Hubbard - "they" got close, "we" didn't

[trcori]

As seems to be mostly par for the course so far this season, Mercury didn't get very close to Hubbard during our cruise earlier this week. But the ship in before us, Serenade of the Seas, certainly did, and that led to a lot of grumbling onboard (we didn't feel too honked off because #1, we believe in "better safe than sorry," and #2, we were lucky enough to get two close-up viewings during August cruises within the past several years). Just downloaded our trip pictures and thought we'd try attaching the one that shows the difference -- squint really hard at the left side of the photo, close to the ice, and that would be Serenade, while we only got another few dozen yards closer than where we were when I took this photo (the water really was ice-choked after the point where we stopped). INCREDIBLY GORGEOUS DAY, though, and I'm not complaining. But for anyone wondering, thought we'd send the pic -- TR

[Lois R]

Hi TR, thanks for the picture:)

 

I guess there is complaining no matter what happens:rolleyes: (not by you)

but from reading your post I am sure there were folks who made a point

of doing it.

 

Glad you and your family had a wonderful time and

you should have some mail too;)

[Lightsluvr]

Reminder - book RCI if you want to see Hubbard Glacier without binoculars...:D

 

LL

[ocngypz]

By any chance did you miss your entry time????? All arrivals are timed.

[Kapricorn]

What a beautiful photograph! This made me really look forward to going there at the end of this month.:)

 

Donald.

[C 2 C]

Here is a shot of the Chilean Fjords taken on Infinity in March 2007:

[sweeties_mom@yahoo.com]

Hi,

 

I doubt it was a missed entry time unless they frequently miss them because we were on this cruise 2 weeks ago and the same thing happened. It was a bit of a let down because for our family (total of 9 - extended family joined us) this was to be the highlight of the trip. That said I do agree that it is better to be safe than sorry but will be booking on RCCL next time. I was beginning to wonder if it is because the Radiance & Serenade are a bit bigger (100 ft longer) than the Mercury so can handle any waves caused by any calving better, therefore making it safer for them to get a bit closer. If that is the case then of course Celebrity is not going to point out the short comings (no pun intended) of their ship vs. the larger ships. It is easier to say that the "current has changed so it is not safe for us to get any closer" even though the ship directly before and after us got right in there.:cool: Oh well, it was still an incredible trip and well worth every penny we spent.

 

Melanie

[Coral]

Reminder - book RCI if you want to see Hubbard Glacier without binoculars...:D

 

LL

 

We missed it on the Radiance a few years ago. Another ship got closer then we did.... It was frustrating. Now I book Alaska with 2 glacier days.

[SheilaNC]

We were extremely close on Mercury last year. Completely dependent on the judgement of the Captain re: water conditions. Sometimes just a short timeframe (like 1/2 hour) can make a big difference. I bow to the knowledge of the Captain and would prefer to have him make the safest decision. I do feel your disappointment as it was a lovely experience. Hope you got to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau.

[sbmaureen]

Reminder - book RCI if you want to see Hubbard Glacier without binoculars...:D

 

 

LL

Last September we got very close to Hubbard on Summit. Going back on Infinity this August - hope we can get lucky again.

[ATTACH]50751[/ATTACH]

[SoCalGal]

Southeastern Alaska experienced extemely heavy snow this past winter....record-breaking in some areas such as Icy Point Straight. We were at the Hubbard Glacier this past May and couldn't get close at all. But on our prior May (2004 and 2005) cruises we have gotten very close. By the end of summer most of the ice has melted so it's a sure bet you'll get close.

[Kapricorn]

I've been to Hubbard Glacier six or seven times. The first time was in May 2000 on the Mercury. The photograph shows the Glacier fairly close to the ship, even though there were considerable ice in the water. It could be that since then, Celebrity instructed its Captains to err on the safe side. Serenade of the Seas may have been reckless.

 

Donald.

[trcori]

Re: arrival time - I was out on deck for hours before we got there (staked out my spot on deck 14 front and center, taking no chances) and we were right on with the times previously announced ... we actually entered Yakutat Bay a bit before the 9 am projected time (that would be the big bay, not Disenchantment Bay at its end with Hubbard etc., we never actually got in there). Re: reckless captain on Serenade of the Seas -- just out of curiosity, I looked up recent reader reviews, and indeed, one reviewer here on CC posted that while they got close, other ships didn't, and their waiter joked that their captain is known as "the Alaska cowboy." Which is the same thing a crew member told us on Mercury. An interesting point, given that RC and X are "related" ... wouldn't the one guy get flak for making the other guy look bad? Fascinating. Anyway, the person I really felt bad for was a little old lady from the East Coast sitting next to me up at front 'n' center. Not because she didn't get a close-up view but because her family decided to start griping bitterly and went back inside while we were still stopped and rotating. "But they said it was because the captain wants to be safe, didn't they?" she said to me. "And it's still SO beautiful." She so wanted to be able to enjoy the experience despite the grumbling. I made affirmative noises, which were sincere, because as you could see from the photo, it really was an AMAZINGLY GORGEOUS day - those two previous trips, we got really close to the glacier, but low clouds obscured all the mountains, so I'd never seen this view before. (Nor so much ice in the water - you can see it better from a somewhat-zoomed photo I'm attaching to this post. P.S. An interesting thing to do while you sail away from Hubbard, if there's ice in the water -- go down as close as you can get to the water's surface, Promenade Deck 6 on Mercury, and listen to the ice make popping sounds.) -- TR

