Glacier Bay 6 AM - 3 PM

[Auntiejo]

First time Alaska cruiser here sailing June 8th on the Sapphire Princess NB from Vancouver. Glacier Bay time frame is 6 AM to 3 PM - Will it behoove us to get up super early and be ready for scenic views starting at 6 AM, or does it take some time before it really gets amazing? Don't mind the early wakeup to maximize the sights but was just curious what the Glacier Bay timetable looks like. Thanks!

[Glaciers]

I’m usually up 1 hour before entering the bay, particularly on a NB trip, as the chances for humpback sightings are good in that area. They may be at a distance so expectations shouldn’t be that they will be close if you see them at all. We were surrounded by them one trip as we exited the bay.

[kamelia]

If you're up by the 6:00a anticipated arrival, you may also get a chance to see the boat "Serac" bring the Glacier Bay rangers from their home in Bartlett Cove.  The boat will do a "controlled bump" alongside of the ship, then the rangers will climb onboard for the day.  They also disembark using the reverse procedure at around the 3:00p departure time. 

 

Not only do you have the chance to see humpbacks and orcas as @Glaciers mentioned, but also sea otters and a nice variety of sea birds.  Have your binoculars handy and scan the shoreline, too, as you may see bears, deer and other terrestrial wildlife as you're entering the bay.  Once the rangers are settled in onboard, they will begin commentary over the public address system that will include pointing out wildlife sightings, but there are times when we have spotted things that they don't always see to describe over the P.A., so we are always on the lookout.  Enjoy!

[Auntiejo]

29 minutes ago, Glaciers said:

I’m usually up 1 hour before entering the bay, particularly on a NB trip, as the chances for humpback sightings are good in that area. They may be at a distance so expectations shouldn’t be that they will be close if you see them at all. We were surrounded by them one trip as we exited the bay.

Ruh Roh 5 AM wakeup call it is! LOL

[kamelia]

15 minutes ago, Auntiejo said:

Ruh Roh 5 AM wakeup call it is! LOL

Will it help to know that at least the sun will be up by then? 😉

[Auntiejo]

7 minutes ago, kamelia said:

Will it help to know that at least the sun will be up by then? 😉

Hey I'm going to Alaska for the scenery, not to catch up on sleep! It's all good.

[jean-lynd]

FYI -

[sharon_pei]

Beginning my day at 6 a.m. is incredibly challenging -- it tends to leave me feeling disabled for the remainder of the day. I'm curious to know how much is sacrificed for night owls like myself who struggle to function before 7:30 at the earliest.

[Auntiejo]

15 hours ago, jean-lynd said:

FYI -

Thank you for this! I'm getting so excited....

[kamelia]

10 hours ago, sharon_pei said:

Beginning my day at 6 a.m. is incredibly challenging -- it tends to leave me feeling disabled for the remainder of the day. I'm curious to know how much is sacrificed for night owls like myself who struggle to function before 7:30 at the earliest.

There's no definitive answer as to what you might be sacrificing as there are opportunities to see a variety of things throughout the day in Glacier Bay.  I can tell you that the ship traverses the same route going out as going in to Glacier Bay, so you may see some of the same creatures leaving in the afternoon that were visible earlier in the morning, and definitely the landscape viewing will be the same.  Regardless of what you do and when, I have every confidence that it will be a special experience!

[Paula_MacFan]

Here's more info from the National Park website, specifically for cruise ship guests:

 https://www.nps.gov/glba/planyourvisit/cruise.htm

 

https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=C3DE800C-1DD8-B71C-0770772C503276A4

 

I really like this cruise ship map, also available on the NP website:  

https://www.nps.gov/glba/planyourvisit/typical-cruise-ship-route-in-glacier-bay.htm

 

We're on the Sapphire the week prior to the OP, and our Glacier Bay schedule is 9am to 7:30pm.  Glad we don't have to get up at 6am! 🙂 

[nordicacres]

Is there a way to tell the hours your ship will be there ahead of time? My itinerary does not provide any hours. It just states “Cruising Glacier Bay”. NCL Jewel 6/29/24

[kamelia]

1 hour ago, nordicacres said:

Is there a way to tell the hours your ship will be there ahead of time? My itinerary does not provide any hours. It just states “Cruising Glacier Bay”. NCL Jewel 6/29/24

NCL doesn't seem to publish the schedule for Glacier Bay, but we did a northbound Alaska trip on Jewel in 2022, so I checked that Freestyle Daily to see if arrival and departure times were shown there, but they're not.  It did list the Ranger Presentation at 7:00a, so they were already onboard by then, leading me to believe the ship probably picked them up between 6 and 6:30.  Hope that gives you some idea of what to expect.  

[SightCRR]

2 hours ago, nordicacres said:

Is there a way to tell the hours your ship will be there ahead of time? My itinerary does not provide any hours. It just states “Cruising Glacier Bay”. NCL Jewel 6/29/24

Cruise Ship Schedule Calendar Combined Ports (claalaska.com)

fyi you can see all your docks and times if you search schedule. 

 

[wolfie11]

Two ships are allowed in the bay per day.  The pilot boat brings all the rangers out together for both ships.  The ships are given a time to enter the bay about a half hour apart to give the pilot boat time to drop off one set of rangers and then drive over to the second ship to drop off the rest.  This is also to put some distance between the ships so you’re not looking at another giant cruise ship all day.  Arrangements on order are usually made the morning of.  Sometimes there will be a southbound ship coming from Anchorage.  They have further to go so they usually arrive around 10:00 am.

