Glacier Bay a must see?

[OSUBuckly]

So is Glacier Bay the definite must see in Alaska? How does it compare to Hubbard Glacier? I'm trying to choose a cruise line and if Glacier Bay is a must, then it would lower my number of options (which is good). Thanks.

[Toyz711]

i don't know if it's a MUST see, but it sure is beautiful. several hours of cruisng past great scenery. several glaciers (of various sizes), snow capped mountains surrounding the bay and it's inlets.

[Chat Noir]

This thread has some discussion on the topic. I've not yet sailed Hubbard, but GB is certainly beautiful. Looking forward to Hubbard!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=453150&highlight=hubbard+glacier+bay

[OSUBuckly]

This thread has some discussion on the topic. I've not yet sailed Hubbard, but GB is certainly beautiful. Looking forward to Hubbard!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=453150&highlight=hubbard+glacier+bay

 

 

Thanks for the link, sym1966. It was exactly what I was looking for!

[CanCanCase]

Asking if Glacier Bay is a "must see" in Alaska is like me asking if the Grand Canyon is a "must see" when I visit "down south". For some it may be, others may have different priorities.

 

Hubbard, Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm, College Fjord, etc... they're all spectacular, they're all different, and (to me personally) NONE are to be missed! Then again, I've had a lifetime to explore up here, and I've hardly made a dent.

 

I think only the person asking the question can really answer it (ironic, isn't it?)... Maybe you'll post a review of your cruise when you get back - whichever you choose, and let everyone know the answer...? :)

 

-Case

[Onessa]

If you've never seen a glacier (or have seen only alpine glaciers), the glacier 'experience' you would get on any inside passage type cruise would be spectacular.

 

I agree with CanCan Case that each is different and each is spectacular in its own way. I would look at the entire cruise itinerary and the type of line that you are most comfortable with and factor each of those in equally with the glacier(s) that your cruise will visit.

[Toyz711]

one of the reasons that glacier bay is suggested so much...you have a little better chance of seeing /cruising it. it doesn't get the ice build up that some of the others do. about the only reason a cruise ship would NOT be able to cruise the area would be very dense fog.

it is a good introductions, just because you are moving the whole time and really get a good view of several different glaciers. when the ship stops, it's in front of margarie / grand pacific glaciers..while not as big as hubbard...they have great colors. if you go in late sept, the ships are allowed in another inlet...to see john hopkins glacier. it's bay is littered with ice, great colors and some calving.

if you do a search for "hubbard", there is a past discussions that explains the difference.

[Budget Queen]

. if you go in late sept, the ships are allowed in another inlet...to see john hopkins glacier. it's bay is littered with ice, great colors and some calving.

.

 

The Inlet is open 9-1, not just late Sept. BUT it's not a given your ship will sail down there. I've been there in that timeframe where the ship did and also did not.

[Phishface]

Overall I saw less glaciers than I expected on my cruise and if I could do it again, I would probably try to see Glacier Bay.

[Toyz711]

BQ.....i was wondering about the hopkins inlet, i know when we were there (sept 21) it had a lot of ice. they were small pieces, but it was thick with them. i thought at the time that they could block the ships?

no ice any where else in glacier bay. i realize they have to wait for all the pups to get out of the area, that could keep ship from going up that inlet. does the ice ever interfer?

since the hopkins area is just one of many viewing opps in glacier bay, it's not as big a deal as else where.

[agabbymama]

We went to Glacier Bay in May '99. I'd have to check my photos, but I think we saw about 5 or 6 glaciers. There was ice all over in the bay. We also saw lots of seals somewhere. It was cold, we were bundled up in coats, gloves, scarves, etc, but we were on-deck. The cracking of the ice and the calving is awesome. I don't think you can go wrong planning a trip to Glacier Bay. It is a National Park too, and I don't think RCCL can go there because they were dumping illegally (?).

 

This trip in August, plan to see Mendenhall Glacier out of Juneau. Not sure if we will see any others as we are on a cruisetour this time. Will see more of the Yukon and Interior Alaska. I pray McKinley doesn't hide from us. I don't have very good luck with mountains. Mt. Etna and Mt. Olympus (Italy) stayed hidden from view and the Matterhorn also was in bank of clouds with rain and sleet. I did get a great photo of Mt. St. Helens from the aircraft as we flew over it coming back in '99 from Alaska. And I have great shots of Mt. Shasta up in Northern California/Oregon border. But I really hope to see McKinley.

 

Have fun planning, and taking your trip. Alaska is a beautiful wilderness.:p

[mbisson]

Hubbard is just one glacier, sounds like Glacier bay is more

Overall I saw less glaciers than I expected on my cruise and if I could do it again, I would probably try to see Glacier Bay.

 

Of course the face of it is 7 miles wide :eek: , and there's a better chance of activity (ie: calving) than GB.

Both are great.

 

Sawyer (Tracy Arm) is also good, but do't count on getting to the glaciers. You might have to be content with seeing a great fjord. :D

 

-Monte

[wolfie11]

BQ.....i was wondering about the hopkins inlet, i know when we were there (sept 21) it had a lot of ice. they were small pieces, but it was thick with them. i thought at the time that they could block the ships?

no ice any where else in glacier bay. i realize they have to wait for all the pups to get out of the area, that could keep ship from going up that inlet. does the ice ever interfer?

since the hopkins area is just one of many viewing opps in glacier bay, it's not as big a deal as else where.

 

The cruise ships usually have no problems with the ice as long as there is a small opening between bergs they can get thru. The biggest problem is that the ships are usually on a fairly tight schedule and wending a way thru the ice really slows them down. There is always a lot of ice in JH because of the dogleg the inlet takes at the end which keeps the ice from floating out into the main part of the bay and also keeps the water colder so they don't melt as fast.