Which fjords in Glacier Bay NP?

[pdmlynek]

This is a wonderful forum, and I appreciate very much all the work that people are doing here. I have a newbie question regarding Glacier Bay.

 

On our Vancouver>Seward cruise this July on HAL Statendam we are scheduled to spend a day at Glacier Bay National Park (“GBNP”) on our 6th full day.

 

There appear to be around two dozen glaciers that reach the sea in GBNP, and I’d like to know more about the likely course of the ship. Unfortunately, HAL’s website is not very helpful in determining what fjords ships usually visit and which glaciers pax typically see. Although I did read several reviews of what one should expect on a cruise tour of GBNP, and I read some other sources, I have few remaining questions.

 

Do the ships rotate the glaciers that they visit (due to weather or local conditions), or do they see the same ones?

 

It appears that based on most posts here and elsewhere, ships go up Tarr Inlet to see Margerie Glacier. Strangely, there are few post about the neighboring Grand Pacific Glacier. Why?

 

Should we expect a stop at Lamplugh or Reid Glaciers?

 

Is John Hopkins Inlet (and thus John Hopkins Glacier, which is twice as fast, thus presumably leading to twice as many calvings as Margerie) still off limits as suggested on old Glacier Bay Maps (NOAA 17318)? Has anyone here visited John Hopkins Glacier (regardless of cruiseline)?

 

Do any cruise ships ever visit the receding glaciers on the Muir Inlet, such as Muir, Riggs, or McBride?

 

Are there any stops by cruise ships at glaciers that lie within GBNP, but outside of the GB itself (e.g. Brady, La Perouse)?

 

Finally, a non-glacier related query: the area around the entrance to GB, i.e., between Pt. Gustavus, Pt Carolus, Strawberry I, and Lars I, is designated as “Whale Waters” during the summer. Should we expect to see whales primarily here, either on the way in or out, or does it not make any difference and whales can be seen throughout the park?

 

Thank you!

[NewPennCruiser]

We had the opportunity to visit Glacier Bay back in 2008 and will be leaving for another visit in a few weeks. Our day in Glacier Bay was magnificent in that the weather didn't look very promising but as we got further into the park, the skies cleared and we had perfect weather for the remainder of the day.

 

I don't think that weather will have a huge affect on where you go but they did explain to us that ice flow will dictate your itinerary, specifically up Tarr Inlet. We were on Princess and they stated that they would try to go as far up as the ice flow would allow and in our case there was very little so we were able to basically go all the way up and stop in front of Margerie Glacier with views of the Grand Pacific Glacier as well. In our case, they basically stopped the ship there and we stayed for a long time as they spun the ship around so that everyone could take in the views.

 

In general I believe there are usually only 2 ships a day in GBNP and they time things so that each can go up Tarr Inlet for views of Margerie and GP Glaciers. That seems to be the "holy grail" of GBNP. As far as where each cruise line may go otherwise, I'm not sure. I know in our case we did go off into one of the inlets before heading up to Margerie Glacier but I don't remember if it was Reid or Johns Hopkins. It take a while to get up the Bay to the glaciers and it really defines the term "scenic cruising" especially if the weather cooperates.

 

As far as your question regarding whales, yes we did see whales swimming along the coastal areas of the park closer to the entrance and we really noticed them as we were leaving that evening. They seemed to be almost swimming next to the ship as we were leaving which just added a surreal feeling to the day.

 

If you are curious as to which other ship might be in GBNP with you and the actual times you are scheduled to be in the park, check out this website. It is a great resource for port schedule information in Alaska for the cruising season and it includes Glacier Bay. The website is http://www.claalaska.com

 

I hope this helped a little and have a great cruise! Dave

[sherryf]

We visited Glacier Bay last year on the Golden Princess. We spent about an hour at Margerie then also visited Lamplugh and maybe saw another in passing... I guess I forgot to take notes.

 

As for whales, we didn't see any IN Glacier Bay, but lots as we were leaving. I'd say that we saw more whales there than we have seen in all of our other Alaska cruises combined. Definitely be on deck looking for them and have binoculars! It's so sad to have people standing around without binoculars saying "Can you see anything? Are there whales?" while you enjoy the spectacular show in the distance!:D

[Glaciers]

The problem with whale watching at the entrance of Glacier Bay is that vessel traffic is very restricted. Vessels have to stay mid channel and not operate within ¼ mile of humpbacks. There’s an orca in the area called T2 with a distinctive dorsal fin that is bent to one side. Interesting sight to look for.