Tracey Arm Fjord and Glacier Adventure

[xlxo]

Where is the BBQ located? Is it still at the back of the Wonder outside the buffet?

 

[l4dk]

Where is the BBQ located? Is it still at the back of the Wonder outside the buffet?

Yes, there was a line but moved quickly. I really liked the salmon and the meat.

 

[l4dk]

We are just getting back home from Vancouver today and we did the 3pm excursion to Endicott Arm I have to tell you guys that it was amazing. Since this was our first time in Alaska I asked the captain at the platinum gathering about the difference between Tracy and Endicott and he said Endicott was as beautiful and that we were not going to regret taking the excursion. Totally true words can not describe the beauty and like if it was not enough with the amazing views of the glacier and the calving we were also very lucky to spot a black bear very close to shore and the boat did an amazing job stopping for sometime for us to take great pics. Please feel free to ask me any question. The BBQ was very good in our opinion too and the Disney crew did and amazing job walking around offering soup and hot chocolate on the decks.

[GALLERY=][GALLERY=][/GALLERY][/GALLERY]

 

[hamilton23]

I was on the sailing that just got back on the 4th of July. We did the noon excursion and will give a big thumbs up. We were really happy we did the early one as it gave us a first look at the glacier up close and personal. The excursion boat got within about 500 yards of the glacier while the ship didn't get closer than about a mile away. If we were on the second excursion we would have seen all the scenery on the way in and the sat on the ship looking at the glacier for almost an hour before boarding the excursion boat to get closer to the glacier and then see everything once again on the way out of the arm. When we got back on the ship, we were able to get some great photos with the characters and then grab a beer and sit in the hot tub by the adult pool and watch the scenery pass us by.

We were able to get the bbq food before heading out on the excursion. They opened up the bbq line at about 11:40. We ate the bbq then headed down to meet the excursion in wavebands. In my opinion, the bbq was not all that great. The fish was over cooked and the side dishes were just ok. I would not base my decision as whether to avoid the noon excursion on the fear of missing the bbq food or bread bowls.

We were able to get some amazing photos on this excursion. I will try to upload some later. Definitely a highlight of the trip. I would not hesitate to do this one again. If my only view of the glacier and the arm were from the ship, I would have been really disappointed that I was so far away from the glacier. We saw a huge piece of the glacier calve. White thunder for sure.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

I was on the sailing that just got back on the 4th of July. We did the noon excursion and will give a big thumbs up. We were really happy we did the early one as it gave us a first look at the glacier up close and personal. The excursion boat got within about 500 yards of the glacier while the ship didn't get closer than about a mile away. If we were on the second excursion we would have seen all the scenery on the way in and the sat on the ship looking at the glacier for almost an hour before boarding the excursion boat to get closer to the glacier and then see everything once again on the way out of the arm. When we got back on the ship, we were able to get some great photos with the characters and then grab a beer and sit in the hot tub by the adult pool and watch the scenery pass us by.

We were able to get the bbq food before heading out on the excursion. They opened up the bbq line at about 11:40. We ate the bbq then headed down to meet the excursion in wavebands. In my opinion, the bbq was not all that great. The fish was over cooked and the side dishes were just ok. I would not base my decision as whether to avoid the noon excursion on the fear of missing the bbq food or bread bowls.

We were able to get some amazing photos on this excursion. I will try to upload some later. Definitely a highlight of the trip. I would not hesitate to do this one again. If my only view of the glacier and the arm were from the ship, I would have been really disappointed that I was so far away from the glacier. We saw a huge piece of the glacier calve. White thunder for sure.

Thanks for the review! Just curious if you don't mind sharing ~ are they still comping 50% for this excursion? I haven't read anyone mention it since the first sailing but clearly it hasn't switched to true Tracy Arm, yet. It's not a deciding factor for us, but just curious

Thanks,
Heather

 

[KarenP99]

Great info! What was the temperature/weather on the excursion? Approximately how many people were there, and did it feel crowded? Restrooms, places to sit?

We are just getting back home from Vancouver today and we did the 3pm excursion to Endicott Arm I have to tell you guys that it was amazing. Since this was our first time in Alaska I asked the captain at the platinum gathering about the difference between Tracy and Endicott and he said Endicott was as beautiful and that we were not going to regret taking the excursion. Totally true words can not describe the beauty and like if it was not enough with the amazing views of the glacier and the calving we were also very lucky to spot a black bear very close to shore and the boat did an amazing job stopping for sometime for us to take great pics. Please feel free to ask me any question. The BBQ was very good in our opinion too and the Disney crew did and amazing job walking around offering soup and hot chocolate on the decks.

