Excursions Released - No Tracy Arm

I'm a bit confused. I've been checking every week or two for excursions for our upcoming Alaska cruise, June 30, 2018. Today is the first day I've seen the excursions available. However, despite the itinerary including a service call at Tracy Arm Inlet, I don't see the Tracy Arm excursion. Unfortunately EXC is closed, so I cannot ask them about this right now. In the meantime, does anyone have any experience booking this excursion, and finding it unavailable at first, and then made available later? (Or alternatively, does anyone have any experience with this excursion booking up within a week or two of it being offered?)

With my Alaska this summer the tours were released over a really long period of time. A port might offer a few. Then the next week 10 more. The next month 30 options. No idea if this is the case for you but it’s how AK loaded this year.

A service call usually indicates that the ship will stop to allow people to leave the ship -- getting on a smaller boat to view Tracy Arm. Your ship will not get close to Tracy Arm but will head for Juneau.

Did you click on that "Service call" - it should have indicated what is happening there.

Otherwise just keep checking as HAL does add more tours as time goes by.

Did you click on that "Service call" - it should have indicated what is happening there.

I did, and the website did not indicate anything, which is why I posted this thread.

 

I know it has been a few years, but there are no excursions in Tracy Arm because it is cruising the area only on your way to the glacier.

I know it has been a few years, but there are no excursions in Tracy Arm because it is cruising the area only on your way to the glacier.

They definitely offered the Tracy Arm excursion this past year. Just about every week, this summer, I participated in threads following the arrival into Juneau by the Nieuw Amsterdam, and on every one of those I recall it was noted how the Nieuw Amsterdam met up with the Tracy Arm excursion boat, for example:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=53290008#post53290008

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=53795455#post53795455

 

I think the crux of my question is when was the Tracy Arm excursion first offered to folks who booked it this year. I'm sorry I wasn't clear about that to start with.

In the general shore ex descriptions for ports of call, this excursion is listed under Juneau.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

In the general shore ex descriptions for ports of call, this excursion is listed under Juneau.

Unfortunately, it's not listed there either, at this time.

I have found that not all excursions for a particular cruise go up at the same time. Example next May I am on a cruise that stops in Victoria and Vancouver (full days for both). Excursions in Vancouver are listed but none for Victoria. This has happened on past cruises as well.

I'm a bit confused. I've been checking every week or two for excursions for our upcoming Alaska cruise, June 30, 2018. Today is the first day I've seen the excursions available. However, despite the itinerary including a service call at Tracy Arm Inlet, I don't see the Tracy Arm excursion. Unfortunately EXC is closed, so I cannot ask them about this right now. In the meantime, does anyone have any experience booking this excursion, and finding it unavailable at first, and then made available later? (Or alternatively, does anyone have any experience with this excursion booking up within a week or two of it being offered?)

 

 

 

Tracy Arm is usually full of ice. We ended up at Dawes Glacier instead.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

You may check back later. I think that some of these excursions depend on the weather conditions, and it is too early to tell what they may be.

Tracy Arm is usually full of ice. We ended up at Dawes Glacier instead.

Thanks for the info, however, the Tracy Arm excursion on Nieuw Amsterdam was not cancelled or redirected any of the weeks during which I participated in threads following the ship's arrival into Juneau, this summer. I believe the problem you're referring to mostly affects the itineraries that have large cruise ships cruising Tracy Arm, not the itineraries that make a service call at Tracy Arm Inlet for the purpose of letting off passengers for the "one-way" Tracy Arm excursion (though I'm sure that the Tracy Arm excursion is very occasionally affected as well). I am specifically interested in experiences booking the Tracy Arm excursion, and especially whether anyone found it not listed when other excursions were first made available but were subsequently successful in booking the Tracy Arm excursion at a later point in time. Edited October 8, 2017 by bUU

Not all of the HAL itineraries that sail to Tracy Arm have the Tracy Arm excursion.

Also, HAL may still be negotiating with the provider.

Hang in there, it's still early.

I have found that not all excursions for a particular cruise go up at the same time. Example next May I am on a cruise that stops in Victoria and Vancouver (full days for both). Excursions in Vancouver are listed but none for Victoria. This has happened on past cruises as well.

 

I want to do this cruise you’re booked on. But, I’ve already got a 2week Alaska Cruise booked. This is a great short cruise.

 

To OP, I had a shore excursion issue this last week for my August 2018 cruise. When I called, they said they were working diligently to get everything into the system but they didn’t have everything in yet. They have a list of everything they are offering and once you can call on Monday they can verify if what you are looking for will be available.

As others have said, ive seen shorex go up in stages. Yours might just appear. You’ll have to carefully check the whole document to see what HAL ads, as there is no indication what was added- or removed. Knowing what the last page number was, and it’s content, does help to determine if changes were made.;)

Not all of the HAL itineraries that sail to Tracy Arm have the Tracy Arm excursion.

This one does have Tracy Arm Inlet listed as a service call.

 

To OP, I had a shore excursion issue this last week for my August 2018 cruise. When I called, they said they were working diligently to get everything into the system but they didn’t have everything in yet. They have a list of everything they are offering and once you can call on Monday they can verify if what you are looking for will be available.

Thanks. It's almost Monday, now, so I'll surely be calling tomorrow.

 

You’ll have to carefully check the whole document to see what HAL ads, as there is no indication what was added- or removed.

Luckily, I know just what we're looking for. :)

 

 

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

Will be following your answer. I want to do this excursion in August. When I booked, the PCC at HAL told me that excursions would not show for my cruise till after January.

 

My itinerary also shows a 10am Tracy Arm Inlet with small print stating: Access to Shore Limited to Shore Ex and Service Call.

 

***Just looked to see what's available. Quite a few, but nothing yet for Tracy Arm.

Edited October 9, 2017 by Dancing Shoes
Add-on

2018 Shore excursions will probably start showing at the end of the year or beginning of 2018. I would say keep checking back periodically. If there is a service call it would only be for those going on the small boat trip up the arm so I'm sure at some point it will appear. If it did need to cancel it would be that day most likely as ice conditions change. I heard that many Tracy Arm sailings by big ships this year were cancelled due to ice. the smaller boats usually can get in there though.

2018 excursions for Alaska itineraries were added to the system over the last week. I did call the cruise line today and was told that it will take until the beginning of next week until they are all added.

 

This post may have been entered by voice recognition. Please excuse any typographical errors.

2018 excursions for Alaska itineraries were added to the system over the last week. I did call the cruise line today and was told that it will take until the beginning of next week until they are all added.

 

This post may have been entered by voice recognition. Please excuse any typographical errors.

 

It's there!!! Just booked.:cool:

As did we. At much as the cost of EXC in Alaska hurts, it feels nice to have basically half the cruise already paid-for. :)