Seward "In Transit" Ship Excursion

[Italy52]

We are doing some research on a B2B Alaska cruise (Vancouver/Seward/Vancouver).  I see that there is an excursion being offered for "in transit" passengers while in Seward.  The tour is with 26 Glaciers.  Is anyone taking this excursion?  If so, what time does the excursion take place.  Thank you in advance for your help.

[CruiserBruce]

Did the 26 Glaciers tour last June, when docked in Whittier. Truly fantastic excursion...we had totally clear weather...never a cloud the entire day. We probably saw more than  26 glaciers.

 

Absolutely recommend. Great boat, crew. Scenery fantastic, variety of wildlife.

 

Sure you are in Seward...thought HAL was now using Whittier.

[Italy52]

11 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Did the 26 Glaciers tour last June, when docked in Whittier. Truly fantastic excursion...we had totally clear weather...never a cloud the entire day. We probably saw more than  26 glaciers.

 

Absolutely recommend. Great boat, crew. Scenery fantastic, variety of wildlife.

 

Sure you are in Seward...thought HAL was now using Whittier.

Oops, sorry.  I meant to say Vancouver/Whittier/Vancouver.  We have taken the 26 Glaciers tour a number of times and absolutely love it.  When HAL decided to go to Whittier, I couldn't find any excursions for turnaround day so we basically wrote the itinerary off.  Having an excursion for Whittier caught my eye---hence, the reason for me asking what's the excursion time.

Edited October 17, 2020 by Italy52

[CruiserBruce]

For us last year...I think it sailed at noon, IIRC. 

[Italy52]

8 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

For us last year...I think it sailed at noon, IIRC. 

Noon wouldn't give it enough time for a full tour if the HAL ships departs Whittier at 5 PM --- that's why I am asking for current tour times for 2021.  When we were on Princess our tour time was 12:50-6:20 but we had a much later ship departure making the tour a good option.

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, Italy52 said:

Noon wouldn't give it enough time for a full tour if the HAL ships departs Whittier at 5 PM --- that's why I am asking for current tour times for 2021.  When we were on Princess our tour time was 12:50-6:20 but we had a much later ship departure making the tour a good option.

Why not go to the roll call for that cruise, and ask the people who have signed up for the cruise if any of them know? 
Or, perhaps one of the people booked on the cruise would be helpful and look up the excursion details and let you know? If you tell them you are interested in booking the cruise, and this could seal the deal, they might help. 

No harm in asking. 

[PSR]

1 hour ago, Italy52 said:

Noon wouldn't give it enough time for a full tour if the HAL ships departs Whittier at 5 PM

 

I'm a little suspicious of that 5pm time. We are leaving on a one-way trip from Whittier to Vancouver in June 2021 and although we have always left from Seward on HAL, the ship usually did not sail until about 8pm, due to passenger pickup from land tours from Denali.

 

Our departure is listed as 5pm also, but that seems a little early if passengers are coming from the park. When I re-checked the cruise recently, it still lists 5pm, as do the cruises attached to the land tours. We didn't even get to the ship from our land tour bus until 5pm, and even though Whittier is about an hour shorter ( I think), 5pm would still be too early to depart. Hope the time gets clarified sometime.

Edited October 18, 2020 by PSR

[Italy52]

Ruth -- Thanks for the suggestion, I will check into that.

 

PSR -- When HAL came up with the 5 PM departure time I thought that was a little early; my Princess itineraries always leave quite a bit later from Whittier.  I am still going to keep an eye on this itinerary and see how it all plays out before we make any future commitments. 

 

Thanks all for your comments, I appreciate them.

[CruiserBruce]

2 hours ago, Italy52 said:

Noon wouldn't give it enough time for a full tour if the HAL ships departs Whittier at 5 PM --- that's why I am asking for current tour times for 2021.  When we were on Princess our tour time was 12:50-6:20 but we had a much later ship departure making the tour a good option.

