Midway through our cruise on the Ruby Princess, we spent a day-at-sea cruising through Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Our ship slowly cruised through the five-mile inlet, getting close to the Margarie Glacier.

On our previous cruise, we visited the Hubbard Glacier, which was quite a bit bigger and more dramatic. While we only saw a few calvings on this trip, we saw many at the Hubbard Glacier. It's still exciting when it happens and we were happy that the kids got to experience it. The other thing that I noticed on both cruises, is the sounds that the are made by glaciers. When it calves, it sounds like a crack of thunder, and when the ice is melting in the water, it sounds like a glass of 7-Up fizzing. 

Park rangers were brought on board to talk about Glacier Bay and answer questions. The kids club offered a "Junior Rangers" program. We skipped all of the activities and simply enjoyed the views. 

As you might imagine, it's super cold being so close to a glacier. Although we all had winter coats, Dan is the only one who thought to bring a hat. Zoe and Felix are tough Swedish kids, so Dan let me borrow his cozy hat. Who wore it better?

Dan created this awesome time-lapse video as we sailed away from the Margerie Glacier.

There were plenty of animal sightings: eagles, whales, and sea lions, as we made our way out of Glacier Bay. This island was covered with sea lions sunning themselves. Or perhaps, wishing they were able to catch some rays.

Zoe and Felix were eager to swim, so we spent the afternoon poolside. Dan and I stayed bundled up and enjoyed cocktails, while the kids enjoyed the pool. The Bailey's cart was a great surprise! Coffee with a shot of Bailey's = yes please! Every now and then, they would announce a whale off the side of the ship and everyone would run over to take a look. 

Another surprise was fish tacos from the Ketchikan Fish House were being served as a teaser for our next port: Ketchikan!