 

[DopeyzGoofy]

Thanks for the review! Just curious if you don't mind sharing ~ are they still comping 50% for this excursion? I haven't read anyone mention it since the first sailing but clearly it hasn't switched to true Tracy Arm, yet. It's not a deciding factor for us, but just curious

Thanks,
Heather

No, they do not comp 50% for this excursion. The first week they did was just a courtesy thing because Wonder ship was actually closer than the glacier than the smaller boat. I'm pretty sure they learned the lesson from that week because since then, the excursion ship gets much closer to the glacier than Wonder ship.

 

[micknme]

DCL website mentioned under the 'Know Before You Go caption', that there were snacks such as pastries, smoked salmon, coffee, tea and hot cocoa included. Did you find this to be the case?

Also, was it very much colder on this excursion compared to being on the deck of the ship? We have a senior booked for this and want to make sure he is going to be warmly dressed. Silly question but is there seating available on the boat.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer all our questions!!!

 

[hamilton23]

The temperature was comparable to being on the ship. When you are just sitting there at the glacier, it is pretty pleasant...when you are moving, the wind was a bit chilly. We had a beautiful sunny day, so that helped...if it was raining, the excursion may not have been as great. The boat is decent size and it was not too crowded. When we were stopped at the waterfall and at the glacier they opened up the top deck and that really thinned out the people even more. Some people just stayed inside the cabin of the boat the watched the scenery through the windows...If you do that, I would suggest staying downstairs, as the second deck has a walkway outside the windows and all you will see is a lot of people's butts and backs.

I don't think there were more than about 100-150 people on the boat. It is the same size as the ones that they use for whale watching in Juneau.

There were bathrooms and plenty of places to sit inside...no seats outside. I did not sit down once during the entire 3 hours. There was too much to see and I liked changing my position on the boat from one side to the other and then up on the top deck.

There was no refund offered nor needed. It was money well spent. It is pricey for a 3 hour excursion, but the photos I got of the ship, being closer to the glacier and the seals, etc. were well worth it in my opinion.

From what I was told by crew members on the ship, they all said they like Endicott more than Tracy Arm...but maybe they just say that to the cruises that go down Endicott Arm rather than Tracy Arm. I could not imagine how it could be much different. I think the Sawyer glacier may be a bit bigger, but Dawes was pretty spectacular.

I am so glad I checked on DisBoards and in my Facebook group to find out about this excursion. If I saw people getting on the excursion boat and getting so close to the glacier, I would have been really bummed out that I didn't book it. Luckily, I have no regrets!

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

No, they do not comp 50% for this excursion. The first week they did was just a courtesy thing because Wonder ship was actually closer than the glacier than the smaller boat. I'm pretty sure they learned the lesson from that week because since then, the excursion ship gets much closer to the glacier than Wonder ship.

The temperature was comparable to being on the ship. When you are just sitting there at the glacier, it is pretty pleasant...when you are moving, the wind was a bit chilly. We had a beautiful sunny day, so that helped...if it was raining, the excursion may not have been as great. The boat is decent size and it was not too crowded. When we were stopped at the waterfall and at the glacier they opened up the top deck and that really thinned out the people even more. Some people just stayed inside the cabin of the boat the watched the scenery through the windows...If you do that, I would suggest staying downstairs, as the second deck has a walkway outside the windows and all you will see is a lot of people's butts and backs.

I don't think there were more than about 100-150 people on the boat. It is the same size as the ones that they use for whale watching in Juneau.

There were bathrooms and plenty of places to sit inside...no seats outside. I did not sit down once during the entire 3 hours. There was too much to see and I liked changing my position on the boat from one side to the other and then up on the top deck.

There was no refund offered nor needed. It was money well spent. It is pricey for a 3 hour excursion, but the photos I got of the ship, being closer to the glacier and the seals, etc. were well worth it in my opinion.

From what I was told by crew members on the ship, they all said they like Endicott more than Tracy Arm...but maybe they just say that to the cruises that go down Endicott Arm rather than Tracy Arm. I could not imagine how it could be much different. I think the Sawyer glacier may be a bit bigger, but Dawes was pretty spectacular.

I am so glad I checked on DisBoards and in my Facebook group to find out about this excursion. If I saw people getting on the excursion boat and getting so close to the glacier, I would have been really bummed out that I didn't book it. Luckily, I have no regrets!

Thanks to both of you and I hope you didn't read that I felt like DCL should have comped the excursion by 50% - I was just curious since we hadn't heard anything since the first week. There have been many conflicting reviews and information so it's nice to hear more of the favorable reviews now Clearly everyone is entitled to their opinion and it helps us all make better decisions.

