Park rangers from Bartlett Cove boarded the Eurodam and gave us a narrated tour of Glacier Bay.
Our family took a 7-Day Alaskan Explorer Cruise aboard Holland America's Eurodam.
One of the highlights of our trip was a guided tour through Glacier Bay National Park.
Glacier Bay is a majestic place that must be experienced. Nevertheless, here are some viewing tips and photos from our tour on the Eurodam:
Enjoy breakfast - The Eurodam entered Glacier Bay at around 7:00 a.m., but our guided sightseeing tour didn't begin until around 8:30 a.m.
Know where you are - A free map of Glacier Bay helped us orient ourselves so we could find the best viewing spots for each landmark.
Go on deck - You'll need to move around deck to get the best views of wildlife and tidewater glaciers. Staying indoors puts you at the mercy of the ship.
Avoid crowds - Decks 3 and 10 offer fantastic views without crowds; meanwhile, Decks 4 and 11 were distractingly crowded.
Be alert - The ship passes small landmarks quickly.
Bring binoculars - Glacier Bay is amazing to the naked eye, but it's downright spectacular through a pair of good binoculars (or a telephoto lens).
Our Tour of Glacier Bay National Park
At 7:00 a.m., a team of park rangers and a cultural interpreter from the Huna Tlingit tribe boarded our cruise ship (while it was in motion!). These members of the National Park Service introduced themselves in the Crow's Nest at 7:30 a.m.
For the rest of the day, they would narrate our scenic cruise of Glacier Bay National Park.
At 8:00 a.m., it was hard to tell what was water, clouds or fog as we cruised through Glacier Bay National Park. We saw an island appear, then disappear like it never existed.
The Eurodam passed Gloomy Knob (on the right side of the ship) at around 9:00 a.m. We spotted white mountain goats napping on the rocky cliffs.
Dutch pea soup was served on deck at 10:00 a.m. This is a Holland America tradition.
We didn't see any bears on the coast, but we did notice the aftermath of rock slides.
The Eurodam passed by Reid Glacier with little fanfare. (Click to enlarge.)
We arrived between the Margerie Glacier and the Grand Pacific Glacier at around 11:15 a.m., turning in circles so the view was constantly changing.
The Margerie Glacier creaked and groaned under the pressure of its own weight. (Click to enlarge.)
The carving power of the glaciers was obvious within the faces of the mountains.
The Eurodam passed the Lamplugh Glacier at around 1:15 p.m. The highly-compacted ice looks blue because it traps the red wavelength of light. (Click to enlarge.)
By 1:30 p.m., we saw the Johns Hopkins Glacier from Jaw Point. It was massive, dwarfing the cruise ship at the center of this photo. (Click to enlarge.)
South Marble Island was briefly visible at 4 p.m. (on the left side of the ship). Here, we spotted sea lions and puffins along its coast.
At 4:30 p.m., we went to Muster Station 12 to watch a National Park Service vessel stage a controlled collision into the Eurodam. The park rangers who had narrated our tour jumped onto the smaller boat.
