Glacier Bay is 3.3 million acres of mountains, glaciers, forests and waterways and is one of the world's largest protected natural areas. Only a few vessels are permitted to enter each season to see some of the most impressive tidewater glaciers. Unfortunately, pictures can't begin to describe the experience of this magical place. The silence of the area and the sounds that result (birds flying, glaciers cracking, ice splashing...) are almost indescribable!
We spent about 4-5 hours scenic sailing at a snail's pace to view some of the most untouched land in the world. We listened and watched in awe as we moved through the bay. We had a perfect view from my parent's balcony and then moved up to the higher deck to listen to the National Park Rangers share facts about the area.
Margerie Glacier
The splash in the water was from a large piece of ice cracking, rolling off and crashing to the water below. The process is called calving and the sound was so intense. We could hear the initial crack and then it sounded like the loudest thunder as it broke away and crashed. AMAZING!
After sitting idle for some time, the ship slowly turned around so passengers on the other side could share the same view.
We then made our way down Johns Hopkins Inlet to the Lamplugh Glacier.
This stunning ship passed us along the way, with another hanging glacier in the background.
By mid afternoon, we exited Glacier Bay to set sail towards Ketchikan. While we were on the deck looking for whales, we saw a National Park Service boat pull up right along side the Golden Princess and all 3 park rangers that had narrated our day's events climbed down a ladder and jumped onto the smaller vessel while both were still moving...pretty impressive!
Glacier Bay is 3.3 million acres of mountains, glaciers, forests and waterways and is one of the world's largest protected natural areas. Only a few vessels are permitted to enter each season to see some of the most impressive tidewater glaciers. Unfortunately, pictures can't begin to describe the experience of this magical place. The silence of the area and the sounds that result (birds flying, glaciers cracking, ice splashing...) are almost indescribable!
We spent about 4-5 hours scenic sailing at a snail's pace to view some of the most untouched land in the world. We listened and watched in awe as we moved through the bay. We had a perfect view from my parent's balcony and then moved up to the higher deck to listen to the National Park Rangers share facts about the area.
Margerie Glacier
The splash in the water was from a large piece of ice cracking, rolling off and crashing to the water below. The process is called calving and the sound was so intense. We could hear the initial crack and then it sounded like the loudest thunder as it broke away and crashed. AMAZING!
After sitting idle for some time, the ship slowly turned around so passengers on the other side could share the same view.
We then made our way down Johns Hopkins Inlet to the Lamplugh Glacier. 
By mid afternoon, we exited Glacier Bay to set sail towards Ketchikan. While we were on the deck looking for whales, we saw a National Park Service boat pull up right along side the Golden Princess and all 3 park rangers that had narrated our day's events climbed down a ladder and jumped onto the smaller vessel while both were still moving...pretty impressive!