[caviargal]

I've been to Hubbard Glacier six or seven times. The first time was in May 2000 on the Mercury. The photograph shows the Glacier fairly close to the ship, even though there were considerable ice in the water. It could be that since then, Celebrity instructed its Captains to err on the safe side. Serenade of the Seas may have been reckless.

 

Donald.

 

Strong statement there and out of line IMO. On 50 RCI cruises, I have never felt that any of the Captains have been in any way reckless.

 

Captain George on Serenade is one of RCI's best and he navigated us to Hubbard 4 years painstakingly and will great skill. There is often lots of ice in the water there and they go very slowly to avoid damage to the props.

 

I have been lucky enough to get up close and personal at Hubbard on RCI and on HAL and it seems as though some lines are simply more consistent with this than others . Just my observation but perhaps it is the skill and experience of the Captain that is the biggest factor.

[Kapricorn]

Two years ago I was on the Summit and, as she departed from Hubbard Glacier (we got quite close that time), the Serenade of the Seas came in past us. A crew member standing beside me also referred to the Serenade's Captain as "The Alaska Cowboy."

 

Donald.

[Kapricorn]

Hi, Caviargal. Since Captain George on a regular basis has been able to bring Serenade of the Seas close to the glacier despite heavy sea ice, you may be correct that that would mean that he is the consummate seaman. Other Captains may be timid or over-cautious.

 

I've been to Hubbard Glacier several times on Celebrity and other cruise lines, and, as you say, they are not consistent about approaching the glacier in similar conditions. Whenever I go to Alaska, it's with an open mind about the chances of actually being close to the glacier. It's always a spectacular scenery, no matter where the ship is, near or far from the glacier.

 

Donald.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

We got very close to the Hubbard Glacier last September on the Mercury. Also had Yakutat Bay all to ourselves, no other ships. I'm wondering if September is perhaps a better time to get close, not as much ice in the water. It was awesome!

[Sky Sweet]

[Cruise Gypsy]

As seems to be mostly par for the course so far this season, Mercury didn't get very close to Hubbard during our cruise earlier this week.

 

LOL :D - During our Hawaii cruise is January my DH went on the helicopter tour of the volcano on the Big Island. While he loved it - his biggest complaint was that the other helicopters got closer than the one he was on. He even took a picture of the other helicopter for me to show how much closer the other tour was to the crater. I guess weather lava or glaciers - closer is better.

[Bababooey Land]

We took the Mercury a few years ago in September and got very close to the Hubbard.

[DancerOT]

We were able to get very close to Hubbard Glacier a few years ago on Infinity. We actually got much closer than the RCI ship that went in just before we did. We were actually able to compare via photos as our next door neighbors were on the RCI ship. So there could be many different variables.

[Kapricorn]

In August 2002 I was on the Sea Princess, and she didn't get close to Hubbard Glacier at all. We could hardly glimpse the glacier from far off. There must have been a massive amount of loose ice in the water at that time. Conditions are unpredictable no matter the month.

 

As I've said in a previous post, the scenery is spectacular at whatever distance the ship is from Hubbard Glacier.

 

Donald.

[bububr]

with the timed schedule, the time of year ( Last september we could almost reach out and touch) and tides which can be inconsistant.

 

From most of what I've read lately the summer months are hit or miss on Mercury as she is a smaller vessel, the larger RCCL seem to get in closer.

 

Its also a judgement call by the Captain.

 

Dave:eek:

[kruisecat]

with the timed schedule, the time of year ( Last september we could almost reach out and touch) and tides which can be inconsistant.

 

From most of what I've read lately the summer months are hit or miss on Mercury as she is a smaller vessel, the larger RCCL seem to get in closer.

 

Its also a judgement call by the Captain.

 

Dave:eek:

 

Dave -

 

I have to agree with you. We were fortunate enough to have a bridge tour on our 6/22 cruise and the Capt. explained that Serenade has the ability to turn it's props in and thus protect them from the ice. Mercury does not, and when he combined that with the tide shift he just felt it wasn't safe. Was he being over cautious? Who knows, but boy what would he face if the ship had been endangered? I know that I wasn't thrilled that we didn't get any closer, but I'm happy to not have had to throw my life vest on and worry about any possilbe disaster :o

[jer_l]

How close you get to the glacier certainly seems to depend on the sea conditions, the ship and the captain. Two years ago we were on the Infinity and got within a mile of the Hubbard Glacier. The captain then sailed around the island that is on the starboard side when we left the glacier. It was an incrediable experience.

 

Jerry