Alaska Cruise VI

The Hubbard Glacier. Wow! Wow! Wow!

We got up at 6.15 a.m. so that we could get onto the ships helipad when it opened at 7 a.m. After coffee and something to eat, we dressed up with full arctic clothing. Good idea. When the door to the helipad opened we got prime position at the very bow of the ship, BUT the ship was still traveling at over 15 knots into the bay. It was freezing!! We braved the weather.

As the ship entered the bay we could see small pieces of ice floating in the sea. As we progresses and started to slow down we could see the massive wall of the Hubbard Glacier. The pieces of ice started to get bigger and more frequent. The glacier is enormous. It is six miles wide and three hundred feet high. When we started to reach the more dense ice, we saw seals and birds on the larger pieces. The colors were amazing. The various blue colored ice growlers and icebergs were amazing. We saw tiger ice with white and dark stripes. We saw different shapes and sizes.

As we got closer to the glacier we could hear the growling and thundering of the glacier as it calved huge pieces of ice walls into the sea. The ice around is crackled and popped as if we were sailing in a bowl of Rice Crispies.

The weather turned out to be fantastic. The sky cleared up and the glacier glowed all colors of blue and white. We spent over an hour within a mile of the glacier face. It was absolutely wonderful. Each cruise has its special day or event. This was it!

When the ship started to slowly turn away from the glacier, it actually positioned our balcony cabin in perfect position to watch the ice wall. We spent another fifteen or twenty minutes enjoying this magnificent sight.

And then, as the ship sailed away, we sat on the outside stern area enjoying a nice cup of tea with some cruise buddies. The sun was now shining, keeping us warm, while the glacier disappeared in the distance.

After a short while we did some packing, as this is our last cruise day. We then went up to the top deck for a Celebrity Captain's Club (Frequent Cruiser) party. We met the Captain and some of the senior ship's officers and personnel. It was pleasant, as usual.

After the function we met some other frequent cruisers for a tour of te ship's bridge. It was extremely interesting. The ship's officers on the bridge were very forthcoming wit information and answers to our questions. It was most enjoyable.

Not long after the bridge tour, we met a small group of Elite Celebrity Captain's Club members in the Michael's Club for a drink and a few light snacks. The conversation was very interesting and pleasant.

At dinner we were seated at a new table facing the stern glass wall of the Celebrity Millennium. We had an excellent view of the sea. Nice. The show was fun and now we are getting packed, ready to depart tomorrow when we start the land portion of our trip.