Glacier Bay Only vs. Glacier Bay AND Tracy Arm Fjord/Sawyer Glacier

[cabland]

Hello All,

 

My FIRST post here on CC (awesome board BTW!). My extended family (9 of us) and I are taking a mid-July Alaska inside passage (Vancouver to Vancouver) cruise on HAL's Nieuw Amsterdam and I have a question about Tracy Arm Fjord. The ship DOES "stop" at Glacier Bay. However, on the way to Juneau it ALSO pulls into the inlet of Tracy Arm Fjord and folks can hop on a smaller boat (catamaran style - I believe operated by Allen Marine) and take that into Tracy Arm (to Sawyer glacier), while the cruise ship sails on to Juneau. The smaller boat, after the Tracy arm tour, then returns to Juneau later that afternoon (around 4:00-5:00 PM I believe).

 

I am trying to decide if it is "worth it" to do the Tracy Arm Fjord excursion given other options and the fact that we will be heading to Glacier Bay. I understand both are beautiful, and we would likely get "closer" to the glacier face in Tracy Arm (subject to "ice", but not as limiting for the smaller ships, etc.).

 

In summary, my basic question is "Is it worth doing the Tracy Arm excursion given that the ship is already going to Glacier Bay and much (but not all) of the "Day" in Juneau is forfeited?"

 

Obviously, I know a lot of this comes down to our preferences, but am really interested in your opinions on this!

[donaldsc]

Obviously people will have different opinions. However Tracy Arm has a completely different look and feel from Glacier Bay. Juneau is a neat city but you go to AK for the scenery and the glaciers and not for the cities. I would forfeit Juneau for Tracy Arm in a heartbeat. I have been to Sawyer Glacier on a really small ship. We got so close to the glacier that when it calved, the ship rocked. You will not get that effect on the your big ship even assuming that you get close to Sawyer Glacier. Note that many of the times the big ship does not even get close to Sawyer because of loose ice.

 

Note this quote from a TripAdvisor response -

 

"Tracy Arm is a fjord with high rock cliffs and numerous waterfalls. The fjord is also known for its numerous blue floating ice bergs. There are the Sawyer Glaciers at the end of the fjord. The problem is the cruise ships don't always get to the end for the fjord to see the glaciers, especially if you choose an early in the season cruise. When there is too much ice in the fjord the ships have to travel much slower and they end up running out of time to get to the end of the fjord. The different cruise ships have different amounts of time allotted for the transit. Last year Disney allotted 7 hours and they had great success getting to the end of the fjord. Other ships only had a four-five hour time allotment and often were slowed down by the ice and had to turn around before they got to the end. Some cruise ships will detour to Endicott Arm when Tracy Arm is too icy. If you do choose Tracy Arm (Sawyer) you should consider taking the ship's add on excursion that will take you through the fjord on a small boat. You increase your chances of getting up close and personal with the glacier this way. You are also so much closer to the water level where you will have a better view of any wildlife."

 

DON

[wolfie11]

Tracy Arm is totally different. I would go on that little boat in a heartbeat! It really beats going on the ship. You haven't really experienced the magnitude of the glaciers until you see them from a small boat. But sign up early as that tour is almost always sold out before the ship sails.....

[luv2gonow]

No brainer for me!

Take the small boat excursion to tracy:-)

Happy planning

[Italy52]

We were on the Nieuw Amsterdam last year and really enjoyed this cruise. Enjoyed the experience so much we booked this itinerary again for June 2018 and June 2019. While cruising Glacier Bay we spent almost the entire time on deck viewing the glaciers and its surrounding scenery. The Allen Marine tour off the ship to Tracy Arm offered a different perspective --- more up close and personal views of the multi-colored ice bergs and water falls (if interested, see my 2017 photos located under my signature below).

 

With the above being said, if whale watching is your thing, then by all means you will probably want to head to Juneau instead of taking the Tracy Arm excursion. We tend to focus on what we love most (glaciers and whales). Because we have gone to Alaska before, we can be more selective about what we want to see on a particular trip. Everyone has their own opinion of what they like --- it's your trip so make sure to take your time, talk with your group and pick what you want to get out of your Alaska experience.

[skrufy]

Glacier Bay is not a stop, you cruise the bay and it takes about 8 hrs. As mentioned above, Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm are completely different. Have been to Glacier Bay but not Tracey Arm. If I had the chance to do both on one cruise I would not pass it up. Take the smaller boat into Tracy Arm, the ice at times keeps the larger ships from entering. Juneau, all you need is about an hour and a half to see downtown.

[JT1962]

Another vote for the Tracy Arm excursion. We used Adventure Bound from Juneau and loved it. It is a different experience than Glacier Bay and both are definitely worth it to me.

 

 

 

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[cabland]

All, really great replies so far! I probably should have clarified the "Juneau" option a bit more. If we headed to Juneau instead of doing the Tracy Arm excursion, we would likely do other "nature" related stuff like:

 

Helicopter ride to Mendenhall Glacier

Whale Watching Tour

Mendenhall Glacier River Float

 

(note: any given one of us might choose any one of the above....possibly more since some of these could be shorter than others).

 

So, the choice sort of becomes "nature" or, um, "nature"!

 

(fun fact: I spent 3 years living in Anchorage as a child with my parents so I have actually seen "one" glacier...Portage glacier near Seward - none of my other siblings - who are going on the cruise - were either old enough to remember or even born yet)