What you’ll see at Glacier Bay National Park on your Alaska cruise
On many Alaskan cruises, you may spend a full day sailing through Glacier Bay National Park. As you may have expected, tidewater glaciers are the park’s main attraction. Throughout the bay, you’ll see small islands with mountainous terrain. While some are full of ice, others have dense rain forests and thickets. By the way, if you have not booked your Alaska cruise yet for this season, now is the time – cabins are rapidly selling out. Click here for some great Price Advantage Alerts CruiseExperts.com has to offer.
Visiting Glacier Bay is a much different experience than exploring other National Parks. Instead of disembarking and heading out on the hiking trail, you’ll stay on the ship and a ranger from the National Park Service will come to you. Some vacationers make the mistake of thinking that cruising through Glacier Bay is a time to go back to their cabins and find something else to do. Don’t do it! You’ll be missing out on so many great sights.
Here’s what you’ll see:
Wildlife
If you’re an animal lover, then you will be in for a treat at Glacier Bay. Orcas and humpback whales patrol the waters along with five species of Pacific salmon.
Photo courtesy of National Park Service/Glacier Bay National Park – Alaska Cruise
Closer to shore, you will see various types of waterfowl and bald eagles.
Photo courtesy of National Park Service/Glacier Bay National Park – Alaska Cruise
Depending on how close your cruise ship gets to land you may be able to see moose, wolves and bears.
Attractions
Most cruise ship tours make an effort to get within sightseeing distance of the Beardslee Islands, Muir Inlet and Johns Hopkins Glacier. These “must see” sections of Glacier Bay offer visitors the chance to see a large number of animals in a very small area.
Photo courtesy of National Park Service/Glacier Bay National Park – Alaska Cruise
The glaciers themselves are some of the most fascinating land masses that you will ever see. If you happen to be around to watch an iceberg fall into the water, you will truly be in awe. When the dense blue chunks of ice drop into the bay they make a sound similar to a cannon being shot. The local Tlingit people refer to the sound as “white thunder,” and when you hear it you’ll understand why.
Photo courtesy of National Park Service/Glacier Bay National Park – Alaska Cruise
Guided tour
When the park ranger boards your ship, be sure to pay attention to what he or she has to say. Also feel free to ask questions. Rangers are eager to share their knowledge with you.
Photo courtesy of National Park Service/Glacier Bay National Park – Alaska Cruise
While on the ship, rangers usually set up an information desk that includes the following:
- Exhibits and hands-on materials that will teach you more about the park
- National Park Service passport books
- Publications about Alaska and its public spaces.
Photo courtesy of National Park Service/Glacier Bay National Park – Alaska Cruise
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