Sawyer Glacier or Glacier Bay? Which and why?

Looking at two itineraries for summer of 2012. One is visiting Sawyer Glacier on the Jewel, and the other visits Glacier Bay on the Pearl. Curious about what you guys think of the difference between these trips..primarily Sawyer vs. Glacier Bay.

This trip will be for our extended family again, with grand parents, kids and grand kids totaling 12. I'm responsible for 6 of us, my wife and kids plus my mother-in-law. I had planned on booking two rooms (daughter would sleep with grandma), but also interested in maybe a 2BR for 6 if one of these ships has it.

Thanks for your opinions.

Mike

Looking at two itineraries for summer of 2012. One is visiting Sawyer Glacier on the Jewel, and the other visits Glacier Bay on the Pearl. Curious about what you guys think of the difference between these trips..primarily Sawyer vs. Glacier Bay.

 

This trip will be for our extended family again, with grand parents, kids and grand kids totaling 12. I'm responsible for 6 of us, my wife and kids plus my mother-in-law. I had planned on booking two rooms (daughter would sleep with grandma), but also interested in maybe a 2BR for 6 if one of these ships has it.

 

Thanks for your opinions.

 

Mike

Mike, not sure I can be of a lot of help to you. We have never cruised Tracy Arms, however, we have cruised Glacier Bay (totally awesome) five times. We have also cruised Hubbard Glacier three times and College

Fjord two times. (All on Princess)

I would not want to cruise Alaska without doing Glacier Bay. DH and I are not going to Alaska in 2012, instead we are going to Hawaii on the POA. (Will be our first NCL cruise)

We are, however, considering Alaska again in 2013. If the sailings are the same as for 2012, HAL does a R/T Vancouver that does both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arms (Sawyer Glacier). I think they have an excursion in which you can board a smaller vessel as you enter Tracy Arms that goes to the face of Sawyer Glacier and then meets back with the ship.

Unless you were set on NCL, you may want to check the HAL cruise as it does both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arms.:)

I really cannot help you much on the staterooms. :confused: DH and I used to cruise in an Inside when he was able to get out on the open decks. Now that he has some health issues, we choose a balcony. (our favorite is the AD mini suite). Can't cruise as often, but sometimes you just have to make choices.

Whatever you choose, Alaska is totally awesome!:)

Thanks for the input. I forgot that Sawyer is Tracy Arm. I've actually been there once when I was working up in Juneau. I took a sea plane out to the fjord and then boarded a boat for the trip back. It was beautiful.

I've discovered one benefit of sailing to Tracy Arm on the Jewel...it's cheaper! With me paying for 6 of us every little bit helps. AK prices are crazy. It will cost me nearly $5k for a couple of inside rooms not including airfare, and over $8k for balconies! :eek: HAL is even more.

We've found the prices for next year are so much higher than we are used to paying. But we're still going! :D

We've cruised to AK 7 times on NCL. 3 times we've gone on the itinerary that takes us to Glacier Bay and the other 4 times we've been on the itinerary that is supposed to be Sawyer Glacier. However, 3 of those times we were supposed to go to Sawyer we ended up at Dawes Glacier because there was too much ice in the water at Sawyer.

Glacier Bay has my vote hands down, however, you cannot go wrong with the other 2 options, whichever it ends up being. We usually go in September, so the weather isn't as warm as summer time and there tends to be more ice in the water then. But we have enjoyed Dawes Glacier more than we enjoyed Sawyer, so it's never been a problem for us.

The cool thing about Glacier Bay is that you are in there for the better part of a day. You see several glaciers, not just one. There are naturalists the come on board (from a boat that comes alongside the ship) and join us for the greater part of the day. They make announcements throughout the day, explaining what you are seeing, what you might see, and they will alert you to bears, eagles or other birds, as well as critters in the water like harbor seals, etc.

There are no naturalists that get on board for Sawyer or Dawes. I don't really care about that - I can do research on my own and would prefer not having the announcements throughout the day. (Although I do like it when they alert us to bears!)

My parents are elderly and they travel with us every time. They prefer the Saturday departure which is why we have chosen that one 4 out of 7 times. And #8 will also be the Saturday departure, therefore Sawyer Glacier.

