Glacier Bay National Park: Small Ship Cruise

Sprawled on my yoga mat, looking up at the puffy white clouds streaming by, I experienced a surreal moment. Dreamlike, mixed with fantasy, I was floating on a small ship in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park, watching the world pass by. Suddenly, I was brought back to earth by the Wellness instructor’s soothing voice guiding the class to the next yoga pose. “Someone pinch me” I whispered to myself as I looked around the ship’s sundeck with Margerie Glacier coming into view on the starboard side. Experiencing Glacier Bay National Park small ship cruise is a once in a lifetime experience that I highly recommend. UnCruise Adventures is one of my favorite small ship cruise lines for its focus on wilderness, wildlife and culture. This company is one of the best ways to experience Glacier Bay National Park.

 

 

 

Glacier Bay National Park UNESCO World Heritage Site

After breakfast, fueled with piping hot oatmeal and a yogurt parfait, I was ready to head outside and take in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park from the deck. Our 84-guest small ship, Safari Endeavour, had stopped at the Park Ranger Station by Bartlett Cove to pick up a temporary passenger. Park Ranger Naturalist Andrea Markell would be our guest of honor for the next two days sharing her knowledge of Alaska’s birds, wildlife, plants and geology that make up this living laboratory and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park

One of the absolute highlights of my Un-Cruise Adventure aboard Safari Endeavour was kayaking next to Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park. Each night UnCruise Expedition Guide Mark Hopkins explained the Alaska activities on offer the next day. His detail-oriented staff noted our interests as we gathered in the lounge.

Whether you are an active adventure baby boomer, or you prefer more moderately paced activities, I guarantee there is something to capture your attention. You will have a memorable holiday on this small ship cruise in Glacier Bay National Park.

Like modified options in a yoga class, each activity was able to accommodate gentle, moderate and high-intensity fitness levels. I watched with awe as guests pushed the boundaries in their comfort zone and moved to new levels with each passing day in Alaska.

For me, kayaking alongside Alaska’s Lamplugh Glacier on a bluebird morning was memorable in many ways. While I specialize in equestrian travel and consider myself an active adventure baby boomer, I feel more comfortable seated on a green broke horse than on a sea kayak in Glacier Bay National Park.

Paired with another beginner, my partner and I stepped into our two man kayak, and quietly slipped into the blue green water of Glacier Bay via the EZdock launch platform – an ingenious system unique to UnCruise Adventures that makes launching a kayak or stand-up paddle board a breeze.

Like baby ducklings, we closely paddled behind our UnCruise Expedition Guide Megan Moran who gave us a run down of paddling 101. Megan cheered us on when we successfully demonstrated our newly-learned kayaking skills. I must say, the guides and naturalists on staff at UnCruise are incredibly talented. Their enthusiasm for Glacier Bay National Park and Alaska in general is contagious!

I have been fortunate to experience UnCruise Rivers of Adventure in the Pacific Northwest and that crew was just as knowledgeable and professional as this Glacier Bay National Park crew.

I sincerely hope you’ll have a chance to experience Glacier Bay National Park on a small ship cruise. The beauty of UnCruise Adventures is that the size of the small ships makes it a pleasure to explore this part of Alaska. You won’t find any of the large cruise ships in some of the small coves within Glacier Bay and you’ll have plenty of once-in-a-lifetime memories that you’ll carry in your heart forever. Bon voyage!

For additional insider tips on small ship cruises follow Luxury Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown on Twitter and Instagram @Nancydbrown and follow @UnCruise on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

If You Go:

UnCruise Adventures (888) 862-8881
3826 18th Ave
W. Seattle, Washington 98119

Glacier Bay National Park small ship cruise article written by, video and photos courtesy of Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown of What a Trip, Travels from Northern California. I was a guest of UnCruise Adventures, however all opinions are my own.