glacier bay – The Veranda Life

If you are planning a cruise up to Alaska, chances are your itinerary will have a cruise day in any one of these three. IMHO, there is one clear winner. Tracy Arm Fjord / South Sawyer Glacier. In chronological order…

In 2009, we were on the Celebrity Mercury which went into Hubbard Glacier. It was very early in the season. May 5th was the day. It was a spectacular. There were icebergs galore. Not just a bunch of “Growlers” (less that 3 ft high and 16 ft long). Most were “Bergy Bits” (3 – 13 ft high and 15 – 46 ft long). There was even one that was a bit top-heavy and rolled over right in front of us.

We didn’t see or hear any calving, but Hubbard Glacier was something not to miss.

In 2014, we were on Star Princess towards the end of the season. September 5th, to be exact. The journey through the fjord started with us being almost completely engulfed in fog. The further we went, the clearer it got. Tracy Arm is a narrow passage with really sheer cliffs.

Part of the excitement is winding through the fjord wondering when you are going to get your first glimpse of the South Sawyer Glacier, then it happens…

You still have a ways to go, you just hope the ship can get close enough without any of these guys getting in the way.

Then you pull in at the end of the fjord and there she is. South Sawyer Glacier in all her glory.

After spending an hour doing a slow 360, we head out, back into the fog.

Just this past September, we did an itinerary that included Glacier Bay National Park. Don’t get me wrong, Glacier Bay is beautiful, but… Maybe because it was the end of the season and most of the snow had melted. Maybe Global Warming has really taken it’s toll. Maybe my expectations were out of whack… It just didn’t wow us.

Three Naturalists joined the ship, one went to the Bridge to narrate the journey. Quite informative.

If you get one chance to cruise to Alaska, I’d go for Tracy Arm Fjord, but hey, it’s Alaska!!!! You won’t be disappointed.

Our fourth trip to the 49th State. 12 Day round trip Los Angeles on Golden Princess in September, 2018. Our friends, Paul and Jody booked the same itinerary. Yes, we were in Stateroom Lido 214.

This was our first cruise on Golden Princess. We had read they updated Horizon Court and it seems much brighter and up to date than Star or Ruby.

The first three days were sea days. We did the normal. Off to Horizon Court around 9:00 AM. We always look for P & J or they look for us, but neither feel obligated to meet for breakfast or lunch. They prefer Anytime Dining where Suzi and I do traditional. It’s perfect. We choose to be together because we want to, not because we feel we have to.

First port, Ketchikan. Absolutely perfect day. Mid 60’s and sunny. Perfect for a walk to Creek Street and the Salmon Ladders. Docked next to the ship was Time Bandit, one of The Deadliest Catch ships. Much smaller that I imagined.

Our next day took us through Glacier Bay National Park. It is beautiful, but after experiencing Hubbard, Mendenhall, and South Sawyer Glacier, I was a bit underwhelmed.

Next port was Skagway. On the way into town, we ran into Paul and Jody, so all 4 of us walked all the way up to the Fudge Shop and meandered back to the ship.

Next port was Juneau. This was our most adventurous excursion yet. We booked the Five Glacier Seaplane Exploration. Thank you cruise points and shareholders benefits!!!!

Suzi was really apprehensive about going so weighed the options. Be completely nervous waiting for me to return or just go and be nervous. She chose the latter.

The takeoff was amazing. It was a picture perfect day. In fact the pilot took us further than normal weather conditions would allow. Halfway through the flight, I looked at Suzi. She gave me a big smile and two thumbs up!

The views were beyond words.

Here is a video Suzi took.

And here we are coming in for the landing. Perfect!

The last stop before heading home was Victoria. This was the only bad weather we had the entire trip. It was a heavy mist at times. We did the Craigdarroch Castle and City Highlight tour. We drove through quite a bit of the city, then made our way to te lookout point at Mt. Toimie. Rain. Then we toured Craigdarroch Castle, which has been through several transformations. A residence. A Hospital. A music school, etc. Now the property is being restored back to when it was originally a residence for the Robert Dunsmuir Family.

Back to LA and time for another countdown. April, 2019 Hawaii.

Tag: glacier bay

Hubbard, Tracy Arm or Glacier Bay. Oh My!

Cruise #17 – Alaska 2018