ColleenFL Posted July 17, 2018 #1 Share Posted July 17, 2018 Has anyone done the adventure bound tour out of Juneau, Tracy arm tour (on your own not through cruise company) that can tell me if this is doable with enough time to the tour from port and back in time without worries of being late. I am on royal princess that is at port by 8:00am and the ship departs Juneau at 9:00pm. The adventure bound tour says to board the tour boat at 8:15 and return at 6:00. I have done in the past DIY tours in the past (not Alaska, this is our first time to Alaska) without any issues or worries. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT1962 Posted July 17, 2018 #2 Share Posted July 17, 2018 We went with Adventure Bound last May and had no issues getting back in time. We were in port 7:00 - 7:00 and our tour got back around 5:30 or so. We loved the tour and thought it was the best value of any excursion we did. Here are a few pictures from our tour: Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougH Posted July 17, 2018 #3 Share Posted July 17, 2018 I've done the Adventure Bound tour a 1/2 dozen times and love (just did it in June) They are pretty punctual and know exactly how long it takes it get back. Just mention to Winona in the office or Capt Steve when you board that you are off a cruise ship and they will make sure you are back on time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted July 18, 2018 #4 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Frankly your problem isn't getting back, it is you getting to the tour. Have you contacted Adventure Bound directly and verified the recommendation for your port time? Are you going to making the extra effort and be ready to get off your ship immediately when it clears? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted July 18, 2018 #5 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Frankly your problem isn't getting back, it is you getting to the tour. Have you contacted Adventure Bound directly and verified the recommendation for your port time? Are you going to making the extra effort and be ready to get off your ship immediately when it clears? They are leaving a little later this year. You still need to clear the ship right away but I think they changed the time to boarding at 8:15. They are trying to accommodate the cruise ship guests. They want to know which ship you will be one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted July 18, 2018 #6 Share Posted July 18, 2018 They are leaving a little later this year. You still need to clear the ship right away but I think they changed the time to boarding at 8:15. They are trying to accommodate the cruise ship guests. They want to know which ship you will be one. Yes I know. but sometimes, but there will always be people who are not efficient with early starts. A friend was on Adventure Bound a couple weeks ago, where they had no shows and only waited 5 minutes. (as they should). In Alaska, underestimating time is a common mistake that a lot of people make. Especially with bigger ships and thousands wanting off the ship "early". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisingjodi Posted July 19, 2018 #7 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Do it. It is an amazing excursion. We did it in May of this year and they did wait a few minutes for other guests. I estimate we left 15 to 20 minutes past the 8:15 predicted start time and we were back by 6 PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koali Posted July 22, 2018 #8 Share Posted July 22, 2018 We did adventure bound as a ship excursion and it was one of the best tours in Alaska. I would go again next time we are there. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted July 22, 2018 #9 Share Posted July 22, 2018 We did adventure bound as a ship excursion and it was one of the best tours in Alaska. I would go again next time we are there. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk What ship were you on? Adventure Bound does not contract with any of the major cruise lines. Must have been one of those, small ships? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koali Posted July 22, 2018 #10 Share Posted July 22, 2018 What ship were you on? Adventure Bound does not contract with any of the major cruise lines. Must have been one of those, small ships? Oh really ? I must’ve confused with another company then. The tour boat was a small one, and we could stand on the upper deck. Anyways, I would still recommend any tour that gets you to Tracy Arm! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougH Posted July 23, 2018 #11 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Oh really ? I must’ve confused with another company then. The tour boat was a small one, and we could stand on the upper deck. Anyways, I would still recommend any tour that gets you to Tracy Arm! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Had to be a ships tour. Adventure Bound does not have any boats with an upper deck and only sails Round trip from Juneau But you are right, take anything that gets you farther into Tracy Arm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColleenFL Posted July 26, 2018 Author #12 Share Posted July 26, 2018 We will be on the Royal Princess, according to the itinerary we arrive in Juneau at 8am and depart at 9pm. June 25th. This we would be booking ourselves since on the royal there is no ship excursion to Tracy arm fjord. No problem for us getting off the ship early. Just a few concerns such as getting back to ship in plenty of time (I don’t do good if I have to run and worry about getting back to ship to board the royal, panic sets in for me), it will be tight time wise to get to tour and not sure about being on the tour boat for 8.5 hours, that’s a long time but everyone’s opinion seems to be that this is well worth it. Does anyone know if princess ever adds more excursions as the sail date gets closer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfie11 Posted July 26, 2018 #13 Share Posted July 26, 2018 I would be much more worried about catching the boat. 8 am is an approximate arrival time and you may be delayed by wind, tides, etc. it also takes time to tie up the ship and get clearance to disembark. If you dock at the far pier it will take you a while to get to where their boat docks. I would definitely call ahead and have a taxi waiting if that is the case. I love this tour and the effort to make it happen is well worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted July 27, 2018 #14 Share Posted July 27, 2018 We will be on the Royal Princess, according to the itinerary we arrive in Juneau at 8am and depart at 9pm. June 25th. This we would be booking ourselves since on the royal there is no ship excursion to Tracy arm fjord. No problem for us getting off the ship early. Just a few concerns such as getting back to ship in plenty of time (I don’t do good if I have to run and worry about getting back to ship to board the royal, panic sets in for me), it will be tight time wise to get to tour and not sure about being on the tour boat for 8.5 hours, that’s a long time but everyone’s opinion seems to be that this is well worth it. Does anyone know if princess ever adds more excursions as the sail date gets closer? The ship gets back to Juneau a little after 6pm. I'm not sure whey it's a concern with a 9pm departure time?? It isn't any issure. As I mentioned earlier, and Wolfie again- it's a much