Cruising Glacier Bay - Part 1

Today the Symphony sailed through Glacier Bay National Park. The map below shows the inside passage where we have spent most of our 12 day cruise. You can see many of the ports we have visited on the map including Vancuver, BC (near the bottom), Sitka, Juneau, Skagway and also Ketchikan, which we will be visiting tomorrow. The dark green section is Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.





It was very foggy at the start of the day, but we were able to see some nice views of Glacier Bay as we enjoyed our breakfast at the Lido Buffet this morning.




I succumbed to the lure of the chocolate filled pastry.




We then dressed for the cold weather and went on deck to
observe Margerie glacier, which you can see at the very top of Glacier Bay on the map below.




The captain stayed at the glacier for about an hour so everyone was able to get plenty of photos.




We were even able to see a some small sections calving, although I wasn't fast enough to get a picture of it with my phone.




After an hour or two in the cold, Ross and I headed inside to warm up with a cappuccino at the Bistro.



I love how they give you a little rock candy stick to sweeten and stir the cappuccinos.




The Symphony then cruised down to Johns Hopkins Glacier. We were required to stay at least 2 miles away from this glacier. I think I remember the onboard ranger said that we had to stay away due to seals that live near this glacier.




We braved the very cold and rainy weather once again to see Johns Hopkins Glacier. It was surprisingly difficult to take a photo (with my phone) of a person standing in front of a glacier because the scene was so strongly backlit. We were either able to expose the person or the glacier correctly, but not both.




I think I may have been in front of Lamplugh Glacier in the photo below, but they all look a bit alike so it's hard to remember after the fact.






The absolute best purchase we made for this trip was our hooded rain suits. We bought a mishmash of brands that were on clearance from at a sporting goods store before we left. If you are going on a trip to Alaska, I highly recommend them. With a fleece underneath, we were able to stand outside to look at glaciers, and walk through towns in the rain long after almost everyone else had been forced inside from the miserable weather.




We had a late lunch at the Trident Grill. I ordered a salmon burger, which wasn't that great. I had actually expected a salmon patty instead of a fillet and the fillet ended up being a bit thin and dry.




Ross ordered Margherita pizza which was surprisingly tasty. The crust was thin and crispy and there were pieces of fresh basil under the cheese.




I'll get "Cruising Glacier Bay - Part 2" posted tomorrow.

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Location:Glacier Bay, AK