May 1 NCL Pearl - glaciers and whales?

[Roboat]

May 1 Itinerary is "Vancouver, Cruise Inside Passage, Sawyer Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait, Ketchikan, Victoria, Seattle"

 

I have some mobility and financial considerations, and plan to stay on board for the week, in aft deck 11 H/C cabin.

 

What are chances of seeing glacier(s) from the ship this early in the spring? Will we get close enough, or be blocked by ice?

 

How about whales? Is it likely we will be able to see whales from the ship, either in transit or while we are in port(s)?

[Yukon]

Your chances of seeing either glaciers or whales from the ship are slim - except very briefly and at great distances.

[Budget Queen]

You have essentially no chance of your ship getting within sight of the Sawyer Glacier via Tracy Arm, your ship MAY, substitute Dawes glacier, but no way to predict, and it is a last minute decision. My only recommendation is for your to consider the costly add on Tracy Arm boat tour. Likely to see a few humpbacks.

 

As for seeing whales from your ship- it requires a lot of invested time, forward viewing, not aft, you have to track from way ahead. If you stay with aft viewing, you are at a big disadvantage and am going to miss most of your sighting opportunities. You are going in some of the coldest weather, the spinmaker lounge is my only recommendation for you to park yourself in, if you don't want to bundle up outside. There is NO comparism between a boat tour and cruiseship viewing. You can spend hours looking for a 2 minute view. Necessary is a good pair of wide angle binoculars. Excellent boat tours are available out of Juneau and Hoonah.

 

Frankly, what a waste to be spending all your time on the ship on this cruise? Are you sure you want to do this??? You are missing out significantly. Even if you are severely mobility impaired, there are touring options to still consider.

[Roboat]

You have essentially no chance of your ship getting within sight of the Sawyer Glacier via Tracy Arm, your ship MAY, substitute Dawes glacier, but no way to predict, and it is a last minute decision. My only recommendation is for your to consider the costly add on Tracy Arm boat tour. Likely to see a few humpbacks.

 

As for seeing whales from your ship- it requires a lot of invested time, forward viewing, not aft, you have to track from way ahead. If you stay with aft viewing, you are at a big disadvantage and am going to miss most of your sighting opportunities. You are going in some of the coldest weather, the spinmaker lounge is my only recommendation for you to park yourself in, if you don't want to bundle up outside. There is NO comparism between a boat tour and cruiseship viewing. You can spend hours looking for a 2 minute view. Necessary is a good pair of wide angle binoculars. Excellent boat tours are available out of Juneau and Hoonah.

 

Frankly, what a waste to be spending all your time on the ship on this cruise? Are you sure you want to do this??? You are missing out significantly. Even if you are severely mobility impaired, there are touring options to still consider.

 

BQ, Thanks. I appreciate your comments. If the captain chose to substitute Dawes glacier, how close would you guess we might get to it?

[PennyAgain]

You list Orlanda as your home area. You will be having quite a dramatic change in weather. There is a Disabled Cruise Travel topic on this forum. Lots of very experienced travelers post there and likely can answer specific questions for you. Plenty of experience shared on that topic.

 

If you don't do anything else on land in Alaska, figure out how to get yourself out to Mendenhall Glacier that is just outside of Juneau. From the Visitor's Center you can get some pretty good views as well as from the general area of that building.

 

You will need clothes. A lot of clothes. Perhaps you can borrow what you need rather than purchase a lot of stuff that you may not use again. Special attention to having a good, warm hat, gloves and shoes that will keep your feet warm.

 

Obviously coverings for the rest of you, but you can always take the blanket off your bed if you need to cover yourself up to go on deck. Sunglasses are good for days with a lot of glare off snow and water.

 

I wish you the best in your travels.

[Roboat]

Never mind. I'm gonna cancel. Costs WAY to much to move to later in the season. Thanks.

[PennyAgain]

Roboat, those early (and also very late in season) cruises cost less for many good reasons. My company has booked an extremely early season cruise to use as a training facility CHEAP. The cost per day per person is far less than for a comparable hotel. We will only have one meal together as a group, (will dine as regular passengers the rest of the time) but the company will have a great deal of our time all locked up.

 

Our time in ports will be shorter than on later season cruises (did you notice that in the schedule) but at least we will get some fresh air.

 

See you down the road.

[trophy_23]

We went May 8 2009, and had a fantastic trip. We saw plenty of whales (both Killer and Humpback) but we also put in a lot of time looking!! We also got up nice and close to the glaciers in Glacier Bay. I understand I am talking about a different itinerary, but some of the early cruises are worth while!!! And the price was right ;)

[chachi]

I saw whales nearly everyday from the ship. We had a naturalist who would point them out. I did not invest much time in this. The first day on the ship I did, but quickly got bored and stopped. I spotted one on my own while eating in the buffet. All the rest of them I would run outside when the naturalist came on board.

You may not get as close to the glacier, but you will still see beautiful scenery from the ship. If staying on the ship is all you are physically able to do, I would still take the cruise.

I don't think it would be a waste. You do what you can with what you've got, and be thankful that you are able to go.

[vbmom87]

Never mind. I'm gonna cancel. Costs WAY to much to move to later in the season. Thanks.

 

If you could consider a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay you would see glaciers there. Although I have only been once, I have never read on this board of anyone who was not able to view the glaciers in Glacier Bay. If that does happen it must be very rare. It is a different story for Hubbard Glacier and the Sawyer Glaciers. People do always see those.

 

I am not familar with other cruiselines, but HAL has a forward lounge called the Crow's nest. It has panoramic viewing at the bow. It is an amazing place to watch Alaska go by if you do not want to be outside. HAL also has smaller ships, so you don't have to walk as far to get around the ship.

 

On our cruise, each day we received a daily program the evening before. That program listed where we might see whales the next day and about what time. I have to say it was very accurate. We saw many whales from both the Crow's Nest Lounge and out on deck. (binoculars are nice to have) What is nice about the Crow's nest lounge is when an announcement is made as to what side of the ship a whale is spotted, you can easily move to the other side of the lounge if you are sitting on the opposite side. Likely an itinerary with Glacier Bay will be more costly than one just going to Sawyer Glacier. However, if you watch for price drops, you may snag a bargain. You never know. I hope you will still make plans to go to Alaska. It is an amazing place to visit and so different from Orlando.

[Coral]

Never mind. I'm gonna cancel. Costs WAY to much to move to later in the season. Thanks.

 

The last several years there have been some fabulous specials for end of May and first of June ($700 balconies, etc....).

 

Maybe wait and look at prices in March or first of April and see what is out there. There are several excursions that are easy for those who have disability issues such as the train ride in Skagway, Mendenhall Glacier, accessible boats for whale watching, etc....

[vbmom87]

It is a different story for Hubbard Glacier and the Sawyer Glaciers. People do always see those.

 

I noticed my typo too late to edit. I meant to say People DO NOT alwasy see Hubbard and the Sawyer Glaciers. Hubbard can be fogged or iced out. The Sawyers can be iced out, meaning there is too much ice for the ships to get through. Don't give up yet. Do some more research and then watch prices. No one knows for sure what prices will do next year, but keep an eye on them. I know in 2009 our itinerary went to half off from what we paid in 2008.