So, this was the part of the Alaskan cruise that made the cruise so worth it. Glacier Bay is where we were able to access Glacier Bay National Park and see the glacier perfectly from our cruise ship. If you’ve never seen glaciers before, you will want to put that on your bucket list. It was so peaceful and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
Our morning started off with an announcement at 7am that our National Park Service “ranger” had just boarded our ship, The Pearl, and he would be narrating our tour. Never mind that we were still in our cabin and had barely rolled out of bed–the entire public announcement system was being used and we could hear every word no matter where on the ship we were.
We quickly got our layers on (it was going to be chilly on deck) and headed out for a quick breakfast and then to the starboard deck so we could see the glacier.
It was a pretty incredible sight to see! Just a point of nature’s beauty that could only be seen from that exact place at that exact moment. We and our co-cruisers were very quiet on deck in the hopes that we would hear the glacier calving, which is when huge chunks of ice, caused by the glacier expanding, break away from the glacier. Calving is usually proceeded by a loud cracking or booming sound, seconds to minutes before the breakaway. The entry of the ice chunk into the water can cause large, dangerous waves, which is why our ship could not get any closer than we were.
After watching for another hour or so, it was time to go. I had an appointment at the spa for a massage. I figured it would be a great way to finish off a beautiful morning. What a fun way to experience glaciers!
Travel tidbits from my life