Tracy Arm Excursion from Juneau

[1ANGELCAT]

Sailing on the Oosterdam last week of June. Trying to decide between this HAL excursion -7 hours and just a regular whale watch.

Looking for feedback from my HAL CC friends. Did not post on the Alaska ports board because I prefer to hear it from the professionals[emoji2]

[Alberta Quilter]

I've done both excursions. The TA excursion is a bit of a long day. You have about an hour + ride, one way, to TA with about 4 - 5 hours in TA. Lots of people rave about the TA tour, but I thought it was just okay. I didn't really get a different perspective or, at least, didn't feel ithe difference was worth the cost of the tour. We got much closer to the South Sawyer glacier on the Amsterdam, the day before, than we did on the small boat excursion. The one thing we did do, that the big ships can't is to go to the North Sawyer glacier.

 

I don't regret doing it but won't bother doing it again. We did stop for whales going to and fro when time permitted. (Time didn't permit on the way back.) If seeing whales is your priority, I would go on a whale watching tour.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Alberta Quilter

[arzz]

We did the Tracy Arm tour last summer. The trip was long and we were uncertain whether the day would be worth our time and money. In our case it definitely was. We got much closer to the glacier than the Amsterdam was able to do and while we were sitting below the South Sawyer glacier it rumbled for a full fifteen minutes ... Then it seemed to calve off the whole face of the glacier both from above the water and below the water. Absolutely spectacular.

 

Our guides said they had never witnessed an event of that magnitude before and we ultimately had to start the engines and speed away from the glacier as the large chunks of ice breaking off started the water heaving in a rather large harmonic motion.

 

Of course, this was the luck of our timing.

 

The following link should take you to our video of the event:

 

Edited May 21, 2015 by arzz

[MickyBee]

We did the Tracy Arm excursion from the Zuiderdam last year and then did the evening whale watching tour when we got back to Juneau. Everyone in our party preferred the TA excursion over the whale watching. Besides seeing tonnes of whales (literally ;)) the scenery was beautiful. I loved it so much I am doing it again this year.

 

Michele

Edited May 21, 2015 by MickyBee

[janmcn]

WOW...Arzz...amazing video! You were so lucky! Great weather and great action! Thanks for posting!

[1ANGELCAT]

I've done both excursions. The TA excursion is a bit of a long day. You have about an hour + ride, one way, to TA with about 4 - 5 hours in TA. Lots of people rave about the TA tour, but I thought it was just okay. I didn't really get a different perspective or, at least, didn't feel ithe difference was worth the cost of the tour. We got much closer to the South Sawyer glacier on the Amsterdam, the day before, than we did on the small boat excursion. The one thing we did do, that the big ships can't is to go to the North Sawyer glacier.

 

I don't regret doing it but won't bother doing it again. We did stop for whales going to and fro when time permitted. (Time didn't permit on the way back.) If seeing whales is your priority, I would go on a whale watching tour.

 

 

 

We did the Tracy Arm tour last summer. The trip was long and we were uncertain whether the day would be worth our time and money. In our case it definitely was. We got much closer to the glacier than the Amsterdam was able to do and while we were sitting below the South Sawyer glacier it rumbled for a full fifteen minutes ... Then it seemed to calve off the whole face of the glacier both from above the water and below the water. Absolutely spectacular.

 

Our guides said they had never witnessed an event of that magnitude before and we ultimately had to start the engines and speed away from the glacier as the large chunks of ice breaking off started the water heaving in a rather large harmonic motion.

 

Of course, this was the luck of our timing.

 

The following link should take you to our video of the event:

 

 

 

Thanks AQ and arzz. Still thinking about it. I have done the whale watch several times, just never had the chance to do Tracy Arm. Last year I did Taku Lodge and that will be hard to top!

Decisions. Decisions...

AQ glad you and DM are feeling better

[arzz]

I should also point out that at the rate that glacier calved if it were to continue to do so like that ... The glacier will not be around much longer. :(

[cl.klink]

Sailing on the Oosterdam last week of June. Trying to decide between this HAL excursion -7 hours and just a regular whale watch.

Looking for feedback from my HAL CC friends. Did not post on the Alaska ports board because I prefer to hear it from the professionals[emoji2]

 

I can tell you Thursday. I'm doing TA Tuesday.

- Joel

[cl.klink]

I can tell you Thursday. I'm doing TA Tuesday.

- Joel

 

I mean ... I'm doing it Wednesday.

 

Sheesh.

- Joel

[1ANGELCAT]

I mean ... I'm doing it Wednesday.

 

 

 

Sheesh.

 

- Joel

 

 

Thank you. That would be great

[Alberta Quilter]

Thanks AQ and arzz. Still thinking about it. I have done the whale watch several times, just never had the chance to do Tracy Arm. Last year I did Taku Lodge and that will be hard to top!

Decisions. Decisions...

AQ glad you and DM are feeling better

 

Then do the TA excursion. As I said, I don't regret it. If you've done the whale watching several times, as had I, then you should try out the TA excursion. That will be the only way for you to know.

 

Thanks for the good wishes; we're home now and in our own beds (as of five minutes ago!).

[cl.klink]

Thank you. That would be great

 

It was thrilling. Just got back. Would do it a 100 times over. Came right up to a glacier and watched a huge calving from maybe a few hundred feet away - so much better than in the big ship when we were in glacier bay.

 

Check it out on youtube:

 

- Joel

[1ANGELCAT]

It was thrilling. Just got back. Would do it a 100 times over. Came right up to a glacier and watched a huge calving from maybe a few hundred feet away - so much better than in the big ship when we were in glacier bay.

 

 

 

Check it out on youtube:

 

 

 

- Joel

 

 

Thank You