"Scenic Glacier Cruising" On Norwegian Joy?

[jackjia199637]

I have been looking around for an Alaska cruise in mid May and on the NCL Website the May 18 - 25 route mentions there will be "Scenic Glacier Cruising" which will take place overnight after we leave Juneau at 2pm.

 

I called NCL and was told that it would be "Glacier Bay" but it seems odd that that NCL would not say so on the website given its such a huge draw, does anyone else have any info? 

This is the route in question:
 

Day	Cruise Ports	Arrive	Depart
Sat	Seattle, Washington (EMBARK)	---	4:00 pm
Sun	At Sea	---	---
Mon	Ketchikan, Alaska	7:00 am	3:00 pm
Tue	Juneau, Alaska	7:00 am	1:30 pm
	Scenic Glacier Cruising	---	Overnight
Wed	Skagway, Alaska	7:00 am	5:00 pm
Thu	At Sea	---	---
Fri	Victoria, British Columbia	4:00 pm	11:59 pm
Sat	Seattle, Washington (DISEMBARK)	6:00 am	---

Edited April 10, 2019 by jackjia199637

[Boatgrl]

26 minutes ago, jackjia199637 said:

I have been looking around for an Alaska cruise in mid May and on the NCL Website the May 18 - 25 route mentions there will be "Scenic Glacier Cruising" which will take place overnight after we leave Juneau at 2pm.

 

I called NCL and was told that it would be "Glacier Bay" but it seems odd that that NCL would not say so on the website given its such a huge draw, does anyone else have any info? 

This is the route in question:
 

Day	Cruise Ports	Arrive	Depart
Sat	Seattle, Washington (EMBARK)	---	4:00 pm
Sun	At Sea	---	---
Mon	Ketchikan, Alaska	7:00 am	3:00 pm
Tue	Juneau, Alaska	7:00 am	1:30 pm
	Scenic Glacier Cruising	---	Overnight
Wed	Skagway, Alaska	7:00 am	5:00 pm
Thu	At Sea	---	---
Fri	Victoria, British Columbia	4:00 pm	11:59 pm
Sat	Seattle, Washington (DISEMBARK)	6:00 am	---

We will be on this cruise! It's not Glacier Bay but Holkham Bay Glacier Fjords. :)

[bonvoyagie]

Holkham Bay (see a map) is the bay that is the inlet to both Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glacier and Endicott Arm/Dawes Glacier - two fjords with tidewater glaciers at the end. The reason they stopped saying Tracy Arm  is that in the past few years, it has been ice clogged esp in the early season so they have detoured into Endicott Arm which is usually ice free. Feel free to Google Dawes Glacier and Sawyer Glacier and you will see the difference in the two.

[ziggyuk]

3 hours ago, Boatgrl said:

We will be on this cruise! It's not Glacier Bay but Holkham Bay Glacier Fjords. 🙂

 

2 hours ago, bonvoyagie said:

Holkham Bay (see a map) is the bay that is the inlet to both Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glacier and Endicott Arm/Dawes Glacier - two fjords with tidewater glaciers at the end. The reason they stopped saying Tracy Arm  is that in the past few years, it has been ice clogged esp in the early season so they have detoured into Endicott Arm which is usually ice free. Feel free to Google Dawes Glacier and Sawyer Glacier and you will see the difference in the two.

 

I was also looking at Alaska for September 2020 and very confused about the descriptions:

 

Bliss: 7-Day Awe of Alaska: Inside Passage & Glacier Bay from Seattle

CRUISE PORTS EMBARK Seattle (Washington); Juneau (Alaska);Skagway (Alaska); Ketchikan (Alaska); Victoria (British Columbia);DISEMBARK Seattle (Washington)

 

Joy: 7-Day Scenic Alaska: Inside Passage from Seattle

CRUISE PORTS EMBARK Seattle (Washington); Ketchikan (Alaska);Juneau (Alaska); Icy Strait Point (Alaska); Victoria (British Columbia);DISEMBARK Seattle (Washington)

 

The Bliss cruise states "Glacier bay" even though it is the same ports as the OP.

 

The Joy does not mention "Glacier bay" and the only difference is the Bliss includes Skagway, the Joy has Icy Strait point instead.

 

Edited April 10, 2019 by ziggyuk

[ziggyuk]

Edit:

I can see the subtle difference now I study the maps, sorry.

Joy

 

Bliss

[Boatgrl]

5 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

 

 

I was also looking at Alaska for September 2020 and very confused about the descriptions:

 

Bliss: 7-Day Awe of Alaska: Inside Passage & Glacier Bay from Seattle

CRUISE PORTS EMBARK Seattle (Washington); Juneau (Alaska);Skagway (Alaska); Ketchikan (Alaska); Victoria (British Columbia);DISEMBARK Seattle (Washington)

 

Joy: 7-Day Scenic Alaska: Inside Passage from Seattle

CRUISE PORTS EMBARK Seattle (Washington); Ketchikan (Alaska);Juneau (Alaska); Icy Strait Point (Alaska); Victoria (British Columbia);DISEMBARK Seattle (Washington)

 

The Bliss cruise states "Glacier bay" even though it is the same ports as the OP.

