Glacier Bay National Park

Today we arrived at the highlight of the trip, which is Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. It’s over 3 million acres and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The US National Park Service works closely with the Native American Hoonah and Yakutat Tlingit groups to help protect the park. They only allow 2 cruise ships daily, so it’s well coordinated considering the schedules of all the cruise companies.

Early in the morning, National Park Rangers boarded our ship and started providing commentary through the speakers and our cabin televisions. It was awesome to hear and especially their enthusiasm. The pictures really don’t do the park and glaciers justice, but we saw Reid, Lamplugh, Johns Hopkins, and Margerie Glaciers. These are tidewater glaciers and the fog lifted at the right moments to take in all the beauty:













Folks came early to the decks to get the prime viewing spots and service was set up, so you didn’t have to leave. There were stations of hot chocolate, Bloody Mary, and pop-up retail:



We also enjoyed the service on the deck - champagne, hot chocolate, and Baileys, with the complimentary blankets, as we toasted the voyage and glacial beauty:







We had fun taking portraits and posing with the glaciers and landscape, breathing in the crisp air:



















As we were leaving and started to turn around, the fog really set in and engulfed us:





My aunt and mom really enjoyed the deck and poolside experience as they insisted on these respective photos:





Around 1 pm, we headed to the theater for the Ranger presentation. We thought it would be about the glaciers, but it was a presentation about wildlife and tidal creatures. Ranger Hailey whose birthday it was, was super enthusiastic.

For a mid-afternoon snack, my aunt, cousin, and I went down to the pizzeria and split an artichoke pizza and tomato and mozzarella salad and chatted away. We returned to our rooms and figured out the laundromat queue and token system and efficiently combined our mid-trip wash.

During this time, an announcement was made that we were heading into some turbulent weather including high winds and swells. Indeed, the boat started rocking and I shared my motion sickness patches with everyone.

As we have the premier package, we enjoyed the first of two specialty dining experiences. Tonight was the steak restaurant experience at the Crown Grill and the dress code per our daily Princess newsletter was “dress to impress”….

Our appetizers which included lobster cake, scallops, goat cheese salad, shrimp bisque, cheesy bread, and onion soup:

Entrees of porterhouse, Chilean sea bass, surf and turf, and ribeye with sides of asparagus, potato with bone marrow, mash potatoes, and sautéed mushrooms: 

Desserts of rhubarb cobbler, creme brûlée cheesecake, and key lime bar:



After dinner, we walked as we were tipsy due to the turbulence of the water. We decided to sit midship and order some chamomile teas. Also our cabins are midship as I was told that would be best for someone like me who is prone to seasickness.

But the rockiness didn’t dampen the day, despite the evening rain we could see outside. All day long, I could hear in my head Miranda Priestly brilliantly played by Meryl Streep in the film, “A Devil Wears Prada”: “By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me.” Well today, I was thrilled taking in the beauty of Alaska’s crown jewel!