Stikine Icecap Glacier Viewing: What It Is and What to Expect
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Standing on the upper deck of a catamaran, surrounded by chunks of ancient ice floating in near-silence, with the face of Dawes Glacier rising in the distance, is not an experience that translates well into words. I’m going to try anyway.
If you’re sailing a Disney Alaska itinerary that ventures into Endicott Arm, you already have something most cruisers don’t. The Disney Magic brought us deep into the fjord to within roughly three miles of the Dawes Glacier, and that alone is worth stopping everything for. The scale is hard to comprehend from the ship. The silence, the color of the ice, the way the water looks when chunks are floating around you, it is truly an experience unlike any other cruise.
The small boat glacier excursion brings you in closer. Significantly closer. We got to within about a mile of the glacier face, and that distance makes a real difference in what you’re able to see and experience. Harbor seals resting on ice floes. Calving events that would have been easy to miss from three miles out. Birds swarming in low over the water after chunks of glacier fall and stun fish below. Those things are hard to see from the ship’s rail, even with a good pair of binoculars.
What the Excursion Actually Looks Like
We boarded the St. Peter, a high speed catamaran vessel holding around 150 passengers, with an enclosed lower and upper decks, both with inside seating and warm. An open aft viewing area gave you outdoor access while underway. A third platform sat on top and opened up whenever the boat stopped moving. While we were actively transiting through the fjord, that top deck stayed closed.
We departed the Disney Magic and received a send off from Donald. After a 15 minute trip, we reached the ice field, where spent roughly 45 minutes there floating around observing the glacier and ice field. The crew brought the boat around multiple times to give everyone on all sides different viewing angles. A no time did I feel rushed to get pictures or video. A crew member narrated throughout, the excursion.
The narration covered why glacier ice has that deep blue color, and it’s worth understanding before you go. The compression of snow over centuries squeezes out the air bubbles that make regular ice and snow appear white. With the bubbles gone, light can penetrate much deeper into the ice. When it does, the ice absorbs the red and yellow wavelengths and reflects back the blue. The denser and older the ice, the more intense the blue it becomes. What looks almost turquoise in photographs is actually happening in front of you.
What You’ll See
We watched two calving events while we were in the ice field. Both times, you heard it before you saw it, a low crack that carries across the water. The crew explained that falling ice stuns the fish below on impact, and you can see it happen almost immediately. Birds swarm in and dive, pulling stunned fish from near the surface. It’s a food chain moment playing out directly in front of you.
Partway through the excursion, crew members scooped a couple of chunks of glacier ice out of the fjord and brought it around the boat so passengers could touch it.
The service on board was great. Blue ice margaritas were served, matching the color of the glacier ice itself, alongside a charcuterie-style spread of meats and cheeses. Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate were available. Additional alcoholic drinks were available. The crew was knowledgeable and genuinely engaged, answering questions throughout without running out of things to say.
Captain J.J. — Chief Officer
I’ve logged the margarita. I’ve logged the glacier. I find the margarita required more documentation.
On the Way Back
When our time at the glacier ended, we turned back toward the ship. The Disney Magic had already gotten underway and was heading back out of the fjord. Another ship, a Carnival vessel, had moved into position and taken the Magic’s place.
On the return transit, the skipper brought us in close to the shoreline, near enough to see waterfalls we’d passed on the way in from a completely different vantage point. At certain points, the boat slowed or stopped entirely so the crew could check known areas along the shore for bears. We didn’t see any.
Getting close to the Magic on our approach back, the boat slowed again. A humpback whale surfaced about a hundred yards off, breaching between us and the shoreline. That was not advertised in the excursion description and the crew stated, they normally do not see whales this far up the fjord, so that was an unexpected treat for all.
Captain J.J. — Chief Officer
I’ve observed the whale. I’ve observed Jon’s reaction to the whale. One of us maintained composure. The record will reflect which one.
The Practical Details
The excursion ran a little over three hours from departure to return aboard ship. We booked Deluxe Glacier Explorer – Adults Only (DG02), so there were no children on board. The cost was $399 per person with is quite a bit. However, this is the one excursion on our Alaska itinerary that I’d describe as a once-in-a-sailing experience rather than a repeat. The proximity, the calving, the seals, the whale on the return trip makes this particular combination of things a unique experience.
Dress for the cold. This was the coldest day of the entire trip by far. I checked the forecast that day and the high was 40°F, and we arrived during the warmest part of the afternoon.
I had on an undershirt, a long-sleeve knit shirt, a fleece jacket, and a rain jacket over that. I also wore gloves and a beanie, and I could still feel the cold cutting through. Wind coming through the fjord or the excursion boat picking up speed is when you really feel it.
We’d bought electric hand warmers before the trip, and glacier day was the only time I actually needed them.
If you have the chance to do this excursion, do it. The views of Dawes Glacier from the Disney Magic is already something, but the views on the excursion being a mile away is something else entirely different.
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Captain J.J.’s Verdict
⚓⚓⚓⚓ — Genuinely excellent.
