Previously, I mistakenly thought all glaciers akin to what you might see from the movie Titanic. However, we came away in awe of the ice structure before us.

View other posts in this series:

• Trip Introduction: Cruising the Last Frontier
• Review: WestJet 737-800MAX Economy Class LAX-YVR
• Superb Service and Surprisingly Good Food: The Hyatt Regency Vancouver
• Vancouver with Kids: Fun in the Great Outdoors
• Family Dining in Vancouver: The Best of What We Ate
• Review: Celebrity Solstice Alaska Cruise – Part 1 – Booking and Room
• Review: Celebrity Solstice Alaska Cruise – Part 2 – Dining
• Review: Celebrity Solstice Alaska Cruise – Part 3 – Onboard Entertainment
• Review: Celebrity Solstice Alaska Cruise – Part 4 – Ship Features
• Disappointing Wi-Fi on Celebrity Solstice
• PSA: Do Not Waste Money on Celebrity Cruises Drink Packages
• Pro Tip: Celebrity Cruises Gives Free Parking at MGM Resorts
• Icy Strait Point: A Simple Alaskan Port Town
• Skagway: A Small But Enjoyable Port
• A Brief Encounter at Dawes Glacier (this post)
• Juneau: Full of Outdoors Experiences
• Ketchikan: Home to Salmon and Lumberjacks
• Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge YVR (Transborder / US Flights)
• Review: Air Canada 737-800MAX Business Class YVR-LAX

Expect an early morning

This visit to Endicott Arm to see Dawes Glacier occurred in the early morning of the fifth day of our cruise. For some of us, this is the only time on our August cruise where we needed heavy gear. Given the arrival is scheduled around 5:30AM ship time, you should generally expect cold weather if you intend to go outdoors (and I recommend that you do). Our ship ended up in the area early, arriving at 5AM.

Since many people on the ship get up earlier than normal, expect coffee and breakfast to be available early at the Oceanview Cafe (if you’re cruising onboard the Celebrity Solstice). However, many of the other facilities on the ship (such as the main dining room) did not open early.

There are some ship announcements when arriving at the glacier, but don’t rely on hearing them if you’re hoping to be awakened to come outside. I’d also argue if you only wake up when arriving, you’re going to have a difficult time fighting the crowds for a good view.

How close do you get?

How close you get depends on weather conditions, as Endicott Arm has somewhat of its own unique weather given its shape. While it might not be far from Juneau, you can’t rely on the weather in Juneau to give an accurate reading of what to expect near the glacier. All throughout the trip, cabin staff warned passengers to not expect much on how close we could get. If there are large chunks of ice floating in the water, clearly that will impact your ability to cruise in the waters. No one wants a repeat of the Titanic.

Our captain on the ship proudly announced that we reached within 0.5 nautical miles of the glacier, which was good for best of the 2024 summer season (at least up to that point). Knowing that July 2024 had uncharacteristically poor weather along the Alaskan coast, that didn’t come as a surprise to us.

There also is one single excursion at this location, which sells out early, allowing you a guaranteed close visit to the glacier. Though we didn’t take it, I’ll share my thoughts on it below.

Where is the best place to view the glacier?

This is the key question, as there are many places you could come view Dawes Glacier. Popular locations (based on the numbers of people huddled around) included the open area on Deck 14 by the jogging track, the Sky Observation Lounge, the area by the basketball court on Decks 15 and 16, and the helipad, which was opened for passengers only for this visit. But let’s be honest–unless you get out there before 5:30AM, you’re going to have a hard time securing a good spot to view the glacier. It seemed like people just wanted to stay outside (or crammed inside in the Sky Observation Lounge) until the ship departed the area.

But what about from the comfort of your room? I’d say it depends on which side of the ship you’re on because both sides do not get an equal viewing here. The Celebrity Solstice entered Endicott Arm and immediately turned counterclockwise to give those passengers on the starboard side of the ship the first view.

After turning about 45 degrees or so, the ship then turned about 90 degrees clockwise to give passengers on the port side of the ship a view. However, by the time that happened, the sun had already risen above the glacier, making it difficult to see it. I don’t know if this is always the direction the ship turns when entering the area, but that’s at least what happened on our trip here.

And, boy, were we lucky our balcony room was found on the starboard side of the ship. This gave us unparalleled views from the comfort of our cabin without any need to fight the crowds. This alone made it worth it for us to opt for a balcony room on this cruise. We also witnessed a few massive chunks of ice plummeting into the cold waters below, exposing that distinctive blue ice color in the glacier.

To summarize, if you have a balcony room and the ship is positioned to where you can see it before the sun rises, view it from your room. Otherwise, I would recommend you get out to Deck 15 and view it from around the basketball court before 5:30AM. You could also try the fitness center on Deck 12 but don’t get in the way of people actually using the space to exercise.

Is there anything else to do or see here?

Along the way to and from the glacier, you might see some seals hanging out on the bergy bits. You might also happen to see some humpback whales in the waters here (we did see one passing close to the ship). But officially, that’s all you’ll find; it’s simply a nature stop for the whole ship to see.

But let’s talk a little more about that Celebrity Solstice excursion that takes you closer to the glacier. The trip is billed as an eight hour excursion that cost somewhere in the range of $500/person. I’ve heard some people swear by it while others regret not taking it. I think the answer is that it just depends on the weather. You’re not going to get to walk on the glacier. The trip just takes you closer, and yes it went closer than the 0.5 nautical miles we reached.

But we got an excellent view of the glacier from where we were. I don’t think the marginally closer distance it went was worth the price of admission. But I might feel differently if the cruise ship were twice the distance away. Of course, given how early the smaller ship sells out, you’re not going to be able to make that judgment call on the weather. But personally, I’d rather gamble by using that money to purchase a balcony room and hope for an excellent viewing than to pay for the excursion.

So what makes the excursion eight hours? The small ship departs Celebrity Solstice at Endicott Arm but it won’t rejoin the rest of the cruise ship until it reaches Juneau. And this smaller ship is slower than the Celebrity Solstice, so you’re otherwise just waiting around for a good six-plus hours on a smaller boat than you would otherwise be on for the journey. Prior to sailing, I thought that for an excursion that lists itself as eight hours that it would mean you’re viewing the glacier for a very long time, but that simply isn’t the case.

The smaller ship is quite packed with people too, so don’t expect a private experience. I’m not sure what the facilities are onboard that smaller ship, but from what I could spy as it passed our room and I looked at it through my binoculars, it didn’t look like they had much. Oh and something else to keep in mind: we were able to disembark the ship at Juneau before the people onboard this smaller ship were able to as it took them some time to return in that smaller ship.

Anything else to know about?

Let’s talk about breakfast that day because it was honestly a nightmare. As I mentioned earlier, you’ll want to go to breakfast either very early or late. You do not want to be dining at Oceanview Cafe around 7AM as it’s simply a mad house once the sun peeked above the glacier. Naturally at that point, people are already awake and decide it’s time to eat.

This was the most crowded I’ve ever seen the cafe and it was nearly impossible to find a seat. You could try the main dining room if you’re looking to avoid the crowds, but I’d say the best way to avoid the crowds is either to come very early or to have a late breakfast. Don’t expect an outdoor seat since some people will want to see the last bits of the glacier on the way out.

Have you made it out to visit Dawes Glacier before?