Is Celebrity going to Glacier Bay?

[Niagarawine]

Hi I was reading on Royal board that they have a contract to go here in 2020 and seeing that Celebrity is part of the brand I thought that maybe they would be going there also. I am on the Eclipse in May and would like to see Glacier Bay. Any thoughts?

[Charles4515]

2 hours ago, Niagarawine said:

Hi I was reading on Royal board that they have a contract to go here in 2020 and seeing that Celebrity is part of the brand I thought that maybe they would be going there also. I am on the Eclipse in May and would like to see Glacier Bay. Any thoughts?

 

If it is not on your itinerary you are not going. There is a limit on the number of ships allowed in on any date.  If you want to see Glacier Bay book a cruise that has it on the itinerary. But even then there is no guarantee. I read all the Royal cruises that were going to Glacier Bay are now not going to Glacier Bay. I wanted to see Glacier Bay so I booked a cruise on Holland America. Was well worth it by the way. 

Edited October 31, 2019 by Charles4515

[dkjretired]

31 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

 

If it is not on your itinerary you are not going. There is a limit on the number of ships allowed in on any date.  If you want to see Glacier Bay book a cruise that has it on the itinerary. But even then there is no guarantee. I read all the Royal cruises that were going to Glacier Bay are now not going to Glacier Bay. I wanted to see Glacier Bay so I booked a cruise on Holland America. Was well worth it by the way. 

 

Correct, something like this you would see in a Press Release, there has been nothing yet. 

[mahdnc]

A few months ago, when Royal Caribbean was awarded Glacier Bay permits for the next 10 years, they immediately changed some of their 2020 Alaska itineraries to include it.  Well, now for some reason, Royal Caribbean has decided to drop Glacier Bay for the 2020 season.

 

I have no idea if they are transferable to Celebrity. I am guessing not, but hoping so.

 

 

[Bretty]

I have no idea if X is cruising Glacier Bay. What I can say wholeheartedly after sailing with HAL last year, that it is one of the most breathtaking experiences I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a few. I hope you get to visit some day.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Princess, HAL and even a few NCL itineraries have permits to cruise Glacier Bay.  You might try them.  

[km32937]

There is an article on Cruise Critic regarding this:  https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/4720/

[dkjretired]

That's interesting, won't be going there until 2029 according to the article.   For those who are unaware, Royal was banned from Glacier Bay many years due to some kind of polluting issue.   Below is a quick link, note the date, 2002

 

https://www.travelweekly.com/Destinations2001-2007/EPA-raises-bar-on-Glacier-Bay

Edited November 6, 2019 by dkjretired

[Charles4515]

3 hours ago, DrivesLikeMario said:

Princess, HAL and even a few NCL itineraries have permits to cruise Glacier Bay.  You might try them.  

Holland America have been doing Alaska for years. Can’t go wrong doing Glacier Bay with them. I did Glacier Bay with Holland America and it was a great cruise. I have done a lot of cruises on Princess and while I would call the line a bit bland they have a lot of great itineraries.  I prefer Celebrity but no reason to stick with one cruise line and miss out. 

[villauk]

4 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

they have a lot of great itineraries

 

 

I have to agree: far more variation in itineraries out there.

[steamboats]

Princess and HAL don´t have to apply for permits as they are regarded as "historically". All other cruise lines have to apply for a 10 year permit. RCI did get one but dropped it now.

 

steamboats

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

7 hours ago, dkjretired said:

That's interesting, won't be going there until 2029 according to the article.   For those who are unaware, Royal was banned from Glacier Bay many years due to some kind of polluting issue.   Below is a quick link, note the date, 2002

 

https://www.travelweekly.com/Destinations2001-2007/EPA-raises-bar-on-Glacier-Bay

And yet Princess (and Holland America) are under Carnival - which has been fined again for illegal dumping/polluting with Princess being the biggest offender and they maintain their near lock on the permits... I’m smelling something fishy going on.

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

And yet Princess (and Holland America) are under Carnival - which has been fined again for illegal dumping/polluting with Princess being the biggest offender and they maintain their near lock on the permits... I’m smelling something fishy going on.

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity could get permits. They have been able to for a few years now. They decided not to. They have now continued to decide not to get Glacier Bay permits. It is a business decision they have made. 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

6 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity could get permits. They have been able to for a few years now. They decided not to. They have now continued to decide not to get Glacier Bay permits. It is a business decision they have made. 

