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Nieuw Amsterdam - Inner Passage question about glaciers and ship sides


WingedKeys
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Hi,

 

I'll be taking my first cruise ever this May. I'm going to be sailing the Inner Passage on the Nieuw Amsterdam. I have a balcony room on the starboard side. Will we be able to see the glacier from this side or will we have to go down to the main deck?

 

Also any tips for this newbie cruiser?

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We sailed on the Eurodam last September and had a port side verandah room and loved sitting out on it as we entered Glacier Bay National Park.

 

You will see sites on both sides and when you get to the Margarie Glacier, the captain will sit the boat off of it for about an hour and will turn it so that both sides get a view - same at the Johns Hopkins Glacier but not as long.

 

We went up on the forward decks at these points

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Even though most of the captains tend to keep the port side of the ship facing the glacier the longest, the ship rotate so that the starboard side will also see the glacier.

You will be fine on the starboard side. But you might want to go to the bow for a while to see the glacier.

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Oh Wow! How I so loved cruising the Inside Passage!!! Loved it so much we did it at least 4 times:)

 

We have done the Inside Passage from the Aft, both Port and Starboard and twice Port Side Mid Ship.

 

No matter which side we were on, it made no difference in our viewings of everything to see.

 

Going North you will see everything. Going South you will see everything that you may have missed going North. (Hope that makes sense?

 

If you go to the links I'm giving you, You will see 4 of the LIVE Streaming web cams which are located near the Northern end of the Canadian portion of the Inside Passage As an aside, these are a great tool in getting your excitement enhanced even more:) :

 

https://explore.org/livecams/orcas/orcalab-base

https://explore.org/livecams/orcas/orcalab-cracroft-point-surface

https://explore.org/livecams/orcas/orcalab-parson-island

https://explore.org/livecams/orcas/orcalab-steller-sea-lion-haulout

 

Now for the Glacier(s) The ship will rotate completely, giving all sides of the ship equal viewing times of the Glacier(s).

 

IF you want to see both sides at once (of the entry into the Glacier area(s) you could go to the Lido Aft, The Observation Deck (located behind the Crow's Nest or even the Crow's nest itself where you can be inside and view everything in comfort.

 

We've always found that no matter where we were located we ALWAYS had a great view of everything.

 

Enjoy your cruise:)

 

Joanie

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I haven't done an Alaska cruise on HAL, but on Princess & Norwegian the narration in Glacier Bay matched what was on the port side as you sailed towards the Margerie Glacier. You will pass by the same scenery on the way out, but there won't be any narration at that point.

 

Since we started our sail into Glacier Bay very early in the morning, it was nice to have the port side balcony. (I wasn't ready to be on a public deck at 6 am!) Once the ship reached Margerie Glacier later in the morning, the captain rotated the ship and at that point we walked around to some of the upper decks to view the glacier.

 

Other than Glacier Bay, the view from either side of the ship should be equally good. Plan on taking warm clothes and sitting on your balcony as much as possible. There is lots of wildlife to see, but you have to be spending the time to look...whales, otters, seals, eagles, etc. Take binoculars!!

 

My advice to you as a new cruiser is to read lots of trip reports from fellow travelers. I did this before our first Alaska cruise and it made planning so much easier. Check out the Alaska board on Cruise Critic and you will find "stickies" at the top of the forum with trip reports from the last several years...a great place to start your planning.

 

I have lots of photos and day-by-day information from our two cruises on my blog if you are interested. Here are the links:

 

2017 Norwegian Sun 14-Day Cruise to Alaska

 

2014 Coral Princess 7-Day Cruise to Alaska With DIY Land Tour

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Welcome to the world of cruising.

 

I can tell you from experience that you can see a lot more by going on the open decks. This allows you to move around to see things that may not all be on one side of the ship.

 

Keith

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I'm sure you'll see a lot from your cabin. There is a lot to see, going into Glacier Bay there is a park ranger giving a narration of the glaciers up in the Crows Nest. I don't want to miss anything so was up and wandering the decks taking pictures. Where ever you care enjoy your cruise.

Allan

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I think the side of the ship you are on is more important on the passage. Better scenery on the east side. So for me, starboard going north and port going south. One time I had a balcony that faced both aft and port. That worked out pretty good except several times the announced

animal was gone before it came into my view.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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