Glacier Bay...Alaskan Cruise

[FaithPlus1]

Hi, 

 

I went on a NCL cruise of Alaska 2 summers ago and loved Glacier Bay. It was the main highlight of my trip and I would love to do it again. I've been looking into different cruise lines for this summer. I was hoping not to do NCL again because the food was not particularly good, and there were regularly unattended children in the hot tubs as their parents were at the bar or smoking cigarettes.... I've wanted to go on a Celebrity Cruise for awhile now after hearing how good the food usually is, and how it's just overall a nice, calm experience. That said, they don't go to Glacier Bay! 

 

Assuming you took a Celebrity Cruise and somehow did Glacier Bay, how did you do it?

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We've done 3 Alaska cruises on Celebrity (# 4 next year) and gone to Hubbard Glacier each time.  It's amazing.  We've never regretted not going to Glacier Bay.  That said, I understand Celebrity has secured a license for Glacier bay for 2020 or 2021.

[varoo]

2 hours ago, FaithPlus1 said:

Assuming you took a Celebrity Cruise and somehow did Glacier Bay, how did you do it?

 

By taking a flightseeing tour over Glacier Bay.

They are offered on both helicopters and fixed wing planes from the surrounding ports. 

 

You get to see much more of Glacier Bay from the air than what can be seen from a cruise ship.

 

The standard advice is to book your Glacier Bay flight from the first port you hit that offers it so that if your flight is cancelled due to weather, you may still get another chance to do it from another port.

 

[DanaDanes]

Hubbard glacier is amazing ! 

 

 

[FaithPlus1]

2 hours ago, varoo said:

 

By taking a flightseeing tour over Glacier Bay.

They are offered on both helicopters and fixed wing planes from the surrounding ports. 

 

You get to see much more of Glacier Bay from the air than what can be seen from a cruise ship.

 

The standard advice is to book your Glacier Bay flight from the first port you hit that offers it so that if your flight is cancelled due to weather, you may still get another chance to do it from another port.

 

Did you book through Celebrity or on your own?

[4774Papa]

We did Alaska on the NCL Sun and found that its food was a cut above what we had experienced on NCL in the past.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.

[keesar]

If you want to cruise Glacier Bay  on a ship, there are plenty of options.     Look at Princess, Holland America, etc.   Celebrity, unfortunately,  is not one of them.  

[AuroraRose]

9 hours ago, FaithPlus1 said:

Did you book through Celebrity or on your own?

 

We haven't been yet, but we booked a Glacier Bay flightseeing tour directly through Celebrity from Icy Strait Point on our upcoming cruise this August. I couldn't find any private tour operators from that port. I think there are private operators out of Skagway.

[hcat]

Children will be in the hot tubs on Celebrity...and permitted in Solarium pool during  posted family hours ...esp for Alaska cruise.

 

Photos posted above are all amazing!

Edited April 19, 2019 by hcat

[Alsmez]

We had the same issue when planning our May 2020 Alaska trip and decided to sail Celebrity and do a flight seeing tour for Glacier Bay. Princess was way overpriced and we didn't want to sail HAL. We saved enough choosing Celebrity over Princess to more than pay for the cost of the flight seeing tour.

[sippican]

Princess or HAL.

 

[DebInAntigua]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

Children will be in the hot tubs on Celebrity...and permitted in Solarium pool during  posted family hours ...esp for Alaska cruise. 

 

Didn't realize they allowed children into the Solarium except for inclement weather. I guess since Alaska isn't swimming weather on deck, X created family hours. Fair enough, but do they enforce them?

Meaning, if I want to enjoy the Solarium without children splashing and screaming about the space,  can I count on the non-family times actually being quiet and adults-only? Or does X look the other way if families stay beyond the family time hours?

[DanaDanes]

2 hours ago, DebInAntigua said:

 

Didn't realize they allowed children into the Solarium except for inclement weather. I guess since Alaska isn't swimming weather on deck, X created family hours. Fair enough, but do they enforce them?

Meaning, if I want to enjoy the Solarium without children splashing and screaming about the space,  can I count on the non-family times actually being quiet and adults-only? Or does X look the other way if families stay beyond the family time hours?

On our cruise they were enforced (infinity 2016). Compared to other mass lines the number on board is extremely low however. Like I maybe saw 50 kids, including teens. 

[bEwAbG]

17 hours ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

That said, I understand Celebrity has secured a license for Glacier bay for 2020 or 2021.

 

What's the source for this?  I thought they didn't participate last time permits were given out (in the last year or so), meaning that they wouldn't have access until the late 2020s at the soonest?  They have a page on their website that says they don't go to Glacier Bay because they think where they do go is better, but that's a bit of marketing spin.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

This was posted on Cruise Critics earlier this month.

 

https://www.nps.gov/glba/learn/news/glacier-bay-issues-new-contracts-for-cruise-ship-services.htm?fbclid=IwAR1ZExTSBhwoGoSlCGftkyu0vigp5cSJUeKBbqvbOTu-1SFEIsb8sUyZghw

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2650777-royal-will-be-allowed-into-glacier-bay/

[bEwAbG]

Interesting.  Wonder if RCCL will divvy up their days between the brands or keep them for Royal only.  They'd have to rework a lot of the existing 2020 itineraries if they want to include Glacier Bay.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We have a 2020 cruise on Millennium again and wondered that also.

[FaithPlus1]

9 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

We did Alaska on the NCL Sun and found that its food was a cut above what we had experienced on NCL in the past.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.

That's the one I took in Alaska and I thought the food tasted straight out of Hometown Buffet. 

[FaithPlus1]

I want to relax in the adults only area but it sounds like there will be children sitting in a hot tub with. 

 

I work with kids and I wanted a relaxing experience sans kids. I don't have the kind of $$$ for the higher end cruise lines unfortunately. 

[keesar]

6 minutes ago, FaithPlus1 said:

I want to relax in the adults only area but it sounds like there will be children sitting in a hot tub with. 

 

I work with kids and I wanted a relaxing experience sans kids. I don't have the kind of $$$ for the higher end cruise lines unfortunately. 

 

When we did Alaska on Solstice last summer, the temperatures were in the upper 60's to  low 70's.  There were some people in the pools.  The Solarium was off limits for children except during times they were allowed to use that area.  That was typically between 5 and 7 pm and not every day.  That is up to the discretion of the powers running the ship.  

[FaithPlus1]

12 minutes ago, keesar said:

 

When we did Alaska on Solstice last summer, the temperatures were in the upper 60's to  low 70's.  There were some people in the pools.  The Solarium was off limits for children except during times they were allowed to use that area.  That was typically between 5 and 7 pm and not every day.  That is up to the discretion of the powers running the ship.  

Did workers actually enforce this though? So If i want to go to the hot tub say at 2pm, if workers don't give af, kids will be in the Solarium yes?

[keesar]

 

13 minutes ago, FaithPlus1 said:

Did workers actually enforce this though? So If i want to go to the hot tub say at 2pm, if workers don't give af, kids will be in the Solarium yes?

 

I just checked my old papers.  The Family times were either 5-7 or 4-8 pm in the Solarium.  On one occasion, I spoke to security on duty and the family was asked to leave.  That was at 2 pm.  The times are clearly stated in the daily program of activities.  

[FaithPlus1]

56 minutes ago, keesar said:

Thanks

 

I just checked my old papers.  The Family times were either 5-7 or 4-8 pm in the Solarium.  On one occasion, I spoke to security on duty and the family was asked to leave.  That was at 2 pm.  The times are clearly stated in the daily program of activities.  

 

[TrustMeI'mANurse]

9 hours ago, DebInAntigua said:

 

Didn't realize they allowed children into the Solarium except for inclement weather. I guess since Alaska isn't swimming weather on deck, X created family hours. Fair enough, but do they enforce them?

Meaning, if I want to enjoy the Solarium without children splashing and screaming about the space,  can I count on the non-family times actually being quiet and adults-only? Or does X look the other way if families stay beyond the family time hours?

 

Our experience on Solstice (twice) was that they did enforce the adult's only rule except for the brief hours (I think 11-1p?) that children were allowed. 

[mahdnc]

 

Celebrity last went to Glacier Bay in 1999.  That was the last year they had permits for Glacier Bay during the high season.  After that Hubbard Glacier was inserted as a substitute which some people liked better. Celebrity has not gotten any permits since. 

 

There were thoughts that the inability to secure permits was related to a large criminal case against Royal Caribbean (they acquired Celebrity in 1997) where they pled guilty to 21 felony counts of illegally dumping oil & hazardous chemicals in locations that included Alaska and lying to the US Coast Guard.  And I don't think that Celebrity even bothered to apply the next time around.  And then I stopped tracking it.

 

We took our first Alaskan cruise in 2000 (Galaxy) and I chartered a floatplane to take us to Glacier Bay during our stop at Juneau (and Galaxy visited Hubbard Glacier a couple of days later).

 

The permit application is an involved process and it is specific to the name applicant (notice how Cunard is listed in the award summary) so it is not likely that Celebrity is going to get any of Royal Caribbean's permits.  Too bad.

 

Father's Day at Glacier Bay!!  Reid Glacier and Reid Inlet, Jun 18 2000

Edited April 20, 2019 by mahdnc