Inspirational Thoughts: Alaska Cruises in the Summer

Day 5 (May 31, 2023) was the day that we were looking forward to… Glacier Bay Day! Koningsdam started entering Glacier Bay around 6 am and left there in the afternoon. The night before, we received some brochures about Glacier Bay. Glaciers fed by heavy snow extend to the sea and clave icebergs from their face. Just 250 years ago, Glacier Bay was all glacier and no bay. By 1750 the glacier reached its maximum, jutting into Icy Strait. Today the glacier becomes much smaller due to climate change😨

Let’s get ready to enter into the beautiful and mysterious Glacier Bay National Park.

The highlights were Johns Hopkins Glacier and Margerie Glacier, see red boxes for their location on the map. We would be seeing Johns Hopkins Glacier around 9:15 am and then Margerie Glacier around 11:15 am.

I suspected this was approaching to Johns Hopkins Glacier? Anyone knows?

The indoor pool area was converted into a morning market! Many people shopped around.

Besides the glaciers, there was a chance to see wild animals such as humpback whales, orcas and sea otters. For those who didn’t bring binoculars, they were available for purchase on the cruise.

Of course many passengers were quite experienced and brought their own binoculars. Most of the window seats were occupied already.

Our super star of the day was🌟Margerie Glacier🌟and we wouldn’t see it until after 11 am. Let’s go to Lido Market for breakfast first.

One thing I like about Koningsdam is the facility of automatic handwasher and sanitizer which can be found easily in Lido Market. I always used it before I started eating.

Although it was breakfast time, I still liked to check out the desserts first. My favourites are cappuccino mousse and fresh fruit tart. How about you?

Here’s my breakfast including cappuccino mousse and fresh fruit tart 😊

Forgot how long we stayed in Lido Market. We ate and walked around until we saw our super star 🌟Margerie Glacier!!!

According to Wikipedia, Margerie Glacier is a 34 km long tidewater glacier in Glacier Bay, Alaska within the boundaries of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Margerie Glacier is one of the most active and frequently-visited glaciers in Glacier Bay, which was declared a National Monument in 1925, a National Park and Preserve in 1980, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 1986 and a World Heritage Site in 1992. While most of the tidewater glaciers in the park have been receding over the last several decades, Margerie Glacier has become stable, neither growing nor receding, while Johns Hopkins Glacier is advancing.

I wish the size of Margerie Glacier will be stable although I doubt it 😐 I am happy to read that Johns Hopkins Glacier is advancing. But it doesn’t mean we don’t need to do anything to protect the glaciers from receding. Climate change or global warming 🔥 is one of the issues.

Did you notice the water has two colours?

The colour difference is caused by the content of the water. The blue one is salt water while the muddy one is freshwater. Very interesting!

Holland America provided a sheet with Glacier Bay Rangers’ Top 10 Questions in which I would like to share some of them here 😊

Why Does the ice look blue?

When lights hit highly compacted glacier ice, long wavelength colours (reds) are absorbed, while short wavelength colours (blues) reflect back through the ice to your eyes.

Does the bay freeze in the winter?

No, the combination of wind, tidal fluctuation, and moderate maritime temperatures keep the bay from freezing over.

How high is the face of Margerie Glacier?

The face of Margerie Glacier is constantly changing. Recently, Margerie Glacier was documented as one mile side, with a face that is about 200 feet above the waterline.

How deep is Glacier Bay?

Very deep! It was carved out by a glacier and filled in with saltwater as the glacier retreated, creating a fjord. Much of the bay is over 1000 feet deep (304m).

Is climate change affecting Glacier Bay’s glaciers❓

Scientists who observe Earth’s climate have documented warming temperature globally. Decades of data show that Alaska has warmed more than twice as fast as the rest of the earth, causing dramatic changes across the state. Of the more than 100,000 glaciers in the state, 95% are currently thinning, stagnating or retreating. More importantly, the rate of thinning is increasing. Glacier Bay’s glaciers follow this trend 😱

If this trend continues, there will be no glacier to see after decades😓

We had to catch the most spectacular moment of Margerie Glacier as we don’t know how much it will be retreated next time we come (if we have a chance to visit again).

More photos of super star 🌟Margerie Glacier🌟 from my friend.

Glacier Day was the only day that we had access to the bow on deck 5. There were signs for the direction that we could follow à

Do you know how we felt when we were walking through the corridor on deck 5?

It was very chilly 🧊 I felt like I was walking in a fridge ⛄ Unless you are looking forward to enjoying the freezing cold on Glacier Day, it is not recommended to choose forward cabins on deck 5 in Koningsdam.

Two crew members were standing near the bow entrance and greeted us with a big smile although they were freezing ❄ (快要變雪條🍧)

Finally stepped on the front of the ship!!!

You may think I was posing for a photo. Nope … it was just way too windy that I needed to hold my hat as I was worry it would blow away.

We left Glacier Bay around 1:30pm. Maximum of two cruise ships are allowed to visit Glacier Bay each day. But I think one per day should be enough since I don’t want the Glaciers to be disturbed too often.

Surprisingly the weather changed to a beautiful day once our ship left Glacier Bay!

3 pm afternoon tea 🍵was served. The real pastries didn’t match with its photo, that was a little bit disappointed. Well, better than nothing. Not all cruise lines have afternoon tea served. So far I know Holland America, Princess and Cunard offer afternoon tea.

I would love to see the afternoon tea in Cunard since it is a British company. Will it be more authentic?

After tea time, we sat at our favourite spot on deck 10.

Wow! We saw rainbow🌈 What a miracle!

Rainbow on an ocean 🌈🌊I don’t know if I will be able to see it again on a cruise in the future. What a precious moment ✨

Without coat and pants (only dress and pantyhose), we ran out and took photos in the cold before the rainbow completely vanished.

Once the rainbow was gone, we walked around indoor to look for next activity such as ballroom dance 💃 I should call this senior dance. Of course we only watched and didn’t join (we are underage for that 😂😂😂)