June 16 - Hubbard Glacier

On the first full day of the cruise, we were set to tour Hubbard Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in North America, with an exposed face that spans 7 miles. We had visited this glacier a few years ago on a Celebrity cruise and were thrilled with the calving that we got to witness on that cruise. We were excited at the prospect of getting to witness this again. Since we weren't going to approach the glacier until mid-afternoon, we decided to have a leisurely morning. We ate breakfast in the dining room (table service), rather than endure the Lido buffet on a sea day. Afterward, Leon did his usual thermal spa rotation while I read my book. We ate an early lunch in the Lido Market buffet, hoping to avoid worst of the crowds. We had noticed that most of the folks on this cruise were first-time cruisers, which meant that folks seemed generally lost and/or unsure of where they were going. No shame in that- we have been there, too. It just makes for a more challenging environment when you know exactly where you are going.

We were blessed with exceptionally calm seas while we were in the Gulf of Alaska (open ocean), making the lack of non-drowsy motion sickness medicine inconsequential. The skies had a fairly thin cloud deck, so we were hopeful we would get a good view of the high mountains on the way to the glacier.

To get a good view of both the glacier and any sea life in the water, we decided to stake out on Deck 3, which has a walking promenade that goes completely around the ship. There are padded wooden deck loungers on this deck, too, but they are up against the ship, meaning that it would be easy for people to block the view if they walk by or stop at the railing to look out. To solve this problem, Leon had the ingenious idea of pulling the loungers to edge of the railing so we would have an unobstructed view. Between that, the layers were wearing and the wool blankets they provided, we were all ready to be outside for hours while we watched the scenery.

The view from my snuggly perch

Sometimes Leon is a genius

We were sitting in our chairs, wondering if the staff was going to ask us to move the chairs back (they didn't), when we noticed other folks doing the same thing - we are officially trendsetters! 

I enjoyed a hot coffee and Leon had a burger while we took in the sights - we spotted several sea lions, sea otters and seals.

Even with the hazy/foggy conditions, the mountains were beautiful!

To our disappointment, the sea ice was quite heavy, keeping the ship from getting close to glacier. We got a view of part of the glacier from our side of the ship and waited to see the full glacier as the ship did a 360 degree. We were dismayed when the ship got to 180 and then started moving out of the bay! Very disappointing, to say the least.

Hubbard Glacier as seen from the side of the ship. We are quite a long way away from the face.

Our fleeting glimpse of the glacier as the ship sped away far too soon.

After that, we went indoors for Leon to enjoy the spa and for me to read my book. Later we dined in the dining room. Since it was "dressy" night, the menu was a bit fancier than on other nights. Leon had lamb chops and I had lemon cream salmon pasta - the highlights for me were really the appetizers: escargot and jumbo shrimp cocktail. I am definitely making up for lost time by eating shrimp at every available opportunity!

After dinner, we attended the dance show in the main theater and turned in around 10.