SailorJack

Mile after mile all we saw was rocks and lichen.

And lots of little waterfalls from the melting snow and glaciers.

Speaking of glaciers  A little ducky.

Going through the Sound one sees an ever changing landscape.  Here we have temporary passed by the mountains and have entered an area of low rolling hills.

Still some snow, but no sign of the glaciers we have previously seen.

Another bend in the Sound and from the numerous ice flows a sign that we may nearing another glacier on the other side of the bend.

On ‎1‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 9:32 AM, stevea36 said:

Jack,

This stuff is FANTASTIC !!!

I sincerely hope that you have enough pictures and information to keep posting until late August 2020 so I can keep my enthusiasm up for the 2020 version of this sailing !!!

Steve

Sailing through the Sound was so stunning that I took over 300 photos (don't worry I am not posting them all!) Of all the places we have sailed this is the most picturesque (maybe with the possible exception of Ha Long Bay in Viet Nam.) You are in for a great ride.

Jack

On ‎10‎/‎23‎/‎2018 at 11:34 AM, SailorJack said:

 

Lots of waterfalls.

A  retreating glacier.

Taken from the bow of the ship, this shows the width of the Sound.  Sometimes it was  little narrower, but this was about the average width.

Looks like we are heading for a dead-end.

But just before we dead-end, the Sound takes a hard left hand turn.

23 hours ago, Baatman said:

 

 

Thanks for digging that out.  It helps when comparing prices from local vendors.

No problem … glad to help out.  Whichever option you choose I know it will a great experience.

Jack

The geological formations and strata layers are constantly changing the deeper we get into the Sound.

So far we have seen the slanted lines go to the left.  Now we are seeing them slanting to the right. Can glaciers change direction?

Yet another glacier emptying into the sea.

The mysterious red lines again.  We couldn't figure out why they came down on an angle and not straight down.  Our only guess was that was the direction that some ancient glacier was moving.

Snow capped mountains in the interior.

I guess Nike paid to have their logo on the Sound.

Our narrator told us this was known as "Shark Mountain." When low hanging clouds are around, sometimes the only thing sticking out through the clouds is the tip of this mountain - looking just like a shark fin.

It really was an amazing mountain - look at all the colors.

Then ANOTHER glacier. And the hits just keep coming!

On ‎1‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 1:29 PM, Baatman said:

Looks like a great tour.  If you don't mind my asking, what was the fee for the tour?

I

I finally found my receipt for the Golden Circle tour - it was $179 and I got a 10% discount by pre booking. Hope that helps.

Jack

Sailing past the glacier we are once again looking at the spectacular cliffs along the shoreline.

A passing iceberg - one of the smaller ones.

A small waterfall - fed by the melting snow and glaciers.  Also, the thousands and thousands of small rocks and pebbles left behind as the glacier melted.

4 hours ago, BigNance said:

Your pictures are awesome!  If I never make it there, this was a fun trip!  

 

Glad you are enjoying them  -but it is much better seeing them in person.  More and more cruise lines are offering this itinerary so you may make it there!

Our first Glacier!

Up close and personal.

Those of you who may remember my review of our cruise on Norwegian's Dream may recall what a disaster that cruise was (in a fun way).In an effort to offset some of the unfortunate occurrences on that cruise, the Captain pulled into a bay where a glacier was emptying into the sea and sent a boat out to capture a recently calved small iceberg.  They brought the iceberg aboard the ship and the drinks that night were cooled by thousand year old ice.  Ever since then I have had a "thing" about glaciers  - so, one more picture.

One of the more interesting questions asked of our narrator was "what are those little pebbles and rocks."  The answer  - those were carried there by the glacier and left behind when it melted.

The next question involved the red stains running down the rocks.  Probably iron deposits left from water as it ran down the cliffs.

The first of many small waterfalls from the melting snow and glaciers.

One of the more interesting facets of the scenery was the fact that there was no bushes, trees, or other vegetation.

Just occasional patches of lichen.

And the occasional sculpture.

On ‎1‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 9:59 AM, stevea36 said:

Jack,

Between you and Bill (on the 2020 board), sharing all of your pictures I get very mixed feelings:  1- I see what is in store for me and can't wait; 2- Why do I need to spend my time and money when I can just live through your pictures 🙂     NO WAY !!! !  I'M GOING !!!

 

 

Steve

LOL Pictures can't capture the adventure you are going to have  - from seeing the geyser stream into the sky, the water plunging over the cliffs, or the ice breaking away from the glacier and falling into the sea to become an iceberg. That and a hundred other things you are going to see that is invisible to a camera. I am impressed that you can wait till next year to do it!

The rock formations were constantly changing and morphing into interesting shapes.

Another passing iceberg outlined in the early morning sun.

We passed a number of little inlets and bays.

The birth of more icebergs.

This is a secret US weather station code named Bluie East One that was set up in WWII to provide weather updates to ships passing Greenland.

It was these towers attached to the weather station that picked up the distress call from the MS Hans Hedtoft in 1959.  The Hedtoft went down with 95 passengers and crew and was never found.  The only piece of wreckage ever found from the ship was a single life belt. As of this date it is the last known ship sunk by an iceberg with casualties.

What is really amazing that we are still in the entrance to Prince William Sound and have seen all of this already!

On ‎1‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 9:05 AM, h20skibum said:

Still following along here.  Great review. 

Glad to have you along. Hope you are enjoying the photos.

Jack

Simply stunning scenery along the passage.  Note the snow covered mountains in the background.  We were told that the waters of the passage warm the coast and keep snow at a minimum.

Except for those places that are in perpetual shade.

Another iceberg makes its way out into the passage.

Icebergs!  Many of the icebergs we will see on this passage come from glaciers calving. We actually were able to witness the creation of an iceberg when pieces of the glacier split off and fell into the sea. Jill was later able to get a video of one doing just that.

A couple of recently created icebergs that had not yet made it out to sea.

On ‎1‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 8:18 AM, ecslady said:

Prince Christian Sound is absolutely beautiful!  Can't wait for Sept 2020.

We normally book a cruise a couple of months before sail date.  I can't imagine the anticipation of waiting more than a year. That has to be pretty exciting.  You have a lot to look forward to.

Jack

We are entering Prince Christian Sound and will be in it for a while as we have to go slow do to currents ( it is only 1,600 feet wide in spots) and icebergs. It is 60 miles long and separates the mainland from Christian IV Island.

It feels like everyone is up on deck to see the sights.  We are told that this is a glacier and we will see where it enters the ocean later on.

Lots of hills and shoreline areas are snow free,

We are entering the Prince Christian Sound - an event we have all been anticipating.

Our first iceberg!

The snow and ice cap in the background is a hint of what is to come.

Our last views of Iceland....

….And our first view of Greenland and the fabled Prince Christian Sound - which will turn out to be one of the stunning passages we have taken on a cruise.