4 best Glacier Bay National Park glaciers from a cruise ship! (September, October, May) Alaska cruise tips

Hi there!

Seeing the glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park is sure to be one of the highlights of your Alaska cruise!

I’ve been to Glacier Bay by cruise ship 7 times. So the last few times I cruised through Glacier Bay, I was quite proud to be able to recognize certain landmarks like Jaw Point! 😆

Below I’ll show you what Glacier Bay looked like when I went in May, September, and October! (I also have a video of what June was like.)

Glaciers are constantly changing! The literal definition of a glacier is that it’s ice that’s moving!

If you see Glacier Bay on your Alaska cruise itinerary, this is a “scenic cruising” day, meaning there is no port stop. It’s basically a sea day… with glacier viewing!

If you’re looking to do an Alaska cruise on a budget, I think you need to highly consider making sure that Glacier Bay National Park is on your cruise itinerary! Then, you won’t need to spend any extra money to see glaciers!

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Most Alaska cruise itineraries have at least one glacier sea day where you can have a chance to see a glacier for free from the cruise ship. When choosing an itinerary, you’ll want to specifically check to see what scenic cruising day is included.

Along with Glacier Bay, other scenic cruising glacier days that can be a part of your Alaska cruise itinerary include Hubbard Glacier, College Fjord, Endicott Arm, and Tracy Arm. See more about the best glaciers to see in Alaska.

But Glacier Bay is the best scenic cruising glacier day!

You have a chance to see the glaciers of Margerie, Lamplugh, Reid, and Johns Hopkins. These are glaciers that are truly a sight to see even from a cruise ship! (Pictures below!)

Margerie Glacier is the most well-known glacier, and it’s at this glacier that you have the best chance to see calving. That is, huge chunks of ice crashing into the water! If this happens, you will not only see it, but you will hear it too!

The major cruise lines that go to Glacier Bay National Park are Princess, Holland America, Norwegian (NCL), and Cunard.

These cruise lines offer cruises to Glacier Bay starting from Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Whittier AK, and Seward AK.

Not all cruises go to Glacier Bay, so be sure to look for a cruise itinerary specifically with Glacier Bay as a scenic cruising day!

So, what can you see during a scenic cruising day in Glacier Bay National Park?! I’ll show you below!

Your exact Glacier Bay cruising route will depend on the conditions of the day. But there is a cruise ship route that’s generally followed, which is the same basic route I’ve had on most of my cruises.

1. Margerie Glacier

The grandest glacier in Glacier Bay National Park that you have a chance to see is Margerie Glacier, and this is the “final destination” in Glacier Bay!

👆 Margerie Glacier in mid-May.

You’ll spend several hours sailing through Glacier Bay until you reach the end of the Tarr Inlet, and that’s where you’ll see Margerie Glacier!

This is the glacier that you have the best chance of seeing chunks of ice fall into the water off of the glacier. This is called calving.

The cruise ship will spend about an hour at Margerie Glacier, and it’s during this time that you’ll keep an eye on the glacier in hopes of witnessing a glacier calving event in Alaska!

Read more about Margerie Glacier.

👆 Margerie Glacier in early May.

Of the 7 times I’ve been to Glacier Bay, I’d say I’ve only really seen Margerie Glacier 5 times. In October, the cruise ship didn’t go that deep into Glacier Bay, and during one cruise in September it was so foggy that you could hardly see the glacier.

But, just because it’s foggy in the morning when you enter Glacier Bay doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be foggy at the glacier! On another September cruise, it was really foggy when I first stepped outside on Glacier Bay day. But later in the day when we arrived at Margerie Glacier, you could see the glacier quite clearly!

So the weather can change quite drastically based on time and location!

See a bit of what a Glacier Bay day is like by watching my Glacier Bay scenic cruising day video. This is from my Alaska cruise in June on a Cunard cruise ship.

2. Lamplugh Glacier

The Lamplugh Glacier is another glacier in Glacier Bay National Park that you might spend a little bit of time at. Not nearly as much as Margerie Glacier, but the cruise ship might slow down to take in Lamplugh Glacier a little bit, rather than simply passing on by.

This glacier is located in Johns Hopkins Inlet, which most cruise ships don’t sail all the way through.

