Tracy Arm Fjord

Hi,

We are looking to do small boat from Juneau, our time in port would 8:00 am to 9:00 pm, would we have enough time to do the tour from Juneau?

Also, what company would you recommend?

Thanks!

Yes you would. The company would be AdventureBound Alaska. You will need to contact them and tell them what ship you are on and your port time. When I had that port time, they met me at the ship and drove me to the boat. You have to be prepared to be one of the first ones off the ship. I was lining up at 7:40 or so to make sure once the ship cleared, I would be off.

http://www.adventureboundalaska.com

Great company. Small, mom and pop organization. Nice people. They really try to work with cruise passengers (though most of their customers are locals and land travelers).

Thank you so much!!

I was trying to determine where to do a cruise Princess or round trip with Holland America, but we knew we wanted to Tracy Arms.

Hi,

 

We are looking to do small boat from Juneau, our time in port would 8:00 am to 9:00 pm, would we have enough time to do the tour from Juneau?

 

Also, what company would you recommend?

What ship are you going to be on? If your ship arrives at 8am don't figure on getting off until around 8:15 - 8:30am. The last Adventure Bound boat leaves at 7:45 and doesn't come back into until 6pm. We have always enjoyed the Tracy Arm small boat tour.

What ship are you going to be on? If your ship arrives at 8am don't figure on getting off until around 8:15 - 8:30am. The last Adventure Bound boat leaves at 7:45 and doesn't come back into until 6pm. We have always enjoyed the Tracy Arm small boat tour.

I was looking at the Coral Princess, June 10 Northbound. That's why I asked before I booked with Princess cause we want to do Tracy Arm this time so I might have to go with Holland America then

What ship are you going to be on? If your ship arrives at 8am don't figure on getting off until around 8:15 - 8:30am. The last Adventure Bound boat leaves at 7:45 and doesn't come back into until 6pm. We have always enjoyed the Tracy Arm small boat tour.

I was looking at the Coral Princess, June 10 Northbound. That's why I asked before I booked with Princess cause we want to do Tracy Arm this time so I might have to go with Holland America then

I have been with Princess before and have worked with this company and they have picked me up at the pier and driven me to their pier. Another time, they held their ship for us as they knew we were coming.

I have a friend who they brought their ship to the Princess pier so he could board near his ship.

Again - if you let them know you are on a Princess cruise, they will work with you. They are very friendly people and have been very accommodating to those on Princess northbound ships. I have not read any reports on this board to indicate otherwise and plenty of reports of those who do Princess NB and do this excursion.

I have done many B2Bs on Princess in Alaska. There is no problems getting off the ship at 8 am. There maybe a line of 10 people but the ship is on time in Juneau with out any problems on the North bound itineraries. There are more issues if the ship tenders but the Northbound ships do not tender. It is going to be the ship that sales out of SFO that may tender.

I have been with Princess before and have worked with this company and they have picked me up at the pier and driven me to their pier. Another time, they held their ship for us as they knew we were coming.

 

I have a friend who they brought their ship to the Princess pier so he could board near his ship.

 

Again - if you let them know you are on a Princess cruise, they will work with you. They are very friendly people and have been very accommodating to those on Princess northbound ships. I have not read any reports on this board to indicate otherwise and plenty of reports of those who do Princess NB and do this excursion.

 

I have done many B2Bs on Princess in Alaska. There is no problems getting off the ship at 8 am. There maybe a line of 10 people but the ship is on time in Juneau with out any problems on the North bound itineraries. There are more issues if the ship tenders but the Northbound ships do not tender. It is going to be the ship that sales out of SFO that may tender.

Thank you Coral!!

I am going to contact them and see what they say, doesn't hurt to ask them! I'll let you know what they tell me.

Thank you Coral!!

