Time in Glacier Bay question

thanks for the thorough itinerary.....doubt we will be up to see the whales @ 5am but will definitely see all the rest!

thanks for the thorough itinerary.....doubt we will be up to see the whales @ 5am but will definitely see all the rest!

just found out the plane times we were counting on from Anchorage are winter times and the summer schedule does not work for us so we are reversing our cruise and going north to south so will be in Glacier Bay from 9AM to 7:30 PM so we will definitely be up and about for every minute!

Question ... We have a nice large balcony. Is it necessary to be out on the main decks or will we be able to see most of it from the privacy of our own deck without fighting for a spot?

 

 

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The ship is not transparent. If your balcony is on the starboard side and something interesting happens on the ports side, you will not see it. Basically, you miss 50% of your viewing opportunities. I would not want to miss 50% of my viewing opportunities in Glacier Bay or any place else on a trip.

DON

Question ... We have a nice large balcony. Is it necessary to be out on the main decks or will we be able to see most of it from the privacy of our own deck without fighting for a spot?

 

 

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We had an aft balcony on the NCL Sun and loved it. It was early September, but our balcony was shielded from the wind and we spent the entire time enjoying the sights from our balcony.

We had an aft balcony on the NCL Sun and loved it. It was early September, but our balcony was shielded from the wind and we spent the entire time enjoying the sights from our balcony.

what time did you get into Glacier Bay? I had a strange conversation with NCL yesterday.I called because on their web site there is no time given for going to Glacier Bay . I was told the Sun gets to Glacier Bay at 12 AM. When I exclaimed that is midnight she responded "that's OK because Alaska had 6 months of total darkness in the winter and 6 months of full sun in the summer and so you will be able to see everything !" I decided to switch to Princess!

what time did you get into Glacier Bay? I had a strange conversation with NCL yesterday.I called because on their web site there is no time given for going to Glacier Bay . I was told the Sun gets to Glacier Bay at 12 AM. When I exclaimed that is midnight she responded "that's OK because Alaska had 6 months of total darkness in the winter and 6 months of full sun in the summer and so you will be able to see everything !" I decided to switch to Princess!

Call center employees with many lines is not very informed on items like this.

Call center employees with many lines is not very informed on items like this.

then i still do not have the answer.

then i still do not have the answer.

Puli, according to the site linked below, the NCL Sun will be in Glacier Bay this 2017 season from 0600 (6am) to 1500 (3pm) every other Saturday from June 10 until September 2. That probably means you need to be on deck to spot whales in Icy Strait around 5am or even earlier. If you're cruising in May, June, July, or early August it'll be light sometime around 4am, give or take depending on date, so it's not as hard as it sounds to get up early.:)

I've linked the 2017 Glacier Bay schedule from Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska:

http://claalaska.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Glacier-Bay-GB-2017.pdf

Edited to add another useful website. It's for determining the sunrise/sunset/daylight/lunar cycle for any particular day:

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php

thanks so much i will copy this and keep.Do you know when they release the 2018 schedule? Princess has the 2018 times on their web site so there must be a 2018 schedule somewhere?

thanks so much i will copy this and keep.Do you know when they release the 2018 schedule? Princess has the 2018 times on their web site so there must be a 2018 schedule somewhere?

Look for the 2018 CLAA schedule to come out around October or November of 2017, if my memory serves. They might also revise it a couple of times prior to the start of the 2018 Alaska season, so check back in.

Here's the home page for CLAA:

http://claalaska.com/

what time did you get into Glacier Bay? I had a strange conversation with NCL yesterday.I called because on their web site there is no time given for going to Glacier Bay . I was told the Sun gets to Glacier Bay at 12 AM. When I exclaimed that is midnight she responded "that's OK because Alaska had 6 months of total darkness in the winter and 6 months of full sun in the summer and so you will be able to see everything !" I decided to switch to Princess!

Our cruise was a northbound cruise from Vancouver to Seward. We arrived at Glacier Bay early in the morning, about 6AM. We were in the bay for most of the day, leaving in the late afternoon. It was great. You don't see glaciers right away, but you do see wildlife on some of the island and some say whales near the entrance. We didn't see whales. We saw lots of seals, birds, etc.