 

The Joy does not mention "Glacier bay" and the only difference is the Bliss includes Skagway, the Joy has Icy Strait point instead.

 

Not confused. Just going off what NCL sent me. Not that it’s a big deal...there’s plenty to see! 

[don't-use-real-name]

You seem to have your plans set on sailing one of the huge floating amusement park ships the BLISS or the JOY.

These sailing out of Seattle and return to the same city.

The itineraries are varied such that both ships are not in the same port together.

 

The is another option using the smaller Jewel Class ship - the JEWEL which sails 7 day trips northbound out of

Vancouver to Seward (Anchorage) and then the 7 day southbound return.

[YVRBassElectric]

9 minutes ago, don't-use-real-name said:

You seem to have your plans set on sailing one of the huge floating amusement park ships the BLISS or the JOY.

These sailing out of Seattle and return to the same city.

The itineraries are varied such that both ships are not in the same port together.

 

The is another option using the smaller Jewel Class ship - the JEWEL which sails 7 day trips northbound out of

Vancouver to Seward (Anchorage) and then the 7 day southbound return.

I did the 7 day from Vancouver (B2B) in 2014 & the Bliss in 2018 - I really recommend the smaller ship, we were able to see so much more with the longer port times. For us it was cheaper to sail both ways rather than fly. Passengers who went to Denali pre-cruise were thrilled with the experience

[QTsKid]

we're also doing an excursion that will take us further in, hopefully 🙂

 

 

[ute_fan]

40 minutes ago, QTsKid said:

we're also doing an excursion that will take us further in, hopefully 🙂

 

 

 

We did this excursion on our first cruise.  It was marvelous!  The passengers who stayed on the ship only got to see one of the Sawyer Glaciers (I think South, but I could be wrong), while we were able to get up quite close to both of them.

One word of caution, however.  If you can't get up Tracy Arm and to go Endicott Arm instead, there won't be much difference between what the ship passengers see and what you see.  I've gone this itinerary twice.  The first time we made it to Tracy Arm and the second we didn't.  The people who had paid for the excursion weren't very happy that second time.

[QTsKid]

1 hour ago, ute_fan said:

 

We did this excursion on our first cruise.  It was marvelous!  The passengers who stayed on the ship only got to see one of the Sawyer Glaciers (I think South, but I could be wrong), while we were able to get up quite close to both of them.

One word of caution, however.  If you can't get up Tracy Arm and to go Endicott Arm instead, there won't be much difference between what the ship passengers see and what you see.  I've gone this itinerary twice.  The first time we made it to Tracy Arm and the second we didn't.  The people who had paid for the excursion weren't very happy that second time.

thanks for the heads up. I'm sure hubby will be happy no matter what, and a hot chocolate back onboard ship for me means I'll call it a good day. 

[don't-use-real-name]

Also note the INSIDE PASSAGEWAY while it is ALSO in Alaskan waterways - when you hear the term

Inside Passageway most everyone expects the transit on the mainland (east) side of Vancouver Island.

Instead a big disappointing rough ride out in the eye of the Pacific Ocean going on the western side of

Vancouver Island up to the Alaska inside passageway.

 

LOOK at post 5 above for a graphic example

 

The cruise season in Alaska generally is in tame sea waters but every now and then Nature ups its

ugly head and throws a curve best to be sheltered in the inside passageway.

Glacier Bay - Tracy Arm Sawyer and Endicott Dawes glaciers are in sheltered waters not a concern

it is the sea passage on the west side of Vancouver Island that is.

 

[bonvoyagie]

Good to see they are still offering the Glacier Explorer tour - it is fantastic - we did it in 12 off the Pearl - it took all of the time we had in Juneau as we did a RT small boat tour from Juneau - we saw a couple of ships coming out of the Fjord and watched as the passengers re-boarded the Jewel up by the Glacier. We got within 1/2mi of the glacier face - close enough that we felt the waves from the calving. Most of the time cruise ships have to turn around somewhere between 1 and 3 miles from the glacier - very few actually get in the basin so you can see the whole glacier.

[luv2kroooz]

22 hours ago, jackjia199637 said:

I have been looking around for an Alaska cruise in mid May and on the NCL Website the May 18 - 25 route mentions there will be "Scenic Glacier Cruising" which will take place overnight after we leave Juneau at 2pm.

 

I called NCL and was told that it would be "Glacier Bay" but it seems odd that that NCL would not say so on the website given its such a huge draw, does anyone else have any info? 

