7 Nights in Norwegian Pearl
We went to Alaska in the summer of 2011 on Norwegian Pearl. It was a 7-day roundtrip cruise starting and ending in Seattle. The itinerary included ports of call at Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, as well as scenic cruising through Glacier Bay.
The cruise ship had a few swimming pools, a variety of onboard activities, including shows, bingo, and dancing. It offered a huge variety of food options, which included the complimentary main dining rooms, casual eateries, and a buffet-stye Garden Cafe. There were a few specialty restaurants for an extra charge, like a steakhouse, Thai, Italian, and Mexican cuisine.
Glacier Bay National Park – On day 2 of our cruise, we spent a significant portion of the day navigating through the stunning Glacial Bay National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The experience was entirely from the ship and in my opinion, was the highlight of this trip.
At Margerie Glacier, we watched massive pieces of ice break off and crash into the water. You will experience the light travels faster than sound phenomena here – When a piece of ice calves from the Margerie Glacier, it creates a massive “cracking” sound. Since you are watching from a distance, the light from the event reaches your eyes almost instantaneously, while the sound waves travel much more slowly through the air and water to reach your ears (same principle as seeing a lightning flash before hearing the thunder). Observing the glacier, this delay is a key part of the experience, as you see the ice fall into the water a full one or two seconds before the thunderous sound finally catches up.
