Cruise Edition: Glacier Bay, Alaska
In August of 2018, I took an Alaskan cruise to celebrate my 40th birthday. I chose Holland America as my cruise line, which took me to many ports, including Glacier Bay (for a review of each port, click here).
About Glacier Bay
The Huna Tlingit have lived on the land, now known as Glacier Bay, for thousands of years. In 1794, a survey crew described the area as a five-mile indent in a glacier that stretched “as far as the eye could distinguish.” In 1879, when scientist/naturalist, John Muir, visited the area, he found the ice had retreated more than 30 miles, creating an actual bay. The glacier has continued to recede at a rapid rate.
William S. Cooper, an ecologist from Minnesota, visited the area for the first time in 1916 and continued to study its plants and ecology over the following decades. Like Muir, he was so inspired by the area’s landscape that he began lobbying efforts to protect Glacier Bay, including convincing the Ecological Society of America to campaign for the formal protection of the area. Thanks to his efforts, Glacier Bay was designated as a national monument in 1925. In 1980, Glacier Bay was protected as a national park as part of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), signed by President Jimmy Carter.
The area’s landscape has been carved by glacial activity for over 100,000 years. From the deep coastal fjords, to the lofty mountains of the Fairweather Range, this landscape is still largely dominated by glaciers, with over a 25% of the park covered in ice. While there are over 1,000 glaciers in Glacier Bay, the most dramatic are tidewater glaciers which flow from the mountain snowfields to terminate in the ocean. The tidewater glaciers of Glacier Bay are truly a sight to behold, stretching ½ to 1 ½ miles wide with ice walls of up to 200-300 feet above water at the terminus.
A ship excursion - what not to do
"Reserve a private cabana for a day of private viewing and relaxation as you sail through Glacier Bay", was how Holland America described their Glacier Bay on board excursion, so I took it. It included a tented area, VIP food delivery service, any drink I wanted from 9am - 5pm, cabana lounge chairs, a dining table for two, binoculars, blankets, robes, etc. For $99.95 a person, I thought it was a steal. Except... it was awful.
With driving rain and wind (see my video short on that), and 35 degree temps, it was hard to stomach for more than an hour. The poor staff was doing their best to attend to each group, but were poorly dressed and soaking wet, leaving me to abandon my cabana after two hours.
Still, to see floating icebergs, Margerie Glacier (that's 250 ft. high above the waterline and another 100 ft. below the water), watch a massive ship navigate narrow passageways, to have to U-turn and go back out, and hear the glacier calve (they move 5 feet a day) was pretty amazing. It was also interesting to learn that Glacier Bay is 1000 feet deep - it was carved out by a glacier and filled with salt water to create a fjord.
TIP: If you choose to take this cruise with Glacier Bay included in the itinerary, make sure you get a balcony room - you'll stay warmer, drier, and happier.