Yes! I love Glacier Bay Lodge! No, I didn't have the opportunity to actually *stay* at Glacier Bay…read moreLodge but I did have the opportunity to dine at the lodge several times during my stay in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Before I go any further, Brian from Utah is the very best waiter and my Dad and I purposefully requested him to be our waiter every time we dined here. I can speak to the Alaskan Ambers, the chicken fingers, the seafood chowder, and the best plates - the smoked salmon platter and the steak dinner. Everything was really tasty and I have no complaints. The service was great and even if there was a wait, or you want to dine near the fireplace, you can get your food in a to go box. Win win. Other notables regarding the lodge - the Visitor Center is on the second floor in addition to several exhibits, a National Park Service bookstore, and a theater that shows scheduled films about the park. I always enjoyed stopped at the lodge on our way to/from the campground. While I'd love to stay at the lodge, it was great having the opportunity to use several of the amenities while staying for *free* in the developed/established NPS campground just a quarter mile down the road.

This is a 3.5 for me. Stayed one night on 7/31/2021. For a lodge in the middle of nowhere, it's…read morefine. This is also the Glacier Bay National Park Visitor Center on the second floor, where you can get your National Park passport stamp. The hotel picks you up from Gustavus airport in an old school bus, and drops you off at the lodge. From the bus, hotel staff come on the bus to tell everyone the facts about the hotel and where to get your luggage. Afterwards they separate you by last name and you get your keys. Much faster than checking in individually at the front desk. You pick up your luggage and go to your room. It smells like the summer camp that I went to. They do have ramps and an elevator for people who are in a wheelchair. Our room (31) was fine. There's no TV and no internet reception in the rooms, so you better like who you're staying with, because the lodge closes at 9 PM. We had to go to the front desk because we didn't have any soap or shampoo, but they're really understaffed after the past year. Room comes with a bed, a table, two chairs and nightstands. There is no mini fridge or microwave so don't bother bringing stuff that would need those two appliances to be edible. There is one restaurant on site that requires reservations, and all diners must be hotel guests. It's a little old, and the walls are a bit thin, but the room was comfortable and I fell asleep immediately. When we got to the hotel, the National Park Visitor Center portion was closed for the day so we were worried about not getting our National Park passport stamp after coming all this way. We walked a trail around the lodge and ended up catching the tail end of a presentation of the park rangers in the traditional house just past the Snow the Whale skeleton. The presentation began about 7 PM. In the morning, we dropped off our luggage at the front desk and had it tagged with the airline that we were flying back with. This is because checkout is before we'd be back from the official 8 hour boat tour through Glacier Bay with the actual park ranger (and the National Park passport stamp and Junior Ranger program.) After dropping off the luggage, we walked from the lodge down a trail to Bartlett Cove dock to visit Glacier Bay National Park. After the boat tour, it was a mad dash to get to the bus on time, as it leaves for Gustavus at 3:45 PM. All of our luggage was waiting for us on the bus. I would strongly discourage bringing anyone under 21 here. There were so many teens and tweens on ipads in the communal sitting area in the lodge. You could tell they were bored and not interested in the beautiful nature, so save your money and let them come when they're adults who can appreciate the scenery.

The food is the best in gustavus. People are very nice and great service I would definitely…read morerecommend it

Stayed here for a week. Pros are the owner will pick you up at the airport the airport, bikes are…read moreprovided and the cabins/ bunkhouse rooms are comfortable. Cons are the breakfast is minimal, there is NO WIFI and the dog on the property starts your day barking (5:00am) and ends your day barking until 11:00pm.