This is the route in question:
 

Day	Cruise Ports	Arrive	Depart
Sat	Seattle, Washington (EMBARK)	---	4:00 pm
Sun	At Sea	---	---
Mon	Ketchikan, Alaska	7:00 am	3:00 pm
Tue	Juneau, Alaska	7:00 am	1:30 pm
	Scenic Glacier Cruising	---	Overnight
Wed	Skagway, Alaska	7:00 am	5:00 pm
Thu	At Sea	---	---
Fri	Victoria, British Columbia	4:00 pm	11:59 pm
Sat	Seattle, Washington (DISEMBARK)	6:00 am	---

For Alaska, you may also want to think about Princess. Their onboard Alaska program is great! They currently have some really great pricing for May. Of course, you won't have a shiny new ship like Joy or Bliss.

[zqvol]

On 4/9/2019 at 11:57 PM, jackjia199637 said:

I have been looking around for an Alaska cruise in mid May and on the NCL Website the May 18 - 25 route mentions there will be "Scenic Glacier Cruising" which will take place overnight after we leave Juneau at 2pm.

 

I called NCL and was told that it would be "Glacier Bay" but it seems odd that that NCL would not say so on the website given its such a huge draw, does anyone else have any info? 

This is the route in question:
 

Day	Cruise Ports	Arrive	Depart
Sat	Seattle, Washington (EMBARK)	---	4:00 pm
Sun	At Sea	---	---
Mon	Ketchikan, Alaska	7:00 am	3:00 pm
Tue	Juneau, Alaska	7:00 am	1:30 pm
	Scenic Glacier Cruising	---	Overnight
Wed	Skagway, Alaska	7:00 am	5:00 pm
Thu	At Sea	---	---
Fri	Victoria, British Columbia	4:00 pm	11:59 pm
Sat	Seattle, Washington (DISEMBARK)	6:00 am	---

It is NOT Glacier Bay, it will be to Sawyer Glacier or one of the others in that area.

Edited April 11, 2019 by zqvol

[BirdTravels]

The Glacier Explorer is the best excursion. 

 

Starting on post #243 below was our trip off the Bliss last year.  The Bliss had to stay about 5 miles away from the glacier due to the ice  we sailed up close and personal to the glacier  

 

[arpie05]

I cannot tell a difference when looking at the pictures. 

[stevendom57]

I will be on a similar cruise in September. Also listed on my itinerary is Scenic Glacier Cruising "Overnight". When should I expect to see the glaciers? I am not a spring chicken, so there is a big difference between 10 pm and 4 am. Both or what I consider overnight. At 10, I will certainly be on the deck or balcony looking around. At 4, I will be studying the inside of my eyelids.

 

Thanks

[alexgtp]

Our May 18th sailing on the Joy "Glacier Viewing"  consisted of Endicott Arm with viewing of Dawes Glacier.

Peak viewing time was about 2 PM when we entered Endicott Arm up until we left arrived to Dawes Glacier. Nice time to grab a blanket and some cocktails and sit on your balcony! We grabbed dinner about 6PM and watched out the window.

[elwood_98034]

On 4/10/2019 at 1:34 PM, don't-use-real-name said:

Also note the INSIDE PASSAGEWAY while it is ALSO in Alaskan waterways - when you hear the term

Inside Passageway most everyone expects the transit on the mainland (east) side of Vancouver Island.

Instead a big disappointing rough ride out in the eye of the Pacific Ocean going on the western side of

Vancouver Island up to the Alaska inside passageway.

 

LOOK at post 5 above for a graphic example

 

The cruise season in Alaska generally is in tame sea waters but every now and then Nature ups its

ugly head and throws a curve best to be sheltered in the inside passageway.

Glacier Bay - Tracy Arm Sawyer and Endicott Dawes glaciers are in sheltered waters not a concern

it is the sea passage on the west side of Vancouver Island that is.

 

Yes. We have done cruises up that way where people's breakfasts were later deposited on the carpets and walls in the passageways.

Try these things. We use them at work:

And quite affordable. Don't leave home without it.

[elwood_98034]

2 hours ago, stevendom57 said:

I will be on a similar cruise in September. Also listed on my itinerary is Scenic Glacier Cruising "Overnight". When should I expect to see the glaciers? I am not a spring chicken, so there is a big difference between 10 pm and 4 am. Both or what I consider overnight. At 10, I will certainly be on the deck or balcony looking around. At 4, I will be studying the inside of my eyelids.

 

Thanks

You leave Juneau and then sail a couple of hours to the glacier. It is really nice, as most of the actual cruising is done at night, you normally see very little of Alaska except for the tourist towns. To make the most of it we once booked a specialty dining at the back of the ship, and had a big window table, and could go out on the back deck (Jewel) when anything interesting went by. Another time we had a forward facing penthouse on the Sun, and just ordered room service and stood out there. 

They don't go into the glacier areas at night. It would be dark, and those rocks bite ships. You will be back in the main channel by sunset.

[stevendom57]

@elwood_98034 Ahhh. That's what I thought. I am trying to figure out specialty dinner plans. That helps a lots. Thanks

Edited June 26, 2019 by stevendom57

[elwood_98034]

50 minutes ago, stevendom57 said:

@elwood_98034 Ahhh. That's what I thought. I am trying to figure out specialty dinner plans. That helps a lots. Thanks

No worries.