 

I am going to contact them and see what they say, doesn't hurt to ask them! I'll let you know what they tell me.

well, I have emailed them twice and no response to either :confused:

should I try to call them? I need to know before so I can book my cruise

well, I have emailed them twice and no response to either :confused:

 

should I try to call them? I need to know before so I can book my cruise

You can try calling. A lot of these Mom and Pop organizations work 14 hours a day May through September and then take vacations during the coldest Alaska months. This company really is husband and wife with a few extra people who work in the summer with them.

When we first scheduled this trip years ago (before they were mentioned on this website), we booked it through a 3rd party as we couldn't get a hold of the company. It turned out they spent that winter working in Seattle and the week we were trying to book (April) they were on their boat taking it from Seattle to Juneau and with out internet. This was many years ago.

I will have a friend reply to this who has gone more than I have and can corroborate what I have said. He does Princess only in Alaska so he has done this route many times with the same time frame as you are dealing with.

Not that I expect any problems, but many times you can book with Princess (and many travel agents) and there is not cancellation penalties before final payment. There are some promos out where there is a cancellation fee of the deposit.

You can try calling. A lot of these Mom and Pop organizations work 14 hours a day May through September and then take vacations during the coldest Alaska months. This company really is husband and wife with a few extra people who work in the summer with them.

 

When we first scheduled this trip years ago (before they were mentioned on this website), we booked it through a 3rd party as we couldn't get a hold of the company. It turned out they spent that winter working in Seattle and the week we were trying to book (April) they were on their boat taking it from Seattle to Juneau and with out internet. This was many years ago.

 

I will have a friend reply to this who has gone more than I have and can corroborate what I have said. He does Princess only in Alaska so he has done this route many times with the same time frame as you are dealing with.

 

Not that I expect any problems, but many times you can book with Princess (and many travel agents) and there is not cancellation penalties before final payment. There are some promos out where there is a cancellation fee of the deposit.

I hadn't thought about them maybe being on vacation them self:)

Thank you again for all your help!!

I hadn't thought about them maybe being on vacation them self:)

 

Thank you again for all your help!!

People in the past would often get frustrated with Orca Enterprises (no longer in operation as they were bought out) as they didn't respond to their emails in the winter frequently. I think a lot of people are used to tour destinations that operate 12 months out of the year and have large staff to respond. This is so different in Alaska. A lot of these companies are really small operations. On the plus side, often who you book with is operating your tour! For example, if you book with Island Wings, the owner Michelle will be flying the plane on all the flights. When you book with AdventureBound - you are dealing with a small family business.

Steve's wife (Winona?) has picked us up at the pier also. Great company. We were also on a North Bound Princess cruise.

Take the cruise of Tracy Arm from the ship. You will then have lots of time to do Juneau.

Take the cruise of Tracy Arm from the ship. You will then have lots of time to do Juneau.

It is not offered on cruises such as this that has 2 glacier days anyway - Glacier Bay and College Fiords. These 2 glacier viewing days are very worthy also.

I've done this trip 5-6 times with Adventure Bound and hope to do it again this year. Tell them which ship you arriving on and they will tell you if it is possible. I'm usually on a Northbound Princess cruise which arrives at 8am. I get in line to get off the ship by 7:30, just watch for where in the atrium they are setting up the security scanners. I've hustled down to their dock, had them come scanning the dockside walkway for me and as Coral mentioned last time they actually moved the Adventure Bound closer to the Princess dock and were waiting for me at the pier between the ship and the Mt Roberts Tram.

In every case as soon as I boarded they took off. Just be sure and work with them to avoid any delays.

I haven't tried to contact them yet this year, as Coral says they are a small operation and I believe they do head down to the Seattle area for the winter. It is mainly Capt Steve and a deckhand or two on the boat and his wife Winona and maybe an assistant in the office. I'd send an email or try leaving a message by phone but it wouldn't surprise me that you don't get a quick response. They are not aiming at the cruise ship passenger as most schedules don't match up. I don't plan on contacting until about March

That said I repeat this tour every chance I get. It is a long boat ride but I love watching the scenery. You may see whales (not the priority but if spotted Cat Steve will detour) last couple of times we have spotted bears along the shoreline and gotten within 20-30 feet. The glaciers are spectacular close up from a small boat, IMHO the South Sawyer is the bluest I've seen and usually by far the most active as far as calving.

