College Fjord is one of the most visited on the Alaskan cruise itineraries. Once you have cruised through the fjord, you can honestly tell people that you went to Harvard, Yale or Wellsley. Perhaps slightly overshadowed by more spectacular glaciers, College Fjord is as scenic as fjords come and won't disappoint avid glacier fans.

Visitors can see up to six glaciers at once. An expedition made its way up the long reach of a fjord located on the northern shore of Prince William Sound in 1898. Only 20 miles east of what is now the small port of Whittier and just 30 miles west of Valdez. The expedition was to search for a all-American way to the Klondike gold fields. This could be reached only via an arduous passage over Chilkoot or White Pass to Canada's Yukon Territory. Rather than finding a way to the gold fields they found a gigantic ice field, of more than 16 tidewater glaciers. The expedition leader made the decision to name the glaciers after the well-known American colleges, such as Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Williams and Vassar. These tidewater giants are an unforgetable sight. Generally a naturalist will enlighten you with detail and perspective on the fjord. Cruise passengers will also have the chance to see a variety of wildlife wandering the shores. Over the last one hundred years, most of the Alaskan glaciers have shrunk by 50 percent or more, though there is still plenty of glacier life to see.