Thanks,
Heather

 

[ArmyWife7]

Thank you so much for your detailed review! We are on the July 25th sailing and I was thinking about cancelling due to mixed reviews. However, I believe I will keep the excursion based on your feedback. Did you have any children on the excursion? I have a 7 and 9 year old and wondering if they will enjoy or will they be bored?

 

[l4dk]

Thank you so much for your detailed review! We are on the July 25th sailing and I was thinking about cancelling due to mixed reviews. However, I believe I will keep the excursion based on your feedback. Did you have any children on the excursion? I have a 7 and 9 year old and wondering if they will enjoy or will they be bored?

Hi,
We had three teens in the excursion 15 and 17 years old and my son 10y old. They loved and enjoyed the excursion very much and on the way back when we stopped to observe a black bear for a good amount of time they were thrilled. The boat was very confortable with plenty of space.

 

[l4dk]

DCL website mentioned under the 'Know Before You Go caption', that there were snacks such as pastries, smoked salmon, coffee, tea and hot cocoa included. Did you find this to be the case?

Also, was it very much colder on this excursion compared to being on the deck of the ship? We have a senior booked for this and want to make sure he is going to be warmly dressed. Silly question but is there seating available on the boat.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer all our questions!!!

We had 2 seniors in our group. A warm sweater and a wind breaker on top and only jeans on the bottom was enough. The temperature was not much less than the 10th deck forward. There were some snacks and water provided, but we barely had any (remember some mini donughts, salmon on crackers, etc. There were other chocolates and snacks for sale as well. There are plenty of seats available with a nice view and were not all taken at any time.

 

[l4dk]

Great info! What was the temperature/weather on the excursion? Approximately how many people were there, and did it feel crowded? Restrooms, places to sit?

To us the temperature was about the same as on the upper decks on the boat and we had a beautiful sunny day. We also found the boat confortable and with plenty of seating available and a viewing deck at the very top. Restrooms were ok as well and they also provide binoculars in case you don't have your own. We were very glad we did the excursion.

 

[hamilton23]

Thank you so much for your detailed review! We are on the July 25th sailing and I was thinking about cancelling due to mixed reviews. However, I believe I will keep the excursion based on your feedback. Did you have any children on the excursion? I have a 7 and 9 year old and wondering if they will enjoy or will they be bored?

I had my 9 year old and 12 year old with me. They really enjoyed the trip.

 

[franandaj]

Today we went to Endicott again. It was definitely spectacular. The excursion was well worth it. However, unlike previous weeks today was COLD! There wasn't any sun until we came out of the arm and it rained on the way up and a tiny bit on the way back. I was in the second group and we got a great look at the glacier, but once we left, we went really fast and it was definintly cold on the ride out. We did get to see an extra little fjord and a waterfall and cascade.

 

[MMR]

Thank you so much for your detailed review! We are on the July 25th sailing and I was thinking about cancelling due to mixed reviews. However, I believe I will keep the excursion based on your feedback. Did you have any children on the excursion? I have a 7 and 9 year old and wondering if they will enjoy or will they be bored?

My kids are the same age and they loved this excursion. Binoculars are provided in the boat and we took our own. My 9 yo had her camera and took lots of her own pics. There were seals and porpoises to watch along w the incredible amount of glacier calving. If they started to get antsy we had them look for the cruise ship or Eagles, etc. it goes by fast because it is such an amazing experience

 

[Snowwhyt]

I enjoyed the BBQ but not trying to find a place to sit last week. Some people looked like they staked out a table and never even ate. Tables were full of binoculars, hats, gloves and cameras for 4 or more people with no food in sight. It bugged me to see a table with no chairs at it, but the railing was lined with chairs but nobody was eating.
I enjoyed the additional boat ride at 3:00 in Enddicott.
Now I'm still interested in finding out if ever Tracy Arm will open. I super want to see how nature has caused a problem getting through. I want pictures of the icy problem. Soooo curious!
PS I was there July 6? I think.

 

[franandaj]

I enjoyed the BBQ but not trying to find a place to sit last week.

I'm glad we skipped it then! I was afraid that would be the case. My cabin was literally right underneath the BBQ. It smelled good, but I imagined that it would be a huge pain to get seating. We went to Triton's instead for a little break from standing out on the Verandah.

 

[Snowwhyt]

I'm glad we skipped it then! I was afraid that would be the case. My cabin was literally right underneath the BBQ. It smelled good, but I imagined that it would be a huge pain to get seating. We went to Triton's instead for a little break from standing out on the Verandah.

Having lunch out by the pool had it's benefits. CM's walked by with bread bowls of yummy Yellow Pea soup.