Glacier Bay July 12, 2013

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Glacier Bay – Friday 7-12-13



What Aaaa day, whaaat a day, what a daaaaay!!!



We had jumped on board the Coral Princess a couple of days ago, and one of things we did was explore the boat. Good idea right? So we found this place on the back of the boat a few decks below the top decks called The Sanctuary. “Ohhhh,” you ask. “What is that?”



The Sanctuary is somewhat of a getaway from the hustle and bustle of the boat. You pay a small fee and get to hang out on the back of the boat where it’s pretty isolated from the wind and cold due to the protective nature of the ship’s design, especially under way. Its next to the gym, has a small little pool that looks over the back of the boat. Yea, private pool looking over the back of the boat, as in working out in the gym, go to your pool on the back of the boat and do some swimming, get out and lay down in the sun with little to no wind in Alaska. That is the very definition of AWESOME!



So we booked the day in The Sanctuary, on the back of the boat for the day in Glacier Bay. This turned out to be the hot ticket. By the way, it comes with lunch, hot drinks, snacks, blankets, MP3 players with choice of songs and Bose noise cancelling headphones. Did I mention AWESOME?



So today, Glacier Bay Day, we sleep in till 830, and order some coffee in the room. We lounge around a bit and decide to pack up & go to the gym and then The Sanctuary. While working out on the treadmill, Debbie spies a Humpback Whale doing a full breech. Wow, what a start to a great day. AWESOME right?



We then try the pool, do a few exercises, get out, dry off and jump on the lounge chairs. Within a few minutes the Captain comes on the announcement system and says we have to clear all outer decks due to a medical emergency. The Coast Guard is going to helicopter a person off the ship…What a day!!



So we head back to our room for short while, catch up on some chores, and hear the captain come over the loud speaker. We have to head back to the entrance of the Bay to save the Coast Guard some flying miles on their helicopter. This makes perfect sense, steam a 200 Tonne vessel with 2500 personnel an hour to save the USCG 10 minutes of flying time. I must have missed something.



So while Debbie is killing me in a game of Quiddler, we start to hear the chop-chop of the helicopter off in the distance. We were playing the game out on our little balcony, when the helicopter came from over the top of the ship about 200 feet above us. Cards went everywhere with the rotor blast and deafening sound. It appears they were going to pick the wounded staff member off the ship right over our heads!



The USCG helicopter crew then went to work extracting the crewmember with the skill of surgeons. About 100 yards off our port side, and 50 yards up, the pilot matched our speed and heading so precisely, that it was difficult to see if he was moving at all relative to my position. So much so, that we watched the flight crew sipping from their Nalgene bottles while waiting. When ready, the pilot slipped the helicopter over our heads above the ship where they had deposited the gurney. After tying the gurney rope to the crane, they raised him off the ship and strapped the crewmember in. The USCG similarly picked up their seaman, waved good bye and they were off! AWESOME, right?



We head back to The Sanctuary and think to ourselves “We been here, done this” as we once again head up Glacier Bay. As we are lucky enough to travel up one of the most beautiful places on earth, we spot more whales, seals, otters, and of course glaciers. During the rescue operation, the captain repeatedly kept us abreast of the progress and asked for patience. When we were under way, he came on the loudspeaker to assure us we would see all the sights we came to see. The friendly ranger from the US Department of National Parks was also on board to highlight the sights and wildlife.



We were not disappointed. We spent an hour at each glacier as the ship rotated in front of the glacier. The best part of it was that the stern of the ship where the Sanctuary was got to see the best view where the captain would literally back the ship up as close as you dare into the glacier. We got to see them up close and personal, maybe because the Captains wife was back with us. Even the ships videographers came back and remarked how great this was. AWESOME, right!



Pictures cannot do this place justice. You just have to experience it for yourself. Its just too dang AWESOME!

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