HAL 14 day Alaskan Cruise vs glacier bay

[Luv2cruz1000]

We have been on an Alaskan cruise and done Endicott arm (could not get into Tracy Arm) and I am thinking I have to do Glacier Bay. Need opinions if the 14 day Itinerary will match Glacier Bay. It does do Misty Fiords and Inian Islands. It also does Tracy Arm but I realize I may end up back at Endicott Arm! Opinions please, I love the different ports as opposed to Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan (although would be happy to go back!) What would you do?

[cat shepard]

Glacier Bay is special. Very special. Not sure what the other ports are. And only you can decide which is more important to you, but I still remember being out on the bow on a chilly September morning and seeing whales and hearing the glaciers calve.

[oaktreerb]

Hubbard Glacier would be the most attractive glacier experience on this itinerary.  Most HAL cruises will go to Glacier Bay or Hubbard.  Hubbard is a huge glacier and you may have the opportunity to board a smaller boat directly from the cruise ship for a closer viewing (as a paid and worthwhile excursion).  I believe the Misty Fjords experience will also be an excursion directly from the ship for those who book the excursion.  I’m guessing that the Inian Islands experience will also be an excursion directly from the ship.    Check out the description for this Maasdam cruise experience.  There will hopefully be Zodiacs onboard (again at an extra charge).  This will not be a typical cruise experience.  It is more of an adventure cruise.  It won’t get you to Glacier Bay but it will take you places you otherwise will not go on a typical Alaska cruise.  I was on the Maasdam in Alaska last year and expect this will be a continuation of the EXC program on HAL.

[crystalspin]

Hubbard Glacier is very nice, very blue. Calving goes on there too.

 

I did the 14-day Explorer (and took 7 family members) in 2018 when it sailed from Seattle. Vancouver is even nicer! 

 

I had picked up on the "Must include Glacier Bay" idea for a long time and almost missed the 14-day itinerary because of that.

 

In Anchorage, we rented a car and drove to Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. But I'm sure the ship also offers tours that will get you into deeper Alaska!

[AlanF65]

49 minutes ago, Luv2cruz1000 said:

We have been on an Alaskan cruise and done Endicott arm (could not get into Tracy Arm) and I am thinking I have to do Glacier Bay. Need opinions if the 14 day Itinerary will match Glacier Bay. It does do Misty Fiords and Inian Islands. It also does Tracy Arm but I realize I may end up back at Endicott Arm! Opinions please, I love the different ports as opposed to Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan (although would be happy to go back!) What would you do?

I was booked on a B2B on Royal with Hubbard twice and GB twice and I was going to do Adventure bound to Tracey arm. When Royal dropped glacier bay and added Skagway I wanted something different.

 

I ended up choosing the 14 day with plans to do Glacier bay in the fall or the following year.

I am going to do:

Portage Glacier Cruise  in Anchorage.

The Zodiac excursion off the ship at Hubbard Glacier and Tracey Arm.

Misty fjords Zodiac and the Inian islands Zodiac tour

ISP doing Glacier Wind whale tour.

 

I am thinking of

Valdez I am thinking about the Columbia Glacier cruise .

Homer - not sure yet.

 

I am exited about all the different ports so I dropped Glacier bay for this trip.

If you don't plan on going back to Alaska then might want to consider looking for a cruise with Hubbard and Glacier bay.

 

A-

 

[CruiserBruce]

We were on Amsterdam for the 14 day this last June. GREAT cruise. IMHO, Hubbard Glacier is a good replacement for Glacier Bay, as we also made it to Tracy Arm, and did the 26 Glacier Tour out of Whittier (docked in Anchorage) on an absolutely perfect day.

 

We did the 4 day because we wanted to see something other than the standard ports (Juneau, Ketchikan, etc) and this was an excellent way to do it. Now, sailing out of Vancouver, you get more of the Inside Passage. Not sure what else you could ask for.

[RuthC]

I've done the HAL 14-day Alaska cruise three times, and would happily do it again. It is so much better than any of the 7-day cruises! It goes to ports not visited as often, and gives you a better feel for the real Alaska than the southeast tourist towns do.
Hubbard Glacier is much more active than any of the glaciers in Glacier Bay; it is also much, much larger. It is wide, high, and very blue. You will see, hear, and feel the calving. 
Do take the catamaran excursion if it's offered. Or take a zodiac excursion if you are able to. 

[Seasick Sailor]

 Our 4th Alaska cruise. This past July we saw an abundance of whales, seals, eagles, and my favorite: puffins! Hubbard is awesome! Servers brought us pea soup and we had libations, of course. The announcer this year was a woman who's voice grated on my nerves. She never shut up until we got close enough to the glacier where no loud speakers were allowed per the NPS. I was so thankful.. 

[Seasick Sailor]

The calving sounded like thunder. You could hear the rumbling and then see the chunk of glacier break away. Breathtaking. 

[Seasick Sailor]

July 2019

[Luv2cruz1000]

Ok,almost sold on the Alaskan explorer from HAL. Are your pictures from the ship? 

[Seasick Sailor]

1 hour ago, Luv2cruz1000 said:

Ok,almost sold on the Alaskan explorer from HAL. Are your pictures from the ship? 

Yes.