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- Glacier Viewing on the 26 Glacier Cruise
- GLACIER CRUISE
- glacier cruise in Whittier before/after your Princess cruise ship and/or Anchorage train 🏔 Alaska cruise travel blog
- #3 – Take the Alaska Railroad and 26 glaciers cruise combo
- Does the boat have restrooms?
The 26 glacier tour starts at the small boat harbor right next to the cruise ship! Philips Cruises also offers a shorter version of this tour, called the Glacier Quest which is just under four hours if you’re looking for a shorter experience. You will still see lots of glaciers on the shorter tour, but not as many as the longer 26 glaciers cruise. A frigid wind blows into our faces as the boat nudges slowly through the ice-laden water.
Glaciers - Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve (U.S - National Park Service
Glaciers - Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve (U.S.
Posted: Mon, 29 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
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And, like the 26 Glaciers Cruise, there is a no-seasickness guarantee, so you can focus on all the wonders around you. The tour operator offers a 'no seasickness guarantee.' Dress warmly in layers with a wind- and waterproof outer layer; bring gloves, a scarf and a warm hat. This tour is available only to guests whose cruise does not begin or end in Whittier. Northbound cruise ship routes include College Fjord, but this tour allows a closer view of the glaciers and wildlife.
DAY RAIL & CRUISE PACKAGE
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Everyone has assigned seats at tables on board the ship, which is nice for keeping things organized throughout the day. Once you arrive at your table, you can pull off a few layers and settle in for the day’s adventure without worrying if someone will take your spot. In 2024, the company will operate four high-speed catamarans on the calm waters of Prince William Sound.
Glacier Viewing on the 26 Glacier Cruise
Vegetarian/gluten free and child lunch options available when requested in advance. Additional snacks, hot and cold drinks, and adult beverages are available for purchase. Guests cruise aboard either the M/V Klondike Express or M/V Bravest. Both are modern, high-speed catamarans with two indoor cabin decks, large picture windows, and outdoor viewing areas. All passengers are assigned indoor cabin seats around tables with USB ports.
GLACIER CRUISE
Cruise ships spend much of their time sailing past several of the park’s active tidewater glaciers — the kind of glacier that breaks off massive icebergs that plunge into the sea. Your cruise starts in Whittier and takes you deep into Prince William Sound. You will get face to face with 26 “named” glaciers and many more unnamed. Keep your eyes open for bald eagles, sea otters and even humpback whales on this cruise. Custom narration by a Chugach National Forest Service Ranger makes sure you learn everything about this spectacular region.
glacier cruise in Whittier before/after your Princess cruise ship and/or Anchorage train 🏔 Alaska cruise travel blog
Anchorage is the state's largest city and a gateway to the rest of the state. Denali National Park takes you out of the city altogether, into a wilderness full of spruce forests and snow-capped mountain peaks. Many of our Alaska glacier cruises depart from Vancouver or Seattle, so you can get in your dose of urban exploration before you explore the icy wilderness. Other times, you might prefer to take advantage of the thrilling adventures an area has to offer. With an Alaska glaciers holiday, you can do both at the same time. These tours are highly recommended, as the smaller excursion boats can get much closer at Sawyer Glacier, and calving can be more easily seen.
#3 – Take the Alaska Railroad and 26 glaciers cruise combo
Since Hubbard Glacier is advancing quickly, its movement results in plenty of calving. Cruise guests watch in awe as huge multi-story chunks of ice fall into the sea with a thunderous boom. Some have reported seeing this happen three to four times in an hour.
Does the boat have restrooms?
The most important thing to bring on this tour is layers for every imaginable kind of weather! The best glacier viewing experience always happens when you’re outside on deck so make sure you have the clothes to enjoy spending time on deck (even if it’s raining). 5.5 hours is a nice amount of time to explore Prince William Sound, which is a huge waterway off the coast of Southcentral Alaska.
I also recommend a warm layer (even on a sunny warm day) as well as a hat. Umbrellas are not super helpful on boats because the boat creates wind as it travels across the water. Overall, if wildlife is your primary focus I would choose a different tour, but you can still expect to see some wildlife on this trip. There are wheelchair accessible restrooms on board and ramps for embarkation and disembarkation. The second level of the boat is not wheelchair accessible (no elevator and steep stairs) but there is no need to go to the second level, the main level is just as good of an experience. This was my first experience using a travel agency, and what a fantastic decision.
I lived for 15 years in Alaska, as well as four years each in California and Washington. I share travel resources and stories based on my personal experience and knowledge. The Complete Whittier City Guide gives you all the info you need to plan your time in Whittier, in one convenient place. Our trip on the 26 Glacier Cruise was sponsored by Phillips Cruises & Tours. In this post, I promote travel to a destination that is the traditional lands of the Alutiiq (Sugpiaq) and Dënéndeh peoples.
But really, you don’t need to see 26 glaciers in order for the tour to be worth it. And once again you should keep in mind that glaciers also do their own thing and there’s also no guarantee that chunks of ice will fall off when you are there. A cruise ship that goes to “Anchorage” actually goes to Whittier. Overall I believe this to be the best glacier experience in Alaska that’s accessible to pretty much everyone, as long as they are spending at least a full day in Anchorage. This tour is fantastic even in rainy weather (I’ve been on it in VERY rainy weather so trust me on this).
On the way to Harvard Glacier, the Captain will plot a path through the ice-filled waters up to the front of the glacier to get an up-close view while watching for massive chunks of ice calve into the sea. In addition to all these choices, additional glacier viewing options exist for travelers seeking the best Alaska glacier cruise. Some cruise lines include Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier on their Alaska cruise itineraries. It’s also possible to spot bears, moose, mountain goats, and deer on land. Interpretive park rangers come onboard each cruise ship while vessels are in Glacier Bay National Park, and they often point out wildlife and other interesting sights during their talks.
Call us or send an email if you are currently in a different time zone. During the season, from May to September, we are here seven days a week. There's nothing quite like experiencing a glacier from the inside.
The 26 glacier day cruise tour operated by the tour company Phillips cruises does the cruise so you can make cruise ship timings and train timings. Although this tour is focused on glaciers and not on wildlife, I have seen wildlife every time I’ve done it. You are very likely to see sea otters, seals, sea lions and many different shore birds. On my recent tour we saw a humpback whale which was incredible! The 26 Glaciers cruise in Whittier is the best glacier experience you can have in Alaska and one of the best tours overall.
