Glacier Bay Highlights - Ports & Places

Overview | Rates & Dates | Deck Plan | Ports & Places

Icy Strait - Enjoy the scenery in Icy Strait: Icy Strait is a body of water in Southeast Alaska that is located between Chichagof Island and the mainland, and extends 40 miles northwest from Chatham Strait to Glacier Bay and Cross Sound. Icy Strait’s nutrient-rich waters are abundant with marine mammals, sea birds and the scenery is spectacular.

Glacier Bay National Park - Keep your camera poised as we search for wildlife in Glacier Bay: Glacier Bay Park and Preserve is reportedly the most sought after park to visit in the United States and it is no wonder. Where else will you find a 25 mile-long river of ice still carving the land just as it has for the past several thousand years? When Captain Cook and George Vancouver sailed by in 1879, they saw a 20-mile wide glacier where today the entrance of the park lies, as well the wilderness lodge and park headquarters. Over the past 200 years, this wall of ice has retreated an astonishing 65 miles north, splintering into a vast number of tributaries spaced throughout the entire park. Each glacier has its own name and character; our captain will decide which to visit for the day depending on ice conditions and wildlife sightings. Visiting Glacier Bay Park is also like visiting a wildlife park. Here bears, goats, moose, whales, sea otters, and all the creatures of the water and forest flourish, completely protected from man. A National Park Interpreter will join us on this day for our entire journey. He or she will explain the park's geology, glaciology, wildlife, and its deep roots in Tlingit culture, bringing the park alive on a level that will keep you engaged the entire time we are there.


Haines - Watch bald eagles dive for salmon near Haines: As we cruise our way up to the towns of Skagway and Haines, we will be within one of the largest fjords in the world, Lynn Canal. Lynn Canal stretches many miles and provides a very dramatic backdrop that makes it appear as if we are taking our ship through the Swiss Alps. It is not uncommon to see whales or Steller's sea lions in this stretch of water. We will also pass the Eldred Rock Lighthouse, a lonely sentinel surrounded by jagged peaks of snow, rock, ice, and green-silted waters, and one of the most scenic lighthouses anywhere. This stretch of Lynn Canal, including Haines and Skagway, provides some of the most intense scenic beauty, wildlife sightings, and human history Alaska can offer. When we finally see Haines, it will be at the base of the mighty Chilkat mountain range, with glaciers seemingly flowing down to the edge of town. The setting in Haines is breathtaking. Cruise West’s founder, Chuck West, was so taken with Haines’ beauty and tranquility that he owned a family cabin here. This sleepy little village is dominated by Fort Seward and its colonial structures at the center of town. In 1993, Haines was used to film Jack London’s "White Fang." This small town is quiet and sincere, and its residents make their living by fishing and guiding local visitors by horse, raft, and nature walks. Haines is and has been a Tlingit clan site. Haines provides a very real look at small town life in Alaska. During the winter, up to 4,000 bald eagles congregate in just a few square miles to snatch spawning salmon from the Chilkat River. This spectacle attracts wildlife enthusiasts from around the world, for this happens nowhere else but Haines, Alaska!

Lynn Canal - Follow the gold prospectors of old through scenic Lynn Canal: Lynn Canal is a spectacular fjord in Southeast Alaska, 90 miles long and 7 to 12 miles wide. Its southern border connects with Chatham Strait and Stephens Passage and carves north between majestic mountains into the inlets of the Chilkoot and Chilkat Rivers. This navigable passageway connects Skagway, Haines, and Juneau, Alaska, and was the last leg of the voyage north to the gold fields in 1896. Lynn Canal remains an important water transportation highway within northern Southeast Alaska, with stunning scenery of jade-green water lined with jagged mountain peaks topped by icy blue hanging glaciers.


Skagway, Alaska - Step back in time to the Gold Rush days of Skagway: As you sail into Skagway, you are immediately transported back to 1898. You gaze from the bow of the ship and can just imagine the bustling streets teeming with Stampeders buying last-minute supplies from the multitude of false-fronted businesses that line the boardwalk. In 1898, Skagway was a destination hot spot for over 20,000 men and women with dreams of hiking either the Chilkoot Trail or White Pass to reach their final destination, the gold fields of the Klondike. Today, Skagway is again a preferred destination, popular with history buffs wanting to explore parts of the Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park, one of the longest in the world, encompassing the whole Inside Passage from Pioneer Square in Seattle all the way to Dawson City in the Yukon Territory. Skagway is also a hit with train enthusiasts who dream of riding the narrow gauge rails of the White Pass & Yukon Route railroad, an International Historical Civil Engineering Landmark, built in 1898 and completed 110 miles later in 1900.

Juneau - Visit the most beautiful capital in the U.S.: Although Juneau is the state capital of Alaska, it seems to be situated in the middle of nowhere. Juneau is only reachable by plane or boat. This small, isolated city must be the most picturesque state capital in North America, with mountains and waterfalls visible right behind downtown and the Capitol building. Only a few minutes walk from the Capitol building and you are in the woods on a mountain slope. Bears have been spotted in downtown Juneau at night--note that all the downtown garbage receptacles are “bear proof.” There is much excitement in Juneau as it is the hub for state politics, cruise ships, and still has the taste of an old mining frontier town. This allows a number of services to exist in Juneau like no other town you will visit. Kayaking, hiking, nature walks, salmon bakes, and flightseeing combined with ice climbing, glacier trekking, dog mushing, and bear viewing are just some of the things you can explore. Or perhaps you would like time on your own to visit one of the many museums, cafes, and bookshops downtown. If you want to get away from it all, the tram up Mt. Robert's will whisk you out of town to the mountain tops. There is so much to do in this small city in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness.