I have a question for all of you experienced Alaskan travelers... How does "Glacier Bay" scenery compare to the other glaciers in Alaska. DO all of the glaciers look alike??
Is Glacier Bay the best ????
Thanks in advance

Some glaciers are tall and break off into the water. Others seem to creep out of the mountains if there is a gradual slope. We enjoyed the longest cruise offered by Kenai Fjords out of Seward because the boat got within 3/4 mile of the glacier and turned its engines off for half an hour. On this trip we saw some ice fall but not the dramatic huge calving that we later saw on film at the Portage Glacier visitors center. During most of the 9 1/2 hours we saw fantastic scenery but keep in mind that fantastic scenery is easy to find in Alaska. We also flew over a glacier near Homer which was a different experience. You can ride the tram up Mt Alyeska and see 7 glaciers (if I recall correctly). I was also fascinated by the floating ice chunks and how blue they looked. Even if you look at the same glacier on a different day, the experience will be different. The sound, like rumbling thunder, is also part of the experience when you watch a calving glacier.

Are you cruising?? I have sailed all three glaciers via cruise ships on the inside passage (also would never consider any one way without College fjord). My clear preference is Glacier Bay- a full day of scenic fjords sailing past several glaciers. A bonus of Park Service narration. Hubbard is the largest- certainly great, and Tracy Arm- for me is far superior viewable from a small boat of the Twin Sawyers. Some cruiselines offer this and this would be the way to go for me.

Glacier Bay is unique. A hundred or so years ago, it did not exist - it was a glacier field. Since then it has been retreating, exposing the land to the sun. It makes for an interesting biological lab.

The actual glaciers are not much different

We are not cruising, but want to fly into Anchorage. However, I was looking at the pictures of Glacier Bay and it looks so amazing that I wondered if somehow we should arrange to get there.
Are there any small cruise ships that take you there from Seward or Valdez??
Or is Glacier Bay too far down from there?? Thanks!!! Alaksa looks so exciting!!

You are over a day away sailing Glacier Bay from Seward or Valdez. Entrance is by permit only and a great way in of course is via cruise ship. There are small ships that sail in but you could go out of Bartlett Cove. http://www.nps.gov/glba/InDepth/visi...ter/travel.htm