If you go into booking the excursion on line, you should see a start time. It might be 11am, but don't think its earlier than  that. I agree most sailings out of Seward and Whittier aren't at 5, usually later, to allow transport from Anchorage of new arrivals.

[Crew News]

3 hours ago, Italy52 said:

We are doing some research on a B2B Alaska cruise (Vancouver/Seward/Vancouver).  I see that there is an excursion being offered for "in transit" passengers while in Seward.  The tour is with 26 Glaciers.  Is anyone taking this excursion?  If so, what time does the excursion take place.  Thank you in advance for your help.

 

I have already booked a Northbound-Southbound B2B for May 2021.  The 26 Glacier excursion departs at 10:15 AM and lasts for nine hours with all guests returned to their hotels in Anchorage.  "It is not available to guests staying on the ship for the cruise back to Vancouver".

 

There are no HAL excursions available for Whittier on the return trip except those dropping off guests in Anchorage.  I am keeping watch just in case a short HAL excursion becomes available.

 

One of the issues to be considered for private tours is the one-way tunnel into Whittier.  The tunnel opens for 15 minutes into Whittier on the half hour.  Departures from Whittier can enter the tunnel for 15 minutes on the hour.

Edited October 18, 2020 by Crew News

[Aquahound]

Like the last poster said, I suspect this excursion is meant for those debarking in Whittier.  I did this tour on my own a few years ago and like other said, it is fantastic!  However, I don't know how it could fit in your time frame if on a B2B.

[RuthC]

39 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

If you go into booking the excursion on line, you should see a start time. It might be 11am, but don't think its earlier than  that. I agree most sailings out of Seward and Whittier aren't at 5, usually later, to allow transport from Anchorage of new arrivals.

You can't go into the booking a tour area of the site without actually booking the cruise first. OP hasn't booked the cruise. 

[CruiserBruce]

41 minutes ago, RuthC said:

You can't go into the booking a tour area of the site without actually booking the cruise first. OP hasn't booked the cruise. 

Ok...didn't realize that.

[Italy52]

To clarify, I have not booked this cruise.  A while back, I was doing some research on HAL cruises (combining northbound and southbound itineraries Vancouver/Whittier/Vancouver to create a B2B option).  At the time, I didn't like the fact that HAL didn't have any tour options offered for intransit cruisers in Whittier.  The other day, I received an email from HAL which mentioned Alaska cruise options/itineraries.  In looking over the information, I noticed that one of the itineraries (Vancouver-Whittier) had an intransit excursion option for Whittier (see below) and that caught my eye and prompted to ask, if anyone was taking this excursion and if so, what time was it. 

 

"26 Glaciers Cruise - Intransit Guests

• Starting At $199

Stretch your legs on a short walk from the cruise ship terminal to board a catamaran.

You'll travel 160 miles from Whittier into the pristine wilderness of Prince William Sound to view 26 massive glaciers. Narration by an expert Chugach National Forest Service ranger means your trip is both beautiful and educational.

On the catamaran, you'll come face to face with towering masses of ice in brilliant blue hues, so close that you can hear the glaciers moving. You will encounter several types of glaciers, including the alpine (hanging), piedmont and tidewater types. The glaciers often calve -- pieces of ice break off and thunder into the water. It's an unforgettable experience.

On this cruise, the wildlife is equally astounding. Sightings of sea otters, seals, porpoises, sea lions and bald eagles are commonplace. You may also spot bears, mountain goats and humpback and orca whales. The captain will stop at a bird rookery that is home to thousands of kittiwakes.

Reserved seating, heated cabins, large panoramic windows, a hot meal, tea, coffee and ice water are all included. The boat also features a snack bar, gift shop and restrooms. The tour operator offers a 'no seasickness guarantee'.

Notes:

Dress warmly in layers with a wind- and waterproof outer layer; bring gloves, a scarf and a warm hat. Tour operates rain or shine. Wildlife sightings are likely but are not guaranteed. This tour is available only to guests whose cruise does not begin or end in Whittier."

