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Glacier Bay

Discover Glacier Bay National Park and the surrounding areas

Quick Details

  • Duration: 8 & 10 Days
  • Ship: M/V Westward and M/V Catalyst
  • Location: Juneau, Alaska, USA
  • Capacity: Westward - 8; Catalyst – 11
  • Season: May - July
  • Excursions: Included
  • Food and Drink: Included

♦ See pre-trip planning and forms here

MV Westward
Cabin 1 - private, below deck, forward Starting at:
$8,500
Cabin 2 - private, below deck, forward Starting at:
$8,500
Cabin 3: private, below deck, aft Starting at:
$8,500
Cabin 4: private, below deck, aft Starting at:
$8,500
MV Catalyst
Cabin 1: private, main deck, off Salon Starting at:
$8,000
Cabin 2: private, below deck Starting at:
$7,750
Cabin 3: private, below deck Starting at:
$7,750
Cabin 4: single occupancy, shared shower/head, below deck
$7,750
Cabin 5: large cabin, shared shower/head, below deck Starting at:
$7,500
Cabin 6: private, upper deck, behind wheel house Starting at:
$8,000
Pricing Per Person; Deposit 20% of Total Booking Price List prices valid through September 2024

Explore Glacier Bay National Park’s Glaciers and Wildlife

This exploration of Glacier Bay National Park will allow you to enjoy all the beauty this National Park offers. You will observe sea otters, mountain goats, humpback whales, sea lions, puffins and grey wolves. We will visit several tidewater glaciers and kayak up streams and along meadows where we may see foraging bears.

We ask for a deposit of 20% of total booking price to reserve your cabin. The balance is due 90 days before the cruise begins; see Terms & Conditions for details. Itineraries are dependent on weather and tides and may change at the captain’s discretion.

Cruises Include:

  • Equipment needed for excursions (see Equipment list for what to bring)
  • All park and permit fees
  • Gourmet food cooked fresh from locally sourced ingredients
  • Breakfast, Lunch and three-course Dinners with wine pairings
  • Boat Drinks, Sodas, Beer, Wine
  • Snacks

Cruises do not Include:

  • Airfare
  • Hotel
  • Tips and Gratuities

Itinerary

Day 1

We depart from Juneau’s Auke Bay Marina at 12:30 pm. As we round Point Retreat, we begin to leave the symptoms of civilization in our wake. Soon high rises, power lines and cruise ships are far behind us and glaciers, orcas, humpbacks and rafts of seabirds are in front of us. Our first night’s anchorage is in a quiet harbor outside the borders of Glacier Bay National Park. Here we will launch kayaks and take our first paddle in the wilderness.

Day 2 and following

We will travel through the bays and inlets of Glacier Bay National park, stopping at beautiful anchorages for the night after observing wild life and possibly a calving glacier or two. Hiking or kayaking, accompanied by the on-board naturalist, we will learn about the fauna and flora of the area. Each trip varies depending on the weather and duration; some highlights include:

Bartlett Cove/Fingers Bay: We stop near the Park entrance to hike the Bartlett Cove nature trail. After returning to the boat, we cast off and head further into the bay. At Fingers Bay, we may see bears rooting for fresh food upon the beach and a myriad of sea birds that have flocked to the rich waterways of the park.

Reid Glacier: This glacier has recently grounded out and provides an opportunity to walk right up to its face. The discovery of the day might be that ice worms are real! We will also walk at the entrance of the inlet and look for remnants of a small mining claim, worked by the Ibach family, during the early 1900s.

Grand Pacific and Marjorie Glaciers: For some, the highlight may be the visit to Grand Pacific and Marjorie Glaciers, or it could be the otters that we may see as we explore John Hopkins Inlet; or, it may just be the particular shade of blue that the sky takes on after the sun sets late in the evening. In any case, it promises to be a day of superlatives. Kittiwakes nest along the side of the glaciers, while eagles come to rest upon the icebergs. Listen to the glacier cracking and watch it calving into the sea with an enormous splash.

Wildlife: Watch for mountain goats feeding and sunning themselves on rocky ledges as we sail by, looking for Steller sea lions who haul out on small islands. These islands also host a gathering of puffins. Glacier Bay boasts a large array of quiet coves and bays, each of which plays host to a stunning variety of plants and animals. Humpback whales will come into view in some of the richest fishing grounds in SE Alaska.

Day 8/10

We are up early to make sure we get everyone to Juneau in time to make their connections to the outside, or to take advantage of the many attractions in the Juneau area. We will be at our mooring by noon.

 

Additional Information

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