I recommend the itinerary for Glacier Bay for anyone who is going to AK the first time and who may never get to go again. But truthfully, seeing any of the bigger glaciers up in AK is a terrific experience, no matter how many times you may get to!

Thanks Hikini. So these prices are higher than normal? Do they tend to go down at all? I just can't fathom paying over $8k for two balcony rooms, plus airfare.

Thanks Hikini. So these prices are higher than normal? Do they tend to go down at all? I just can't fathom paying over $8k for two balcony rooms, plus airfare.

Are you working with a travel agent or with NCL? We've used a travel agent every time and with this discount there and that discount here, we've been able to swing pretty good deals every time. This time as we are planning on 2012 the best deals just don't seem to be out there - at least not yet.

Thanks for the input. I forgot that Sawyer is Tracy Arm. I've actually been there once when I was working up in Juneau. I took a sea plane out to the fjord and then boarded a boat for the trip back. It was beautiful.

 

I've discovered one benefit of sailing to Tracy Arm on the Jewel...it's cheaper! With me paying for 6 of us every little bit helps. AK prices are crazy. It will cost me nearly $5k for a couple of inside rooms not including airfare, and over $8k for balconies! :eek: HAL is even more.

Mike, your are correct...Alaska prices are crazy! Four years ago we paid $799.00pp for a balcony. It almost scares me to think of what it is going to cost if we get to go in 2013.

My geography is not the best...how close are you to San Francisco? Princess offers a 10 round trip out of San Francisco. I think one 10 days it will do Glacier Bay and the next it will do Tracy Arms. Not sure if that is a possibility or not for you and your family. It has four sea days which could be great for the family get togethers, but that might be a problem for those still working and would not be able to take that many days vacation. It is more pp than round trip Seattle, however, you would save six airfares, unless you are using points or accumulated miles.

Our preferred time to cruise Alaska is late May. Rates are cheaper and there is still snow on the mountains and in some of the valleys...especially if you go into the Yukon from Skagway. However, that time frame might not be the best for Tracy Arms.

Since you are from California, not sure whether you would fly into Seattle a day early or not. Flying from Charlotte NC, (our closest major airport), we stay over one night in the port city and that always adds to the cost

Planning is half the fun! :)

After doing Sawyer twice (2002 and 2003) we are going to see what Glacier Bay is all about in 2012. We try to book early (EBF and OBC plus choice of cabin). The trip up Tracy Arm is fun but twice we hardly got to see the glacier due to either seal pups or ice floes.

As for prices they have gone up partly due to inflation and partly due to a $50.00 head tax that AK put on all cruise passengers in 2006 - it was recently reduced to around 34.00. The cruise industry assoc has tried to work with AK to show them the error of their ways - and ended up in a lawsuit in 2009. Meanwhile most cruise lines have reduced their AK offerings Seattle alone went from 223 to 165 ships in 2007.

So we now have a triple whammy - a tax in 2006 that they cruise industry could not adjust their rates for on until 2007. Fewer ships in retaliation to the tax created a limited supply with a constant demand allowed the cruiselines to charge a preimium (also a way to offset the assessed head taxes from 2006). The final blow is the overall economy.

Now in 2003 we had 4 of us in two rooms (balcony + inside) We were on deck 10 on the Sky if I remember correctly the bal was around 1600 pp and the inside around 800 pp (before taxes and fees). I just priced out a similar bal on the Pearl for the end of June next year and it was around 2000 pp for the bal (with taxes and fees). That said it appears that the price of crusing AK has not gone up that much - esp when you consider all the factors.

If you live on the west coast and have a few days on either side of the cruise you could take Amtrak - the station is closer to the cruise ship docks than the airport. Also look at using Southwest as they still allow bags to fly for free.

Sounds like you have spent some time in Juneau so you already know how unpredictible the weather can be - we were lucky back in both 02 and 03 as we went in mid - late June and had excellent weather. This year was a real crap shoot with the nice weather being real early and the cool damp towards the end.

Hikini

We always use travel agents. I have already found pricing significantly cheaper than shown on the NCL site, but still pretty darned high. :)

We booked our Pearl cruise (May 2012) within a week of the itinerary coming out and the price now would be about $850 more for the four of us than when we booked. Mainly the 3rd/4th rate has gone up the most since we booked.

