CruisinCrow]

Is this tour offered through HAL? Or can you book it independently? We're looking at a HAL cruise next year and I didn't realize that there was a Tracy Arm excursion - I thought it was cruising only. The tour sounds amazing.

[bqkali]

Is this tour offered through HAL? Or can you book it independently? We're looking at a HAL cruise next year and I didn't realize that there was a Tracy Arm excursion - I thought it was cruising only. The tour sounds amazing.

 

You can book it independently for your day in Juneau through Adventure Bound. Make sure your port time allows it - the tour is 7:30am-6pm, though there have been reviews of a 2nd boat going out as well 8:30am-7pm if there is enough interest.

http://www.adventureboundalaska.com/

[CruisinCrow]

Wow, that's a long tour. I don't think we'll be in Juneau that long so we'll have to settle with seeing Tracy Arm from the ship. Thanks for the info.

[Cruisin Oma]

You can book it independently for your day in Juneau through Adventure Bound. Make sure your port time allows it - the tour is 7:30am-6pm, though there have been reviews of a 2nd boat going out as well 8:30am-7pm if there is enough interest.

http://www.adventureboundalaska.com/

 

How long is your NCL Cruise in the Juneau port? My NCL cruise was only there a half day. Does it meet you back up with your ship?

[Norcal Cruiser]

We are going out with Adventure Bound in September.I called to book it and explained our ship wasn't scheduled to get into Juneau until 8:00 a.m. Winona said I was the first one to book it for the day so the boat will go out at 9:00 a.m. I called and reconfirmed it this week.We can't wait!

[kruzns4me]

I am trying to cut costs on my trip and currently I am booked on NCL inside room. We are taking the Tracy Arm Fjord Excursion but I realized for the cost, I could have a balcony room. If you have done both and could have one vs. the other, which would you choose?

 

BALCONY BALCONY BALCONY - You are going to see dolphins and whales from your balcony and that alone is worth it. We even got to see them breaching. I highly recommend a balcony and forego the other. In my humble opinion............. :-)

 

Blessings to all

[Budget Queen]

For clairfication, this poster is sailing NCL, with the unique optional, add on Tracy Arm tour. It is NOT with Adventure bound and NOT via the cruise ship.

 

Havings done this tour several times, it is grossly superior to anything seen from the cruise ship.

 

ONLY you can decide, which is more important to you. BUT since you are sailing either the Sun or Star, both have superb front deck viewing space- way better than the Pearl. I spend most of my time there and the potential for marine wildlife is superior than a side viewing balcony. Necessary is a good pair of wide angle binoculars. Also if you happen to be on the Star- verify they are still sailing inside Vancovuer Island northbound, southbound will be open ocean.

[CruisinCrow]

For clairfication, this poster is sailing NCL, with the unique optional, add on Tracy Arm tour. It is NOT with Adventure bound and NOT via the cruise ship.

 

No wonder I'm confused - people are talking about two different things.:)

 

What is the Tracy Arm tour (NOT the Adventure Bound tour)? If it's not through the cruise ship, how do you book it? Can you go on it if you are on a non-NCL ship?

[TracieABD]

Balcony- That way you can enjoy the stunning Alaska scenery for the entire cruise.

[locogirl]

Thanks for the responses. I should have clarified my question, but we are taking the tour on the Norwegian Sun. The entire cruise ship goes to Tracy Arm but the excursion is through the cruiseline. We leave 15 minutes before the cruiseship in Juneau and we will meet up with the ship in Tracy Arm. It is too late for me to book a balcony so I hope we love this excursion!

[VikkiGarcia]

You will. We were on the NCL Sun July 2008 and did the exact same thing. We had an inside cabin and did the Tracy Arm tour and did not regret that choice at all.