Jun 13, 2016 - Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay

Yesterday (Sunday, June 12th), we cruised into Yakutat Bay and spent several hours viewing the massive Hubbard Glacier. Today (Monday, June 13th) we spent most of the day cruising through Glacier Bay. Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is home to the continent’s largest collection of tidewater glaciers. We saw numerous glaciers but our favorite was the Margerie Glacier as we were lucky enough to see it calving. It sounded like a cannon when the massive bergs hit the water and sent tons of water spraying high into the air. Margerie...

Jun 13, 2015 - Onboard Celebrity Millenium to Hubbard Glacier

Saturday, June 13, 2015 Onboard Celebrity Millenium to Hubbard Glacier TRAVEL QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It is good to have an end to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters in the end." - U.K. LeGuin Whoa, I slept hard! Woke at 8:00 and it was still hard to get going. Watched the cruise director's tv show - that's the first real TV I've seen in a month!! Went up to breakfast in the Oceanview Buffet. Busy but we got a table for 2; I got eggs benedict - my standard cruising breakfast - I love them! Art got his usual cereal, bacon and...

Aug 7, 2014 - Glacier National Park

AUGUST 07 Glacier Bay My two major goals for this trip were dogsledding and visiting Glacier Bay. As it turned out, Dogsledding was a bust. My thoughts now turned to Glacier Bay. Glacier Bay National Park consists of 3.3 million acres of mountains, glaciers, rainforests, and fjords. It’s part of a 25-million acre World Heritage Site and is one of the world’s largest internationally protected areas. The ice in the bay is melting at an alarming rate. In 1794, when Glacier Bay was first surveyed, the entire bay was filled with a glacier that...

Aug 4, 2014 - At Sea

As I write this on the promenade deck of theNCL Pearl. When I was young and or a car ride, I got carsick. When I flew on a plane, I got airsick. All my life when I was on a boat, I got seasick. After my stroke, I frequently dizzy. So, it should come as no surprise that I would seasick on the cruise. Once I discovered was that I cannot read or write on a moving vessel. But if I can write Journal during the cruise, I would soon forget the details events that occurred. That would prevent me from writing about it. How would I saw solve this...

Jul 11, 2014 - Glacier Bay National Park (from the boat)

Today the ship sailed into Glacier Bay National Park. Along the way, we picked up a park ranger who came on board to be our guide through this beautiful area. She brought a park stamp with her, so Betty was able to get an unexpected addition to her National Park Passport book. Up until a few thousand years ago, glaciers regularly grew and retreated throughout North America and then finally receded almost completely. But, just a few hundred years ago, there was what was known as the "Little Ice Age" and Glacier Bay was formed. Around 1750,...

Jul 30, 2013 - Glacier Bay, Southbound

Today, we went back to Glacier Bay again. What a total difference from last Friday when we were here going northbound and it was cloudy that day. Today was clear, blue sky and I was actually out on deck in my shirt sleeves. That was a first in Glacier Bay, to not need a jacket. It was beautiful! Most of the day is spent cruising into Glacier Bay and listening to the Park Ranger’s narration along the way. We saw some sea lions on an iceberg right by Marjorie Glacier, the most prominent glacier that we look at. We spent about an hour there,...

Jul 29, 2013 - Sea Day, Southbound between Seward AK & Glacier Bay

Today, we are having a very lazy day relaxing and taking it easy. We have not seen another ship since Glacier Bay, 3 days ago. I thought maybe another cruise ship would be in Seward yesterday, but it was only us. Nice, as it was not crowded in port. I did see a cargo ship way off on the horizon a little while ago, but other than that, just us. I'm including a picture of the elevator carpet showing the day of the week. Believe me, after a few days, you forget what day it is, so this is very handy. Kasey decided to try the HAL Kids Club...

Jul 26, 2013 - Glacier Bay AK, Northbound

Today we saw Glacier Bay. There are no port stops here. Just a nice cruising day with National Park Rangers on-board giving talks and narrating as we go along. We picked up the pilot about 7:30 am this morning, and just now at 6:30 pm, dropped him/her off. We've seen several humpback whales from a distance, but nothing very close. I saw a couple of puffins awhile ago, but they are so small looking when in the big ocean! I like seeing them, they are really cute. Dad and Kasey spent most of the day together, so that Mom and I could spend...

Jul 16, 2013 - Glacier Bay

Monday, July 15, 2013 - Weather was overcast, moderate breeze - 57 degrees. Monday was a day of rest for us. After a week of land touring, being up at 6 a.m. or earlier, catching a train or bus with luggage in tow, we welcomed a day at sea, roaming the ship, getting familiar with what would be our "home" for the next week and just chilling out, enjoying the views from our balcony. This was our first cruise with the Holland America Cruise Line, so we were excited to learn about the cruise line and the ship, Zaandam, and how it differed from...

Jul 15, 2013 - Glacier Bay, Alaska

Today we are still at sea, cruising through the waters of Glacier Bay. The ship picked up some park Rangers from Glacier Bay National Park (by boat, of course) who came aboard to relay information about the park, the tidewater glaciers and the wildlife. While in the park, we cruised by Johns Hopkins Glacier, the Lamplugh Glacier, the Grand Pacific Glacier and the Margerie Glacier among the numerous other glaciers. The ship cruised within 1,000 feet of Margerie. The ship held fast for about 30 minutes so the port side passengers could get a...

Jun 6, 2013 - Glacier Bay

In the morning we sailed through Icy Strait and entered Bartlett Cove which begins Glacier Bay National Park. We sailed northwest up the Bay to the extreme northern end. There we sat still in the water just off the face of Margerie Glacier for more than an hour while the ship was slowly rotated in place so everyone could have a good view. This also gave us a clear view of Grand Pacific Glacier, one of the largest in Glacier Bay. It has a different appearance because it's face is "dirty" from all the debris picked up during a long trip over...

Jun 4, 2013 - Fancy Some ice with your drink?

Boarded the Zaandam about 6pm Sunday went to our cabin unpacked then up for tea. Had finished eating and was having a cup of tea when alarms were going off and a voice was informing all passengers to report to their life boats on deck 3. Many people ignored it, we didn't. There was a roll call and we were made to stand in the cold until everyone came down. The Captain said the ship will not sail and no one will move until all are here. We eventually got under way had a bit of a lumpy night and spent the next day getting lost on board....