Cruising in Alaska means you want to see all the things. The list includes whales, sled dogs and bald eagles. You want stunning scenery and informative tours.
Topping most people’s list is glacier viewing. It’s an intrinsic part of what we hope to see on a cruise in Alaska waters — perhaps even the main reason to choose a cruise or cruisetour rather than an exclusively land-based Alaska vacation.
Cruise lines get that and dedicate time to cruising near the region’s most famous rivers of ice in an effort to make everyone’s dreams of glacial awe come true.
But how do you know which Alaska cruise itinerary will get you the most close-up time with the best glaciers? Let’s start with the top two choices for most Alaska cruisers: Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
There are cruises that visit both, but often, you must choose between them when booking your cruise. My vote goes to Glacier Bay, but before we dive into the details to back up my choice, let’s go over the basics of choosing an Alaska glacier cruise.
Tips to ensure you see a glacier on your cruise
You need to know that it is entirely possible to book a cruise in Alaska that does not take you to any glacier. I’ve done that and had a wonderful time.
It’s important to remember, though, that even routes that plan for glacier time can come up short. Weather, ice in the water and onboard emergencies are the usual reasons ships must skip scheduled glacier visits.
My glacierless cruise was not an accident or a surprise. It was an early season, short cruise that only visited Ketchikan, Alaska, and Victoria, British Columbia.
If it’s glaciers you seek, plan accordingly with these three tips to improve your chances.
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First, book a midseason cruise because early and late-season cruises face more ice in the water and more challenging weather conditions. Second, book a cruise with more than one glacier cruising day to double your odds. Finally, add a glacier cruising excursion; these are often possible from the ports before or after the day your ship plans to do its scenic cruising near a glacier.
Tip: If your cruise offers a glacier-viewing excursion on the day the ship is scheduled for scenic cruising near a glacier, take it. It indicates that the ship won’t get as close as you might want.
Here’s what to expect from the two most popular glacier destinations.
Related: The best time to cruise Alaska
Hubbard Glacier
Tracy Arm, Alaska. PETER AITKEN/GETTY IMAGES
Details
It’s the longest tidewater glacier in North America, with a face more than 400 feet high and almost 7 miles wide.
Cruise lines that visit Hubbard Glacier
The majority of cruise lines that visit Alaska include Hubbard Glacier on at least one itinerary — most often on one-way sailings or 10- to 14-night cruises. Remember that only a handful of seven-night, round-trip cruises include Hubbard Glacier. The list includes Alaska newcomer Virgin Voyages, as well as small- and medium-ship cruise lines like Crystal, Silversea and The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.
What makes Hubbard Glacier special
Hubbard Glacier’s enormous face is its biggest draw. Its massive size means you can see it even on visits when the ship cannot get as close as you’d like. Ships typically get within a quarter- to a half-mile of the face of the glacier, but the amount of ice in the water can sometimes force ships to halt farther out in the fjord.
Hubbard is sometimes called “The Galloping Glacier” because it has been advancing into Disenchantment Bay for more than 100 years — sometimes in surges that cut off nearby Russell Fjord. It is currently considered stable in terms of overall size, but it’s steadily moving forward into the bay.
That movement causes ice to break off and fall into the sea in a process known as calving, which is not related as much to temperature as it is to the physics of the glacier’s thickness and the steepness of the land mass it crosses. Ice chunks the size of three-story buildings often fall into the water, creating a thunderous roar and waves that pound nearby shorelines.
The glacier is part of 13.2 million-acre Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park encompasses the largest glacial system in the U.S., with 35% of the park covered by glaciers.
During the cruise into Yakutat Bay, which narrows into Disenchantment Bay, you may see humpback whales, orcas, bald eagles, seals, sea lions and even bears on shore. Most ships have naturalists on board to help with (and announce) wildlife sightings during the ship’s visit to the bay.
Related: The 6 best Alaska cruise shore excursions — from heli-hiking to whale watching
Glacier Bay
National park ranger on a cruise ship in Glacier Bay. MARK KATZMAN/PRINCESS CRUISES
Details
It’s part of a national park and preserve covering over 3 million acres and encompassing more than 1,000 glaciers, seven of which are tidewater glaciers you can see from the ship.
Cruise lines that visit Glacier Bay
Cunard, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess, Seabourn, Viking, American Cruise Lines, Lindblad, UnCruise and Alaskan Dream Cruises all operate trips to Glacier Bay.
What makes Glacier Bay special
The obvious wow is that you can see seven glaciers in one day here. Also cool is that the bay is part of a national park, and rangers will board the ship to answer your questions. They’ll have maps, charts and all the information you could want about the park’s glaciers and wildlife. Yes, you can even get your national park passport stamped.
