Quantum - Can we have a Glacier Cruise WITHOUT the Glaciers?

[mlbcruiser]

When I spoke to the Royal Caribbean customer service rep a couple of days ago the itineraries had the Endicott Arm day as a sailing day. It also had that from the start, but included the brackets around Endicott Arm. The ship has to go somewhere and the distance isn’t that great so I imagine we are still going to Endicott Arm. Sure hope so!  Or even a better place to see glaciers.  ???

[paradise4me]

Juneau is back for June 12 

[LadyYadaYada]

Juneau is back in the app for August 2nd.

[Dewaldcruiser]

In the cruise planner, I now have two day 5s, one a sea day and one Juneau.  My excursion in Juneau as well as my specialty restaurant reservation is duplicated in both.  As someone speculated earlier, it appears that the RCI systems have some issues with two "stops" on the same day.

[efitzger]

I just wanted to comment - I saw a Youtube review of a Quantum sailing in Alaska for May last year.  The cruiser said that the glacier drive-by was completely cancelled because the glacier was melting so quickly that there were multiple large iceburgs in the passage and it was too dangerous to navigate around them.  Perhaps this year they are already experiencing the same or want to try to preserve the glacier from large waves/ ship vibrations?  

[mlbcruiser]

I hope that is not the case, but mostly for my daughter and her family as they’ve never been in a place to see glaciers. That’s one of the issues with Alaskan cruises out of Seattle. Most don’t ever go to the better glacier areas like College Bay, College fjord, and so on. 

[The Fun Researcher]

4 minutes ago, mlbcruiser said:

I hope that is not the case, but mostly for my daughter and her family as they’ve never been in a place to see glaciers. That’s one of the issues with Alaskan cruises out of Seattle. Most don’t ever go to the better glacier areas like College Bay, College fjord, and so on. 

At least Juneau is back in the schedule.  The Mendenhall glacier is there so that can be seen for sure.  It's always a toss-up, from what I've read/viewed, if you will be able to see the glacier at the end of the Endicott arm.  I just hope we at least make it most of the way up that arm.  It looks like a beautiful place to see even if you don't get all the way to the end to see the glacier.

[Biker19]

55 minutes ago, efitzger said:

Perhaps this year they are already experiencing the same or want to try to preserve the glacier from large waves/ ship vibrations?  

The decision to go near the glacier is likely made very close to sailing (a couple of days?) - not likely this far out.

[twangster]

40 minutes ago, efitzger said:

I just wanted to comment - I saw a Youtube review of a Quantum sailing in Alaska for May last year.  The cruiser said that the glacier drive-by was completely cancelled because the glacier was melting so quickly that there were multiple large iceburgs in the passage and it was too dangerous to navigate around them.  Perhaps this year they are already experiencing the same or want to try to preserve the glacier from large waves/ ship vibrations?  

 

Glaciers have been moving downslope and shedding ice for very long periods of time.  In Endicott Arm the ships don't come close enough to impact the glacier's natural calving.   You are still a mile or more away when a ship does make it "all the way".  The turn produces very little if any wake.   

 

The channels of the Alaska Inside passage are tidal in nature but even that tidal action pales in comparison to the height of the face of the glacier much of which is underwater.  The simple fact is that tidewater glaciers calve.  When the glaciers of Endicott arm calve the ice can only go into the arm and follow the channel towards the inside passage.   There isn't much current so a lot depends on winds to clear the arm and flush the ice.    

 

Sometimes there is a lot of ice and sometimes there isn't.  For a cruiser on a cruise there is some luck involved.  I've been in Endicott Arm five times and four of those were successful.  With every passing success the odds weren't in my favor and last year we had to stop and turn around.  That's just mother nature.  

 

Perhaps global warming or whatever is causing a shift or maybe it's partially influenced by the ENSO cycles and storms that hit the region.  Perhaps that's just the life cycle of a glacier.  They "live" for hundreds of years so one busy year or slow year of calving is a blink of the eye for a glacier.  

 

Some cruises this year will not make it.  Some cruises next year will not make it.  

 

It's mostly about luck. 

[mlbcruiser]

The Fun Researcher, the Mendenhall glacier may be there, but the ship doesn’t really go near it, does it? I assumed it did not, since there are excursions out of Juneau, for one place, that basically take you to where it is. And some of the other areas a ship can get quite close to the glacier. Easy to see them calve and the ship we were on got quite close to them.

[twangster]

13 minutes ago, mlbcruiser said:

The Fun Researcher, the Mendenhall glacier may be there, but the ship doesn’t really go near it, does it? I assumed it did not, since there are excursions out of Juneau, for one place, that basically take you to where it is. And some of the other areas a ship can get quite close to the glacier. Easy to see them calve and the ship we were on got quite close to them.

 

Mendenhall is a 25 minute drive from the ship.  The ship does not have visibility of the glacier from it's berth or from the sail into Juneau. 

[jencruzin]

Question. Never did an Alaska cruise - but when you visit the glaciers, are they on and on about global warming?

[mlbcruiser]

Thanks twangster. That’s pretty much what I assumed. I’m REALLY glad that when we did our first Alaskan cruise we had the itinerary that we did. Additionally, if we had not done a land tour post cruise, we would have missed the main and best part of our experience. 

