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As Anyone Actually Seen the Glacier @ Tracy Arm?

curtdesilets

By curtdesilets,
in Holland America Line

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curtdesilets

curtdesilets

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According to Captain Albert, The larger Sawyer glacier was pretty much unapproachable last season due to so much calving, ice everywhere and the glacier has RETREATED about a half mile and thus the new water left behind is impossible to navigate as they had no way to know what lied underneath.

 

Just wondering if any of you had enough good luck to get close to the glacier face, as you usually do at Hubbard Glacier?

 

Captain Alberts blog on this last summer: https://www.hollandamerica.com/blog/excluderecent/14-september-2017-tracy-arm-alaska-sort-off/

 

As a side note, we were on a smaller ship a few years ago (Oceania Regatta) that had the same issue. The Captain actually steered into another inlet off of Tracy Arm and got us really close to a smaller lesser known glacier, just to "save face" . ;)

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curtdesilets

curtdesilets

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Yes, we did get a look at the glacier in Tracy Arm, but it was 8 years ago. Also, it was late in the season, so less ice in the water. Last year, we sailed up Endicott Arm instead.

 

That detour to Endicott Arm seems to be the game plan. Looks like Amsterdam did this as well according to Captain Albert's blog. I do not think however the larger ships like Celebrity Solstice can not go up to Endicott Arm. That according to some officers on Regatta, perhaps. Wonder if that's true. Actually, come to think about it, Solstice did not attempt it when we were on her and we had th same Ice issue. Perhaps caught a glimpse of Sawyer from a binocular distance for a nanosecond or two! .

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3rdGenCunarder "Live from...." Rare

3rdGenCunarder

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That detour to Endicott Arm seems to be the game plan. Looks like Amsterdam did this as well according to Captain Albert's blog. I do not think however the larger ships like Celebrity Solstice can not go up to Endicott Arm. That according to some officers on Regatta, perhaps. Wonder if that's true. Actually, come to think about it, Solstice did not attempt it when we were on her and we had th same Ice issue. Perhaps caught a glimpse of Sawyer from a binocular distance for a nanosecond or two! .

 

We were on Amsterdam in September when we went up Endicott Arm. It was just us and a small tour boat. HAL did not offer a small boat excursion, probably because we were able to get to the glacier at that time of year.

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katrina915

katrina915

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That detour to Endicott Arm seems to be the game plan. Looks like Amsterdam did this as well according to Captain Albert's blog. I do not think however the larger ships like Celebrity Solstice can not go up to Endicott Arm. That according to some officers on Regatta, perhaps. Wonder if that's true. Actually, come to think about it, Solstice did not attempt it when we were on her and we had th same Ice issue. Perhaps caught a glimpse of Sawyer from a binocular distance for a nanosecond or two! .

On the Celebrity Solstice mid July last year, we went within 1/4 mile of Endicott. Very visible and scenic.

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oaktreerb

oaktreerb

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We have gotten close to South Sawyer on mid-size HAL ships in the past but on our small boat excursion last year in late June even the small boat excursion could not go to South Sawyer so it went to North Sawyer which I was happy about because I had been close to South Sawyer several times. Alaska is an ever changing landscape....always something new to see. There was still a lot of ice to navigate.

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tjcox9

tjcox9

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In 2010, we were fortunate enough to get relatively close to Sawyer Glacier. However, it was when Princess still had the three small ships and one was doing 14 day Alaska cruises yearly. It was a really gorgeous day with a few small pieces of ice in the water.

I was just looking at the pictures and found that we have two pictures of the Volendam going past the entrance to Sawyer Glacier. We've been there a couple of times with HAL and no attempt has ever been made. It could have been the smaller size of the Princess Ship (old Royal Princess) or problems with ice. I know we were expecting the same experience later on other ships, but not to happen.

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Crew News "Live from...." Rare

Crew News

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In June 2017 saw both glaciers but got very close to South Sawyer Glacier on a HAL small boat excursion. Lots of huge ice flows would have been too dangerous for cruise ship to go very deep into Tracy Arm.

 

Ice flow larger than a house:

 

P6075691-2.jpg

 

North Sawyer Glacier:

 

P6075780-2.jpg

 

South Sawyer Glacier up close:

 

P6075791-2.jpg

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RDC1

RDC1

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About 8 years ago did a small ship excursion from a HAL ship that went to both North and South Sawyer, was close enough to the glaciers that when the glacier calved larger than normal, it really rocked the boat.

 

The cruise ship itself did not enter the fjord.

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RuthC

RuthC

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On one trip up on the cruise ship we got within sight of North Sawyer Glacier, but it was a long way away, around a bend, and we had to twist and strain to see it. No big deal.

On another trip the cruise ship got reasonably close to South Sawyer Glacier, and it was a nice view, but nothing compared to Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier.

On still another trip I took the HAL shore excursion where you transfer to a catamaran near the entrance. We got very close to North Sawyer Glacier, and saw it from an entirely different perspective. We were close to the water, and could see another tour boat, plus some individual boats, near the face. It made the glacier look so much bigger than the view from the cruise ship did.

 

The cruise up Tracy Arm is a lovely scenic cruise up a fjord, and oh, there's a glacier at the end. Glacier Bay is a day filled with glacier viewing, and oh, there's plenty of scenic cruising, too.

The purpose of the two days is very different.

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liketraveling

liketraveling

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In May 2014 saw it on the Amsterdam.

 

In August 2016 Endocott glacier was substituted.

 

I am going on the Zaandam first 14 day cruise out of Seattle. This is early May so probably won’t see it then.

 

I have never sailed to Alaska in early May. I have always sailed late May, late August or Early September.

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