Hubbard Question

[latebuyer]

I have a rather specific hubbard question. The ship i am on says its visiting hubbard 11-2 and i would like to do a specialty lunch that day. I wonder if its like tracy arm and has some pretty views when leaving the glacier. I would go later at 1 or 1:30 but don’t want to miss anything. My parents regretted they left the tracy arm viewing early.

[CruiserBruce]

Hubbard is a huge glacier face, and much of your time will be spent as close as possible to the glacier. Tracy Arm is a smaller glacier, and the sail in is more a part of the experience. 

[wolfie11]

You will very likely not even see Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm.  You may end up going to Dawes Glacier instead of Tracy Arm, which you may get closer to.  Hubbard is spectacular.

[Coral]

I would not do a speciality lunch that day. The best part of that day will be in front of the glacier - the sail in and sail out is not as spectacular as Glacier Bay, College Fiords or Tracy Arm.

 

If you are going to do it, maybe 1:30 will work. It all depends on the timing. I wouldn't risk lunch for missing Hubbard Glacier.

[Anita Latte]

I'm that crazy person that has all their cruise literature from all the cruises that they have taken. So I went back to look at the one for our Hubbard day and also the time stamps on my photographs to see how the morning went.

 

First off...there's not a single ship that I could find that has listed such a small window for seeing Hubbard. I feel like there's a disconnect there. You may be getting a more narrow window for when you are actually going to be close and in Disenchantment Bay and not just entering/departing at Yakutat Bay. Go here and check out your ship's actual allocated time at Hubbard, choosing Hubbard as the port, so you can get more perspective on timing:

 

https://akcruise.org/port-schedule/?port=HUBBARD GLACIER&ship=0&date_from&date_to&search_schedule=Get Port Schedules

 

We were scheduled for 7am - 11am. My cruise program says: "At approx. 6:30am we will be entering Yakutat Bay and arrive to the most permissible point possible off the Hubbard Glacier at approx 8:00am. We will stay for approx. 30 minutes....will exit Yakutat Bay at approx. 11:00 am. Note: Times are approximate and subject to change due to weather conditions, visibility and ice concentration."

 

We were out on the forward deck early, because I wanted to watch the approach. The first pictures I took were right around 7am. We were in Yakutat Bay and still very far away. The last pictures I took of the ice floating on the surface waters in Disenchantment Bay as we were leaving there were at 9:30am. That's when the ship really started picking up speed as we were leaving Hubbard behind.

 

Please note...the program said leaving YAKUTAT Bay at approx. 11am. Yakutat Bay is quite a ways away from the glacier.

 

As you can imagine...almost everyone on board that ship was there to see the glacier...it was like when a concert lets out and everyone is up and now deciding what they are going to do...and many will go eat. Having a specialty lunch planned for post glacier is a great idea to avoid the crowds at the buffet. Definitely plan it for as late as you can, provided the specialty restaurants are still open for lunch.

[latebuyer]

Thanks for the replies. I checked the site you posted and the brilliance of the seas is at hubbard 10:30 -2:30 so may be lunch at 1:30 isn't such a good idea. I do think i need to eat at some point. People will think i'm obsessed with food but i can't go that long without eating. I guess i can try and eat in the windjammer around 10 and then have to play it by ear when i go back. Maybe i'll pack some granola bars! 

[Anita Latte]

So you also have a 4-hour window like we did. If your experience is similar, then you may be headed out of Disenchantment Bay around 1pm...but this is all speculation. It may not be out of the realm of possibility for a 1:30 lunch, but I wouldn't chance it. There are many reasons why people need to eat on a regular schedule...this viewing around lunch time is not so convenient. I would highly recommend that you bring along something that will tide you over for the glacier view! whether that's a granola bar, fruit, protein bar...or all of the above!

[latebuyer]

Thanks. Yes i'll skimp the specialty lunch. Saves me money anyways and i'll just join the throngs in the windjammer!