Port or Starboard for Alaskan Cruise?

[KAS_73]

Is there a better side to get views of the Glaciers? I am already booked into a verandah room and I enjoy having my breakfast out on the verandah while the kids are still sleeping. Want to make sure I've got the best sights possible

Thank you!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Is there a better side to get views of the Glaciers? I am already booked into a verandah room and I enjoy having my breakfast out on the verandah while the kids are still sleeping. Want to make sure I've got the best sights possible

Thank you!

Reports are that starboard seems to get more "glacier time" than port. I don't know about DCL, but the Alaska cruises I've taken (not DCL) pretty much turned the ship around in Tracy Arm a number of times, affording both sides great views for a long time.

 

[KAS_73]

Reports are that starboard seems to get more "glacier time" than port. I don't know about DCL, but the Alaska cruises I've taken (not DCL) pretty much turned the ship around in Tracy Arm a number of times, affording both sides great views for a long time.

Thank you!

 

[WestFamily]

We chose the right side for my moms room based on stuff I had read. I feel like the left side actually got more time. It may depend on time of year and the pilot. The ship did turn so she saw the glacier and was happy. So... bottom line: our cruise was better on the left but it's possible it changes....

 

[xlxo]

I vote for "port" as the preferred side for the trip...

• great view of Ketchikan
• privacy in Vancouver.... the starboard side is against a public pier.
• go up to Deck 4 or 9 for a better experience for Tracy Arm

 

[DallasToDis]

We were on the starboard side. There were a bunch of people on the pier in Vancouver that came to see the ship off and my kids loved waving at them from the veranda. They felt like celebrities. If you're after privacy, not so much though. Yes, view of the town in Ketchikan on port side is great. We went up top as the ship pulled in and it is nice to see for sure. I kind of enjoyed being on the "quiet" side while we were sitting in port too though and great views of all the seaplanes taking off and landing. In Skagway I don't think it matters. Juneau port faced more towards town, although the dock was kind of far out. Tracy Arm I felt like starboard got a little more time, but we had friends in a port room so ended up bouncing around between our different rooms and the public decks too. While cruising both sides are great - maybe more land on starboard? We saw Dolphins, whales and even jellyfish on both sides though.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

For us on the Disney Wonder whilst everyone got a view, Port got 90% of the time at Tracy Arm, starboard got a view but only at the very end.



This photo shows the view for most if the time, clearly Left/Port. We stayed like that a lot if the time, with starboard not seeing, until we turned to go. We turned only the once, it's tight, it's very hard to do.

Decks 4/10 were full from very very early on.

Ketichan was Port looking at the town, Skagway head / forward on into the town, Juneau, out of the town, not a lot to see. When sailing there were views from 6 am to 11 pm each day, both sides were equal. Vancouver on port a great view of Vancouver the mountains, and bay and park.

 

[mrbudyhed]

We just got back and were on the port side. At Endicott Arm, it felt like the starboard side got a little extra time and they went first, but we still got plenty of time to sit and watch multiple "calving" of the glacier. I like being turned around 2nd because I had already jumped to the different decks to get different views/pics and was ready to just chill on my veranda a watch the glacier calve and listen to the awesome sound of it. It sounds like, from the different answers I have read now and in the past, you don't know what the ship is going to do on the glacier day? BTW, for whatever reason, I think every time I saw a whale or orca it happened to be on the port side, whatever deck I was on. But, my room was on that side and we hung out on the Promenade a lot for activities by the windows that were port side, so our chances were increased.

 

[chipscinderelly]

We went a year ago and sailed starboard with our side getting majority of the glacier view on our sailing.