In June 2019 we took an epic Alaska cruise that you’ll want to add to your bucket list & here are the highlights of our Glacier Bay Alaska Cruise.
What is Glacier Bay Famous For?
As you may have guessed, Glacier Bay is famous for…. glaciers!
Glacier Bay is one of the world’s largest protected natural areas with 3.3 million acres of mountains, glaciers, forests and waterways.
They also have some of the most incredible wildlife I’ve ever seen with bears playing on rocky beaches & bald eagles soaring above.
If you’re a fan of nature and wildlife but aren’t into camping, a cruise through Glacier Bay should be on your bucket list.
How do you get to Glacier Bay Alaska?
Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve is only accessible by boat or plane.
Permits are required for boats & cruise ships to enter Glacier Bay National Park, so reservations are recommended.
Do cruise ships stop at Glacier Bay?
Cruise ships do not actually stop in Glacier Bay, but don’t worry.
Your cruise will spend a full day getting up close to the glaciers to give you the best views.
What glaciers are in Glacier Bay Alaska?
There are literally over 1,000 glaciers in Glacier Bay Alaska!
Different areas close throughout the year because of:
- Nesting birds, such as eagles
- Humpback whale migration
- Harbor seal breeding
You can find out more about the specific glaciers in Glacier Bay here.
Which Glacier is best in Alaska?
With over 1,000 glaciers in Glacier Bay, which glacier is the best in Alaska?
If you’re on a cruise ship heading to Glacier Bay, you don’t even have to worry about being disappointed.
When you arrive in Glacier Bay on a cruise ship, local pilots & rangers board the ship with complete knowledge of the local area.
If you really want to study up, you can find out more about glaciers in Alaska here.
These are pictures of our visit to Margerie Glacier.
What can you do in Glacier Bay?
If you’re going by cruise, you’ll have the best of both worlds – the luxury of your cruise ship with the beauty of the park.
We had the most amazing deck chairs outside to use as our home-base for the day.
There is plenty of wildlife to see in Glacier Bay.
You’ll want to bring binoculars (we forgot ours, but they were selling them on the boat) to see everything close up.
Is Glacier Bay National Park worth visiting?
We visited Glacier Bay National Park in June & had the most incredible weather.
This made the views even more spectacular, with green mountains, blue seas & white ice.
Not to mention the cool air & warm sun – if you can get weather half this good, you’ll have a perfect trip.
What is special about Glacier Bay National Park?
Pictures don’t even begin to show how incredible the views are in Glacier Bay National Park.
And seeing powerful bright blue glaciers up close should definitely be on your bucket list.
Here are a few more photos from our trips to this USA national park.
We passed alongside another Holland America cruise ship heading up to tour Glacier Bay.
You will see dozens of glaciers during your tour of Glacier Bay.
You’ll hear the glaciers cracking & see harbor seals & puffins sun tanning out on the ice chunks that fall from the glaciers.
And the water color is changing all the time – from bright turquoise to deep navy to sea green.
Depending on the time of year, some of the glaciers may even have dried up.
What questions do you still have about a Glacier Bay Alaska cruise?
Leave them in the comments below.
We hope you enjoy your Glacier Bay Alaska cruise as much as we did.