[The Fun Researcher]

2 hours ago, mlbcruiser said:

The Fun Researcher, the Mendenhall glacier may be there, but the ship doesn’t really go near it, does it? I assumed it did not, since there are excursions out of Juneau, for one place, that basically take you to where it is. And some of the other areas a ship can get quite close to the glacier. Easy to see them calve and the ship we were on got quite close to them.

Yeah, you are correct. One of our goals for our upcoming July Alaskan cruise is just to experience a glacier at all. I guess I don’t mind taking transportation in port to see one.

 

Pulling upside one on the ship would be amazing but that’s not really in our itinerary 

[mlbcruiser]

I’m sure you will still enjoy seeing the glacier, no matter how you do it.  
I like to watch Deadliest Catch normally, but especially if I am going to do an Alaskan cruise! Of course, nothing like our Alaskan cruise will really be, but just the same… 

(Although we did do that Deadliest Catch crabbing ship excursion when we went to Alaska last time, and it was quite interesting!) The show puts me in the AK mood I guess. Especially since the TV show Alaska Daily finished it’s season a week or 2 ago.  New episodes of DC starting tonight. 

[time4u2go]

7 hours ago, jencruzin said:

Question. Never did an Alaska cruise - but when you visit the glaciers, are they on and on about global warming?

Who is "they" that you are referring to? 

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by time4u2go

[RedIguana]

On 4/17/2023 at 2:03 PM, jencruzin said:

Question. Never did an Alaska cruise - but when you visit the glaciers, are they on and on about global warming?

I don't think they can turn it off

[Tree_skier]

On 4/17/2023 at 12:16 PM, The Fun Researcher said:

Yeah, you are correct. One of our goals for our upcoming July Alaskan cruise is just to experience a glacier at all. I guess I don’t mind taking transportation in port to see one.

 

Pulling upside one on the ship would be amazing but that’s not really in our itinerary 

I've done Alaska three times.  Serenade twice and once on Ovation.  The first time on Serenade we got way up into Endicott arm and got amazing views of the Glacier and watched calve. The second time was Serenade again.  We got up Endicott arm but were fogged in so badly we couldn't see a thing.  The third time, on Ovation, we didn't even make the turn to Endicott arm and just headed strait into Juneau.  I can't remember the reason why they said this was necessary. But every time in Juneau we have been able to see Glaciers.  Ive been to Mendenhall Glacier twice and took a seaplane flight overflew them the other time.  No matter what you'll have an opportunity to see glaciers.

[The Fun Researcher]

12 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

I've done Alaska three times.  Serenade twice and once on Ovation.  The first time on Serenade we got way up into Endicott arm and got amazing views of the Glacier and watched calve. The second time was Serenade again.  We got up Endicott arm but were fogged in so badly we couldn't see a thing.  The third time, on Ovation, we didn't even make the turn to Endicott arm and just headed strait into Juneau.  I can't remember the reason why they said this was necessary. But every time in Juneau we have been able to see Glaciers.  Ive been to Mendenhall Glacier twice and took a seaplane flight overflew them the other time.  No matter what you'll have an opportunity to see glaciers.

Yeah, we have an excursion booked that is a Mendenhall Glacier/Whale watching combo. Will be a full day but can't wait.

[Tree_skier]

38 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Yeah, we have an excursion booked that is a Mendenhall Glacier/Whale watching combo. Will be a full day but can't wait.

I did that exact one when we were on Serenade August 2021.  It was epic.  I'm sure that I am ruined for Whale watching tours forever after.  The experience we had was so good I'm not sure it could ever be replicated.  We had Humpbacks that leaped out of the water around us constantly.  We also were able to see them right up close.  One time one got so close, rolled over and flicked his tail up in the air as he passed, I could have reached out and touched it as it passed.  You'll love that excursion. The views at the glacier are great as well.  

[fac429]

58 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Yeah, we have an excursion booked that is a Mendenhall Glacier/Whale watching combo. Will be a full day but can't wait.

Did you book through RC or a private vendor?  We went outside of RC, I don't think we're supposed to mention specific companies here but we booked with a company that rhymes with "You Know Pale Botch."  2:30 excursion.

[shof515]

you can post shore excursion company names 

[fac429]

14 minutes ago, shof515 said:

you can post shore excursion company names 

 

Ok, thanks.  In that case it's Blue No Sail Notch.

 

Kidding, of course.  Juneau Whale Watch.

[The Fun Researcher]

18 minutes ago, fac429 said:

 

Ok, thanks.  In that case it's Blue No Sail Notch.

 

Kidding, of course.  Juneau Whale Watch.

Yes 3rd party.  Yes sounds extremely familiar 😉. We’ll be on the tour in July.

[The Fun Researcher]

1 hour ago, Tree_skier said:

I did that exact one when we were on Serenade August 2021.  It was epic.  I'm sure that I am ruined for Whale watching tours forever after.  The experience we had was so good I'm not sure it could ever be replicated.  We had Humpbacks that leaped out of the water around us constantly.  We also were able to see them right up close.  One time one got so close, rolled over and flicked his tail up in the air as he passed, I could have reached out and touched it as it passed.  You'll love that excursion. The views at the glacier are great as well.  

Please send some magic excursion dust our way. 🙂 Hoping we have something even remotely close to what you experienced.  Here’s hoping!