Which Princess ships definitely DONT go to Glaciers?

[Tippy_Toes]

Hi again,

 

I'm looking at the 14 day Princess voyage of the Glaciers grand adventure, but I read somewhere that a certain class of Princess ship doesn't go to the inside passage/Glacier Bay? 

The list of ships available to book on this itinerary are Grand, Royal, Sapphire, Caribbean and Coral.

 

Which class ship should I eliminate from booking? I definitely want to do Glacier Bay., am I right that is the inside passage? 

 

Thank you!!  

 

 

[Coral]

The larger ships (Royal Princess) can't go through Inside Passage due to size.

 

If your itinerary includes Glacier Bay, you most likely will go to Glacier Bay. There is a slight chance that weather may permit you from going but if it is on the itinerary, it is on the schedule. Size of ship has nothing to do with visiting Glacier Bay.

 

I would choose Sapphire Princess of the ships you list.

[CruiserBruce]

A certain class of Princess ship doesn't go Inside Passage, but I am not aware that has anything to do with going to Glacier Bay. Two different parts of the area.

[Paula_MacFan]

Here's a map from the Princess website which shows the route Royal Class ships take vs other smaller vessels in the fleet.  Note the 'Royal Class Ships Route' in black in the lower right corner, that shows those larger ships must sail farther west around Vancouver Island.  In the list of ships in your example, the Royal Princess would be considered 'Royal Class'.  

 

You can also see that Glacier Bay is farther north of the Inside Passage on the map.  

 

We have a Sapphire Alaska cruise booked and are very much looking forward to it.  There are many positive comments and reviews here for that ship.  Good luck with your planning.  

[no1racefan1]

Glacier Bay and Inside Passage are different places and not related to each other. If a ship is going to Glacier Bay, it will be clearly listed as part of the itinerary:

 

Note that inside passage is not listed as part of the itinerary, as it's just part of the ship's route. You can see from the map somebody else posted that Royal class ships must sail to the west of Vancouver Island, thus not sailing the 'true' inside passage. (I say 'true' because a lot of round-trip itineraries are called Inside Passage, and may or may not be sailing to the west of Vancouver Island depending on class of ship. The terminology is misleading.)

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:

Glacier Bay and Inside Passage are different places and not related to each other. If a ship is going to Glacier Bay, it will be clearly listed as part of the itinerary:

 

Note that inside passage is not listed as part of the itinerary, as it's just part of the ship's route. You can see from the map somebody else posted that Royal class ships must sail to the west of Vancouver Island, thus not sailing the 'true' inside passage. (I say 'true' because a lot of round-trip itineraries are called Inside Passage, and may or may not be sailing to the west of Vancouver Island depending on class of ship. The terminology is misleading.)

 

The "Inside Passage" is more than the waters between Vancouver Island and the Canadian Mainland, the true inside passage extends from Olympia up to Skagway.

[Tippy_Toes]

Thank you all so much! Appreciate you clearing that up for me. I've got a much better understanding now of the geography and sailing routes. The inside passage and Glacier Bay are important to us, so I really didn't want to book the wrong ship.

I'm thinking the Sapphire princess is a good bet, along with a couple of HAL ships.

I'm now trying to choose between a straight 14 day voyage on 1 ship, or doing North with HAL, a land trip to Denali then sailing back to Vancouver Southbound on princess. 

I'm definitely thinking of doing b2b cruises because if the weather isn't so good on the way up, we get the chance to do it again on the way back down. 

I've been watching cruise vlogs all morning and the serenity and scenery in Glacier Bay is breathtaking. 

My Australian husband doesn't like the cold, but even he is super excited for this trip!! 

Thanks again everyone for sharing your invaluable info and insights. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Coral]

2 hours ago, Tippy_Toes said:

Thank you all so much! Appreciate you clearing that up for me. I've got a much better understanding now of the geography and sailing routes. The inside passage and Glacier Bay are important to us, so I really didn't want to book the wrong ship.

I'm thinking the Sapphire princess is a good bet, along with a couple of HAL ships.

I'm now trying to choose between a straight 14 day voyage on 1 ship, or doing North with HAL, a land trip to Denali then sailing back to Vancouver Southbound on princess. 

I'm definitely thinking of doing b2b cruises because if the weather isn't so good on the way up, we get the chance to do it again on the way back down. 

I've been watching cruise vlogs all morning and the serenity and scenery in Glacier Bay is breathtaking. 

My Australian husband doesn't like the cold, but even he is super excited for this trip!! 

Thanks again everyone for sharing your invaluable info and insights. 

 

 

 

 

 

Spend as much time in Alaska as you can - you won't regret it. I don't think it is cold in Alaska in the summer. I like the weather. It is cooler around the glaciers.

Edited December 19, 2023 by Coral

[mattR]

My Royal Princess Cruise next July shows the ship going through the inside passage. 

[Coral]

9 hours ago, mattR said:

My Royal Princess Cruise next July shows the ship going through the inside passage. 

It won't.

[Glaciers]

11 hours ago, mattR said:

My Royal Princess Cruise next July shows the ship going through the inside passage. 

We were on the Royal last year on a 14 night RT from Vancouver. We sailed to the west of Vancouver Island in both directions.

[Heidi13]

12 hours ago, mattR said:

My Royal Princess Cruise next July shows the ship going through the inside passage. 

 

Since the BC Coast Pilots won't take them through Seymour Narrows, due to poor handling characteristics, I'll suggest that is unlikely, since it is compulsory pilotage waters.

[wolfie11]

13 hours ago, mattR said:

My Royal Princess Cruise next July shows the ship going through the inside passage. 

The BC Pilots Association won’t allow the Royal class ships to transit Seymour Narrows as they have some significant maneuverability issues.  Here is the article about their additional problems in Alaska:

https://www.ktoo.org/2019/04/19/southeast-alaska-pilots-raise-concerns-over-royal-princess-megaship/

Edited December 19, 2023 by wolfie11

[Dancing Shoes]

12 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Since the BC Coast Pilots won't take them through Seymour Narrows, due to poor handling characteristics, I'll suggest that is unlikely, since it is compulsory pilotage waters.

If I recall, doesn't the ship travel through the Narrows heading northbound in the late evening?  I remember not really seeing anything.  I was so excited for it.

[Heidi13]

15 minutes ago, Dancing Shoes said:

If I recall, doesn't the ship travel through the Narrows heading northbound in the late evening?  I remember not really seeing anything.  I was so excited for it.

 

Great memory.

 

The cruise ships can only transit Seymour within 1 hr of slack water. It is 100 n/mls from Vancouver, so they set speed for the first tide about 6 hrs after departure. Therefore, assuming a 17:00 departure, the earliest transit is about 23:00, 

 

Even close to the Solstice, unfortunately it is fairly dark, as you have already past Campbell River, so not much light, with the exception of the queue of cruise ships.