On my very first cruise, the park ranger was saying over the PA system that the reason cruise ships often don’t go all the way down the Johns Hopkins Inlet is because of wildlife babies.

But you don’t need to go all the way to see the Lamplugh Glacier, since it’s not that far into the inlet.

So if your cruise ship goes in a little bit, you’ll have a chance to see the Lamplugh Glacier better.

👆 Cruising towards Lamplugh Glacier and Johns Hopkins Inlet in September.

👆 Lamplugh Glacier in May.

👆 Lamplugh Glacier in September.
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You also have a chance to see wildlife in Glacier Bay, and it was near the Lamplugh Glacier where we did some whale watching on one of my cruises! Once the whales were spotted, the cruise ship did stay a little bit extra longer!

For a more near certain chance of a whale sighting, you’ll want to do a whale watching tour in Juneau or Icy Strait Point!

3. Reid Glacier

Reid Glacier is a glacier that you will sail right on by! If you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss it!

The park ranger will likely talk over the PA system about Reid Glacier as you approach it, so be sure to be out on the open deck!

This is one that you’ll get a bit of a distant view.

It’s not like the cruise ship is speeding through Glacier Bay, so as long as you’re on your balcony or outside on the open deck, you’ll have enough time to see it even without the cruise ship slowing down.

4. Johns Hopkins Glacier

Johns Hopkins Glacier is located at the end of Johns Hopkins Inlet.

It’s pretty rare for a cruise ship to sail all the way down the Johns Hopkins Inlet, because of the wildlife babies thing.

So on typical cruise ship routes if you do go into the inlet a little, you can see the Johns Hopkins Glacier from a distance. So you can look for it if you do go in!

👆 View of Johns Hopkins Glacier in September on an overcast day when the cruise ship didn’t go all the way to the face of the glacier.

👆 Johns Hopkins Glacier in May on a sunny day when the cruise ship didn’t far into the Johns Hopkins Inlet. You can get great views even when you don’t go all the way!

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It was on my end of October Alaska cruise that I had my only experience of sailing all the way in, pretty much right up to the face of the Johns Hopkins Glacier!

It felt like we were so close!

👆 Johns Hopkins Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park in October.

On that cruise, we didn’t go deep into Glacier Bay, so instead of spending time at Margerie Glacier, all the glacier time was spent at Johns Hopkins Glacier. It was pretty great!

Gilman Glacier

Looking on at Johns Hopkins Glacier, to the left was Gilman Glacier so we got a good look at that too.

👆 Gilman Glacier in October.
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Since most cruise ships don’t get close to the face of the Johns Hopkins Glacier, it’s also a rare opportunity to get close enough to see the Gilman Glacier!

Glacier Bay National Park map

If you want to have the Glacier Bay National Park map on your phone ahead of time, then you can download the pdf at the National Park Service website.

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Otherwise, you’ll get a physical map delivered to your cabin by your stateroom (cabin) steward the night before your Glacier Bay day!

You’ll get a standard national park brochure for Glacier Bay so you can learn about all things Glacier Bay, and you’ll also get more information about glaciers too.

3 quick tips for Glacier Bay National Park day

• National park rangers board the cruise ship by arriving on a small boat and then get on (and off!) the cruise ship while the ship is moving! It’s a sight to see. It’s easier to catch the getting off the cruise ship since it will be announced! Try to catch it! Depending on your cruise ship, it may be easier or harder to get in a position to be able to see them. But it’s a fun thing to watch!
• Park rangers will be talking over the public speakers throughout Glacier Bay day. You can hear them even if you are in your cabin by turning on your TV to the bridge camera channel. They will also be roaming the cruise ship throughout the day. They are there for YOU! They want to teach you things! If you see them walking around the cruise ship, don’t hesitate to have a chat with them about glaciers and wildlife!
• You will be visiting a national park and you can get a national park stamp! Look for the stamp station that’s set up on the cruise ship!

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More glaciers during your Alaska cruise

• Tips to see the popular glacier in Juneau cruise port: Mendenhall Glacier
• 5-glacier seaplane tour
• Taku Glacier Lodge salmon bake excursion
• Best Alaska glaciers
• Skagway glacier excursions
• Whittier glacier excursions
• Best glacier flightseeing tours in Alaska

HAPPY SEEING GLACIERS IN ALASKA!