Having Second Thoughts - Opinions PLEASE

Our family is on the Sept 8 Carnival Glacier Bay Seattle to Vancouver cruise. It is 7 days with port stops in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. There is one day devoted to Glacier Bay and one Sea Day

There is a cruise excursion on Thursday (Juneau day) to take a smaller boat to tour Tracey Arm. I opted not to do this since we will be cruising Glacier Bay and on a previous Alaska land tour we took day cruises out of Whittier ( 24 Glacier Tour) and in Seward ( Kenai Fjords ) and saw many glaciers. We have also seen glaciers on a flightseeing tour around Mt. McKinley (AWESOME!)

Currently I have the Whale Watching and Mendenhall Glacier Photo Safari booked for Thursday ( Juneau Day). It is a small tour of just 16 people.

Will I regret not doing Tracey Arm or did I make the right choice?

 

Currently I have the Whale Watching and Mendenhall Glacier Photo Safari booked for Thursday ( Juneau Day). It is a small tour of just 16 people.

 

Will I regret not doing Tracey Arm or did I make the right choice?

Who knows, you may be, with your questioning YOUR choice?

Have you been to Tracy Arm? Do you want to see it? You have PLENTY in your post- claiming you've "seen plenty of glaciers"- but have you? (Multiple viewings I have done, "I" don't think that way?) Or is your multiple "claim" talking yourself out of Tracy Arm? Again- I don't know what you are thinking, but your post, at face value could be telling? You booked what you did for a reason?

Who knows, you may be, with your questioning YOUR choice?

 

Have you been to Tracy Arm? Do you want to see it? You have PLENTY in your post- claiming you've "seen plenty of glaciers"- but have you? (Multiple viewings I have done, "I" don't think that way?) Or is your multiple "claim" talking yourself out of Tracy Arm? Again- I don't know what you are thinking, but your post, at face value could be telling? You booked what you did for a reason?

LOL.I know I must sound crazy. .I booked the Whale Watching Excursion because on previous day cruises I really enjoyed seeing whales and wildlife. I also enjoy glaciers but I have already seen plenty of them. It is really a toss-up for me. I know that on the day we did the 24 Glacier Cruise out of Whittier in July it was really cold, rainy, and foggy. In fact, I recall the tour operator altering the route due to weather conditions. I think I would be inclined to do Tracey Arm if I thought the weather conditions would be good which as you know is impossible to predict.

Btw BudgetQueen.....I was hoping you would respond as you have considerable more experience on Alaskan cruises and I have a question for you below.

according to ********** our ship will be taking the Chatham Strait and then Sumner Strait when leaving Glacier Bay to Ketchikan. I think this will allow us to go through SNOW PASS. I have no idea what time the ship would be passing through there but we dock in Ketchikan at 9 AM. Will there be daylight when we pass though SNOW PASS or will it be dark?

The reason I brought this up is because there may be plenty of whale watching opportunities from the ship if I am on the lookout.

Too bad I can't do BOTH excursions:cool:

Currently I have the Whale Watching and Mendenhall Glacier Photo Safari booked for Thursday ( Juneau Day). It is a small tour of just 16 people.

 

 

Will I regret not doing Tracey Arm or did I make the right choice?

• Tracy Arm and Juneau return is 160 miles of water. Juneau is 50 miles to Tracy Arm and another 30 miles to get to the end for Sawyer. Double it and you'll find it takes out your whole day.
  
• September will not have the May ice congestion, so you should be able to meet Sawyer. If you are a glacier seeker, Glacier bay will offer better views and experiences over Sawyer.
  
• some cruise ships offer a mid-cruise transfer package to Tracy arm that can save you 50 miles of water
  

BTW.... here's what you will be missing.

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in this vid you'll see it's the 30 mile journey to see Sawyer (advance to 2:28).

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according to ********** our ship will be taking the Chatham Strait and then Sumner Strait when leaving Glacier Bay to Ketchikan. I think this will allow us to go through SNOW PASS. I have no idea what time the ship would be passing through there but we dock in Ketchikan at 9 AM. Will there be daylight when we pass though SNOW PASS or will it be dark?