We decided on the Pearl based on Glacier Bay recommendations here...already been on her once but really want to do Glacier Bay. Sorry, haven't been to Alaska yet so can't help you decide but enjoy reading from those who know! ;)

I haven't seen either yet (booked for next year!), so I can't make a recommendation based on experience. But I did want to mention that many ships had difficulty making it any distance up Tracy Arm this season. I've mainly been following the HAL reviews since we are booked on a HAL ship for our Alaska cruise, and there have been consistent mentions of only going partially up or not entering at all. The small boat excursions have been able to run but the ship could not always follow. My parents actually went at the beginning of the August on the Zuiderdam and couldn't go in to the fjord at all due to very thick fog.

So, that's something to consider. If you do Sawyer Glacier and that's the highlight of the cruise, you may have to be prepared not to see it. Of course, who knows what next season will bring!

We have done both (Pearl, 2007 - $4700 for two in mini-suite)(Star 2010 - $3900 in mini-suite) and are doing the Jewel in 2012 for $3700 in a mini-suite) I monitor the prices pretty much daily and have never really seen the Alaska prices go down at least for mini-suites.

As for the difference in Glacier Bay and Sawyer cruises, Glacier Bay is wonderful as is Sawyer. I don't know how much you plan on spending on excursions, but on the Sawyer cruise you can take one that takes you within a quarter mile of the glaciers, even if the ship can't get in the excursion boats can, plus you get to see all sorts of wildlife up close and personal including the newborn seals on ice floes. and there is a naturalist on board.

The trip is in a boat that has an inside deck and two decks of outside viewing area, inside is heated with almost floor to ceiling windows, outside is not.

They serve hot chocolate, coffee, tea, etc for free with food available for purchase, nice clean restrooms (it is about a 6 hour trip). Plus it is a hoot when the ship comes to pick you up.

They are both great (the ships and the glaciers), and you could not go wrong with either one.

I am going to try and attach some pictures of our Sawyer Glacier excursion in my next post.

After reading what several of you have posted about prices, you are probably thinking that I must be thinking about an OV for the $799.00 (sure wish I was a better organizer and could put my hands on my records). It may have been farther out than four years, it was a year we had not planned to do Alaska. Our travel agent called me with a "last minute deal" Princess (Anchorage to Vancouver) for a balcony guarantee for $799.00 pp...was actually our first balcony and she knew that with DH's health, we would need a balcony. She was also able to get us decent airfare too. I think it was something like six weeks before departure. The reason we were not going to Alaska that year was because the balconies were above what we could afford.

Fast forward to when Princess rates came out for 2012 Alaska. They had the window suites going for $999.00pp. I think they were only on the website for that price for a few days and then they went up significantly. There were several posts on cruise critic about this. Never had a window suite. Would like the extra room, but would miss the balcony.

Mike, sometimes we just have to "bite the bullet" and book. Then just watch and watch and watch. You may be able to catch a reduction in price and get an adjustment, or you may find an upgrade to an OV for just a few dollars more than you paid for the inside.

You had asked about a 2 bedroom unit. Now I really don't know how the staterooms are on NCL. You would have to pay the regular rate for two and a reduced rate for four. It is worth checking into as it would afford more amenities than two insides

I saw on the sailing after ours in May (on cc) that a lady that had booked four mini suites had all upgraded to full suites (free upgrade) about a week before sailing. Never has happened to me. I did get a call about an upsell, but I thought it was just too much money to pay and I was satisfied with what I had. I told them I would be interested if it was free, but that did not happen.

For what's it worth, we like sailing the last week of May.:)

Couldn't get my pictures of the excursion loaded so here is link to my pictures on Webshots:

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2916602980106462934DBDtjX

Mike, I do not know if this would be of any benefit or interest to you or not, but was looking through the mail from yesterday and had a pamphlet from HAL for Alaska 2012. On some sailings, passenger 3 and 4 are free. Might be worth checking into. Also 35-40% off if booking by November 15. :)

Glacier Bay for sure. Much more scenic. Just cannot figure out how the same cabin on a particular ship can cost twice as much or more for Alaska than it does for the Caribbean. What is that all about? And it's not all the high head tax for Alaska, which, I believe, has come down from $50.

