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Visitors cruising through Disenchantment Bay can also view nine of North America’s sixteen tallest mountain peaks on their way to Hubbard Glacier if the weather is favorable. Some cruise lines also offer optional small boat excursions that can get you closer to Hubbard Glacier. You’ll want to look into your ship’s schedule for your day in Glacier Bay and check out the best spots for unobstructed glacier views. Determining which ships go to Glacier Bay is important in choosing the best Alaska glacier cruise.
Tracy Arm
Before returning to Whittier, you'll visit a bird rookery home to thousands of kittiwakes. Prince William Sound boasts one of the world’s largest concentrations of tidewater glaciers. College Fjord and Blackstone Bay provide impressive panoramic views of spectacular glaciers flowing down from the mountains to the saltwater. Almost every cruise to Alaska includes a visit to a tidewater glacier, glaciers which flow into the ocean, often with powerful calving.
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hour cruise from/to Whittier
With its winding fjords and gigantic glaciers, the best Alaska glaciers cruises offer unforgettable views. Spot silly seals playing on bobbing icebergs, or simply take in the vibrancy of the turquoise waters. Their signature tour is the 26 Glacier Cruise, which has been running since 1987. You’ll ride aboard a high-speed catamaran, which zips you from Whittier deep into Prince William Sound.
Sawyer Glacier vs. Hubbard Glacier Advantages:
You’ll see Harvard and Yale glaciers, as well as others named for east coast schools during the 1899 Harriman Expedition. The biggest glacier visited by cruise ships, the Hubbard is truly impressive. With a 6-mile wide, 400-foot tall face, the blue ice will seem to envelop your boat, especially if you can get up close. But ice can keep cruise ships at a distance of several miles, particularly in August and September when warmer temperatures and rainfall can cause more calving. The Hubbard is in Disenchantment Bay near the outer coast town of Yakutat, and offers large vistas on clear days, including Mt. St Elias at 18,008 feet. You won’t get the experience of traveling up a fjord to reach the Hubbard, nor will you have as much wildlife as other spots—although seals haul out on icebergs.
Since Sawyer Glacier is an active tidewater glacier, calving does occur regularly. Since the glacier extends hundreds of feet under the water, underwater calving also occurs with giant blue icebergs the size of submarines shooting to the surface. These twin glaciers often produce deep blue icebergs, and sometimes well over a hundred seals can be seen hauled out on the large glacial ice floes — particularly in June. Glacier Bay cruises are often considered the best Alaska glacier itineraries because they offer views of multiple glaciers, spectacular mountain vistas, and frequent wildlife sightings. Suppose you’re trying to decide which cruise itinerary is the best Alaska glacier cruise for your trip to the Last Frontier.
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On this tour, you’ll see seven glaciers, including Blackstone and Beloit Glaciers in a catamaran with indoor seating. You’ll see seals, sea otters, possibly whales, bears and mountain goats. The tour also includes a hot lunch and narration provided by the Captain.
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USB ports at every table to provide guests an easy way to recharge their phones or cameras during the cruise. Whether you're interested in hiking through a forest, trekking to the best Alaska glaciers or a shopping spree in the city centre, all the towns provide a variety of adventurous activities. Ports such as Juneau and Ketchikan are each small cities with their own personalities.
Blackstone Bay
This “calving” action is what many cruise passengers hope to see when they spend time in front of Alaska’s glaciers. The thunderous cracking sound of a calving glacier followed by the colossal crash as the iceberg splashes into the sea is something that Alaska cruise passengers remember forever. Glacier Bay itineraries are always one of the most popular Alaska cruise routes. Glacier Bay National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its magnificent glaciers and incredible wilderness scenery. Cruise ships visiting Glacier Bay typically spend nearly a full day there. Ride the train along the scenic Turnagain Arm to Whittier, located at the entrance of Prince William Sound.
FJORD THE TURQUOISE WATERS
It is extremely important to let them know at the time of booking if you will be using a wheelchair, so they can make sure you have a seamless and comfortable experience. The crew is skilled in helping guests in wheelchairs with boarding and getting around the ship. As their name suggests, Phillips 26 Glacier Cruise is all about seeing glaciers – and in that department, they definitely do not disappoint! I can say that we definitely saw a lot of glaciers, so if that’s one of your big goals for visiting Alaska, this is a great way to tick that experience off your list. I went a different route and ordered peppermint schnapps “on the rocks” (over glacier ice), a throwback to my Uncruise adventure where we did a drink luge with glacier ice.
The M/V Klondike Express is the fastest and most luxurious catamaran in Alaska. This 137-foot high-speed catamaran features two enclosed heated seating areas and a third deck outdoor viewing area. A complete refit in 2017 of the M/V Klondike Express brought modern charcoal, burgundy, and silver colors to the stylish seating with flexible back support and comfortable upholstered seats.
When you check in at the booth before boarding, you will be assigned a seat, so you never have to worry about saving one, getting a good seat or waiting in line for a better seat. The best “seat” is outside on the deck anyway, so you seat is really a place to enjoy your food, take a break from being outside and connect with family, friends or your fellow travelers. Here are some answers to questions I am often asked by my clients about the tour. Once through the tunnel it’s about a five minute drive to the parking area where you board the boat.
Other cruise lines such as Alaskan Dream Cruises, American Cruise Lines, Cunard Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and UnCruise Adventures also offer cruises that visit Glacier Bay. The 3.3 million-acre park is home to many glaciers enveloping close to a third of its land. Cruise guests can see multiple glaciers sailing through Glacier Bay National Park.
👆 The check-in for the 26 glacier cruise is very near the Whittier cruise port. A cruise ship that goes to or from Anchorage is actually going to or from Whittier. The check-in for a Phillips boat tour is literally right next to the Whittier cruise terminal. What makes the glacier part of the tour worth it is 2 of the glaciers that we did see up close.
Sightings of sea otters, seals, porpoises, sea lions and bald eagles are commonplace. You may also spot bears, mountain goats and humpback and orca whales. The captain will stop at a bird rookery that is home to thousands of kittiwakes. Marine wildlife and migratory birds easily outnumber people in Prince William Sound, so the odds are good that you will see a lot more than glaciers on our cruises! Sea otters are a common sight, along with harbor seals, Bald eagles, and kittiwakes. It is not uncommon to see orca whales, humpback whales, sea lions, black bears, mountain goats, Dall’s porpoise, and migratory birds on our 26 Glacier Cruise.
This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. If you want to add on transportation from Anchorage, do that when you buy your ticket. The motorcoach transportation costs an additional $89 per person round trip for adults and $59 for children. The Alaska Railroad option costs and additional $125 for adults and $63 for children, round trip. This option gives you the maximum flexibility if you want to make stops along the drive (which is incredibly scenic) or you want to wander around Whittier for a few minutes before or after your tour.
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