bigger concern with you getting on the tour. Have you called them and asked them if it's acceptable for your port time, to book this tour? What dock are you at? Essential you know this, Princess uses the Franklin some times, and it is far from ideal. Frankly everyone thinks they can be first off the ship, well every card has to be swiped, so, no, there is no guarantee of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColleenFL Posted July 28, 2018 Author #15 Share Posted July 28, 2018 Thanks everyone, I was not so much worried about getting back to ship as I was getting off the ship for the tour, like you said everyone wants to get off early at the same time, so we scrapped this and decided to do a post cruise trip by train to Denali. This way we get to see more of Alaska. Thanks for everyone’s advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted July 28, 2018 #16 Share Posted July 28, 2018 Thanks everyone, I was not so much worried about getting back to ship as I was getting off the ship for the tour, like you said everyone wants to get off early at the same time, so we scrapped this and decided to do a post cruise trip by train to Denali. This way we get to see more of Alaska. Thanks for everyone’s advice. Honestly - if you call AdventureBound Alaska, you will be fine. She has picked me up at the pier before. They are so easy to work with. This was before they moved their time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlse9 Posted August 4, 2018 #17 Share Posted August 4, 2018 I called Adventure Bound to ask about this issue. She assured me that they have people on ships arriving at 8am on their tours all the time. Basically, she said to make sure to be ready to get off the ship early and to have the cell phone with that matches the number provided with the reservation. Also, that they will either send us directions on how to get from the ship to where the tour leaves from or have someone meet us outside the ship. So, it doesn't seem like something to be too worried about as long as you make sure you're ready to get off the ship on time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisingjodi Posted August 4, 2018 #18 Share Posted August 4, 2018 Thanks everyone, I was not so much worried about getting back to ship as I was getting off the ship for the tour, like you said everyone wants to get off early at the same time, so we scrapped this and decided to do a post cruise trip by train to Denali. This way we get to see more of Alaska. Thanks for everyone’s advice. Adventure Bound trip was the most amazing experience we did. Rugged and spectacular immersion into nature. They are flexible and easy to work with. Before you decide not to go, call them. It might put your mind at ease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted August 4, 2018 #19 Share Posted August 4, 2018 Adventure Bound trip was the most amazing experience we did. Rugged and spectacular immersion into nature. They are flexible and easy to work with. Before you decide not to go, call them. It might put your mind at ease. I completely agree with you! It is a Mom and Pop company - real people. Give them a call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterdrago Posted August 5, 2018 #20 Share Posted August 5, 2018 We want to take this tour so badly but their departure time does not work for our ship arrival time. 8:15 vs 9:00. We are looking at Glacier Wind Charters out of Icy Strait Point and True Alaskan Tours out of Juneau also known as Allen Marine Tours. Look them up. Looking hard for a long (7+ hours) glacier tour!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscaf1 Posted August 5, 2018 #21 Share Posted August 5, 2018 We want to take this tour so badly but their departure time does not work for our ship arrival time. 8:15 vs 9:00. We are looking at Glacier Wind Charters out of Icy Strait Point and True Alaskan Tours out of Juneau also known as Allen Marine Tours. Look them up. Looking hard for a long (7+ hours) glacier tour!! Did you contact Allen Marine about additional times? We were not in port until 10AM which was too late for most Tracy Arm tours. I contacted everyone I could to see If we could find one to match our late arrival time and Allen Marine wrote back saying they added a boat for that day and time and opened it through our cruise bookings. We really enjoyed it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunny AZ Girl Posted August 9, 2018 #22 Share Posted August 9, 2018 We are already booked with Adventure Bound for next May. Actually they have my name marked down as a booking, but aren't set up to take payment for 2019 until November. I have been in contact with the owner and they are very helpful! We are looking forward to this tour. I did something similar in Endicott Arm a few years ago off the ship and we got so close to the glacier and the shoreline to see wildlife and other scenery that it was a highlight of our trip. I thought it was Adventure Bound that we did it with, but I was apparently mistaken. I e-mailed Royal Caribbean to see if they were doing anything similar on either of our glacier days (Endicott Arm & Hubbard) and they said no. So, I went looking on my own and came up with Adventure Bound. We will be on Ovation of the Seas and will be in Juneau from 7AM - 9PM. We will get off the ship as soon as possible and head over to the meeting place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErLee Posted August 11, 2018 #23 Share Posted August 11, 2018 I want to do this tour next June, but my husband really wants to book a whale watch out of Juneau, so I'm not sure I'm going to get to do it this time around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT1962 Posted August 11, 2018 #24 Share Posted August 11, 2018 I want to do this tour next June, but my husband really wants to book a whale watch out of Juneau, so I'm not sure I'm going to get to do it this time around! We saw whales on our tour with Adventure Bound, although that was not the primary focus of the tour and they did not spend a lot of time searching for them as the whale watching tours do. Is this potentially your only cruise to Alaska? If not, you might consider Adventure Bound this trip and whale watching next trip. Most itineraries visit Juneau, but many are not in port long enough to be able to do the Adventure Bound Tour. If it fits with your time in Port for your cruise next year, I would lean towards doing the tour with adventure bound and doing a whale watching tour in Juneau on a future cruise. Are you also going to Icy Strait Point (Hoonah)? There are great whale watching options there also. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted August 11, 2018 #25 Share Posted August 11, 2018 I want to do this tour next June, but my husband really wants to book a whale watch out of Juneau, so I'm not sure I'm going to get to do it this time around! When we have seen whales on AdventureBound, they have stopped to watch them. I have seen more whales on AdventureBound than I have on whale watching trips in Juneau. Though every day is different. Even every whale watching trip is different - some I have seen a lot but most I have just seen a few. I will always pick this tour over just whale watching. The price is the same but you get a whole day of scenery with AdventureBound. We have been lucky and seen bears on these trips also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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