We did Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm both in September and had great weather both times. I suggest booking OV and one balcony. The Pearl standard balcony is large enough for at least 4 people to use at one time. You'll stay warmer that way!

The Princess Star is sailing May 15, 2012, 5 nights to Alaska. It skips Skagway though, which I really enjoy. It must be a Tracy Arm itinerary. That would be a way to save $$$. It departs Vancouver, ends in Seattle, so you would be able to see both cities.

I wonder if shorter cruises are the wave of the future due to the increased Alaska prices.

We were on the Star Aug 6th 2011 sailing I have attached two pics of Sawyer Glacier taken from our mini suite. We are booked to go Sept 2012 on the Pearl, second trip to Alaska.

The current head tax is around 35.00 except for ships that visit either Juneau or Ketchican where it is a bit lower as those ports have had a small head tax as part of their port taxes and fees.

Since all the cruise ships charge about the same rates - so it is not just NCL but HAL, Princess, Carnival too. There must be something else.

I know that the cruise season here is about 17 weeks - after that there are no big cruise ships going out of either Seattle or Vancouver. The old adage of making money while the sun shines seems to fit. So any company that serves the cruise industry in these ports has only 17 weeks to make money for perhaps their year.

Contrast that with Boston, New York, Miami where cruise ships come and go all year long. Suppliers probably fight over the rights to service the ships that sail there- and where there is competition, there are price wars.

This is only a theory based on basic economics and business practices that I have been around. It is all about supply and demand.

Mike, I do not know if this would be of any benefit or interest to you or not, but was looking through the mail from yesterday and had a pamphlet from HAL for Alaska 2012. On some sailings, passenger 3 and 4 are free. Might be worth checking into. Also 35-40% off if booking by November 15. :)

Thanks. I will certainly check that out.

Because of the pricing I'm now looking into a non-cruise trip to AK. Since I have to fly us anyway, maybe I'll fly us into Juneau instead of Seattle, then spend half of the cruising $8k on a nice hotel room and trips around AK. The ferry is a very cost effective way to get to Haines & Skagway from Juneau, and just as scenic

I think we all have our own basic economic policy. Like I'll pay this, but I won't pay that -- are you people nuts!? It's a shame to lose a good customer because the prices have crossed that line.

I think we all have our own basic economic policy. Like I'll pay this, but I won't pay that -- are you people nuts!? It's a shame to lose a good customer because the prices have crossed that line.

I just really can't see paying over $1,300 per day for our group of 6 to cruise. For half that amount we can do a really nice vacation somewhere else. KnowhatImean? :) My wife and I just did a 3 day for $700, or about $115 per person per day base price. Compare that to over $200 for the cheapest AK cruise. I like Alaska and all, but that's pretty significant.

Couldn't get my pictures of the excursion loaded so here is link to my pictures on Webshots:

 

 

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2916602980106462934DBDtjX

What did you shoot those with if you don't mind me asking(sort of a tech geek even tho DW is the "pro" shooter in our house)?

Bill(DrFootball)

"Your about as Bright as a Dead lightbulb, are you Sure your MY son?"- Sgt. Maj. Alvin H.C.(My late father-long before he claims I "got" some smarts)

Bill's Brainiac Random Quote Generator V0.95 final beta for Mac

Mike, I know Alaska. First of all, I would recommend going to Alaska out of Vancouver for a far better itinerary, more scenery, and calmer seas. I have looked at the itineraries for both the Pearl and the Jewel. If you pick either of them, I would pick the Pearl, but that is because of Glacier Bay. It is said to be the best glacier.

Yes, cruising out of Vancouver is more expensive, but you get what you pay for.;) Many choose Seattle because it is cheaper, but they don't know what they are missing.

There are cruise lines that do cruises out of Juneau on small boats. Of course, they are not cheap, either.

Nothing is cheap about Alaska because the season is so short. ;)

The best cruises with the best times in port are usually the one ways going between Alaska and Vancouver. They often go to two glaciers, too. You have to check their itineraries.

Good luck with your decision!

