Thread: Decisions, Decisions

Lisa... If that is the case, then I definitely think take the Sitka, GBNP itinerary instead. I went back to try and find Sitka pictures to post for you so you could see. But I went to a bald eagle and wildlife perserve where they rehabilitate wild animals and I also saw a Russian style folkloric dance show, but it was in 1996 when I was 16 and my parents had the camera, not me and they must not have been into taking pictures because I don't have any good ones to post for you to see.

as for wildlife, you will have opportunities to see harbor seals and humpbacks and maybe orcas, puffins and bald eagles in GBNP. You may even see a moose and a bear along the shore line. definitely bald eagles and humpbacks and maybe orcas in juneau. you can also take bear watching excursions. sea otters, seals, bald eagles in sitka. salmon, bald eagles, otters in ketchikan

jstducky

Let's see 16 in 1996 - you are wise beyond your years...

thanks Lisa. I appreciate it. Its 2006, so that makes me 26. I was/am blessed to have parents who loved to travel and would drag me somewhere every summer. Now I've grown up loving to travel and can't get enough of it. If only my travel funds were unlimited But I absolutely love Alaska. I've always said that if I could find a way to make it work, I'd gladly move up there! If you've got anymore Alaska questions, please feel free to ask. I would be more than happy to try and help out.

Port or starboard for cabin? Obviously you cannot guarantee how you will pull into a port but is there typically a side that you should be on if you want to see land while docked? Or any side better for glacier bay?

as you stated, you can't always predict how the ship will pull into port or which pier the ship will be at and that will dictate how the ship needs to pull in... but in general, to see land while docked, you want a room on the port side. as for GBNP, it doesnt matter, when you make your stop at Marjorie Glacier, the ship will do a full 360 degree turn so each side of the ship will get a view of the glacier. its generally up to the captain which side gets to view the glacier first... but generally speaking it should be the port side.

CruisePrincess...Thanks so much for the post...I missed it earlier. I think I was in awe of those pictures - WOW - the glaciers are amazing and that is just a picture.

I am pretty well convinced we will do the 10-day RT. I appreciate your thoughts. We may have to save the land for our golden years and be able to stay longer and really see it.

beleive me Lisa, once you go to Alaska once, you'll definitely want to return again. I think that this upcoming cruise for CruisePrincess to Alaska is her second or third trip. You just can't get enough of this amazing land. Each time you go, its different. I've always said that you can go to Alaska 20 times and still have done and seen everything there is to do and see there.

This cruise will be my 2nd time in Alaska. I'm bound and determined to go there again w/ my parents in tow one of these days. They didn't go with me the 1st time and aren't going with me this time.

It's hard for folks to realize just how big things are up here. 3 days to see anything in the interior is nothing. I've lived places in Alaska that you couldn't get to/from Anchorage in one day... even flying!

When we say Alaska is the largest state, we really mean it! Makes Texas - the third largest state - pale in comparison...

For the Tracy Arm vs. Glacier Bay question, there's really no comparison. It's apples and oranges. Glacier bay is so huge you can't see all of it in weeks or months, let alone a few hours or a day. If your priority is to see glaciers, however, it's one of the 2 easiest places to see glaciers.

Tracy Arm isn't about seeing glaciers, it's about the fjord itself. I don't like the idea of seeing Tracy Arm from a large ship either. It's the difference between looking down 200 feet to see the water and an iceberg and actually touching the iceberg. There are only a few sights I've witnessed that are more spectacular than the sheer rock walls in this place.

If I had to choose, I think my choice would be to take whatever cruise had the longest port times in Juneau, and then arrange for a Tracy Arm excursion. There is Adventure Bound Alaska (www.adventureboundalaska.com) that runs trips into Tracy Arm every day in the summer. They usually depart at 8am and return by 4:30 or 5pm. If you're not in until later in the morning, Alaskan Marine Adventures (that's me) or Harv & Marv's (www.harvandmarvs.com) can arrange a private charter. Even if the Arm is ice-bound and you don't get all the way to the glaciers, I guarantee it will be an experience you won't want to miss. Also, if you're still really starving to see a million-year-old hunk of ice at the end of the day, you can always taxi or $5 shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier (I believe it's the only glacier you can drive to...)

I'm really kinda glad I DON'T have to choose! I was just in Tracy Arm 4 days ago, and I'm going to Glacier Bay and Elfin Cove next week sometime... nyah nyah!

-Case