Please tell me about Tracy/Endicott Arm

[Ravenne]

I'm getting a bit of mixed info here about Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm.

On the itinerary, it says the ship leaves Tracy Arm around 12:30, but at the same time, I'm reading info here that the ship doesn't even get into the area until afternoon. At the same time, I'm seeing the Glacier Explorer excursion doesn't even depart until noon. What's the schedule like for Tracy Arm day usually?

Alternatively, assuming Tracy Arm is a no go, and the ship ends up going to Endicott Arm, what's that schedule like? What time do they get there and leave? I read Scott's (DCL Blog) trip report about Endicott Arm, and they were scheduled there from 5am - 10am which seems super early.

 

[AquaDame]

Ships can have a morning or afternoon time slot. When we went into Endicott due to ice in Tracy Arm we entered in the morning and sailing took awhile to the end of the arm... my guess is the 5am-10am is the estimated time they enter. Where are you seeing the bit about leaving at 12:30...? I'd go with the fact that the excursion departs at noon to be more telling - maybe they arrive at the end of the arm at 12:30..? Or they arrive at noon, hang around for a bit and then depart at 12:30?

 

[Ravenne]

Where are you seeing the bit about leaving at 12:30...? I'd go with the fact that the excursion departs at noon to be more telling - maybe they arrive at the end of the arm at 12:30..? Or they arrive at noon, hang around for a bit and then depart at 12:30?

I could've sworn I saw it on DCL's site, when you click on the itinerary, and it lists the port times, but of course, I can't find it now nor can I remember what I did to pull it up last night. So if the ship enters the area in the early morning, around what time do they leave the area?

Edit: I know where it was! It was on Costco Travel's site that lists the itineraries. It has Tracy Arm departure as noon, but didn't list an arrival time. I know Costco's site isn't the most reliable and it would be wiser to go by DCL's site, of course.

 

[Geomom]

If it is a normal 7 day cruise with this being the Day 3 'port', I'd expect to enter Tracy/Endicott Arm around Noon, get to the glacier around 2PM, and be completely out of the Arm around 5:30/6PM. (You can base the timeframes off the excursion times--the first boat gets loaded outside of the entrance to the arms. The later excursion gets loaded near the glacier.) The timeframe is the same for both arms. They are in the same location--go left to go to Tracy Arm, right for Endicott Arm. Unless there is an issue with Endicott Arm, I would expect to go there. (Last year there was a landslide which made them try Tracy Arm instead.) It's actually a better view of a glacier in Endicott Arm as they can get the ship closer to it. I believe that Tracy Arm has a more scenic ride into it--steeper/closer walls on the fjord. (We went into Endicott Arm during our August 2016 cruise.)

Scott was on a 9 day cruise which has a completely different itinerary and entering/exiting time for the Arms.

 

[Ravenne]

If it is a normal 7 day cruise with this being the Day 3 'port', I'd expect to enter Tracy/Endicott Arm around Noon, get to the glacier around 2PM, and be completely out of the Arm around 5:30/6PM. (You can base the timeframes off the excursion times--the first boat gets loaded outside of the entrance to the arms. The later excursion gets loaded near the glacier.) The timeframe is the same for both arms. They are in the same location--go left to go to Tracy Arm, right for Endicott Arm. Unless there is an issue with Endicott Arm, I would expect to go there. (Last year there was a landslide which made them try Tracy Arm instead.) It's actually a better view of a glacier in Endicott Arm as they can get the ship closer to it. I believe that Tracy Arm has a more scenic ride into it--steeper/closer walls on the fjord. (We went into Endicott Arm during our August 2016 cruise.)

Scott was on a 9 day cruise which has a completely different itinerary and entering/exiting time for the Arms.

Yep, I'm looking at the normal 7 day. There was only 1 time slot for the excursion, however. I don't know if it's all booked, or just 1 time slot offered.

 

[Geomom]

Yep, I'm looking at the normal 7 day. There was only 1 time slot for the excursion, however. I don't know if it's all booked, or just 1 time slot offered.

That should be the early excursion then. Maybe they'll add a second time if the first fills up.

 

[CanuckOnaBoat]

i put together a big guide for our Wonder 2016 cruise- this is what i have about Tracy Arm

SPECIAL NOTES FOR TRACY ARM DAY (Day 2)

(from various cruise forum discussion boards)


- The Wonder arrives at the entrance to Tracy Arm around 11 am.

- Around 2:30 -4pm you arrive at the glacier.

- It is highly recommended that you attend the morning presentation in the main theatre to hear about the ice fields, glaciers, calving, animal life, where to look for animals, etc.

- During the sail into/out of Tracy Arm – there will a live narration of the scenery by the naturalist on board. You can listen to this in your cabin. Might not be done on the decks because of noise pollution.

- When entering Tracy Arm you want to be on the Port side[1] of the ship for the best viewing. Find a table and chairs and just sit back and enjoy, taking plenty of pics along the way.

