Hubbard Glacier is scenic cruising, not a port: there is no dock, town or excursion. The ship spends two to four hours in Disenchantment Bay facing six miles of actively calving ice - and unlike Glacier Bay, Hubbard is advancing, which means bigger, more frequent calving. Here is how to do the day well. It appears on many one-way Gulf of Alaska sailings and some Inside Passage routes.
The scenic day
Most itineraries reach the bay in the morning or early afternoon and hold position for two to four hours while the captain slowly rotates the ship so both sides get glacier views. There are no park rangers here - the ship's naturalist or captain narrates. Approach distance depends on ice conditions: some days the ship closes to half a mile, others it stops a mile or more out.
What you will see
Hubbard's face is six miles wide and up to 400 feet high - the largest tidewater glacier in North America - and because it is advancing rather than retreating, it calves frequently and dramatically, with house-sized blocks hitting the water. Harbor seals rest on the floating ice; the peaks of the St. Elias range, including 18,008-foot Mount St. Elias, frame the bay on clear days.
Where to watch
An open deck beats a balcony here: the captain rotates the ship, so a fixed balcony only gets half the show. The highest open deck gives the best angle over the ice floes. Stay outside even when cold - the loudest cracks are the cue to look. Dress warmer than for Glacier Bay: wind off the ice field can make midsummer feel like winter, and waterproof gloves let you hold a camera or binoculars longer.
What it costs
Nothing. Hubbard Glacier scenic cruising is fully included in the fare, and there are no rangers, permits or excursion add-ons. Optional spending is limited to hot drinks and photography. Along with Glacier Bay, this is Alaska's best free highlight.
The five-minute version
- Scenic cruising only - no dock, no town, no excursion.
- Advancing glacier: bigger and more frequent calving than Glacier Bay.
- Captain rotates the ship; open deck beats a fixed balcony.
- Listen for the crack, then look - sound follows the ice.
- Dress for winter wind; everything is included in the fare.