Tracy Arm or Mendenhall Ice Caves

[EeyoreFan1967]

We are torn between these two highly-recommended tours on our Juneau day next May. We will be on HALs Nieuw Amsterdam, which will be in port from 1pm-10pm on Monday, May 28 (Memorial Day).

 

The small boat Tracy Arm excursion is available on our cruise, and passengers choosing this excursion will get off the ship at around 10 am for the approximately 6-hour excursion into the fjord. It will meet up with the ship in Juneau at around 4 pm. We are also extremely intrigued by either a hiking trip or a kayak adventure to Mendenhall Glacier that includes the ice caves (if they are deemed safe to explore that day). The tours are similarly priced...at least not enough difference for cost to factor into our decision.

 

I wish we could do both, but the latest ice cave adventure I can find starts at 3pm, which is too early if we do Tracy Arm, so we have to choose one. The excursions we are most leaning toward in the other ports (if that factors into decision) are - in Skagway - 7.5 hour train/bus to White Pass/Emerald Lake with dog camp...and in Ketchikan - float plane through misty fjords with Island Wings. Our itinerary also includes a day in Glacier Bay, if that sways your recommendation. If we do Tracy Arm, we will have time after the excursion to drink in Juneau a bit. Maybe a ride up the tram with a hike around up top and some exploring of the town and maybe a stop in the Red Dog. Or maybe add another excursion, just not the ice caves. I'm not sure how much time we would have after the ice cave experience, but I believe it would be significantly less.

 

Your vote, and also reasoning behind your thoughts and any personal experience you can offer, would be highly appreciated!

 

Thank you!

[jdemps]

Do the glacier tour. the one one is basically just another boat ride to get closer to the glacier. We didn't see any wildlife or whales in May when we did the Tracy Arm boat ride. Have a great time!

[LuvBotswana]

We're faced with the same situation. Ideally we'd want to do both, but given the choice we easily opted for the glacier kayak and trek. Ultimately it's up to you to decide whether you want an active vs passive experience.