Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is a must for anyone’s bucket list. It is truly stunning. It is located along the south eastern Alaska coastline. The inside passage cruises usually spend a day sailing into, around and out of the bay.
We sailed into Glacier Bay on a rather rainy and windy morning in July aboard the Holland America Line ship, MS Noordam. It was a really cold morning so we rugged up with lots of layers. I was also up early to grab a great spot at the bow of the ship where I set up my tripod to capture the an amazing view of what was to follow.
The clouds slowly lifted while we sailed into the bay in the morning revealing the beautiful glaciers and snow lined mountains. Getting closer to Margerie Glacier, you start to realise the sheer size of this magnificent glacier. Most of the cruise ships spend time here allowing for plenty of photographs.
As we spent time at Margerie Glacier, the clouds started to lift further and blue sky started to appear. This gave a different, yet just as stunning perspective of the bay.
And then there was the wildlife. I’m sure this sea otter was playing up to the all the cameras. In addition to sea otters and seals there was an abundance of other wildlife including an amazing array of birds.
Finally, if the above isn’t enough to encourage you to add Glacier Bay to your bucket list, here are some final photos I hope will help.
Tips
- Have at least one spare memory card for your camera as you will take lots of photographs.
- Make sure you have extra camera batteries charged and ready to go because the cold will drain the batteries quickly.
- Rug up – we were there in summer and it was really cold!
If you are in Alaska, make sure you include a trip to Davidson Glacier.
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Well that’s just confirmed it, Alaskan cruise is definitely on the bucketlist! Can I just ask, did you have any problems with your camera in such cold conditions? In the tropics, especially keeping my gear inside in the air-conditioning, I’ve had problems with condensation when I’ve taken it out into the heat – literally have to wait until the camera reaches ambient temperature!
It was an amazing cruise Gabby. I have definitely had the same issues is hot climates. One the day we sailed into Glacier Bay, I made sure I was on deck early, firstly to get a good spot but also to let my camera gear get to the temperate it was outside. I kept extra batteries wrapped in my pockets to keep them warm but kept my extra lenses at the outside temperature so I didn’t get problems when I changed lenses.
Hi Lisa, Thanks so much for sharing this post. Aren’t glaciers amazing? I could sit and watch them calve all day long. Thanks for sharing your experience. One minor note. The animal in the photo is a Sea Otter, not a seal. Looks like you had lots of fun there !
Totally agree that glaciers are stunning Nancy. Oh and thanks for the correction! I had a seal photo ready to go and put the sea otter in as it was so cute!
Oh. That makes sense. Those sea otters are adorable.
Oh how magical!
I hae to admit, Alaska has not been even on my rader, but after reading your post Im pretty sure Alaska snuck in to the buceklist 😛
Cheers from Stockholm, Sweden 🙂
It is absolutely beautiful Ann. Well worth being on any bucket list.
I loved my time visiting Alaska and this makes me want to return. Love the photos in your post! What camera do you use to take them?
Thanks Heather. Alaska was absolutely stunning. On that trip I was using my Nikon D7100. Since then I’ve got myself a Nikon Z7 mirrorless.
Amazing photos. I’m currently researching a 7-day cruise to Alaska from Seattle, WA.
Thanks. You will love it! We sailed out of Vancouver.