- The best place to be for Tracy Arm is on decks 4 or 10. You will be able to go from one side of the ship to the other.

- port side (not back near Beach Blanket) is best for viewing coming into Tracy arm (most likely to see whales on your way in rather than on your way out)

- There's a different perspective from all of the decks.

o Deck 10 has the full 360 view but it's also the most packed.

§ They serve soup in bread bowls, warm chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate and coffee up on Deck 10 so you don't have to miss a moment of the excitement of spotting wild animals and the beauty of nature.

o Deck 9 still had good views but it might be somewhat obstructed by the glass enclosures but that's what makes it slightly warmer.

o Deck 4 had good side views but you'll miss out the views from the forward and aft as those are usually blocked with ship machinery.

- Deck 4 is great for Tracy Arm viewing on rainy days. There's photographers down there too.

- Character sightings of Minnie, Mickey, Donald and Goofy in their Alaskan outfits were available on Decks 9 and 10 as they wander through the crowd at random times in the morning.

- During our sailing, very few people knew about the BBQ in the outdoor area of Beach Blanket buffet at lunch. Grab a plate of food and take it back to your viewing area. BBQ is a Salmon Bake at the rear of the ship that is really good! Tracy Arm BBQ entrance is the Beach Blanket buffet

- The ship will go as close to the glacier as possible so please remember to bundle up and go early so you can grab a good spot for viewing.

- The Wonder stops about 1 mile from the glacier, and will turn slightly to port, shifting the best view of the glacier from the port to the starboard side.

- The Wonder will come to a full stop at a 45-degree angle from the glacier. The ship sits idle for about 1 hour, so you will have plenty of time to take pics and to watch for calving.

- Then the ship will resume the turn to port and sail out of the fjord.

- When the ship turned to sail back out of the fjord, everyone went below to get ready for dinner and show. Stay on deck for good views unblocked by the masses!

- The kids club will have special programming


[1] Port side- left-hand side of or direction from a vessel, facing forward.

 

[anricat]

During our sailing, very few people knew about the BBQ in the outdoor area of Beach Blanket buffet at lunch. Grab a plate of food and take it back to your viewing area. BBQ is a Salmon Bake at the rear of the ship that is really good! Tracy Arm BBQ entrance is the Beach Blanket buffet

There is no more outdoor BBQ at Cabana's (formerly Beach Blanket Buffet).

 

[Snowwhyt]

i put together a big guide for our Wonder 2016 cruise- this is what i have about Tracy Arm

SPECIAL NOTES FOR TRACY ARM DAY (Day 2)

(from various cruise forum discussion boards)


- The Wonder arrives at the entrance to Tracy Arm around 11 am.

- Around 2:30 -4pm you arrive at the glacier.

- It is highly recommended that you attend the morning presentation in the main theatre to hear about the ice fields, glaciers, calving, animal life, where to look for animals, etc.

- During the sail into/out of Tracy Arm – there will a live narration of the scenery by the naturalist on board. You can listen to this in your cabin. Might not be done on the decks because of noise pollution.

- When entering Tracy Arm you want to be on the Port side[1] of the ship for the best viewing. Find a table and chairs and just sit back and enjoy, taking plenty of pics along the way.

- The best place to be for Tracy Arm is on decks 4 or 10. You will be able to go from one side of the ship to the other.

- port side (not back near Beach Blanket) is best for viewing coming into Tracy arm (most likely to see whales on your way in rather than on your way out)

- There's a different perspective from all of the decks.

o Deck 10 has the full 360 view but it's also the most packed.

§ They serve soup in bread bowls, warm chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate and coffee up on Deck 10 so you don't have to miss a moment of the excitement of spotting wild animals and the beauty of nature.

o Deck 9 still had good views but it might be somewhat obstructed by the glass enclosures but that's what makes it slightly warmer.

o Deck 4 had good side views but you'll miss out the views from the forward and aft as those are usually blocked with ship machinery.

- Deck 4 is great for Tracy Arm viewing on rainy days. There's photographers down there too.

- Character sightings of Minnie, Mickey, Donald and Goofy in their Alaskan outfits were available on Decks 9 and 10 as they wander through the crowd at random times in the morning.

- During our sailing, very few people knew about the BBQ in the outdoor area of Beach Blanket buffet at lunch. Grab a plate of food and take it back to your viewing area. BBQ is a Salmon Bake at the rear of the ship that is really good! Tracy Arm BBQ entrance is the Beach Blanket buffet

- The ship will go as close to the glacier as possible so please remember to bundle up and go early so you can grab a good spot for viewing.

- The Wonder stops about 1 mile from the glacier, and will turn slightly to port, shifting the best view of the glacier from the port to the starboard side.

- The Wonder will come to a full stop at a 45-degree angle from the glacier. The ship sits idle for about 1 hour, so you will have plenty of time to take pics and to watch for calving.

