Moriah Posted October 13, 2023 #26 Share Posted October 13, 2023 On 10/12/2023 at 9:00 AM, AryMay said: It will be interesting to see if skipping Glacier Bay results in a refund of some of the port fees. This doesn't really make sense since there are no ports in Glacier Bay.. it's scenic cruising. But maybe I'm missing something about what "port fees" entails? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AryMay Posted October 13, 2023 Author #27 Share Posted October 13, 2023 Just now, Moriah said: This doesn't really make sense since there are no ports in Glacier Bay.. it's scenic cruising. But maybe I'm missing something about what "port fees" entails? I'm assuming that HAL has to pay for a permit to enter Glacier Bay and that cost is passed onto passengers...sort of like how the fee to transit the Panama Canal is handled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi13 Posted October 14, 2023 #28 Share Posted October 14, 2023 4 hours ago, Moriah said: This doesn't really make sense since there are no ports in Glacier Bay.. it's scenic cruising. But maybe I'm missing something about what "port fees" entails? I believe the cruise lines pay a permit fee per pax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted October 14, 2023 #29 Share Posted October 14, 2023 Glacier Bay dropped from my April Koningsdam cruise but not from the following week on the Nieuw Amsterdam. Lots of harbor seal pups on the floating ice in April. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AryMay Posted December 20, 2023 Author #30 Share Posted December 20, 2023 Woke up to an email from Holland America…Glacier Bay is back! 😃 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare HappyInVan Posted December 20, 2023 #31 Share Posted December 20, 2023 (edited) On 10/13/2023 at 2:12 PM, Moriah said: This doesn't really make sense since there are no ports in Glacier Bay.. it's scenic cruising. But maybe I'm missing something about what "port fees" entails? Glacier Bay is a national park. National Park Services controls traffic into the bay. https://www.nps.gov/glba/index.htm For cruise ships, the fees provide one important benefit. A pair of park rangers will board the ship at the entrance to the bay, and set up shop in the Crows Nest. They will give a talk in the World Stage, and answer questions. In addition, a ranger may be present on the bridge and give a running commentary during the day trip into the bay. As well as call out wildlife sights. Edited December 20, 2023 by HappyInVan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlsSalt Posted December 20, 2023 #32 Share Posted December 20, 2023 Having now seen other inlets in Alaska and GB too many times, I would not find missing GB any real loss. Even more disappointing GB in late season - no icebergs and no calving. But it was exciting the first time, when there was no other comparisons. Hubbard Glacier was a lot more dramatic. Coming into Valdez on our last Alaska cruise was the surprise treat, and equally stunning in its own right. Plus the opportunity to do a land-based glacier tour as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted December 20, 2023 #33 Share Posted December 20, 2023 Very interesting and we can all speculate. Looking at some data bases, it appears that several other cruise lines (i.e. Princess, Seabourn, NCL, etc) do still have GB on their itineraries for that time of the year. We have posted (elsewhere) about our frustration with multiple cruise lines (we cruise many lines) changing itineraries without explanation. In fact, we have 3 cruises booked for 2024 with 3 different lines (none are HAL) and 2 of the 3 have had major itinerary changes without explanation. The lack of transparency (by the cruise lines) troubles me more than the actual changes. Hank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thetideishigh2021 Posted December 20, 2023 #34 Share Posted December 20, 2023 We’re on the Noordam May 5/24. no email yet stating that GB is back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipmeoff! Posted December 20, 2023 #35 Share Posted December 20, 2023 https://claalaska.com/?page_id=1551 This page states it was updated *Dec 4*, so the communication about the itinerary changes to the traveling public seems to be rather slow 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill B Posted December 20, 2023 #36 Share Posted December 20, 2023 3 hours ago, Hlitner said: We have posted (elsewhere) about our frustration with multiple cruise lines (we cruise many lines) changing itineraries without explanation. In fact, we have 3 cruises booked for 2024 with 3 different lines (none are HAL) and 2 of the 3 have had major itinerary changes without explanation. The lack of transparency (by the cruise lines) troubles me more than the actual changes. Tell me about it! Last June, I was on a Princess, 'Norway' cruise up to North Cape and on to Longyearbyen, Svalbard (the port that 'clinched' me booking the cruise). After final payment they cancelled Longyearbyen - citing environmental regulations. Then, I found out they had done the same thing in the preceding two years! If they knew the ship couldn't go there why was it still on the itinerary? (rhetorical question) I felt duped and wrote an email to the CEO. To their credit, Princess responded by giving me an additional $300 OBC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakiron Posted December 21, 2023 #37 Share Posted December 21, 2023 When we went to Glacier Bay National Park in July, someone mentioned only 2 cruise ships are permitted per day. True or not I don't know but this may be part of the reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Haljo1935 Posted December 21, 2023 #38 Share Posted December 21, 2023 7 minutes ago, breakiron said: When we went to Glacier Bay National Park in July, someone mentioned only 2 cruise ships are permitted per day. True or not I don't know but this may be part of the reason. That is correct. The baffling part is HAL supposedly has priority, but their ships have now been getting bumped when other lines are not. The GB schedule for 2024 has a lot of Princess ships... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipmeoff! Posted December 21, 2023 #39 Share Posted December 21, 2023 Norwegian has had to redirect the Bliss which is part of it, Skagway has an issue with a rock over the berth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackduck59 Posted December 21, 2023 #40 Share Posted December 21, 2023 While some have commented that they wouldn't miss glacier bay because they have been there upteen times. That's all well and good for you, there are thousands of cruisers who have never been to glacier bay and booked the cruise specifically for that feature in the itinerary. I've been to Hubbard glacier and wouldn't go out of my way to go back there, each to there own. We are hoping to do a cruise tour in Alaska after our down under adventure. We will want the itinerary to include glacier bay and we would be mighty p****d if it got cancelled. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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