August 24, 2026 - Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier - Scenic Cruising

I actually got some sleep.  I was still up early, or course, and found a good seat in The Galley.  The Galley will be a popular location today as we sail through the Endicott Arm, a 30 mile long fjord approximately 60 miles south of Juneau, leading to the spectacular and active Dawes Glacier.  The glacier is 200 to 300 feet high and calves blue glacial ice. This is the first time we have been to this glacier in all our trips to Alaska.

I enjoyed my standard breakfast – delicious every time – as Brilliant Lady slowly made her way through the fjord.  

There were several waterfalls streaming down from the ice at the top of the mountains. It was hard to see the water actually moving in the fall.

As we went along, more and more ice appeared until it became a river of ice floes.  The ice mini-bergs below were pretty substantial.

The ship was being careful as we have been told in the past that even small chunks of ice can damage the screws.  As we went along a small boat pulled along side – it was going to pick up some of our passengers for a special excursion ($400 pp) that would take them right next to the glacier. 

The Dawes Glacier came into view around a bend – 

spectacular even from the distance, where the ship stopped.  It looked small but it wasn’t – the cloudy day brought out all the blue color of both the glacier and the floating ice.  You can get a feeling for the size of the face by looking at the small boats near the glacier.  As we were stationary, other small boats made their way to the glacier.

NOTE:  I watched the shore very carefully and did not see any wildlife.

A panorama brought out the spectacuar view.

Brilliant Lady stayed near the glacier for about 90 minutes and then headed back out of the fjord.  We were lucky because as we were leaving, the fog rolled in - we got the view before it disappeared.

We stayed in The Galley for lunch – it was very crowded so we ordered from our table.

The lunch lineup included: A Tuna Melt "Special" (good tuna salad, with some kind of pepper on top on a dark bread; I had it with salsa and chips from the Taco place – I liked it), falafel (falafel ball on a flat pita (not the greatest), portobello mushroom sandwich (don’t think Ellen liked it – it was a lot of mushroom). The line was too long for the salad bar because of the number of people viewing the glacier.

Hung out in the Turnabout area most of the afternoon.  

The ship scheduled a group “paint the painting” event in the Turnabout...you pick a big sharpie and put some color down.

Ellen had made a second dinner reservation at Extra Virgin. We got the same table for two (away from people) and had the same waitress and assistant waitress. The starter, focaccia with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and parmesan cheese was good although a little bitter tonight.  The faux Cesar Salad was good again but it is so big we couldn't finish it, I had the Special Tuscan Bean Soup tonight and it was delicious (I could have had a second bowl – creamy and super tasty).  Ellen had the Ricotta Gnocchi (not a winner), I shared the Mushroom Fettuccine with Ellen and it was still delicious  – I finished it all. We didn’t stay for dessert because they charge for coffee – it was the principle of the thing.

The entertainment tonight is a "ticket event". The fabulous Up With a Twist is doing a dinner show in the Manor. Tickets are $35.00 and both the floor and balcony are sold out - you can stand in the back for $35.00).  Again, even though dinner is included (probably something we can’t eat) it was again the principle of the thing. A shame because they are great.  SIDE NOTE: Sean, the comedian we saw the first night and who said he would be back for another show, never showed up on the event calendar.  Hmmm.

Instead, we spent quiet time in The Galley having dessert and free decaf coffee and tea (probably the same thing they serve in Extra Virgin) and watching the sun go down.

Not feeling so crisp so we went to the cabin.

Clocks one hour forward (PDT).