The ship will visit the park for nine to 10 hours, traveling more than 120 miles. I found itineraries that started as early as 6 a.m. and one on Holland America that arrived at 8:30 a.m. (It stayed until 6:30 p.m.) Ships stop in front of one of the tidewater glaciers for about an hour, rotating 360 degrees to give everyone on board a view.
Only two large cruise ships are allowed per day; luckily, the park classifies smaller lines — including UnCruise, Lindblad and American Cruise Lines — as tour vessels rather than cruise ships, so the big-ship limits don’t apply.
Throughout the day of cruising, you can expect to see harbor seals, Steller sea lions, sea otters and bald eagles. You may also see brown bears (coastal grizzlies), black bears, humpback whales, harbor porpoises, mountain goats, orcas and puffins.
Related: Best Alaska cruise tips to help you make the most of your time aboard and ashore
Which is better: Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay?
For length of time spent scenic cruising: Glacier Bay wins this one. The limited number of ships allowed each day means it is an all-day event for the lucky few who cruise these waters. Cruises to Hubbard Glacier typically spend a few hours near the glacier.
For dramatic presentation: Hubbard Glacier is the drama queen of all Alaskan glaciers. Between its brilliant blue colors, thunderous calving and monumental size, Hubbard puts on quite a show. The glaciers in Glacier Bay are quieter, far less flashy and less likely to exhibit calving of large ice chunks.
For wildlife viewing: Both scenic glacier cruises put you in ideal spots to see Alaskan wildlife and sea life throughout the visit; however, Glacier Bay is the winner because ships stay in the bay longer. It’s like having an extended wildlife viewing excursion — except you never have to leave the ship.
For children or those with short attention spans: Hubbard wins here because it’s a shorter visit. A visit to Glacier Bay is a long, slow affair, often beginning early in the morning and requiring warm clothing and lots of patience. The one plus for kids at Glacier Bay is interaction with the park rangers on board the ship.
For choice of cruise lines: Hubbard for the win here also. I tracked down 16 different cruise lines offering Hubbard stops in their itineraries. Glacier Bay does earn bonus points, though, for having the greatest number of small-ship options. Imagine the thrill of cruising here on board an UnCruise, Lindblad or American Cruise Lines vessel.
For cruise cost: Both glacier stops are likely to require a one-way itinerary, which can add to your airfare costs, but Glacier Bay edges out Hubbard on this one. This is primarily because we did find a handful of seven-night, round-trip itineraries that included stops here. Also, for the best viewing at Hubbard, you may still need a shore excursion on a smaller boat, which will add to your total cost.
Most likely to succeed: This one is also a win for Glacier Bay. With seven glaciers, the odds are stacked in your favor. It would take severe weather, dense fog or a ship emergency to keep you from seeing at least one glacier within this park on your itinerary.
Related: The best Alaska cruises for every type of traveler
Other glaciers in Alaska to see by cruise ship
Tracy Arm, Alaska. PETER AITKEN/GETTY IMAGES
While Hubbard and Glacier Bay are the two most famous glacier choices on Alaska cruises, don’t forget the smaller options.
If your itinerary says you’ll be cruising in Tracy Arm Fjord, you are there to see the twin Sawyer glaciers. The narrow fjord is stunning in its beauty. Plus, you’ll get closer to land here than in the big open bays, offering a better view of waterfalls and wildlife. Look for bears and mountain goats. MSC‘s first season in Alaska includes cruising time in Tracy Arm.
Endicott Arm is a fjord that branches off Tracy Arm and might be used as a backup if the weather or ice prevents your ship from reaching the Sawyer glaciers. Because Endicott Arm is a bit straighter than Tracy Arm, larger ships (such as Royal Caribbean‘s Anthem of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas) will schedule visits here. The glacier you’ll see at Endicott Arm is Dawes Glacier, which is the destination listed on Disney Cruise Line‘s Alaska itineraries. Ships may offer boat excursions to see these glaciers close-up, both on the day of scenic cruising and in Juneau, Alaska. Windstar Cruises‘ Star Seeker itineraries use Zodiac excursions for close-up views of these glaciers.
College Fjord is a more northerly option near Whittier, Alaska, so you’ll typically find it on itineraries that sail to or from Whittier or Seward, Alaska. This is a bonus glacier-viewing spot because most itineraries that include it also include either Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay. The real bonus, though, is that the fjord is home to five tidewater glaciers.
Bottom line
You can enjoy an Alaska cruise without seeing glaciers. However, if that’s an important part of your dream Alaska experience, you should book a cruise with more than one opportunity to see glaciers because things can (and do) go wrong.
As for choosing Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay, our vote goes to Glacier Bay for ease of viewing, time spent in front of the glaciers and cost to visit — but you won’t be disappointed with either option.
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