I was referring to them having been barred in the past (as was Princess per the article linked in the post I quoted) for pollution. Yet Carnival Corp which is under a fine for pollution still dominates the permits.

 

It’s really a moot point for me in terms of cruising. I was there on a HAL ship and it was pretty but I don’t get the obsession with glaciers. But environmentally I have issues with corporations which are under fines for pollution and additional fines for continued pollution getting permits into National Park areas.

[Charles4515]

2 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

I was referring to them having been barred in the past (as was Princess per the article linked in the post I quoted) for pollution. Yet Carnival Corp which is under a fine for pollution still dominates the permits.

 

It’s really a moot point for me in terms of cruising. I was there on a HAL ship and it was pretty but I don’t get the obsession with glaciers. But environmentally I have issues with corporations which are under fines for pollution and additional fines for continued pollution getting permits into National Park areas.

Royal Caribbean was the first one caught. It was intentional and I think they sent executives to Europe to avoid prosecution. It was corporate policy.  No doubt in my mind the other cruise lines were doing some of the same. But those incidents were blames on rogue individuals not corporate policy. As far as why permits are being issued to any of them. Probably politics. 
 

I thought the glaciers were wonderful. It’s not an obsession. It is seeing the beauty of nature. I plan to go back someday. 

Edited November 6, 2019 by Charles4515

[deliver42]

Royal decided not to go to Glacier. Now they can't go at least until 2029 when the new contracts are awarded. That will be the same for X. Only 2 ships per day are allowed, and Princess and HAL have first dibs.

[jimmieg]

Too bad - have been there 3x and it is a highlight of each sailing.  But it would be hard to make it an add on to an existing planned itinerary with already booked other ports.

[Langley Cruisers]

On 10/31/2019 at 1:00 PM, Charles4515 said:

...If you want to see Glacier Bay book a cruise that has it on the itinerary. But even then there is no guarantee.... 

 

^ This exactly. We were on Eclipse in September and we headed for Glacier Bay.... couldn't get all the way in due to heavy fog. The Captain tried, and waited... we waited at least three hours, but it was a no-go. Sadly, we had to turn around.

[Niagarawine]

Well I already booked Eclipse because of beverage package and I really like Celebrity so I guess it really doesn’t matter, looking forward to Alaska and first time on West coast. Going through Rockies on the way back by train which my husband is really excited about. Haven’t been on Celebrity for a few years so we’ ll see.

[npcl]

On 11/6/2019 at 12:12 AM, steamboats said:

Princess and HAL don´t have to apply for permits as they are regarded as "historically". All other cruise lines have to apply for a 10 year permit. RCI did get one but dropped it now.

 

steamboats

Even with the historically reserved slots, Princess and Hal must still apply and take part in the contract process even to get the historically reserved allocation.  If they fail to meet contract requirements they would lose the reserved slots. 

 

They also compete with other cruise lines for additional slots in the competitive process.

 

Cruise lines are considered to be concession vendors under the government contracting process.  The contracts process takes place once every 10 years with the awarded contracts lasting until the next contract period.

[Saab4444]

On 11/6/2019 at 9:44 PM, Langley Cruisers said:

 

^ This exactly. We were on Eclipse in September and we headed for Glacier Bay.... couldn't get all the way in due to heavy fog. The Captain tried, and waited... we waited at least three hours, but it was a no-go. Sadly, we had to turn around.

As Celebrity does not sail to Glacier Bay you could not have been on your way to Glacier Bay in September with Eclipse... 

[Langley Cruisers]

On 11/10/2019 at 1:16 AM, Saab4444 said:

As Celebrity does not sail to Glacier Bay you could not have been on your way to Glacier Bay in September with Eclipse... 

 

Aww, you know what? I was confused. 🤭 Indeed, we were on Ovation of the Seas, not Eclipse. Apologies. Still couldn't get in so the gist of my comment remains the same.

[Charles4515]

42 minutes ago, Langley Cruisers said:

 

Aww, you know what? I was confused. 🤭 Indeed, we were on Ovation of the Seas, not Eclipse. Apologies. Still couldn't get in so the gist of my comment remains the same.

Ovation of the Seas does not sail to Glacier Bay either. 

[Langley Cruisers]

^ Sigh. Yes. I meant Endicott Arm. So excuse me from this thread and again, apologies for the misunderstanding. Chemo brain is really a devastating side effect. 😥