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Alaskan wildflowers

Glacier Bay Small Ship Cruise

Example 8 Day Cruise aboard SS Legacy
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Enjoy a fantastic 8-day adventure cruise with two full days in Glacier Bay National Park, joined by a park ranger who shares their expert insight as you explore far reaches by skiff, kayak, and foot. Spot orca and humpback whales in Frederick Sound and Chatham Strait, and search for black and brown bears, eagles, sea otters, harbor seals, sea lions, and sea birds, all of which abound in Southeast Alaska. Try your hand at kayaking or stand up paddle boarding, or comb the beaches and check out the tide pools. Let the adventures begin!
View the glaciers of Glacier Bay from a kayakA man carving a totem pole.Grizzly bear catching a fishAn old gold mine on Alaska's frontier Alaskan wildflowers
Highlights
  • Have your binoculars ready to spot diverse and abundant wildlife
  • Gain expert insight into the wildlife & ecosystem from park rangers & guides
  • Bushwhack through moss-covered wilderness in the Tongass National Forest
  • Kayak, paddle board, and skiff in remote inlets, including Fords Terror
  • Head for Glacier Bay National Park for two days of exploration
Activity Level: Relaxed
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
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Full Itinerary

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Day 1: Juneau | Embark

Arrive in Juneau and meet your crew with a hearty welcome. The adventure begins, sailing west toward Icy Strait.

Day 2: Glacier Bay National Park

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Glacier Bay has a wow-worthy list of titles—National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Biosphere Reserve. At 3.3 million acres, add Endless Adventure Playground to the list. Head for the Glacier Bay outback. These are places most visitors never see. Dundas and Taylor Bays are in the southernmost reaches of the park. It’s less windswept tucked into a bay, but no less wild. Kayak around sea stacks. Or comb for critters if the tide is right. In far reaches, share the beach with sharp-eyed eagles and bears. Skiff deep in Dundas and make for the hills. A bushwhack into the forest gets your heart pumping. Paddle through kelp in Taylor Bay. Backstroking sea otters hardly bat an eye at your boat. Your bartender has an Old Fashioned ready. Perfect timing too - it’s happy hour and time to swap stories of this big day with your shipmates.

Day 3: Glacier Bay National Park

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Early morning pick-up. A National Park ranger comes aboard to share expert insight, plus off-the-map places in bay that most visitors pass by. Have your binoculars handy—South Marble Island is a birder’s slice of heaven. Puffins scoot through the water. Guillemots and gulls chatter up the airwaves. The snoozing sea lions don’t seem to mind. Cruise to the far end of Tarr Inlet where Margerie and Grand Pacific Glaciers calve into the water. Backed by knife-edged peaks, pull into narrow Tidal Inlet. Bears and mountain goats like to forage along this shoreline. Back at Bartlett Cove, if time and daylight allow, take a forest hike around the park’s HQ, and say farewell to your ranger.

Day 4: Chatham Strait

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Chatham Strait stretches for 150 miles in the Tongass National Forest. Options aplenty, your captain navigates to the best. Anchor in a remote Chichagof Island inlet. Backpacks loaded and adventure toys lowered (skiffs, paddle boards, kayaks), it’s time to go play. Energy flows as you hike up through moss-covered trees. Stick to the water and don’t forget to look above and below the surface. A nosy seal could be watching your every stroke. Beachcomb rocky shores. Tiny creatures cling to rocks. Tonight, take a nightcap to the sun deck and watch the sky.

Day 5: Kuiu Island

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Salmon streams dot the coastline—where there’s salmon, there are bears. Kuiu Island is home to one of the world’s densest populations of black bears. Scope the intertidal zones of Saginaw Bay for them from a kayak or skiff. Eagles fish here too, their white noggins giving away their perches. Kayak along the Keku Islands or take the pace down a notch, checking out tide pools and abundant life in the intertidal zones. It’s remote, and remarkable.

