Glacier Bay: Alaska Cruises

Glacier Bay Alaska During the Pleistocene Age, Alaska was buried under a thousands of feet thick mantle of ice. Today, around 100,000 glaciers, covering 30,000 sq miles or roughly 5% of the State of Alaska, still remain. These amazing fields of ice are the living remnants of evidence from the glacial periods we commonly refer to as the Ice Age.

First proclaimed a U.S. National Monument on February 25, 1925 it wasn't until December 2, 1980 before the park was enlarged to 3,283,000 acres and designated as the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Glaciers flow from Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska plus Kluane National Park and Tatshenshini-Alsek Park in Canada.

Glacier Bay, Alaska Cruises Alaska Cruises to Glacier Bay

Viewing the Glaciers in Glacier Bay

Absolutely no other means of viewing Glacier Bay ofers the same experience as that witnessed from the decks of a ship floating silently at the face of such a massage wall of moving, breathing ice.

Glacier Bay is one of the most popular destinations for cruise ships during summer season. However, there are restrictions imposed by the National Park Service on the numbers of vessels that can operate in Glacier Bay on any given day, currently limited to 2 cruise ships. There five cruise lines authorized to provide cruise ship services into Glacier Bay, they are;

Princess Cruise Lines
Holland America, Inc.
Norwegian Cruise Lines
Crystal Cruises
Carnival Cruise Lines

One of the things you should know is the access to Glacier Bay is seldom ever blocked by ice. This greatly limits any chances of your ship not being able to make it to the face of the glacier. Book a voyage that includes Glacier Bay and you're very safe in the knowledge that you will make it to the glacier.

Hubbard Glacier vs Glacier Bay; How to pick the right cruise for you.