The Ultimate Guide to Cruising Glacier Bay National Park

SHOP SCENIC CRUISING ESSENTIALS

As promised, I’m back again this week with another post from the 7-day Alaskan cruise adventure Cole and I took with Princess Cruises earlier this September. I’ve been taking you chronologically through each of the stops on our cruise, starting with Juneau (our Monday stop) and then Skagway (our Tuesday stop), so I wanted to dedicate today’s post to what was definitely one of our favorite days of the cruise:  our day of scenic cruising through Glacier Bay National Park.

Click through to get the full scoop on our mid-week scenic adventure through Glacier Bay National Park and read my 8 tips on how to make it a day you’ll never forget!

1. Book an Alaskan Cruise With a Day at Glacier Bay National Park Included

When you go to book your Alaskan cruise, you’ll notice several itinerary options on cruise length, ports and scenic cruising options. Both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm Fjord are popular scenic cruise options, and although I’ll admit to being a little bit bias, I did do my research and based on our experience and reviews I read, I definitely recommend the option for Glacier Bay National Park if it’s your first Alaskan Cruise experience. The full-day experience will take you through some of the most majestic sights that will truly make your experience unforgettable. One of those marvels is the Margerie Glacier, where you will get to see the stunning wall of ice calve, which is where a huge chunk of ice.

2. Book a Room With a Balcony

It’s true that booking a room with a balcony will cost you extra money, and on many cruises destinations, it may not be necessary or worth the extra money, but on an Alaskan cruise, it is absolutely worth every penny. The balcony staterooms onboard Princess Cruise Line offer up spacious balconies, complete with tables and chairs so you can sit and enjoy your coffee or breakfast as you take in the sights. Cole and I literally sat on our balcony staring for hours as we journeyed through Glacier Bay, without even realizing how much time had passed. It was so nice getting to take in the sights from the peace and comfort of our own private space. I even got to do a few instagram live stories and Facetime my mom and dad to share the magic!

3. Set An Alarm For Before The Sun Rises

As your ship voyages towards Glacier Bay National Park, the scenery will continually become more and more beautiful, and that starts even before the sun rises, so be sure to set your alarm clock (which you must pack…more on what to pack in a later post!) Cole and I were up around 6:00am so we could get all of our necessities ready (GoPro, camera, etc.) to take in all of the stunning sights to come.

4. Book an Ultimate Balcony Breakfast

Princess Cruise Line offers up an Ultimate Balcony Breakfast, which we were able to enjoy on our day of scenic cruising through Glacier Bay and I HIGHLY recommend for your Alaskan Cruise. The Ultimate Balcony Breakfast is a delicious multi-course breakfast, complete with champagne for mimosas, that’s delivered right to your door at whatever time is most convenient for you. The day that you’ll be scenic cruising is the perfect one to schedule this dining experience for! Whether you do an early morning option or a mid-morning brunch time, you’ll love being able to eat an incredibly delicious breakfast from your balcony as you take in the majestic beauty of Alaska!

5. Come Prepared With Necessities To Capture Every Beautiful Moment

The day of scenic cruising will definitely be one you’ll want to be fully prepared with camera, videos cameras and all of your best tech accessories. Here are the necessities I used for our ALaskan cruise, which especially came in handy on this day:

MY CAMERA: : Nikon D3300

MY LENS: Sigma 35mm F1.4 Lens for Nikon

IPHONE LENS: Moment Telephoto Lens

IPHONE LENS CASE: Moment Lens iPhone Case

GOPRO: Hero Session

GO PRO MOUNT: Jaws Flex Clamp Mount

BINOCULARS: Swavroski

6. Be on The Lookout for Beautiful Scenes Big and Small

There was so much to see and take in during our day at Glacier Bay, that it was easy to miss something if you weren’t all eyes for the entirety of the voyage. Of course it would be hard to miss the majesty of the stunning glaciers like the Margerie Glacier, but you have to be on the look out for the small beauties too. Cole and I got to see darling little sea otters  hopping on and off mini icebergs, just feet away from our boat, but they would have been so easy to miss! I was thankful Cole had brought his binoculars so we could see the wildlife up-close.

7. Listen to the Commentary

During your voyage through Glacier Bay, park rangers will board the ship and take over the speakers to share historical facts and information about the beautiful sights you’ll see. If you’re viewing from any of the ships decks, the commentary will be easy to hear, but if you view from your balcony, I definitely recommend turning your television on to the Princess channel where you can also hear the park rangers’ commentary.

8. Don’t Forget to Watch The Sunset

As I mentioned, your time at Glacier Bay can be from sun up to sun down. Cole and I even got to see a few humpback whales as the sun was setting and we left Glacier National Bay!

Stay tuned for more previews and tips from our Alaskan cruise with Princess cruises.

Fair-well xx,

**Thanks so much to Princess Cruises for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.