Unless you have a boat and a lot of time, the only way you are going to see Glacier Bay is via cruise ship, and that’s exactly what we did. Here’s a tip – forego the balcony room and get an interior cabin. When you get to glacier bay, everyone goes to their balcony to view things, and you get the decks practically all to yourself.
This place is so huge, that even massive cruise ships can maneuver in the bay and get pretty close to the glaciers. And they calve regularly (pieces slide off with a massive crack, into the frigid water). The funny thing is, the place is so out of scale that even when you think you are close – by the time you hear the calving the ice is already in the water, because of the speed of light vs. sound. So you really have to be on your toes to watch this happen, once you hear it, it’s too late.
My favorite things to do here
- Watch the glaciers calve
- Watch the sea life basking in the sun on icebergs
Things I want to come back to do
- Get more up close and personal via kayak
Fun Facts
- 4 of 9 of the glaciers in glacier bay calve icebergs
National Park Service Website: http://www.nps.gov/glba/
NPS Map: http://home.nps.gov/applications/hafe/hfc/carto-detail.cfm?Alpha=glba
