The moment we’ve all been waiting for has arrived. The cheery voice of the cruise director sounds over the public address system, urging us to get to the best viewing spots. Passengers scurry to elevators, stride up stairways: It’s a race to the top, to the Sun Deck and Observation Deck on levels 11 and 12.
But wait, there’s another vantage point! For the first time on the cruise the captain has opened the doors to the bow on level five, Gershwin Deck. Suddenly, the activity in the corridors resembles an Olympic race walk: Hips sway, arms propel, legs stride. If there were a Gershwin soundtrack to this scene it would be I Got Rhythm.
Then Margerie comes into view, casting her hypnotic spell. We all come to an awe-struck standstill.
We’ve been voyaging on Holland America Line’s good ship Koningsdam for five days to make this appointment, but Margerie – around 35km long and the “cleanest” glacier in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve – has been crawling for centuries to get here. According to the US National Park Service, the ice visible at the face of the glaciers here is about 200 years old. So here we are, travellers from 2024 meeting one from 1824.
We have 40 minutes with Margerie: 20 minutes with her to port, then 20 to starboard so that everyone can view her from their cabin balconies. There’s a lot to study: A curtain of ice approximately 1.6km wide and 70m tall, with another 30m under the surface. How can I describe her for our readers, recreating her shapes, her colours, when the time comes?
Rhapsody in blue
Curiously, my mind turns to alcohol. I think of blue curaçao, sapphire martinis and ink-infused gins; white rum with coconut; ouzo and pastis turning milky when splashed with water. “He has a drinking problem,” I hear you say. But no. I did a mixology class in Koningsdam’s Rolling Stone lounge earlier in the week and now I’m an alchemist, blending liquids, colours, textures and tastes into heavenly cocktails that should either be shaken or stirred …
Margerie shakes, we’re stirred! Gasps ring in the air as a chunk of ancient ice tumbles into the sea. It’s called “calving” and I can tell by their elation that it’s what most passengers have yearned to see. On our way here we had passed the Lamplugh, Reid and Grand Pacific glaciers, but it’s magnificent Margerie who makes a splash. Thus, when our time’s up we can sail contentedly away, passing sea otters floating on their backs, looking like cloves spicing the water. Over time, Margerie’s calve ice will break into ever-diminishing fragments, popping and sizzling as they release pockets of trapped 1824 air into the modern world.
A scenic route
There are many moments to savour on Holland America Line’s seven-day Alaska Inside Passage cruise. Starting and ending in Vancouver, Canada, the course hugs the mainland when it’s not weaving between islands, so the sailing’s smooth and there’s always stunning scenery to admire.
Lynn Canal, the deepest and longest fjord in North America, takes us to the northernmost port of call on the cruise, Skagway, a remarkably preserved gold rush town. The top attraction here is the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad, which clings to the mountainsides and burrows through tunnels on its 108km journey to Carcross in Yukon, Canada’s westernmost territory. You’ll need to take your passport if you go the whole way, but the two-anda-half hour excursion to the White Pass Summit, 880m above sea level, and back is just right, with no passport required.
Pole positions
The First Nations’ history in the area is fascinating, and Ketchikan in southern Alaska is a wonderful place to immerse yourself in it. Not only is it the salmon capital of the world, it’s also home to the world’s largest collection of totem poles, shared between Saxman Native Village south of the town, Totem Bight State Historical Park to the north, and the Totem Heritage Center near City Park.
Ketchikan’s most alluring urban landscape is Creek Street, where pedestrian-only piers prop up colourful wooden buildings. Strolling around here will brighten your day and your photo collection. Browse the boutique clothes and jewellery stores (there’s even an Australian Opal outlet!) and enjoy drinks or a meal at one of the cosy bars and restaurants overlooking the water.
Try also: It’s well worth adding on a couple of days before or after the cruise to explore Vancouver, particularly the 405-hectare waterfront Stanley Park, which also has a photogenic collection of totem poles.
In your wildest dreams
Wherever you are on board the ship – be it a dining area, lounge, bar, the library or Grand Dutch Cafe – have binoculars handy. There’s a good chance you’ll spot whales, orcas, seals, sea lions, Dall’s porpoises and even bears en route. And if you don’t, you surely will on the whale watching excursion available in the first port of call, Juneau. “Did you spot any whales?” I heard one passenger ask another. “Yup, heaps!” was the reply. On our mid-May cruise the Northern Lights put on a show too.
This article originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly. Pick up the latest issue from your local newsagent, or subscribe so you never miss an issue.
