Stunning Mountains, Glaciers Encircle Prince William Sound

Days 6-7, 2024 Ultimate Alaska

Friday and Saturday, June 14-15, 2024; Valdez and Prince William Sound, Alaska.

Prince William Sound may be the most beautiful place on earth. Seas like mirrors, reflecting the deep green of the forest but mainly the stunning snow-covered mountains surrounding us. Neither of my cameras do it justice.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that we have lucked out on the weather. Occasional light clouds break up the blue skies. Contrails streak across the sky as jets cross high above from Asia to North America. With little wind, the sea is as smooth as glass and reflects the scene above. I’m challenged to describe this beauty without resorting to cliches.

The Alaskan ports are fun, but the highlight here for me is the scenic cruising. As we sail though the waterways, the captain opens the bow on Deck 4 for viewing. (Pro tip: The narrower forward decks of higher levels also are open, but not announced.) The deck in front of the fitness center on Deck 9 is easily accessible, especially from the Crow’s Nest on Deck 10. For side views, Deck 10 is open behind the Crow’s Nest. The entire aft Sea View deck on level 9 is open to views to the side and behind us. For a different view closer to the water line, the walk-around Promenade Deck on level 3 is a great place to go. Of course, those with verandah cabins have the most accessible views.

During the prime viewing times, our wildlife expert Kurt provides a running commentary from the Crow’s Nest, describing the terrain, geology, wildlife and history of the area.

On Thursday’s sea day, we cruised in front of Hubbard Glacier. My only previous visit was in 2010, when we could barely see anything due to the fog and light drizzle. What a difference the weather can make.

Today (Saturday), we spent the morning in College Fjord, where an early expedition named its many glaciers after their alma maters. Our objective was Harvard Glacier at the head of the fjord, and we were able to get incredibly close to it for almost two hours. We frequently heard a sharp crack followed by seeing a chunk of glacial ice fall into the water, a process called “calving.” Those dedicated enough to stand at the ready with their cameras got great photos. I didn’t have the patience to get the perfect photos, but satisfied myself with simply seeing the calving.

As if the Westerdam’s scenic cruising to view glaciers weren’t enough, yesterday in Valdez I joined a boat tour to the Columbia Glacier. The expedition boat with ample inside and outside seating took about 150 of us on the six-hour-plus tour.

Along the way to the glacier we had an up-close look at the Valdez terminal, where the Trans-Alaska Pipeline brings crude oil here from Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s North Slope. Tankers then take the oil to the U.S. west coast for refining. Of course, the most famous tanker was the Exxon Valdez, which went aground in 1989 on the nearby Bligh Reef. The resulting oil leak stretched as far as Kodiak (a distance equal to Cape Cod to the Chesapeake Bay on the U.S. east coast).

Most of the tidewater glaciers in Alaska are retreating as temperatures rise. Columbia Glacier is an extreme example, because it retreated from the moraine “dam” of rock and debris. (NASA provides a great description for those interested.) We cruised through areas that 10 years ago were covered by this glacier. The glacier may retreat entirely from the bay in another decade. We cruised through larger than typical ice as we approached several arms of the Columbia Glacier.

As for whales, we didn’t see much more than their spray (although a mother and pup entertained those on the same tour that left an hour later). We slowly cruised by beaches full of sea lions, where the adults bathed in the sun while the pups played in the surf.

A sea otter did a lazy backstroke by us, carrying her pup on her belly. The puffins were small and challenging for my camera’s auto-focus at a distance.