Glacier Bay, Alaska Cruises

Glacier Bay, Alaska Cruise Port

If you see Glacier Bay on your Alaska cruise itinerary, know two things: one, you are in for a spectacular day filled with amazing sites and incredible photo opportunities, and two, you won’t be getting off the ship. You will spend all day onboard sailing through the 3.3 million acre National Park, which is actually the largest UNESCO protected biosphere. The park consists of more than 50 tidewater and terrestrial glaciers and snowcapped mountains.  It is believed that all of the glaciers in the park existed during the Little Ice Age which was 4,000 years ago. Continue below for highlights of cruising through Glacier Bay, Alaska:

• When you get to Glacier Bay, your cruise ship will welcome park rangers onboard. Each ship and each cruise will be different but these rangers will be hosting talks about the park, they will be available to answer your questions and they will talk to you on the top decks while pointing out interesting aspects of the glaciers.
   
• See the Muir Glacier, which was once 1.5 miles wide and 265 feet tall. Now it has receded and is only a half mile wide and 150 feet tall. This glacier was named after the naturalist, John Muir, who championed the exploration of the bay.
   
• Get out your binoculars to spot whales, seals, bears, moose and mink. All these creatures call this icy area home.
   
• Check out calving glaciers at the Johns Hopkins Glacier, which is named after the famous university in Baltimore. Calving is when ice falls off of a glacier.