The Moment a Glacier Broke My Brain (In the Best Way)

I've never been the type of person to wake up early on vacation. I'm more of a "sleep until 9, grab a latte from the café, figure out the day" kind of traveler. But on day four of my Princess Cruises voyage through Alaska aboard the Enchanted Princess, my cabin mate Sarah literally shook me awake at 6:47 AM, whispering urgently, "Glacier calving. Someone said it's happening now. We need to move." I groaned. I'd been awake until midnight at the Encore Bar the night before, and my head was reminding me of that decision. But something in Sarah's voice—pure excitement mixed with panic—made me scramble out of my bunk anyway. I threw on whatever clothes were nearest (a hoodie and yoga pants, very glamorous) and we practically sprinted through the corridors of the ship toward the outer decks. It was maybe 7 AM when we burst through the doors onto Deck 15, the Sanctuary area on the Enchanted Princess. Neither of us had been up there at this hour before. The air was cold—really cold—and I immediately regretted my fashion choices. The ocean was this deep, almost navy blue, and the sky was doing that pale blue thing that only happens in Alaska, where it's not quite fully light but somehow al…