Day 6: Frederick Sound

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Humpbacks beeline it here each season to feast in the krill-rich waters. After your breakfast, look for whales eating theirs. Chances are high they will be—time to hang and enjoy the show. Based on wind and weather, your expedition team has the lineup of adventures all mapped out. Cruise past Five Fingers Lighthouse, Alaska’s oldest light station and The Brothers Islands, where sea lions nap on rocky nobs. Paddle into the deeps of Port Houghton or Windham Bay or head ashore for a hike. When a bear takes notice, they generally scram. But carrot-billed black oystercatchers give you a talking-to. Tonight, toast another big day in Alaska.

Day 7: Endicott Arm | Dawes Glacier

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Snow covered mountains, glacier-carved valleys, white thunder of calving ice - it’s an impressive Wilderness Area. Skiffing up Endicott Arm, harbor seal pups laze around on icebergs. If the tides are right, slip into Fords Terror. The fjord’s steep walls are streaked with waterfalls. Choked with ice, at the end of the arm, meet Dawes Glacier. Blue ice marches down from the Coast Mountains. With a sharp crack, a calving slice makes a mega-splash. Tonight, celebrate with a festive Farewell Dinner and “photo journal” from your expedition team.

Day 8: Juneau | Disembark

  • 1 Breakfast
Enjoy fresh-baked pastries over one last breakfast. Your crew and new friends wish heartfelt goodbyes. This morning, transfer to the Juneau airport or begin your hotel stay or land tour.

Ship/Hotel

SS Legacy

Relax in the Grand Salon aboard the SS Legacy.
SS Legacy' Owner's Suite
SS Legacy's lounge area in the Owner's Suite.

Dates & Prices

My Preferred Start Date

Per person starting at
$5,995
SS Legacy's Master Stateroom.
Select a Date
Master Stateroom
Fixed double bed, view window, private bath with shower. #103-104, 319-320
SS Legacy's Commander's Stateroom
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Commander Stateroom
Queen, double or twin beds, view window, private bath with shower. #105-112, 206-210, 303-308, 311-318
SS Legacy's Captain Stateroom
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Captain Stateroom
Queen or two twin beds, view window, private bath with shower. #211-214
SS Legacy's Admiral Stateroom
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Admiral Stateroom
Queen or twin beds, view window, private bath with shower, trundle bed for triple. #101-102, 201-202, 309-310
SS Legacy's Commodore Suite.
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Jr Commodore Suite
Queen or twin beds, refrigerator, wrap-around windows, private bath with shower. #301-302

Notes

- All rates are quoted in USD and represent cost per person, based on double occupancy. Any stateroom (except designated single) may be sold as a single for 175% of the double occupancy rate. Triple and quad rooming arrangements are available, please contact us for rates.
Included
  • 7 Breakfasts, 6 Lunches, 7 Dinners
  • 7 Nights Accommodations
  • Accommodations as listed
  • Ground transportation as listed
  • Activities as listed
  • Meals as listed
  • Access to a 24-7 Emergency line while traveling
  • Airport Transfers
  • Park and Entrance Fees 
  • Alcohol (except premium brands) 
  • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
  • From-the-vessel adventure activities and equipment
     
  • Complimentary boot rental is available. However, due to the limited supply of boots available aboard the ship, it is recommended that you bring your own rubber boots for best fit and availability. Youth size boots are not available.
Excluded
  • Gratuities
  • Travel Insurance
  • Personal Expenses
  • Flight costs (please request a quote)
  • Additional excursions during free time
  • Fuel and transportation surcharges (when applicable)
  • Gratuities will be shared among your onboard crew and are paid at the end of your cruise. We recommend $250 per week per guest ($35/day per guest). Gratuities can be added to your tab along with any onboard purchases. For travel in the U.S., gratuities may be paid by cash (USD), check, traveler’s check, or credit card. In our international destinations, gratuities require payment by cash (USD) or credit card.

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