Follow-up question regarding Tracy Arm NCL excursion

[ute_fan]

After discussing this tour with my family, we are planning on scheduling it. I have one silly question. Is it safe???

 

Before you laugh too hard, realize that there aren't many icebergs in the desert of Utah. Is the smaller catamaran able to safely navitage around any icebergs that may have calved from the glacier?

 

We are leaving on June 6. Does the fjord ever get choked off with ice flows? I've never been to Alaska before, and am just making sure this is an appropriate excursion.

 

NCL Sun 06/04

NCL Sea 01/04

 

[juneau-ite]

Ute_Fan -

 

In my opinion, it is very safe.

Even though this tour is new for Norwegian cruise lines this year, the 'full day' variation of it has been in operation for 17 years, on high speed catamarans. The primary small vessels that visit Tracy Arm, have extremely adept maneuverability and are designed to transit through that type of water/ice. Also, they are crewed by professional USCG certified captains & crew, many of whom have been doing this exact tour for many years.

 

Typically, the fjord does not get choked off due to ice, for the small vessels. On occasion, it does get to choked off for the larger cruise ships to get into the glacier very close, but in my experience, it is the exception, not the norm. Typically, even when the ice heavy, the large cruise ship (s) can still get to within 1.5 nautical miles, from the glacier face. The small tour vessels, usually get to within 1200 feet of the glacier(s) face. That is as close as a manuverable vessel would want to be, to the glacier face.

 

Hope this helps ...

[ute_fan]

Thanks for your input. I hadn't even thought about it until my son asked if the smaller ship would be in danger as he had just watched Titanic.

 

By the way, what are the chances of seeing a bear on this trip? I know you said it was better for bears, but I'm just wondering what the rough percentage is. We are going on June 6th, if that makes a difference.

 

NCL Sun 06/04

NCL Sea 01/04

 

[20YearsBetweenCruises]

juneu-ite,

 

Thanks again for the detailed info. I have one more question. How will this excursion be different from what we would see if we were on the cruise ship. Does the cruise ship go past the same sites just a lot farther away?

 

NCL Spirit 6/4/04

Carnival? 9/1984

[juneau-ite]

Tracy Arm offers a decent to good chance to see a bear,in my opinion.

Maybe not as good a chance in August & Sept, when bears are more prevalent at the salmon streams and not as prevalent in the intertidal zone, in Tracy Arm.

 

20years - see if the info in this thread/link will help you with the all info you seek:

 

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=268097554&m=765104661

 

Hope this helps