 

It takes around two hours to get to the glacier area from the entrance.  During this time the rangers set up a “visitor’s center,” where you can buy books and souvenirs.  Please spend generously, as this money goes right back into education in the parks.  They usually have great kids books.  One ranger will give a lecture and another will be doing a commentary from the bridge.  This all goes quickly, so an effort to be up and about will be worthwhile.  The ship spends a couple of hours in the glacier area before heading down the bay.  Animals that can be seen are humpbacks, orca, dolphins, porpoise, seals, sea lions at South Marble Island, otters, lots of birds including the occasional puffin, mountain goats at Gloomy Knob, brown bears on the beach, especially in Tarr Inlet, and the odd wolf.  If you don’t have binoculars don’t even bother to try to spot animals. These are a bonus and the ship’s not going to stop for them.

 

 

Edited April 4 by wolfie11

[Paula_MacFan]

27 minutes ago, wolfie11 said:

Animals that can be seen are humpbacks, orca, dolphins, porpoise, seals, sea lions at South Marble Island, otters, lots of birds including the occasional puffin, mountain goats at Gloomy Knob, brown bears on the beach, especially in Tarr Inlet, and the odd wolf.  If you don’t have binoculars don’t even bother to try to spot animals. These are a bonus and the ship’s not going to stop for them.

 

We saw a brown bear on the shore when we were in Glacier Bay last time.  That was so exciting for us 🙂  The ranger did a great job of pointing things out and we had a fabulous day.  Can't wait to go back in a couple months! 

[NikiPinkston]

Thank you so much for all of this great info! We'll be visiting Glacier Bay on NCL this coming May and now I'm super excited!

[sharon_pei]

1 hour ago, wolfie11 said:

It takes around two hours to get to the glacier area from the entrance.  During this time the rangers set up a “visitor’s center,” where you can buy books and souvenirs.  

 Thank you for the detailed information. Does this mean for a scheduled 6am-3pm glacier bay stop, late risers can get up at 8am without missing glacier views? that sounds so much better!

[wolfie11]

Yes. But I would check the daily schedule as timings may change.

Edited April 5 by wolfie11

[Auntiejo]

I’m a classic over achiever so I’ll be up at 5 AM so as not to miss a thing. When I read this thread to hubbs tonight he said “Maybe we should just pull an all nighter the night before!”
LOL.

 

I’ll probably be so excited to see Glacier Bay that I won’t sleep a wink the night before regardless. thanks everyone! 

[Auntiejo]

5 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

Two ships are allowed in the bay per day.  The pilot boat brings all the rangers out together for both ships.  The ships are given a time to enter the bay about a half hour apart to give the pilot boat time to drop off one set of rangers and then drive over to the second ship to drop off the rest.  This is also to put some distance between the ships so you’re not looking at another giant cruise ship all day.  Arrangements on order are usually made the morning of.  Sometimes there will be a southbound ship coming from Anchorage.  They have further to go so they usually arrive around 10:00 am.

 

It takes around two hours to get to the glacier area from the entrance.  During this time the rangers set up a “visitor’s center,” where you can buy books and souvenirs.  Please spend generously, as this money goes right back into education in the parks.  They usually have great kids books.  One ranger will give a lecture and another will be doing a commentary from the bridge.  This all goes quickly, so an effort to be up and about will be worthwhile.  The ship spends a couple of hours in the glacier area before heading down the bay.  Animals that can be seen are humpbacks, orca, dolphins, porpoise, seals, sea lions at South Marble Island, otters, lots of birds including the occasional puffin, mountain goats at Gloomy Knob, brown bears on the beach, especially in Tarr Inlet, and the odd wolf.  If you don’t have binoculars don’t even bother to try to spot animals. These are a bonus and the ship’s not going to stop for them.

 

 

I just got my binoculars in the mail! I’m ready 

[Auntiejo]

Ok sorry one more question. What’s the deal with listening to lectures? I’m very interested In that option to get the most out of the moment but I’m worried I’ll miss epic scenery if I’m sitting in the Princess Theater while cruising thru Glacier Bay?

Edited April 5 by Auntiejo

[wolfie11]

2 hours ago, Auntiejo said:

Ok sorry one more question. What’s the deal with listening to lectures? I’m very interested In that option to get the most out of the moment but I’m worried I’ll miss epic scenery if I’m sitting in the Princess Theater while cruising thru Glacier Bay?

You can always skip the lecture. You’re on Princess so you’ll likely have a naturalist on board who knows the bay well (some are former rangers or scientists who have worked there).  Offer to buy them a drink and pick their brain.  

[Donwoods123]

Usually, the lectures about what to expect at Glacier Bay are a day or 2 b4 going to Glacier Bay.  Princess also delivers to your cabin a paper handout that describes the main points about Glacier Bay. The ranger talks while the ship is at Glacier Bay are broadcast live on the stateroom tv.   If you have a balcony, you can hear them from the tv.

 

Glacier Bay is amazing.  I am confident you will have a great time.

[sharon_pei]

Am i understanding it right that for those who stay in interior cabins, we would need to choose between going out to the deck to see glaciers vs staying indoor at 'visitor center' to learn from the park rangers? I can see why balcony cabins have a huge advantage here now.