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On the Glacier Quest Cruise, we can see Alpine, Valley, and Tidewater glaciers. No one does seafood quite like Alaska—which is why we brought the best of the Great Land on board, so you can experience it all with Princess. Our award-winning North to Alaska program brings local personalities, culture and cuisine on board and ashore to immerse you in all things Alaska during your cruise to the Great Land. Many of these glaciers are named after well-known East Coast colleges and universities, including Harvard Glacier, Yale Glacier, Amherst Glacier, Wellesley Glacier, and Williams Glacier.
College Fjord
The Glacier Quest Cruise takes you from the quaint seaside town of Whittier to glacier-filled Blackstone Bay. As your Captain departs the Cliffside Marina, look back towards town to see Whittier glacier. Learn about the Native Alaskans who first settled in this region of Prince William Sound and how the military built the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel connecting Whittier to Interior Alaska.
Getting to Whittier
The 26 Glacier Cruise departs from Whittier to explore the calm waters and wild sights of Alaska’s Prince William Sound. Discover glacier-carved fjords and pristine wilderness around every turn. The Harriman Expedition discovered College Fjord in 1899 and named the towering glaciers after the great East Coast universities of the United States, like the Harvard Glacier. With the largest collection of tidewater glaciers in the world, your scenic Alaska cruise through the fjord will make a lasting memory.
Liquid Adventures – Wildlife Cruise & Kayak
The largest tidewater glacier in North America, Hubbard Glacier has been moving its mass towards the ocean at a rate faster than most of its kind. Towering above the water over 30 stories, the glacier often calves 100-foot chunks of ice into the ocean. What lies beneath the waves is almost as impressive, where ice plunges 1,200 feet beneath the surface. Ships travel up Tracy Arm Fjord, navigating the long channel and tight turns. On the scenic journey through Tracy Arm Fjord, cruise guests will marvel at the sheer, steep walls of the deep fjord and the area’s scenic beauty. While Hubbard Glacier is magnificent, there can be some downsides to choosing this itinerary.
Glacier & Wildlife Viewing
Of the 200 species of bird life inhabiting this area, bald eagles are very prominent. Before returning to Whittier, you'll visit a bird rookery home to thousands of kittiwakes. Passing through gorgeous inlets and fjords, you'll look for bears, mountain goats, bald eagles, and puffins. Then cruise into waters to look for whales, seals, porpoises, and sea lions. Pouring from an elevation of 10,000 feet, the Columbia Glacier is the one of the largest tidewater glaciers in southcentral Alaska.
Alaska Cruise Onboard Experience
In this post, I promote travel to a destination that is the traditional lands of the Alutiiq (Sugpiaq) and Dënéndeh peoples. With respect, I make a formal land acknowledgment, extending my appreciation and respect to the past and present people of these lands. To learn more about the peoples who call these lands home, I invite you to explore Native Land.
Portage Glacier Cruise
A frigid wind blows into our faces as the boat nudges slowly through the ice-laden water. Before or after your cruise, which lasts approximately 1 hour, you’ll stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. You’ll get up close with Alaska wildlife, since the center is home to injured or orphaned animals, from muskox to grizzly bears, then, make the return trip to Anchorage.
Glacier Cruise Includes
Tracy Arm Fjord is less than a half-mile wide, and waterfalls often cascade down the fjord’s craggy cliffs. Mountain goats can sometimes be seen near Sawyer Glacier, and bears are occasionally spotted near the water’s edge. With a terminal face that’s about seven miles wide, Hubbard Glacier has been nicknamed the “Galloping Glacier” due to the rapid forward movement of this river of ice. Hubbard Glacier is also renowned for its strong blue color on clear days.
Guaranteed, No Seasickness
Home to more than 1,000 glaciers, the park is alive with calving ice that rumbles and echoes across the water. Two glacier cruise opportunities increase your chance to witness ice calving, one of nature’s greatest spectacles. 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. Hubbard Glacier is also known to be one of the most rapidly advancing glaciers, moving as much as multiple feet per day. This “calving” action is what many cruise passengers hope to see when they spend time in front of Alaska’s glaciers.
Alaska is synonymous with stunning wilderness, and Holland America Line offers more ways to see wildlife in its natural habitat. Ashore, Holland America Line offers nearly 180 shore excursions to see species of all kinds. Cruisetours range from nine to 18 days and include a one-, two- or three-day visit to Denali National Park.
He'll also rotate the boat so everyone can see, offering a different angle each minute. When stopped, the crew actually scoops glacier ice over the side and brings it up for you to touch. It's a rare day when you don't see some kind of calving activity, anything from little snowballs to a big sheet of ice.
Should I cruise on Princess to Alaska? I booked a sailing to see for myself - Cruise Blog
Should I cruise on Princess to Alaska? I booked a sailing to see for myself.
Posted: Thu, 10 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Comparing Hubbard Glacier with Sawyer Glacier is easy when it comes to size. As the largest tidewater glacier in North America, Hubbard Glacier’s towering height and mammoth overall size are much more impressive than Sawyer Glacier. Calving at Hubbard Glacier can be more astounding and frequent as well.
Glaciers take hundreds of years to form and can show us what the atmosphere was like and what kind of mammals existed thousands of years ago. 5.5 hours is a nice amount of time to explore Prince William Sound, which is a huge waterway off the coast of Southcentral Alaska. Even with a whole day, you couldn’t see it all, so this cruise itinerary samples some of the best areas for seeing glaciers and possibly spotting wildlife. Cruise the placid Portage Lake, about an hour south of Anchorage, to Portage Glacier. Watch for huge chunks of ice to break away and crash in to the lake as the MV Ptarmigan weaves through iceberg-dotted waters. Cut from age-old glacial movements, Endicott Arm is a narrow fjord over thirty miles long.
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. If you’re short on time or have limited budget, take the MV Ptarmigan Cruise on Portage Lake. Just an hour’s drive from Anchorage, you’ll explore the icebergs and glacier feeding this crystalline lake. Alaska Saltwater’s small-group whale watching, wildlife, and glacier tours offer daily excursions into the pristine Kenai Fjord National Park.
Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords are great places to see wildlife and glaciers. And Major Marine’s vessels, which have cozy heated cabins and an outdoor viewing area, can take you out to see both. This family-owned tour operator has gone above and beyond to give guests an amazing day on the water since 1990. Guests with easy access to Seattle or Vancouver have an opportunity to cruise to Alaska at a reduced rate of $49 per person, per day with Holland America Line’s Standby program.
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