eri

Has anyone used Glacier Bay Cruiseline?
We are thinking joining their Executive Explorer ship from Ketchikan to Juneau. Any experiences you can share with us?
Thanks!

roguebkpkr

Hello:

I'm planning on doing a back to back 610 cruise in 06 with them.

I'm not sure how long the Executive Explorer has been around. I thought they just brought her back but I don't recall seeing any cruise reviews on her.

There have been a couple of reviews on the other ships but they are pretty hard to find. There is a good review of the 610 on the Google Group site. I believe the search criteria I used was Glacier Bay Cruiseline Reviews. I also believe that Lee posted on this board under Alaska so you may want to go there. There are also a couple reviews on the other cruises.

I think this would be a very good tour. You will be hitting some highlights of the Inside Passage that the foo-foo's will never see.

Rogue

emc

We have booked on Executive Explorer's repositioning cruise in August - Juneau to Seattle. While at a travel expo earlier this year, we met Glacier Bay's sales director. He told us that the ship was in the process of being refurbished in preparation for the 2005 Alaska season. He said it had been practically gutted. So it sounded like it should be nearly all new inside (and will have new engines, too). Nice! While we were talking to him, several other people came by the booth and said that they had been on Glacier Bay cruises (although none had been on the Exec Explorer) and all said they had a great time. They couldn't say enough good things. It was at that point we decided to book our trip.

Len3

A follow-up question - How good are the larger ships (Princess, RCL, etc.) when it comes to Glacier Bay?

roguebkpkr

Hi Emc:

Where was the travel expo at? I'm guessing Seattle but..

I've done searches and Glacier Bay Cruiseline has come up but I lost where I booked marked them. I believe they also went to a couple of kayak shows. I'd like to talk to them before next year so I can get some advice but if not, I'll be stopping in Juneau this year and will drop in on them. Hopefully, they will have a ship in.

RE: other cruiselines. I have no idea. I'd be guessing but they couldn't come close. I know the foo-foo's are limited to in where they can go inside the park.

My opinion and my opinion only. If you want to hit Glacier Bay, go with Glacier Bay, Cruise West or I believe you can join a charter. The travel agents that I have talked to push Princess, some pretty hard. The reviews have just about been all the same that I have come across.

I think it is a win-win no matter what you decide. Good luck.

Rogue

emc

Hi Rogue,

The travel expo was in Washington, D.C. The Glacier Bay booth had so many visitors that they ran out of brochures by the end of the first day. The staff person we talked to said he wasn't expecting that much of a response in DC. To say the least, he was very pleasantly surprised.

laurie_ann

You can see my post here from our May 2004 cruise on Glacier Bay Cruiseline (just click on my name above) but in short I highly recommend the company and the intinerary we had (Ketch to Juneau, but day to day ports not towns but wilderness where we hiked or kayaked). You have to want this kind of cruise (no dress up, no room service, no "Love Boat", just great outdoors, as well described in their brochure). I believe the Executive Explorer was one of their smaller ships (we were the Wilderness Explorer, one that would sleep 60 something). We had a wonderful trip, as did my husband's 70 something parents who joined us. Do not hesitate, go!

roguebkpkr

Hi Emc and Laurie Ann:

Thanks. It helps to talk to people who have gone on the cruises and not just the reservation people. I know they were not at any of the Ohio travel shows. They were at one kayak show in Wisconsin that I'm thinking of going to next year.

I have managed to find a couple reviews of the 610 cruise. I just discovered today that R.E.I is a sponsor of this cruise. I didn't know that and I've been actively looking for about 8 months now.

All I have to do is wait until the 06 schedule comes out and I'm gone.

Rogue

wolfie11

The Exec is kind of a wierd ship. It looks like a day boat, but has been converted to an overnight boat. I really like Glacier Bay cruiselines, and the new owners seem to be doing a good job. The large ships are ok for Glacier Bay. They go up to within 1/4 mile of Margerie and sometimes go to Johns Hopkins in September, but Glacier Bay is also amazing for wildlife, and you really don't get to see much wildlife from a cruise ship. The small boats get up close and personal. Or better yet, take a tour that ends in Juneau, fly over to Glacier Bay and take the day boat to the glaciers, then rent a kayak and kayak in the lower bay for a day or two.

roguebkpkr

Hello Wolfie 11:

Did you do the 610 when you were in Glacier Bay or did you rent/bring your own?

I'm planning on doing a back to back 610 next year but this year I was hoping to get a couple of hours on the water. I'm beginning to look for tours but everyone I come across starts to early.

I'll be arriving on the ferry and will only have a couple of hours but I really do want to get some kayaking in.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Rogue

wolfie11

Hi Rogue,

I rented a kayak from the local tour operator. I think it was around $20 for the day. The advantage of Glacier Bay for neophyte kayakers is that the cove and islands are usually pretty calm. My son had never been in a kayak before. Are you taking the ferry from Juneau to Glacier Bay? If you take the passenger ferry, it gets in around 11 or noon as I remember, which would give you time to rent a kayak and paddle around for a few hours before catching the return ferry to Juneau, although it's better to spend at least one night, as the ferry runs every day this year. An alternative is to fly over on a small plane in the early morning ($60 - $70) from Juneau and go with Alaska Discovery out of Gustavus.

roguebkpkr

Hello:

Thank you for your reply.

I will be taken the ferry over to Glacier Bay from Juneau. Goldbelt changed the time of the ferry this year. It gets in at 3 and leaves at 5. I have talked to Alaska Discovery and I'm trying to negotiate some time on the water. They usually have a two hour kayak around 4.

I though about flying there and taking there tour but decided in the end to take the ferry.

I'll be going back to Glacier Bay for about 3 weeks next year so this year I just wanted to do a recon of the area and talk to a couple of rangers. I did want some time on the water but oh vell.

Thanks.

Rogue

wolfie11

You're right - they've eliminated the whale watching tour and don't get to Glacier Bay until 3pm with a 5pm return, which won't give you much time in Glacier Bay. They've also raised the prices considerably and they're leaving from Auke Bay, which is about 10 miles from downtown Juneau.

pezzhull

Beware of room size on some of these ships, I think we were on the wilderness explorer, and the rooms absolutely could not be any smaller, At 6'4" I was wedged in from wall to wall. BUT we had a fabulous time, great tour, our kind of trip, but NOT luxurious, not he love baot.