Gotta choose, Hubbard Galcier or Glacier Bay and Colleger Fjord

[kalliea]

I just returned from my 1st Alaska cruise and we plan on returning next summer. I am looking at HAL and they have 2 iteneraries I am looking at. 1)includes Hubbard Glacier, Sitka and Skagway

2)includes College Fjord, Glacier Bay and Haines

The rest of the ports are the same on both.

 

I would love your opinions of which is better. I most interested in which gets the best glacier viewing and wildlife.

 

Thanks,

Kallie

[NancyIL]

I believe you're looking at the southbound Veendam and the Zaandam/Volendam. Both Glacier Bay and College Fjord are beautiful, and Hubbard Glacier is supposed to be awesome. If you choose the Zaandam or Volendam, you'll have two glacier sailing days. On the other hand, you can see College Fjord without doing so by large cruise ship, as there are several small companies that have small boat tours out of Whittier. You can also get a good view of at least one glacier on a Kenai Fjords cruise out of Seward before boarding your ship.

 

Since you you went to Skagway on Vision, have you considered the northbound Veendam, which goes to Ketchikan, Haines, Juneau, Sitka, and Hubbard Glacier? That would be my personal choice, but I've already been to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, and College Fjord on the northbound Coral Princess. :)

[Coral]

I would choose option 2.

[fti]

You have already received input from the board's resident itinerary expert. I don't know how NancyIL keeps all the itineraries straight!

 

I would probably choose 2) just because I really enjoy Glacier Bay and Haines is kind of off the beaten path (well, so is Sitka). But I am sure you can't go wrong with either itinerary. I am going to Hubbard Glacier next month for the first time.

 

John

[allentownahoy]

I would go for Glacier Bay. Much more time spent scenic cruising the glaciers. Hubbard, by some accounts is more dramatic b/c of its size but there are more issues re not getting close enough to it. When we went to Hubbard we supposedly got to within 1/4 mile but could not see it at all due to heavy fog. I am sorry I couldn't see it but Glacier Bay was amazing, also active calving, and a full day in Glacier Bay National Park with scenery beyond words.

[Italy52]

Two glacier views are better than one (or none). We have been on two Alaska trips and our third will be next year. The first one we didn't make it into Tracy Arm and it was a disappointment for us. So, we booked our second cruise and decided that we would do the itinerary with College Fjords and Glacier Bay. We were very happy we did. Next year, we are gambling and doing Hubbard because we have never seen it and heard that the calving is spectacular. As I have learned this year, that is not always the case. Given all the facts, DH still wants to do Hubbard next year. I said OK, BUT we are doing a Kenai Fjords glacier tour as a backup just in case we can't get close to Hubbard.

[kalliea]

Thanks so much to everyone who has posted. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do, but it sounds like I can't go wrong either way. On the cruise we just returned from we didn't see Mendenhall up close because we thought we would get a good look at glaciers when we went to Tracy Arm Fjord, unfortunatly we didn't get very close to either glacier that day either.

 

Kallie

[Krazy Kruizers]

Have done those HAL cruises several times.

 

JMO - we love Hubbard Glacier better -- bluer ice. And we love Sitka better than Haines.