Personally this is among my favorite tours anywhere in the world.

Take the cruise of Tracy Arm from the ship. You will then have lots of time to do Juneau.

Their not offering it on Princess Northbound or I would.

I've done this trip 5-6 times with Adventure Bound and hope to do it again this year. Tell them which ship you arriving on and they will tell you if it is possible. I'm usually on a Northbound Princess cruise which arrives at 8am. I get in line to get off the ship by 7:30, just watch for where in the atrium they are setting up the security scanners. I've hustled down to their dock, had them come scanning the dockside walkway for me and as Coral mentioned last time they actually moved the Adventure Bound closer to the Princess dock and were waiting for me at the pier between the ship and the Mt Roberts Tram.

 

In every case as soon as I boarded they took off. Just be sure and work with them to avoid any delays.

 

I haven't tried to contact them yet this year, as Coral says they are a small operation and I believe they do head down to the Seattle area for the winter. It is mainly Capt Steve and a deckhand or two on the boat and his wife Winona and maybe an assistant in the office. I'd send an email or try leaving a message by phone but it wouldn't surprise me that you don't get a quick response. They are not aiming at the cruise ship passenger as most schedules don't match up. I don't plan on contacting until about March

 

That said I repeat this tour every chance I get. It is a long boat ride but I love watching the scenery. You may see whales (not the priority but if spotted Cat Steve will detour) last couple of times we have spotted bears along the shoreline and gotten within 20-30 feet. The glaciers are spectacular close up from a small boat, IMHO the South Sawyer is the bluest I've seen and usually by far the most active as far as calving.

 

Personally this is among my favorite tours anywhere in the world.

Thank you Doug!!

I will definitely keep trying to contact them cause this is one tour I want to do this trip, we did Glacier Bay last time. Too bad Princess doesn't offer this tour from the cruise ship. Holland America does have a cruise where you board the smaller boat direct from the ship. But I would like to go with Princess Coral if I can get this tour worked out, if not I will go with Holland America :)

Thank you both for all your help!! I just booked the Tracy Arm Fjord tour with Adventure Bound Alaska.

I messaged them on Facebook and she responded right away and told me to call her. Such a nice lady too! She told me getting in at 8:00 am to Juneau was not a problem! I told her that we would try and be first off the ship!:D

Thank you both for all your help!! I just booked the Tracy Arm Fjord tour with Adventure Bound Alaska.

 

I messaged them on Facebook and she responded right away and told me to call her. Such a nice lady too! She told me getting in at 8:00 am to Juneau was not a problem! I told her that we would try and be first off the ship!:D

Last time I did this. I planned on being first off the ship and run down to their pier. I turned on my phone about 7:30 while in line to get off the ship (they were not letting people off yet) and she had left a message on my cell saying that she would meet me outside of Princess's pier. So I would advise that they have your cell and turn it on as soon as the ship docks in case Winona calls (she is really sweet).

I did recruit 2 more people to join me on that trip while in line :). They loved the excursion.

Last time I did this. I planned on being first off the ship and run down to their pier. I turned on my phone about 7:30 while in line to get off the ship (they were not letting people off yet) and she had left a message on my cell saying that she would meet me outside of Princess's pier. So I would advise that they have your cell and turn it on as soon as the ship docks in case Winona calls (she is really sweet).

 

I did recruit 2 more people to join me on that trip while in line :). They loved the excursion.