Mike, You can do both Glacier Bay and Sawyer. The Glacier Bay itinerary offers an excursion to Sawyer. We did it this past August on the Pearl. The excursion to Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glacier is one of my favorite tours ever. One of the main differences between the two areas is that you get up close and personal to many icebergs near Sawyer which was really cool. You don't get that experience in Glacier Bay. However, this tour doesn't operate in later August so you have to watch your timing. Also, the ship doing the Sawyer Glacier does not go in far to the Glacier area. Doing it by an excursions provides great up-close viewing. Here is a detail account of our day from my review.

So back to our group, there were 5 of us plus 8 more from our ship. We were easily and quickly taken to a bus and immediately left. WOW, this was going to be a small group and a fun group too. A short drive later, we arrive to our boat which is going to be our “vehicle” for the entire day. The boat is large, much larger than needed with only 13 others on-board. Initially, it begged the question of why others were not choosing this same tour… did they know something we didn’t. After a short, informative and funny safety talk we are on our way for what turns out to be one of our all time favorite excursions.

We begin to leave the harbor where we would have had great shots at the Pearl but unfortunately it was sprinkling and the picture didn’t turn out as I hoped. Anyway, we have two guides for the day and of course the captain. One woman provides a fun, interactive narrative and the other is there to run the snack and souvenir area. Coffee and tea is provided for free, along with Donut Holes. Everything else comes with a reasonable price. Candy bars, Salmon Jerky (really good), pop, cookies are some of the offerings. The boat easily holds 40-50 people and is two levels. The upper deck is open with no seating and the lower level has comfy, coach bus like seating and is heated. Yeah for heat as after being on the upper deck it was always nice to go below to warm up. By the way, the boat is owned and operated by Allen Marine, a long time family owned business.

Outside the harbor, the boat goes quickly and sort of hovers over the water. It was a smooth ride despite what looked like choppy waters. The ride through Tracy Arm is long but well worth it. We saw lots of whales, harbor seals, eagles etc. The narration is excellent in both learning about the area, the fishing industry, and just about anything else. Since we were a small group, we were able to ask many questions as well as get to know others. Somehow this group was bonding well together and really enjoying each others company. You could easily maneuver between the upper and lower decks although at full speed, you needed to be careful as it seemed the wind wanted to carry you away and dump you into open waters.

The scenery is beautiful although a bit hindered by the grey skies and at times rain showers. As we get deeper in into the Fjord, the icebergs are amazing. For those that have seen them you already are familiar with the blue color that is quite indescribable. It’s a blue that I can’t compare to anything else that I’ve ever seen before. It sort of reminds me of the waters around St. Marten as here too, it’s just impossible to describe to someone who hasn’t seen it for themselves. At the really big ones, the captain maneuvers the boat to get a close up view of them. Throughout the day, we are seeing the Norwegian Star and know that those passengers are not getting the same experience we are on this small boat.

Eventually, we arrive to a massive waterfall; one where the mountain immediately rises from the water. The tour description says… “Feel the mist on your face as your Captain skillfully guides the vessel almost directly under a plunging waterfall”. They weren’t exaggerating here. Literally, we were inches away from the waterfall and remained there for several minutes while everyone had a photo opportunity. It was great!

Eventually, we are at North Sawyer Glacier and it did not disappoint. Again, many opportunities for pictures and since we were such a small group, it allowed a lot of time for each individual or group to be trying to capture this year’s Holiday Photo Greeting Card. After some amount of time here, we make our way to South Sawyer Glacier. As I may have mentioned, we lost count on how many whales we saw. We gave up counting after a while. We also saw three Mountain Goats high up on a ridge. Too far for pictures, but none the less was fun.

When we left the glacier area, we were served a picnic, brown bag lunch/dinner that was absolutely delicious. It consisted of a huge sandwich, chips, cookies, an apple and bottle of water. Sounds run of the mill, but the sandwich was thick cut, bakery bread, loaded with turkey, tomato, lettuce and cheese. Apparently, the meal was provided by a local deli in Juneau and it did not disappoint at all.

We eventually arrive back in the harbor. It’s now approaching dark and it’s about 9:00 P.M. with all aboard at 9:30. Thankfully, the bus transportation is waiting for us; a quick drive back to the ship and we are swiping our key cards at 9:20. We stop by our cabins to freshen up and we run to Cagney’s for dinner. After Cagney’s we were tired and retired to our comfy beds for a good night sleep.