Tracy Arm small boat questions

[RubySlippers102]

We're booked on HAL for August 19-26 (2017). Our itinerary brings us to Tracy Arm just for a ss and then goes on to Juneau. I've made the tough decision to forgo Harv & Marv's in order to do the glacier dog sledding (hoping that if that gets cancelled we can do it in Skagway since that's our #1 excursion for this trip) and was wondering how likely it is to see whales at Tracy Arm during mid/later August. Excursions aren't yet available for our itinerary so I was also hoping someone could give me an idea how much the excursion is, when it becomes available to book, and about how long the ride is. The ss is scheduled for 10-10:30, would we board the small boat right around 10ish? Trying to figure out when we'd arrive in Juneau.

[lovescruisingbc]

We did the small boat tour a few years back. It was well worth it as we were really close to the Sawyer Glacier - one of the prettiest glaciers in Alaska. Since gas prices have skyrocketed in recent years, the cost of this tour has increased.. I believe it is in the region of US$250 per person and is around 5 and a half hours. We arrived in Juneau about 2pm, just a little after the ship docked, and I believe we had to go back to the ship before leaving again for afternoon tours. We didnt see any whales on that tour - in fact, we have not seen whales in Tracy Arm on any of our Alaska cruises (we have taken 6!) There are some good Whale watching tours out of Juneau that guarantee sightings!

 

 

 

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[TheCalicoCat]

We're booked on HAL for August 19-26 (2017). Our itinerary brings us to Tracy Arm just for a ss and then goes on to Juneau. I've made the tough decision to forgo Harv & Marv's in order to do the glacier dog sledding (hoping that if that gets cancelled we can do it in Skagway since that's our #1 excursion for this trip) and was wondering how likely it is to see whales at Tracy Arm during mid/later August. Excursions aren't yet available for our itinerary so I was also hoping someone could give me an idea how much the excursion is, when it becomes available to book, and about how long the ride is. The ss is scheduled for 10-10:30, would we board the small boat right around 10ish? Trying to figure out when we'd arrive in Juneau.

 

I did this excursion. We arrived in Juneau in time to catch the very last Blue bus to Mendenhall Glacier. (Not sure exactly what time that was.)

 

We did not see any wildlife, but I've read reviews (seen photos) where other people where more lucky with Animal viewing while in Tracy Arm. (Bears, seals)

 

I think it was a couple hundred dollars.

Edited August 10, 2016 by TheCalicoCat

[Bella0714]

I can't speak for when you're going, but we were at Tracy Arm on August 1 on a small boat and saw five bears on the shore and a couple of whales shortly after leaving Tracy Arm on the way back to Juneau. But even if we hadn't, this is a pretty special place, and not just because of the glaciers. It's like sailing through the land that time forgot.

[lovescruisingbc]

I can't speak for when you're going, but we were at Tracy Arm on August 1 on a small boat and saw five bears on the shore and a couple of whales shortly after leaving Tracy Arm on the way back to Juneau. But even if we hadn't, this is a pretty special place, and not just because of the glaciers. It's like sailing through the land that time forgot.

 

 

 

Hear! Hear! Its one of my favourite spots along the Inside Passage...

 

 

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[Coral]

Honestly - the past several years the Dog Mushing on a glacier is cancelled by the time you want to go from what I can tell.

 

I would contact the dog mushing companies and see what the chances are based on past experience (every year is difference) that they will be running that late in the season. If this is your top excursion, you may want to switch dates!

 

There is someone on this board (laughing husky) that their dogs usually participate in this. They may provide some insight.

[peety3]

We've enjoyed the small boat excursion twice from Princess ships. Both of those were 5+ hour tours, one boarded at 7:30am and finished in Juneau at 1:30pm, the other was 8:30am and finished in Juneau around 2:00pm. With a 10:00am service stop, you could be looking at 4pm.

 

As a reminder, you'll need to reboard your cruise ship before you do anything else, even if you're going to go straight across the ship and into Juneau.

[gfkcruiser]

We did this excursion and thought it was great and well worth it. Did see some whales but it was the end of May.

 

 

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[janmcn]

We were on a cruise recently with people who took it and loved it...saw whales AnD bears! They highly recommend it.

 

 

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[RubySlippers102]

Thanks for your input! Can anyone give me an idea when excursions become available for booking thru the ship?

[Cruiser Andi]

For those who have done this tour, can I ask another question? I'm looking at booking either May or September 2017. Would one month be better than the other?

 

 

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[bonvoyagie]

Probably around Dec or Jan - most AK tour vendors take a break from Sept to Nov or Dec. Allen Marine is the primary vendor of these tours and probably will not negotiate a contract with HAL until next year - after they figure out their operating costs. It could also happen that HAL will eliminate the service stop.

 

We did this tour out of Juneau in 12 and loved it. We did not see any whales - but did see some mountain goats and eagles.

Edited August 29, 2016 by bonvoyagie