Western Expedition Stop 9: Glacier Bay

The next stop on the Alaskan leg of our great roadtrip west is sailing through Glacier Bay National Park in our Princess Cruise Ship.

Glacier Bay National Park

The ship entered Glacier Bay early in the morning, and like all cruise ships to the area, a pair of park rangers came on board to talk us through the experience. Their boarding was interesting in and of itself–they motored up in a tiny boat, matched speed with the cruise ship, and hopped through a door on the lower decks of the ship. I feel like that’s a fairly adventurous thing for a park ranger to do as part of their job and one they do probably every day!

We were the only ship in Glacier Bay so I think they only let in one ship at a time, which is pretty nice. The whole bay is so silent and peaceful, especially cruising through the still water early in the morning.

Schedule for the Day

We had an early schedule for the day–the rangers came on board to start a commentary over the ship-wide loudspeakers at 8:30 am. We approached the big attraction, Margerie Glacier, at 9:45 am. then Lamplugh Glacier at 11:15. A fantastic presentation was held in the main theater at 1:00 which we really enjoyed. At any point during the day, you could go up to Skywalkers Lounge on the highest deck to meet with the rangers ask any questions you may have.

All Together Now

The result of this schedule generally meant that everyone on board ate breakfast at various locations then came out on deck at the same time to look at the glacier and take pictures. It was pretty chilly–more than once I found my parents standing next to a big vent for the engines, trying to keep warm.

Having everyone on deck was really fun! I stood with folks I had already met (like our table mates) plus met and talked with many others. This cruise, more so than any other cruise I have been on, really reflected that “happy all the time” sentiment you see on all the cruise commercials. Everyone really was enjoying themselves and super friendly! Literally, we were all in the same boat and could relat.

Park Rangers

The two rangers that came on board to narrate were a husband and wife, Steve and Fay, which itself was super cute. I love to see couples work successfully together. Steve did the ship-wide commentary, while Fay was on hand to answer questions. Ranger Fay also did the 1:00 presentation in the Princess Theater, which was really interesting and not to be missed.

Relaxation at Sea

The rest of the day was pretty relaxed, which was nice. We all took a nap after the presentation, then afterwards, I went and found a place to read until dinner.

The Quest for a Good Reading Spot

It was actually a bit hard to find a good place to read on this ship. It was too cold to sit outside on a deck chair and I didn’t want to stay in the room. The library was no good to read in either. I started at one club that had really nice cushy chairs, but the music was just too loud. Everywhere I sat, it seemed there was a speaker just over my head.

I wandered around and found that up in the Skywalkers Lounge, there were enough people talking for the overall murmur to block out the music. I was easily able to pull up a chair to a window with a view of the water and read for an hour. Finding quiet spaces is important to me, folks! It might be a good idea to bring earplugs to make your own oasis in the hubbub of a cruise ship.

Italian Dinner & Entertainment

After an Italian dinner (including a shot of limoncello) we listened to a big band in one of the bars and saw the on-board comedian.

Next Up

Having an on-ship day was really great, and perfect timing after two busy port days. Next up, we get out of town in the port of Ketchikan and see some Native culture.