Setting sail

After two nights at the Denali Lodge, we took a bus ride to the small cruise port in Whittier to board our Holland America ship, the Nieuw Amsterdam. We were in side-by-side signature suites with our travel buddies, so we had the stateroom attendants open up the balcony divider to make it easier to communicate and watch the scenery go by.

Our first two days were spent cruising. I couldn't help but giggle at our first glacier spotting in what's known as Disenchantment Bay. It got this rather sad sack name when Spanish explorer Alessandro Malaspina sailed into the bay in 1792 thinking it might be an entrance to the legendary Northwest Passage. He dubbed it "Puerto del Desengano", Spanish for bay of disenchantment. I found it quite ENCHANTING, actually. The largest tidewater glacier in Alaska, it was a sight to behold. The Good Lord used every shade of blue at His disposal when creating this gorgeously stark landscape. My phone camera pictures certainly don't do it justice.

In the pic above, I'm getting in some practice with the binoculars provided in our stateroom since we were told there would be critters like whales, seals and otters to be seen as we cruised into Glacier Bay the next day. It was a tad crisp on the balcony, so I was happy to wrap up in the fleece blanket they also provided in our accommodations. Once again, we were blessed with clear weather and were able to take in the glorious sights of the 49th state.