Glacier Bay and College Fjord

Day 6 of the cruise was Glacier Bay. The whole reason we strayed from our normal cruise line (Royal Caribbean) was because we wanted to see Glacier Bay. Usually we choose our cruises based on three factors: 1) price; 2) ship; 3) itinerary. For this cruise it was mostly itinerary. Most of the cruises I looked at (NCL, Princess, Royal, Holland America) were priced very similarly, so it all came down to where we wanted to go when we visited Alaska. We looked for an itinerary that included Glacier Bay and had the longest port times. That is how we ended up on Princess Cruise Line, sailing one way from Vancouver to Whittier (Anchorage). If I do a wrap-up post, I will write more about what we thought of Princess as compared to Royal Caribbean. 

Back to Glacier Bay. Glacier Bay is a national park and the ship brings park rangers aboard to narrate the visit. Thomas and I went to their welcome speech at 730 am. We got our National Parks books stamped (we forget that book at about 50% of the parks we visit, so I was glad we remembered it this time) and heard more about what to expect for the day. The ship had already handed out Glacier Bay maps and the anticipated schedule. We ended up spending most of the day on our balcony. It was stunning. We saw dozens of otters (we stopped counting at 30) and many sea lions resting on rocks. We passed two big glaciers, where the ship did a 360 turn and some smaller glaciers. We got to see one of the large ones, Marjerie Glacier, calving (where chunks of ice falls off). It was pretty amazing. The whole day, really the whole trip, was just filled with stunning scenery. Jack commented at one point that never in his life has he taken so many pictures. 

The view from our aft balcony

We also bought an upgraded package that included pictures. In fact, the main reason we bought it was for the pictures. Not going to lie, I am pretty disappointed in how they turned out. Judge for yourself below. I don't know why they have the label on all of them, but it is one of a few things I don't like (some not their fault, like Luke having his hood up).

In Glacier Bay.

In front of Marjerie Glacier.

We were in Glacier Bay until mid-afternoon, then ship activities resumed. Thomas and I went to a delightful afternoon tea. We felt fancy drinking our tea and eating our little cakes and sandwiches. Although, to be accurate Thomas didn't eat the snacks, but he liked the tea and I am surmising that he also felt fancy. We sat at a table with strangers and made small talk like the real grown-ups we are. 

Not pictured is a scone with jam that I also enjoyed.

I went to afternoon trivia with Anna and Kevin. We did pretty well, I think 15/20 and the winner had 17. We had dinner at the buffet, after the first two nights we decided it wasn't worth trying to get into the main dining room. Thomas, Jack and I went to a Motown Show, which was not great. Then, Thomas and I went to a comedy show, which was decent. Kara spent most of the day with other teens. Jack went to the teen club at night. He said he had a lot of fun playing hide-and-seek with a large group of kids. He and Kara are running with two different crowds, which seems to suit both of them.

The next day was mostly a sea day. More trivia that we didn't win. We had lunch at Alfredo's for the 3rd or 4th time. Their pizza is really amazing. Anna, Luke, and I went to watch karaoke. Kara was also there, but sat with her friends and they sang a couple of songs as a group. After karaoke, we got ice cream, then relaxed in the room. Then it was more trivia before we arrived at our last scenic tangent, and why I said "mostly" a sea day--College Fjord. 

College Fjord was absolutely stunning. I feel like every place we go, I think it is the prettiest place yet. We saw several more glaciers. We also saw bears, and more otters and seal lions (or seals, not sure which). It was our first sunny day and it was amazing to stand on our balcony surrounded by so much beauty. It is one of my favorite memories of the cruise. It was peaceful and perfect.

That night is a bit of a blur. We packed. Anna and I went to the variety show, which was my favorite show of the cruise. The cruise director is a trained opera singer and sang a song from Don Quixote. The assistant cruise director is also a talented singer and did Piano Man, complete with harmonica. Together they sang a song from Les Mis. The singers and dancers did one song and the comedian did a short, really funny set. It was a fun show. 

We loved our big aft balcony! I am going to miss this view.

A panoramic showing four glaciers.