 

:

You have a big problem with daylight, for your dates. So, sorry, you will not have any opportunity to enjoy Snow Pass. Your dawn is only going to be around 7am, you would be going through Snow Pass about- 3/4a. Viewing time, if you were going in May, June. July.

My vote is to skip Tracy Arm and use the time for Juneau attractions (whale and Mendenhall).

• Tracy Arm and Juneau return is 160 miles of water. Juneau is 50 miles to Tracy Arm and another 30 miles to get to the end for Sawyer. Double it and you'll find it takes out your whole day.
  
• September will not have the May ice congestion, so you should be able to meet Sawyer. If you are a glacier seeker, Glacier bay will offer better views and experiences over Sawyer.
  
• some cruise ships offer a mid-cruise transfer package to Tracy arm that can save you 50 miles of water
  

BTW.... here's what you will be missing.

l40k_wZzVuc

 

in this vid you'll see it's the 30 mile journey to see Sawyer (advance to 2:28).

 

ymZXlxYdHK8

Thank you so much for the videos. They were quite helpful. Btw... the excursion would be a mid- cruise transfer. i have seen College Fjord on the 26 Glaciers Cruise out of Whittier and Sawyer is reminiscent of it. I think for now I will stick with Mendenhall and whale watching. Thanks again:)

You have a big problem with daylight, for your dates. So, sorry, you will not have any opportunity to enjoy Snow Pass. Your dawn is only going to be around 7am, you would be going through Snow Pass about- 3/4a. Viewing time, if you were going in May, June. July.

:( That is what I suspected:(. Thanks for confirming though:)

Thank you so much for the videos. They were quite helpful. Btw... the excursion would be a mid- cruise transfer. i have seen College Fjord on the 26 Glaciers Cruise out of Whittier and Sawyer is reminiscent of it. I think for now I will stick with Mendenhall and whale watching. Thanks again:)

I have to disagree, having been to both numerous times. There is little comparison. Tracy Arm is a 30 mile dead end fjords, very narrow, with that journey, pure scenery, never ending. The vastness and remarkable change of terrain is spectacular. College Fjords is also very very nice and scenic, but wide open comparing the two. Did you also transit Esther Passage with Philips? (would have been a possibility if you also saw Surprise Glacier)

I have to disagree, having been to both numerous times. There is little comparison. Tracy Arm is a 30 mile dead end fjords, very narrow, with that journey, pure scenery, never ending. The vastness and remarkable change of terrain is spectacular. College Fjords is also very very nice and scenic, but wide open comparing the two. Did you also transit Esther Passage with Philips? (would have been a possibility if you also saw Surprise Glacier)

Honestly, I don't remember if we cruised Esther Passage as this was several years ago. This was the cruise that was rainy & foggy and I do recall taking a detour. We also did the Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise and I could be confusing it with the glaciers there too. I took lots of video of the day cruises on that trip and maybe I can tell if I watch my DVDs. Thanks again for your opinion. It is appreciated.:). Wish I could do both excursions.

Currently I have the Whale Watching and Mendenhall Glacier Photo Safari booked for Thursday ( Juneau Day). It is a small tour of just 16 people.

 

Will I regret not doing Tracey Arm or did I make the right choice?

As far as I am concerned, the big attraction of Tracy Arm is the scenic ride through the fjord itself, especially when done on a small boat.

The Sawyer glaciers at the end of the fjord, while nice enough, are really not that spectacular compared to other Alaska glacier viewing opportunities elsewhere. They are just a nice extra bonus if you get to them, but not the main reason for taking a Tracy Arm excursion.

We have seen whales each time we have gone to Tracy Arm, but whales are not guaranteed.

Mendenhall Glacier is also not spectacular and seeing it for the first time can actually be quite disappointing compared to other major Alaska glacier viewing locations.

It has been rapidly receding and the face of the glacier seen today is much smaller and further away than in years past.

However, it still may look impressive to someone who has never seen a glacier before.

We enjoy taking the walk out to the waterfall there, and also having time to hike the trails and tour the visitor center, possibly attend a ranger presentation as well, so the attraction at Mendenhall for us is the total experience, not just seeing the glacier.

If I had been to Mendenhall Glacier before but had never been to Tracy Arm, I would definitely pick Tracy Arm, and vice versa.

