We had a wonderful time doing the 26 glacier cruise. We received a reminder the previous evening from Phillips Cruise. We took the 9.30 am drive through the tunnel which was an experience in itself. As advised, we parked our car at the parking lot where we met the delightful Natalie. She assisted us in paying the parking fees, since we had reached early - she gave us a map where she had highlighted the major landmarks, the route etc which we felt was thoughtful. At her recommendation, we zipped off to Lazy Otter for a good breakfast and coffee returning at boarding time. We had already picked up our boarding passes from another welcoming lady at the cruise office. The boarding was a breeze. No rushing for a vantage point - seats are allotted on a first booked first served basis which we totally appreciated. First the cruise of course . It was a wonderful trip - we were awed , overwhelmed, stunned by the size, number and beauty of the fjords. The glaciers are interestingly named after colleges like Harvard, Yale and so on! Imagine seeing at close quarters a (Harvard) glacier 1.5 miles across and 26 miles deep! The captain gave a lot of time for the passengers to see the glaciers. For the major ones, he turned the catamaran on both sides so that all had a good look. We saw the glaciers calving and it was a beautiful place to be amongst floating icebergs and in front of glaciers. The crew broke a small piece of glacier ice which we could touch and a part of which was used to make chilled delicious Margaritas ! The Captain as well as the park ranger accompanying us gave an excellent commentary through out the cruise, sharing interesting exhibits too. I felt it majorly added value to the trip. One learns so many things and interesting trivia on guided tours! Next was the food arrangements. A good lunch, complimentary free flowing tea and coffee, and even freshly baked cookies as an evening snack.. Towards the end, there was a photo session with a glacier as the backdrop with placards provided by the cruise and taken by a crew member Ryan. A special mention of Ryan who was very cheerful, shared information, took photographs, assisted passengers. All the crew members were friendly and helpful.
Two tips - if it rains when your cruise starts, do not worry. It may not be raining where the glaciers are. Secondly, if you are prone to sea sickness, do not worry - the cruise is very smooth.