- Then the ship will resume the turn to port and sail out of the fjord.

- When the ship turned to sail back out of the fjord, everyone went below to get ready for dinner and show. Stay on deck for good views unblocked by the masses!

- The kids club will have special programming


[1] Port side- left-hand side of or direction from a vessel, facing forward.

The only way my experience differed from yours above is when the ship turned to leave the glacier it was our turn to board the second excursion. So we stayed (I felt) engaged longer in the experience.
I also wanted to advise those parents who have children that are considering taking them on the excursion or leaving them on the ship. If your child isn’t interested in watching an hour long National Geographic program on animals they probably won’t get anything out of the excursion. Kids were sitting on the floor trying to play games on their seat, others were playing on the stairs or hanging around the snack bar. A few kids would be outside for a few minutes but then head right back in. Most likely the interesting bits to pick up from the excursion you’ll be able to share with your children as you go through the inside passage. You do get a little closer to the animals and icebergs but then if you show them the same things that you were looking at with binoculars they would probably have twice as much fun.

 

[CanuckOnaBoat]

There is no more outdoor BBQ at Cabana's (formerly Beach Blanket Buffet).

Thank you ANRICAT!! i will update my guide.

such a shame - it was really good!

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

We happened to be scheduled for the very first Tracy Arm Port Adventure offered, so when it was announced by the Caption that we would probably not be able to go into Tracy Arm, we were a bit disappointed. We were really looking forward to getting onto a smaller ship to get close to the glacier. Tracy Arm day we woke up to find we really couldn't enter Tracy Arm, and would go to Endicott Arm. It was a bit unclear to us, if that meant we still had a Port Adventure or not? There was nothing to fear, they just had the tiny boat meet us in Endicott Arm instead. We had an amazing time. Our cruise had two Port Adventure times, one on the way into the "Arm" and one on the way out. If you get a chance I suggest on the way in. Reason= You are the first ship in and way ahead of the Wonder so it's a peaceful journey, but the main reason, the amazing picture you'll get of the Wonder as it approaches the Glacier, stops, and prepares to load the next Port Adventure Group onto the small boat. If your curious what I mean you can check out our pictures of Tracy Arm day here http://frequentlyaskeddisneyblog.com/disney-cruise-alaska-part-23/

 

[Snowwhyt]

We happened to be scheduled for the very first Tracy Arm Port Adventure offered, so when it was announced by the Caption that we would probably not be able to go into Tracy Arm, we were a bit disappointed. We were really looking forward to getting onto a smaller ship to get close to the glacier. Tracy Arm day we woke up to find we really couldn't enter Tracy Arm, and would go to Endicott Arm. It was a bit unclear to us, if that meant we still had a Port Adventure or not? There was nothing to fear, they just had the tiny boat meet us in Endicott Arm instead. We had an amazing time. Our cruise had two Port Adventure times, one on the way into the "Arm" and one on the way out. If you get a chance I suggest on the way in. Reason= You are the first ship in and way ahead of the Wonder so it's a peaceful journey, but the main reason, the amazing picture you'll get of the Wonder as it approaches the Glacier, stops, and prepares to load the next Port Adventure Group onto the small boat. If your curious what I mean you can check out our pictures of Tracy Arm day here http://frequentlyaskeddisneyblog.com/disney-cruise-alaska-part-23/

I guess that’s the magic of Disney. Because of course I thought the second Port Adventure Group was the best choice. Reason= Lunch, split pea bread bowls, hot chocolate and You are the last boat at the in Glacier, but the main reason, after taking in all of the vast sights on your way into the glacier then as you return in the small boat you’re able to take more time and notice the smaller things.
So basically you can do no wrong with either. And we both feel we had the best Disney adventure.

 

[Ariel-Rocks]

We are planning on doing the Alaska cruise in 2019. My mom can't get around that well and loves to sit on the verandah in the stateroom. Would I be better off getting our room on the Port side or the Starboard side for her to see the glacier ?

 

[Kesohio63]

We are planning on doing the Alaska cruise in 2019. My mom can't get around that well and loves to sit on the verandah in the stateroom. Would I be better off getting our room on the Port side or the Starboard side for her to see the glacier ?

Doesn’t matter, the captain will turn the ship so both sides get a good view. On our cruise in September, each side faced the glacier for a good 20-30 minutes, although starboard side got first view.

 

[Quellman]

[1] Port side- left-hand side of or direction from a vessel, facing forward.

PORT and LEFT have the same number of letters, it's the easy way!

 

[Ravenne]

@CanuckOnaBoat - wow thank you for the detailed info!

I would like to listen to the info in the morning...what time does that usually start? I'm trying to juggle a Palo brunch reservation as well.

 

[Ariel-Rocks]

Doesn’t matter, the captain will turn the ship so both sides get a good view. On our cruise in September, each side faced the glacier for a good 20-30 minutes, although starboard side got first view.

Thank you so much Kesohio63 !