Hubbard vs Glacier Bay?

[go^uk]

Considering an Alaska cruise in May (or possibly September). Friends have been to Glacier Bay, said it is very good.

 

However, I am looking at RCI which visits Hubbards Glacier instead. How does Hubbard compare to Glacier?

[quickfingers]

My family went on Celebrity in August. We went to Hubbard Glacier and had a great time. The captian went back and forth in front of the glacier for about two and a half hours. Everyone got a good view. We were told that we got the closest to the glacier of any cruise ship, 200 meters.

 

We loved it. We took Celebrity, becuase of its' great reputation. Going to the glacier was just an added pleasure.

 

I would choose the ship over which glacier you see. You will remember the ship longer than which glacier you went to.

 

Just one mans opinion.

[Love Cruis'n]

I’m sure Hubbard’s Glacier is wonderful, but out trip to Glacier Bay was just beyond words. I think a lot of folks will agree that Glacier Bay is considered to be “the best” which is not to say that others aren’t very nice, but I think Glacier Bay is considered to be "numer uno.

BTW, we also went to College Fjords, and saw several very impressive glaciers, but it did not compare to Glacier Bay.

Of course, that’s just my opinion. It will be interesting to see what others have to say. :)

[Host Caroline]

Have been to both Hubbard and Glacier Bay twice and IMHO Glacier Bay is NOT to be missed, esp. if you think you may only go to Alaska once.. I was a TA for a long time and while I understand cruise line loyalty in a destination-oriented cruise like this one sometimes there are trade-offs.. I can honestly say that our RCI cruise to Alaska was the least Alaskan.. they simply did not have the onboard enrichments etc. Yes, you want to be on a nice ship but I gotta tell you, the Anytime DIning on Princess last year was great with all the port times that often do not match up at all on ships with traditional dining.

Glacier Bay gets my vote... been there twice. one day it was sunny, next time cloudy.. completely diff. atmosphere.. the cloudy day showed up the blue of the ice in the pictures and it looked very unspoiled.. almost like pics taken long ago before Alaska got commercialized and huge ships plied the Bay's waters..

[Coral]

I have to agree with Caroline - my RCCL cruise (Radiance) to Alaska was a huge disappointment. They went through and did the motions, stopped at the ports but they did nothing to enhance the Alaskan experience while onboard.

 

After my RCCL cruise, I switched to Princess for Alaska and it was night and day. Princess does so much more onboard to enhance the Alaskan experience. They also do Glacier Bay and College Fiords (great glacier pair!), they have naturalists onboard giving lectures and who are on deck pointing out glaciers and whales - they are fantastic! I also love anytime dining on Princess for Alaska - you can choose to go to dinner whenever you want. No need to rush back to port to get ready for dinner - stay in port as long as you want.

 

If you are only going to Alaska once - pick a ship with Glacier Bay and College Fiords!

[Budget Queen]

Another agreer. :) Glacier Bay is superior in my opinion. I sailed both Hubbard and Glacier Bay this year, Glacier Bay hands down. I have sailed all glaciers sailed by cruise ships, so have a lot to compare.

 

I totally disagree on the ship priority in Alaska, unless it is so important to you that Alaska is a distant second?

 

There are many factors to always consider and no perfect cruise, but look at ports, time in ports, glacier, route, ship naturalist, cost.

[Budget Queen]

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[DougH]

I think Hubbard is a more impressive glacier but Glacier bay is a better overall all day experience and gets my vote. IMHO I really love Colege Fjord and any cruise that does both Glacier and College Fjord should be a priority.

 

Doug

[fsdj1097]

Here's another thought regarding which Glacier visit is superior.

 

I would recommend looking at iteneraries that have multiple Glacier visits during your cruise.

 

On our cruise last May, our visit to Tracy Arm was a little disappointing because the captain wasn't able to get within sight of the Sawyer Glaciers due to the amount of ice in the water.

 

However, we were able to visit Glacier Bay and had a wonderful experience with many "calvings" and wildlife sightings.

 

Many cruise lines only include a single Glacier visit in their iteneraries. If poor weather hampers viewing, or, as in our case, you're unable to cruise close enough for optimum viewing, you may be disappointend.

 

A second Glacier day increases your opportunities.

 

Have a geat time planning your trip and have a wonderful cruise.

 

Sam

[Coral]

I agree - 2 glacier days is a priority for me when booking Alaska.