This Glacier Bay National Park Visitor Center is not a standalone building. It's actually situated…read moreon the 2nd Floor of the Glacier Bay Lodge. What confused me about this VC was that... When I was researching coming to Glacier Bay, I knew I was only going to be here on a quick 48 hour getaway. And...since I wasn't staying at The Lodge and only here for the All Day Boat Tour...I wanted to make sure I had enough time to come check out the Visitor Center. It's mentioned on Google and the NPS website that the VC is only open from 11am - 1pm, daily. But...the Gift Shop area inside The Lodge is open from 6am - 10pm daily. And...it's at the Gift Shop where you can purchase park souvenirs. In my head...I was just perplexed as to why the Glacier Bay VC would only be open for 2 hours a day...from 11am - 1pm? I don't get it...and I have visited a lot of National Parks. Well...now after spending my weekend in Glacier Bay, I can reveal what the 11am - 1pm hours were all about... This only means that a Park Ranger will be present at the VC from 11am - 1pm. So...if you're interested in speaking with a ranger or have any questions/concerns, that's the time to come. What I also noticed outside of 11am - 1pm was that... The shelves and on-site displays are locked up too. So, you're not able to read about some of the histories on Glacier Bay. But for me...that was okay. I just wanted to know that I could purchase some keepsakes from my time here and have my Parks Passport stamped. Otherwise...nothing else mattered. A side note... On the Glacier Bay Boat Cruise, there was a Park Ranger onboard for the 8 hour tour, and he had with him a Parks Passport stamp pad. Also, inside the Visitor Center while outside the hours of 11am - 1pm, the stamp pad was left out for the day, which was nice of the NPS to do. And...anytime you wanted to head up to the 2nd floor, there were tons of extra Park Pamphlets to take as well as Park Guide Booklets. Again, a nice gesture. Then...back downstairs on the 1st floor near the entrance was the Glacier Bay Gift Shop. Though, I found the options for purchasing little gifts and knickknacks such as magnets, keychains and postcards to be minimal. I only a bought a few items despite desperately searching for more...there really just wasn't much. And the Gift Shop was small...it was hard to maneuver around when there were a few people shopping at the same time. I do wonder...during 11am - 1pm, if maybe the Park Rangers have more souvenirs to offer guests when they are present? But, overall, the Gift Shop was just okay. Another note I'd like to mention... There was no park film to watch at the VC. But...if you walk down to the Tlingit Hut...(which is located just outside The Lodge to the right hand side), there's a more broad/wide range film to view in terms of histories and backgrounds about Glacier Bay. I stopped by the Tlingit Hut and watched the film which was informative. Overall, this Glacier Bay Visitor Center was fine for being situated on the 2nd Floor inside The GB Lodge. I just wish there was more clarity about the opening hours. You can scare a lot of National Park Enthusiasts out there for only being open 2 hours day from 11am - 1pm, lol. And...the Gift Shop should showcase more options for purchase as well.

The Glacier Bay National Park Visitor Center is on the second floor of this building, where you can…read moreget your National Park passport stamp. Be warned, although you can walk around and look at the exhibits, there is not a ranger staffing the desk after 4 PM, and the National Park stamp is not left out. This is what happened to us. When we got to the hotel, the National Park Visitor Center portion was closed for the day so we were worried about not getting our National Park passport stamp after coming all this way. We walked a trail around the lodge and ended up catching the tail end of a presentation of the park rangers in the Xunaa Shuká Hít Huna tribal house, just past the Snow the Whale skeleton. The presentation began about 7 PM. In the morning, we dropped off our luggage at the front desk and had it tagged with the airline that we were flying back with. This is because checkout is before we'd be back from the official 8 hour boat tour through Glacier Bay with the actual park ranger (and the National Park passport stamp and Junior Ranger program.) After dropping off the luggage, we walked from the lodge down a trail to Bartlett Cove dock to visit Glacier Bay National Park. After the boat tour, it was a mad dash to get to the bus on time, as it leaves for Gustavus at 3:45 PM. All of our luggage was waiting for us on the bus. If you're staying at the lodge for one night and taking the boat tour, you'll need to check out this visitor center after hours, otherwise, you won't have time to see it and make it back to the bus on time.

