Being from Scandinavia, you would expect me to be used to this. But no. The calving glaciers, the sound, the waves, the sea lions on the ice in front of the glaciers, the whales, the surroundings, the nature, the mountain goats, the sea otters, the blue ice.... Never seen anything like this before.It was cold outside but I preferred to stay out there almost all the time, not to miss out on anything. It was so much fun watching the sea otters all around us. When the boat was moving, you could see the big round heads and the paws while the otters, laying on their backs, were bobbing in the waves. Eventually they'd dive coming up again behind the boat with their prey. The cutest thing I've ever seen. The only negative thing I can say is that the salmon chowder they served was good but far from enough.If I ever get back here, I will absolutely do this tour again.
You always hear that glaciers are big. You hear or read about it all the time and think, "Wow! That's impressive!" Then you go to Glacier Bay and really get some perspective. Seeing these magnificent wonders in person really takes your appreciation of glaciers, and of nature in general, to an entirely new level. I was fortunate enough to visit Glacier Bay on a cruise. In fact, this particular cruise was chosen because it did visit Glacier Bay. The cruise ship was on the smaller side, and I was able to see three different glaciers - Margerie, Lamplugh, and John Hopkins. The ship entered Glacier Bay with Margerie on the left, so we were able to sit on our port side balcony and enjoy the view. When the ship turned, we went to the main deck. The weather was drizzly, but not too cold. I wish it had been a sunny day, but this IS Alaska, after all!There was a naturalist on board, and she remained silent during the glacier viewing so you could get a true sense of the remoteness and isolation. Being able to hear the glaciers "talk" was really neat. You could hear creaks and cracks, and could even often predict which sections may produce calving. Margerie Glacier produced significant calving while we were there. Kayakers and campers that were exploring the area helped to provide a better sense of scale.My only complaint is that my time in Glacier Bay seemed so short! But then again, I guess you can say that about almost anything when you are on a vacation.
We had such a great time on this cruise. First cruise we have ever taken. Norwegian Cruise Line was brilliant. Glacier Bay was only one of the places we visited. It was a great experience. Even our service dog enjoyed the trip.
We floated through Glacier Bay on a Princess cruise ship. There wasn't much snow on the glacier but it still looked beautiful with the contrast of the texture of the glacier reflecting off the milky blue water. It was awesome to sit on our private balcony of our cabin and and float by this amazing scenery!
冰川湾令人叹为观止。海洋生物给人留下深刻的印象。温带雨林郁郁葱葱。朱莉威廉姆斯的按摩在冰川湾来讲是独树一帜。进入到隐藏的小屋中,有点树屋的气氛,她善解人意的本性和熟练的手法让你的思想和身体都放松下来---你要准备好真正的欣赏周围的庄严气氛。
We cruised through Glacier Bay and for us it was breath taking to observer the different formations in the bay. We were broadside for many of the formations and observed some of the glaciers doing the natural sloughing off of huge chunks of ice.
我们从范库弗峰经过阿拉斯加巡游了一个星期,真的太美了。冰川湾非常漂亮,很振奋人心-真是个难忘的假期。
This was one of the best (and least expensive) excursions we took while touring Alaska last August. After a 45 minute fast boat ride to "the point", we met with our tour guides who provided us with (included in tour) a fast lunch of a large sandwich, chips, cookies and drinks. They were all extremely knowledgeable about glaciers in general, and of course the Davison Glacier. We loved "Sam" who was so helpful and answered everyone's questions with full authority. We then got onto a school bus which took us on a short drive to the "staging area" where everyone was fitted with boots, raingear, and life jackets. We then walked a short hike to the 10 person canoes where we boarded and began to row. The canoes were fitted with engines, so we had the option to use them and it afforded us more time when we did reach the Glacier. Beauty abounded at every turn on the trip. The guides had gone up to the Glacier earlier in the morning and determined it was stable enough for us to walk on it for a short distance. What a great surprise. The advertisement notes that you will "get up close" in the canoes, however, we were so excited that everyone was able to walk on the glacier. Our guides were very strict in where you could go and how far and had instructed us where not to go. In fact, one family was far ahead of their 10 year old who decided to walk on the silt sand (which we were all instructed not to do as you can sink quickly) and a guide quickly and gently pulled him away and advised the parents that he would have to stay with her for the rest of the journey. It was absolutely wonderful and we would recommend this excursion to everyone who visits Alaska!
Even if cold weather isn't your thing, seeing the Glacier's in Alaska is something that you should do at least once in your lifetime. We went on the Princess Cruise from Vancouver to Fairbanks, traveling through Glacier Bay on our route. It was breathtaking to say the least. We traveled here in July so our weather was more like spring in Illinois, but while you are in Glacier Bay you would need a winter coat. I cannot begin to express the beauty of these Glaciers and the wildlife that surrounds them. It's something I will remember forever, and would actually consider going back for another visit!
We arrived in Glacier Bay by cruise ship and the ship sailed around the Bay visiting a couple of the glaciers (Grand Pacific, John Hopkins and Geikie) that come down to the sea. On board was a ranger/naturalist who gave an interesting commentary while the ship proceeded around the Bay. It was a glorious sunny day and it was great sitting on our balcony listening to the commentary and basking in the sun after a few rainy days elsewhere. The ship arrived early in the morning and by lunch time we were steaming back out of the Bay past colonies of seals.However, the glaciers are very small and retreating. A map supplied to us on the ship really reinforced how much the many glaciers had retreated over the years. (Climate Change?) By comparison to those near Juneau, on South Georgia Island and in Antarctica they are very small. As part of the cruise they are fine and you can't avoid them on most cruises, but it doesn't stop one from being disappointed.