I told her two people on Cruise Critic highly recommend them and yes she took my cell phone # she said to call us once we docked and to call her back in a couple of months once she learned where the Coral would be docking and she would tell me exactly what to do!! Now I'm excited!! I've been wanting to do this tour since we went to AK the last time!!

well, I have emailed them twice and no response to either :confused:

 

should I try to call them? I need to know before so I can book my cruise

Have you called them. Even if they are on vacation, I would guess that they check their messages regularly.

DON

I told her two people on Cruise Critic highly recommend them and yes she took my cell phone # she said to call us once we docked and to call her back in a couple of months once she learned where the Coral would be docking and she would tell me exactly what to do!! Now I'm excited!! I've been wanting to do this tour since we went to AK the last time!!

Doug and I did this way back when. I can't even remember the first year we did it together. Cruise ships were not doing small boat trips at that time and there was no report on CC about this.

Doug and I thought - either we were going to have a very long boring "10 hour tour" or "something amazing". We had found out about this as we had inquired about whale watching with a company and they booked other trips in Juneau and this was listed. We were on a B2B so we had the next week to do something in Juneau.

We were so impressed. On that trip, we did not make it all the way to the glacier due to the excessive ice and "our time constraints". We were the only 2 cruisers and we had to make it back to the ship. He would have gone forward more but due to our time, he headed back. While disappointed we didn't make it (this was early May), we were not disappointed at all with the trip. He took us to touch the large pieces of ice, he took us right up to water falls, we saw bears, we saw whales - it was like we were this small boat amongst these massive ice chunks. It was pretty cool. Captain Steve is so cool - this is the guy who knows Tracy Arm better than anyone else. He goes there daily. He let's people sit up front with him when he is steering the boat and will explain things. Coming back one year, we were just near where Princess docks and there was a pod of orcas. I want to say 20 of them. We stayed there for 30 minutes and just watched orcas and they were active! He could charge 2x as much for his tour but he is all about showing people how beautiful Alaska is and both him and his wife are so down to earth. I can't say enough about them.

Have you called them. Even if they are on vacation, I would guess that they check their messages regularly.

 

DON

Yes, I called them and have booked our trip!! YAY!!

Doug and I did this way back when. I can't even remember the first year we did it together. Cruise ships were not doing small boat trips at that time and there was no report on CC about this.

 

Doug and I thought - either we were going to have a very long boring "10 hour tour" or "something amazing". We had found out about this as we had inquired about whale watching with a company and they booked other trips in Juneau and this was listed. We were on a B2B so we had the next week to do something in Juneau.

 

We were so impressed. On that trip, we did not make it all the way to the glacier due to the excessive ice and "our time constraints". We were the only 2 cruisers and we had to make it back to the ship. He would have gone forward more but due to our time, he headed back. While disappointed we didn't make it (this was early May), we were not disappointed at all with the trip. He took us to touch the large pieces of ice, he took us right up to water falls, we saw bears, we saw whales - it was like we were this small boat amongst these massive ice chunks. It was pretty cool. Captain Steve is so cool - this is the guy who knows Tracy Arm better than anyone else. He goes there daily. He let's people sit up front with him when he is steering the boat and will explain things. Coming back one year, we were just near where Princess docks and there was a pod of orcas. I want to say 20 of them. We stayed there for 30 minutes and just watched orcas and they were active! He could charge 2x as much for his tour but he is all about showing people how beautiful Alaska is and both him and his wife are so down to earth. I can't say enough about them.

It saved us about a little bit over $100.00 by booking with them! I just can't wait!! I had read on here about this tour so I knew that this time this was the cruise I wanted to do. I wanted to go to AK with Princess but they wasn't offering it as a tour out of Vancouver but thanks to you & Doug we can do both!! I hope we get to see has much as you did. We are going in June so maybe the ice won't be as bad as in May (hopefully)!

Glad to hear you got everything figured out. Now that I know they are answering the phone I'll try and set up my trip this year. I'm on an early May cruise and not sure if they will be running yet