Who would think in a tiny town of Gustavus you could get such a fine dinner as we just ate. The…read morerestaurant is located in a beautiful wooden lodge. When you enter the general manager and another man told us about the construction of the lodge and the history and where the wood came from. They are so friendly and welcoming. Best welcome we have ever had. They have prime rib steaks and fish. We ordered Black Cod and Prime Ribs. The cod was the best we have ever eaten and the halibut chowder is delicious. Prime rib also hit the spot. It's pretty amazing you can get this kind of dinner in such a remote area. We thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful food and amazing employees. Gustavus is lucky to have you.

Excursions Restaurant inside the inn is a fantastic place to have dinner. Fresh veggies from their…read moregarden. Well prepared, delicious meals. Service was friendly. Cozy atmosphere.

The whale watching tour was amazing! We go to see about 13 whales bubble net feeding, it was…read moreunbelievable. We also saw several otters and sea lions. Captain Denise was knowledgeable and thoughtful in sharing information about Hoonah. Annalisa, the naturalist on board, was very knowledgeable about the whales. We learned a lot! The boat was clean and comfortable. Our 5 year old and 7 year old loved this tour.

Somehow, I managed to book the wrong tour. I thought this was a walking/hiking tour to look for…read morebears, but it turned out to be a three-hour drive in a van with limited space, windows that did not open, and was either too hot for some or too cold for others. The driver/tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable. Unfortunately, at best, some of us saw the rear end of a bear running off the road into the bush. The rest of us saw nothing. There were some eagles at a distance and a buck far, far away. We stopped several times and spoke to other van drivers, and it seemed like sightings that day were very infrequent. While it's not anyone's responsibility (tour company or cruise line), it would be helpful to guest comfort if we were reminded to bring bug spray with us when leaving the ship. After we took the tram to the waiting area, everyone was eaten alive while waiting for their next mode of transportation.

Great emmission-free taxi service in Gustavus. Friendly, reliable, and easy to communicate with…read more Their whole fleet is Nissan Leaf electric cars - including red, white, and blue - that run off local hydropower. I love it! We made a reservation to get picked up at Glacier Bay National Park and do a bag pick up on our way to the airport. Everything was smooth and we even got to see a black bear on the drive since the cars are nice and quiet. I will definitely use this service again next time I visit Gustavus. Wonderful local business.

Nick gave us a ride to the lodge. On time, courteous, and knows a great deal about Gustavus. It's a…read morelittle pricey ($10 a head) but I think that's the going rate in the town.

I'm not surprised to see they have a perfect 5 out of 5 star rating on Yelp…read more I'll add five more stars to it! This trip was amazing, one of the best highlights of the cruise. The crew is so passionate and well informed about all of the wildlife (whales, bears, eagles, etc - we saw them all). It was almost a spiritual event. Couldn't recommend enough!

We booked this whale watching though our cruise ship and it did not disappoint…read more The crew was amazing. Gave such great information. We saw humpback whales, Stellar Sea Lions, porpoises, harbor seals and even a couple of bears! It was a great day out on the water in Icy Strait Point!

Absolutely recommend doing your whale watching tour with Catch of the Day!…read more They take smaller groups which allows you to get some really great photos and to chat with the knowledgeable crew about the area. We got to follow a humpback right away and also saw some bears on the shore which gave us bragging rights when we got back. Plus they pick you up in a LIMO! What a fun extra touch. I get sea sick very easily on smaller boats and I didn't have any problems on this ride. Thanks so much to the Catch of the Day team for such a memorable experience!

This was such a great trip! We saw a humpback within minutes of leaving the harbor. Then they…read moregot word in a pod of Orcas so we went there. We stayed for quite a while and had orcas surfacing all around and very close to the boat. On the way back we passed a group of sea otters, were successful on a bear hunt and a huge bald eagle. Great trip. Great crew!