Glacier Bay Lodge

I was really looking for a vacation where I could unplug, relax, spend time outdoors, and take photos of animals. Glacier Bay was the perfect place to do this, and Glacier Bay Lodge's location in the national park made it a great choice. We spent a week there (August 14-20). I was a little nervous reading the reviews left by others, for no reason. I think a lot of people went early "post" pandemic and the property was likely struggling with supply chain and staffing issues that were happening globally. Other reviewers seem to forget they were going to a national park. - The room had plenty of light, the bathroom fixtures were dated but it was clean and there was a moisture absorber in the closet - important for a rainforest setting. There was no mold, the bedding and room were clean. - Food options were somewhat limited, mostly because we're vegetarians, we packed shelf stable, high-protein snacks to supplement. There is only one restaurant ON property, but that's more than many national parks have. The food was good, the staff altered menu items to create novel options for us. - The staff were friendly and helpful. They shared their favorite hikes, photos & videos they had taken while exploring the park themselves. They were not intrusive but were happy to chat with us and seemed to enjoy working together a great deal. - Transportation was great, even when Alaska Air's tower went down and one transport became 10. The driver also took us to a hike offsite for free.

My party of 5 got caught up in the cancellation thing as well. Unfortunately, no one actually contacted us. So when we showed up, the nice girl handing out the keys to everyone getting off the shuttle had nothing for us and a panicked look on her face. Clearly this had happened before. Long story short, somehow the Lodge came up with our two rooms and we went ahead with our visit. I feel horrible for those who got cancelled and weren't as lucky as us. But in a VERY remote location like Glacier Bay, when there are structural failures - like plumbing I believe in this case - it's going to take time to fix. Parts and labor are not readily available. Otherwise, this was a wonderful experience, in a beautiful location. The boat trip was amazing and the entire staff incredibly friendly and helpful. *** NPS / Aramark *** I have one complaint and that is prior to leaving Juneau for Gustavus, I tried to telephone the lodge to make sure everything was a go and confirm the pickup at the airport. Despite trying a couple of numbers, I was never able to get to a person. That's bad business. GBL is an expensive place to stay, and some basic customer service around the booking would go a long way. This is NOT a reflection on the on-site staff!

**NPS-- please read this when considering contract performance of Aramark*** First the good: the bus transport from the airport is convenient and included, and the location is great right there in the park. The day boat tour of the glaciers was amazing and we saw all sorts of wildlife and the gorgeous glaciers. Staff on the boat were great too. Overall the boat tour was a 5-star experience. We had several issues at the lodge though. Our room did not have hot water and we had to complain 4 times over 3 days about this and we didn't particularly enjoy cold showers and having to expend time and energy dealing with the front desk about this problem. They were not able to fix it either. There was poor communication from the front desk to the maintenance crew and the front desk just told us that it was "due to too many people showering at once", which wasn't true since our parents 2 doors down had hot water at the same time. Nobody checked our room to see if the water was actually hot after they "fixed the boiler". To his credit, the manager did make it right in the end though with some money back. The room was old, musty and very poorly lit, with a mildewy shower curtain that was too long and pooled in the shower. The beds were comfortable though. As for the restaurant, the food was decent and fairly reasonably priced but the service was awful. They were completely understaffed and ran out of food early. You had to wait a long time for drinks or other things and hardly ever saw your server. Sometimes we would have to get up and find them to order something or hunt them down to tell them that there is hardly any food left on the breakfast buffet. Aramark needs to ensure that all of their staff stay until the last day the lodge is open as it isn't fair to the customers who pay a lot to stay and eat there. There is no other choice for dining so everyone is stuck using that restaurant. Staff need basic customer service training too.

We truly enjoyed our stay at Glacier Bay Lodge. The bus was waiting for us when our plane arrived and the driver stopped at the park sign on the way to the lodge for pictures. The rooms were comfortable and clean. Wifi is available in the lodge but it's not the best. The boat tour was amazing. Our captain was excellent and we were able to get close to bears and the glacier! Scenery was spectacular. Glad we opted for this route over a cruise ship as they could not get very close to the glacier at all. The restaurant was decent with good food - service was a bit slow but we didn't really have anywhere else to go in the evening - lol. Take note that the visitor center and the boat provide a stamp for your passport book. However, it is not the official circular stamp. You have to go to the ranger station at the boat ramp for the official stamp.

I have had good luck with historical lodges within national parks until now. We booked a room at the Glacier Bay Lodge 8 months ago. 4 days prior to our stay the lodge called to cancel due to mechanical and safety issues. Flights and a cruise were already booked and we had to look for a new hotel 3 days prior to check in. Gustavus is very small with limited hotels/lodges that book up early in the summer time.

Lovely location. Amenities and services are very limited here as it is in the middle of Glavier Bay National Park. Food selection is minimal and expensive, limited hours. No TV in lodge or room and wifi in lodge only.

Unbelievably they cancelled our reservation at the last moment!! We arranged a trip of a lifetime to Glacier Bay National Park and made our reservations to stay at the lodge for two nights back in November. They just called, one week prior to our two night reservations, to cancel!!! Leaving us with no place to stay and making no attempt to rebook us at another place nearby other than giving us a few phone numbers. Good luck to us trying to find an opening in Gustavus or two nights in August!! They said it was a maintenance issue -- OK, but clearly they could "make it right"! They told us they were cancelling 34 reservations!!! DO NOT make reservations at this place. They do not understand how much time and money we have on the line as visitors, and how precious our vacations are. DO NOT STAY HERE!!!!!!

Nice quiet location. Our room was clean and the service overall was decent. The staff is seasonal and not always coordinated. Sometimes the server was excellent other times it was lacking. There is no rash area to gather and play cards or games. The lounge area has couches and is the only place with internet. You can’t sit in the dining area because it’s constantly being turned over for the next meal. It would be nice to have another place to gather especially since it rains frequently. We did find 1 table upstairs with 4 chairs that we cleared off park material so we could play cards. The food was decent, pretty much the same menu everyday so if your coming for more then a night or two be prepared. Breakfast hot items were warm not hot but the selection was decent. There is no bar but you can order alcohol during meal hours or if someone is available when the dining area is closed. The hiking trails are nice and i would recommend the boat trip in Glacier Bay. Overall the stay was good and I would recommend it to others.

The rooms are beautiful and very peaceful! The trails were lovely to hike on and everyone was very helpful. Would love to visit again!!

Nice staffs.