 

 

 

[Crew News]

40 minutes ago, Italy52 said:

To clarify, I have not booked this cruise.  A while back, I was doing some research on HAL cruises (combining northbound and southbound itineraries Vancouver/Whittier/Vancouver to create a B2B option).  At the time, I didn't like the fact that HAL didn't have any tour options offered for intransit cruisers in Whittier.  The other day, I received an email from HAL which mentioned Alaska cruise options/itineraries.  In looking over the information, I noticed that one of the itineraries (Vancouver-Whittier) had an intransit excursion option for Whittier (see below) and that caught my eye and prompted to ask, if anyone was taking this excursion and if so, what time was it. 

 

"26 Glaciers Cruise - Intransit Guests

• Starting At $199

Stretch your legs on a short walk from the cruise ship terminal to board a catamaran.

You'll travel 160 miles from Whittier into the pristine wilderness of Prince William Sound to view 26 massive glaciers. Narration by an expert Chugach National Forest Service ranger means your trip is both beautiful and educational.

On the catamaran, you'll come face to face with towering masses of ice in brilliant blue hues, so close that you can hear the glaciers moving. You will encounter several types of glaciers, including the alpine (hanging), piedmont and tidewater types. The glaciers often calve -- pieces of ice break off and thunder into the water. It's an unforgettable experience.

On this cruise, the wildlife is equally astounding. Sightings of sea otters, seals, porpoises, sea lions and bald eagles are commonplace. You may also spot bears, mountain goats and humpback and orca whales. The captain will stop at a bird rookery that is home to thousands of kittiwakes.

Reserved seating, heated cabins, large panoramic windows, a hot meal, tea, coffee and ice water are all included. The boat also features a snack bar, gift shop and restrooms. The tour operator offers a 'no seasickness guarantee'.

Notes:

Dress warmly in layers with a wind- and waterproof outer layer; bring gloves, a scarf and a warm hat. Tour operates rain or shine. Wildlife sightings are likely but are not guaranteed. This tour is available only to guests whose cruise does not begin or end in Whittier."

 

If possible, I would love to take that excursion again. The last time I was on that excursion it rained and snowed which did little to capturing great photos.  As I posted above, the words for this excursion stated it was not available fo intransit passengers.  I will keep my fingers crossed.

[Italy52]

7 hours ago, Crew News said:

If possible, I would love to take that excursion again. The last time I was on that excursion it rained and snowed which did little to capturing great photos.  As I posted above, the words for this excursion stated it was not available fo intransit passengers.  I will keep my fingers crossed.

That is so weird that it stated that the excursion was not available to intransit passengers when clearly the word "intransit" is in the title of the excursion and the last line of the tour explanation makes it clear that it is.  Wishing you luck that it does happen for you.

[RuthC]

35 minutes ago, Italy52 said:

That is so weird that it stated that the excursion was not available to intransit passengers when clearly the word "intransit" is in the title of the excursion and the last line of the tour explanation makes it clear that it is.  Wishing you luck that it does happen for you.

The description very clearly states that the tour IS for intransit passengers. It clearly states that people beginning or ending the cruise in Whittier are not allowed to take the cruise. 
You are correct in thinking that the tour is designed for the back to back you are considering. 

[Jolokia]

Hello, we are on a back-to-back in May 2021 and I checked the shore excursions for Whittier. There is the tour you are inquiring about, to the 26 Glaciers. The title does not shows "intransit" but shows "transfer" It departs at 12:15 and has a duration of 9 hours. 

In the description of that tour near the bottom, the following is stated: 

This tour is available only to guests whose cruise ends in Whittier with an overnight stay in Anchorage or to guests transferring to the airport with flights departing after 11pm.

 

[Italy52]

Thanks all for your comments, I appreciate them.  I think I am going to wait until the Alaska season is underway and see if this excursion does indeed happen like HAL is indicating/not indicating depending on what you are reading from HAL. 

 

I hope 2021 will be a better year for cruising.  Wishing you all the best and hoping all your cruise dreams are fulfilled.