Alaska (Glacier Bay National Park)
Trip Summary
Glacier Bay National Park was the second stop on the one-way cruise from Anchorage to Vancouver I took with my husband (and his parents) during the summer onboard the Island Princess. And let me just say that if you only have a chance to visit once place in Alaska, let it be Glacier Bay National Park.
It was by far my favorite spot on the itinerary (that was already full of beautiful places). The ship sailed into the bay early in the morning and already, the sun started to come out, casting a gorgeous shine on the water, turning it a turquoise that contrasted stunningly with the passing landscape.
There was also not as much ice in this bay, so the ship could get much closer to the glaciers (unlike when we visited the Hubbard Glacier here). The closeness also made it possible to see the calving (when pieces of ice fall off the glacier) when it occurred. And let me just say that watching a glacier calve up close is an sensory experience you will never forget. The sound is shockingly loud and resembles a massive tree cracking and falling in a forest. But imagine that sound exponentially louder and a sound you can feel, because you are right next to it, and the sound echoes and echoes so that it sounds like it is coming from everywhere. The calving happens more when the sun is out, and the sun was out in all its glory on this day.
The first glacier we saw up close was the Margerie Glacier, and this one was the most impressive that we saw that day. It is a cleaner glacier with its ice not dirtied up by the elements, and we spent the day pointing and gasping as we watched more and more of it fall.
The other glacier was the Lamplugh Glacier, and this one was also impressive. We didn’t get as close to this one but still enjoyed all the beauty we were surrounded by that day.
We spent most of this day on our balcony. The sun made it relaxing and made for a very memorable day, sitting back in our chairs and watching in just absolute awe at the natural beauty of this place.
As our ship began to sail out of the bay at the end of the day, we took our last pictures and settled in for the night. Our first land port was ahead!
Glacier Bay National Park gets stellar marks for its beauty, the close proximity of the glaciers, and the pristine nature of the glacier and shoreline. An absolute highlight of any trip to Alaska.
Glacier Bay National Park: A+
Favorite Experiences
Watching (and hearing) the calving of the ice off of the glaciers was an absolutely unforgettable experience. When the bigger sections calved, it would often trigger another section which would trigger another section, so ice was constantly breaking and falling (and echoing everywhere as it fell into the water).
I had to think that the excessive calving is due to the warmer temperatures and too much of it causes the glaciers to shrink in size and eventually disappear, so it was sad in a sense to witness the shrinking of these massive beauties. Even so, this was a beautiful day, because I could see it still in its massive glory and know that I saw it before too much of it calved away.
What I Wish I Knew
This day was pretty perfect, so I don’t think I would have done too much differently. I do wish I had taken more video instead of primarily pictures, because I could have caught some of the calving moments. They were truly moments of awe, so if you go be sure to get pictures AND videos, because you will want both!
This is also the day that we spent the most time on our balcony as we had the best views from there. Normally, we book an interior room (the cheapest option) for cruises, but we knew the sea days seeing glaciers would necessitate a balcony for the best viewing experience. So if you can spring for it, definitely do the balcony room. The ship rotates from side to side so that both sides of the ship can see the sites, so all balcony rooms will get to see those views!
If you plan to visit and want to get more people’s experiences, there is a TripAdvisor forum and a Cruise Critic forum with lots of reviews.
I also post reels and TikToks regularly of all the places I’ve reviewed on here, so if you want to see some videos of what to expect, check out my social media here:
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Happy travels!