For someone who has never done either and can only do one, I would say to pick whichever is most appealing to you this time and save the other for your next trip to Alaska.

Budget Queen is absolutely right (as usual) that a Tracy Arm excursion is not at all like a College Fjord excursion, although both are very scenic and worthwhile.

We're leaning towards the Tracy Arm Excursion today! We are in port at Juneau from 2 P.M. to 11 P.M. If we can do the 11 AM excursion then maybe we will have some time in Juneau to look around too.

Thanks to everyone who offered their opinions and recommendations. Cruise Critic is such a great resource.

UPDATE: I am posting this update in hopes that it might be of help to anyone else wanting to book the Tracy Arm excursion for the Sept 8 cruise. I received an email today from Carnival explaining that The Tracy Arm excursion can only be booked on cruises cruising Tracy Arm vs. Glacier Bay ( which I am doing) . Just because it shows up on their shore excursions page doesn't mean it is available for ALL cruises of the Legend in Alaska. Guess I will definitely have to do another Alaskan Cruise now. Thanks again.

We're leaning towards the Tracy Arm Excursion today! We are in port at Juneau from 2 P.M. to 11 P.M. If we can do the 11 AM excursion then maybe we will have some time in Juneau to look around too.

 

Thanks to everyone who offered their opinions and recommendations. Cruise Critic is such a great resource.

I was interrupted, and was going to post the same thing. Tracy Arm add on is not available on this cruise. You have to have Tracy Arm on the itinerary. In Sept, they also will book people on glacier dog sledding, which isn't available either. :)

We just did the same glacier and whales tour out of Juneau. The company who provides this tour is Gastineau Guiding and they were fabulous. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and friendly. The group size was ideal. They even provided and nice bag of snacks and water bottles. We walked a trail that is across the lake from the MG and it was a nice view and different than most of the pictures you see. We also stopped at a few salmon viewing areas. The boat for whale watching was set up perfectly for everyone to be able to see out and there were cushions to rest your camera comfortably. We saw tons of whales but that obviously varies. We also saw tons of whales from the cruise ship but you are really too high to get a good look like the small boat.

We just did the same glacier and whales tour out of Juneau. The company who provides this tour is Gastineau Guiding and they were fabulous. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and friendly. The group size was ideal. They even provided and nice bag of snacks and water bottles. We walked a trail that is across the lake from the MG and it was a nice view and different than most of the pictures you see. We also stopped at a few salmon viewing areas. The boat for whale watching was set up perfectly for everyone to be able to see out and there were cushions to rest your camera comfortably. We saw tons of whales but that obviously varies. We also saw tons of whales from the cruise ship but you are really too high to get a good look like the small boat.

Thank you so much for posting. We initially chose this tour because of the small group size and the chance for a more personalized tour. Since the other tour is not available for the Sept. 8 cruise, then the final decision has been made. We will hopefully be taking some terrific pics of the whales:D

 

As far as I am concerned, the big attraction of Tracy Arm is the scenic ride through the fjord itself, especially when done on a small boat.

 

The Sawyer glaciers at the end of the fjord, while nice enough, are really not that spectacular compared to other Alaska glacier viewing opportunities elsewhere. They are just a nice extra bonus if you get to them, but not the main reason for taking a Tracy Arm excursion.

 

I disagree about the Sawyer Glaciers. IMHO if you are up close in a small boat they are among the most spectacular. To me they have the bluest color and on one visit I see more calving than on my last half dozen visits to Glacier Bay. (or any other glacier area) I rarely see calving in Glacier Bay anymore and have never had any spectacular ones. College Fjord my last couple trips haven't gotten anywhere near the glaciers, same with Hubbard. My first few trips to Hubbard years ago were spectacular but since then I haven't gotten within miles of the face again.

I always take the Adventure Bound tour from Juneau, none of the ships I've been on have offered the 1/2 excursion from the ship. (it is also more expensive) I do enjoy the ride thru the fjord and will continue to do this every year if given the right schedule. I usually do a B2B every year so visit all of the glaciers. I also do the boat tours from Whittier and still think the Tracy Arm South Sawyer is my favorite choice. Add in bears, waterfalls, whales etc and this is a fantastic day.