We took the 6 hour Columbia Glacier Cruise (This 6-hour journey through Prince William Sound will feature a visit to the Columbia Glacier area where you have a chance to view history in the making as Columbia Glacier retreats back into the Chugach Mountains.).
Check-in was easy and they gave us tickets to wait before boarding. There were a lot of people in line so I thought the boat might be crowded, but it wasn’t. I believe it holds 150 people and there were about 100 on our cruise.
As you board the boat you can find tables for two or four on the main floor. Tables for four or six upstairs, and outside seating upstairs. We were able to find a table for six (there were eight of us), which worked well for being able to move around but still have a place to sit and watch out the window, or enjoy our lunch.
Lunch was soup, a bagel, Oreo cookies and a drink. It was good. There was a bar/booth where you can also buy drinks and snacks.
Afte we boarded, we received a brochure showing all the wildlife we might see on this cruise. The kids were so excited when we actually saw humpback whales, porpoises, sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, mountain goats, and many more. We checked most of them off on the brochure. The captain and crew were good at spotting whales, so we got to follow a few of them which was awesome.
As we got closer to the glacier we started to see ice in the water. The pieces kept getting bigger and bigger. I don’t know how the captain managed to maneuver around them all. The day was totally overcast, foggy and rainy, but it just made the whole atmosphere that much more mysterious. We got within 1.5 miles of the glacier but couldn’t go farther due to the size of the icebergs. So cool. Literally. Bring your camera and rain coat.
In addition to seeing a lot of wildlife, plus the glacier, we also learned a lot of local history, and details about the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The tour was totally worth the money, and I would recommend it for any age group.