There is really no place to go at that time of day other than the buffet, so we ensconced ourselves there and started drinking coffee. In my case it’s decaf, but after 4 cups of that without food I had to switch to hot water and lemon. Too much of even good coffee is too much. G went up to what used to be called the Crows Nest, and is now called the Explorations Lounge, the large lounge at the front of the ship on Deck 11. There are several comfy leather chairs and ottomans stretched across the front of the ship, with floor to ceiling views. He thought that might be an option for us as we approached Glacier Bay National Park, but they were staked out well before 6am. He returned to me in the buffet, and it worked out perfectly in the end. We alternated spending time eating breakfast and stepping out to the SeaView Terrace to take photos. By the time we were closing in on the glaciers, about 9:30pm, we moved outside permanently.
Entering Glacier Bay National Park
We were so fortunate that the day that started out overcast offered blue skies and sunshine by the time we reached the glaciers. It was the warmest day we’ve ever experienced in Glacier Bay National Park too, and we were comfortable wearing only fleeces. For today, at least, the jackets, hats and gloves we’d brought from home stayed in the cabin.
The Nieuw Amsterdam picked up the rangers from the National Park office and most of the commentary over the ship’s PA system was done by Ranger Matt. He was fantastic, and, of course, talked about the geology, history and geography of the park. There was also a Tlingit cultural ambassador who spoke about the importance of this area (they call it Homeland) to the four tribes who lived there.
Before we had cruised very far into the park, we spotted the first killer whale on our side of the ship. He entertained us with a dive, a tail flick and a spout. So exciting. We saw so many sea lions today that we lost count, two bears on the shoreline and one bald eagle. It was a good day for wildlife sighting.
Whale sighting!
But, of course, the stars of today’s show are the glaciers themselves. It’s been nine years since we were last in Glacier Bay National Park, but the names of the major glaciers were immediately familiar. Lamplugh, Topeka, Johns Hopkins, Grand Pacific and the whitest, prettiest one of all, Marjerie Glacier. I didn’t personally witness any calving, but I heard it twice, at Lamblugh and Marjerie, that unmistakable creaking and groaning followed by a splash.
Lamplugh glacier
The silted, freshwater glacier melt meets the tidewater
Johns Hopkins glacier
Topeka glacier
Marjerie glacier up close
Marjerie glacier
Grand Pacific glacier
You can’t tell from this close, but as we cruised away, the river of ice stretched for miles.
This glacier is very close to the Canadian border.
We stayed on the outside decks until the Nieuw Amsterdam completed its 180° turn at the end of Tarr Inlet and then went to the dining room for lunch. Our table for two was next to the aft windows, and we had a gorgeous view of the Grand Pacific and Marjerie glaciers as we sailed away. We’ve had days this pretty here before, but none this pretty AND this warm. We’ve also had days where there was fog so thick we didn’t even know where we were, followed by heavy, sleety rain. We were very lucky today.
I wasn’t the least bit hungry, all that coffee, I guess, not to mention the oatmeal, the bowl of sweet cherries and the cup of Dutch split pea soup I’d consumed on the open deck (that was a nice touch, a Holland Ametica tradition). But G wanted to go to lunch, and we certainly were seated at the perfect table from which to observe our retreat from the park. It was the same menu as our first sea day, and I again ordered the Southwest Quinoa bowl. I was way more tired than hungry.
And that is why we returned to the cabin and napped off and on all afternoon. The weather grew increasingly cloudy as we headed south, and by 4pm it was raining. It didn’t bode well for our stop at Icy Strait Point at 6pm. I did do some hand laundry and hung it up to dry. We left so many items at home that we usually take when we cruise for months at a time but I refused to leave the magnetic clothesline and inflatable hangers. And they have certainly come in handy. I will admit that I’ve only worn one day outfit, one dinner outfit and my formal (gala) night outfit since we’ve been on the ship. I use the shampoo to do hand laundry, hang it up and it’s dry within a couple of hours. When I asked G today if he thought anyone was noticing, he informed me that even he hadn’t noticed. Ah, married life after nearly 38 years is a magical thing, isn’t it?
Dinner in both the dining room and buffet began early tonight, at 5pm, due to our evening port stop. We dressed for the outside weather and went to the dining room at 5pm where I had two starters and called it a meal.
The rain stopped by the time we walked off the ship shortly after 6pm, having no idea what to expect from Icy Strait Point. Well, it was Alaska in a nutshell. There were a few adventure activities (most notably a very long zip line) and a walk along the waterfront led to an old cannery, but we were drawn to a large fire pit that was blazing, and further drawn to the Duck Point Restaurant and Bar, right next to the pier. The fire pit there was gas, located right on the rocky beach…and there was WiFi! Slow, very slow, but fast enough to allow a few hundred emails to download on my phone, and for G to check the security cams at home (thank you, Linda, for watering the pot of flowers on the front porch).
It was very slow going, but I was able to upload the blog posts I’d prepared to date, and then uploaded my first pass at today’s post with the Glacier Bay National Park photos, but that was a truly dangerous thing to do, because I hadn’t even looked at what I had typed and later discovered it was rife with errors. I’ve mentioned in the past that, when I prepare blog posts on my iPhone, I use Slide to Type, which is fast, like writing in cursive, but full of opportunities for disaster. I know it’s bad when I go back to re-read my posts and even I can’t make out what I was trying to say. So, yeah, it is a lot like my cursive writing.
We drank beers and sat by that fire pit as it started to grow dark, and, well, Icy Strait Point turned out to be the sleeper hit of the cruise. I’ve decided I love Alaska cruises so much because they remind me of all the family camping we did during my childhood. Beautiful forests, hikes, waterfalls, sitting around a campfire at night interneting…well, maybe it’s not exactly the same.
We were among the last passengers to re-board the ship at 9:30pm. The buffet was open late tonight, and we went up there for something hot to drink, and possibly a dessert or two. Once again, we didn’t get to see or hear any entertainment on the ship tonight, but felt thoroughly entertained by our stop in Icy Strait Point.
Day 4 When and Where
