Hubbard Glacier in brief
Hubbard sits at the head of Disenchantment Bay, about 30 miles from the town of Yakutat by Travel Alaska’s count. Celebrity puts it roughly 200 miles northwest of Juneau.
The National Park Service calls it North America’s largest tidewater glacier.
Its numbers, per the NPS: 76 miles long, 7 miles wide, and about 600 feet tall at the face — 350 of those feet above the water, 250 below.
Lines round those figures differently — NCL says nearly 400 feet at the face, Princess a six-mile wall. We use the Park Service’s.
The ice starts at Mount Logan in Canada’s Yukon, and NCL says it takes about 400 years to reach the bay.
It’s been growing, not shrinking.
The US Geological Survey’s 2003 fact sheet has it advancing for more than a century — about 80 feet a year since 1895. The NPS now describes the terminus as stable after that run.
Twice the advance mattered a lot. In 1986 and again in 2002, Hubbard shoved sediment across the mouth of Russell Fjord and sealed it off from the sea.
Both dams burst. The USGS calls the floods the largest glacial-lake outbursts recorded in historical time — and it expects the fjord to close again, on no fixed date.
You won’t see any of that from the rail.
What you will see is a wall of ice, a bay full of floating chunks, and calving that Princess says the Tlingit call “white thunder.” Treat the approach as the event, not just the face.
Where to watch from
Seabourn says the bay is 18 miles wide at the Gulf of Alaska and the glacier shows from as far as 30 miles out. Celebrity’s advice is to get up early and claim a deck or lounge spot — do that before the ice starts, not when it’s overhead.
Not every ship opens its bow to guests, and none of the lines we read lists which ones do — ask at guest services the day before. If it’s closed, the highest forward-facing deck is your next call.
The ice thickens as the bay narrows, and Seabourn notes seals surfacing among it. This stretch is where the captain decides how far to go — a Holland America captain wrote on his blog that he needs roughly 1,500 feet of visibility before he’ll even consider entering the ice field.
Princess describes ships drifting into position and holding there for a while. Calving doesn’t keep a schedule — a sharp crack one time, a deep boom the next, by Princess’s description — so pick one stretch of the face and keep your eyes on it.
No line we read says which side of the ship faces the glacier, so we won’t pick one for you. A balcony gets you a private rail — Celebrity pitches it that way — but the open decks see both sides.
Celebrity pipes its naturalist’s commentary through public areas and the stateroom TV, and Princess suggests a lounge window instead of the deck. If the wind or the cold is too much, that’s a fair choice — not a consolation prize.
Holland America sells a two-hour catamaran trip from the ship at the mouth of Disenchantment Bay — from $359, ice and weather permitting, and not wheelchair accessible, with a narrow, moderately steep gangway. Virgin Voyages describes a similar Allen Marine boat getting within about half a mile of the face.
On the way back down the bay, the aft decks keep the glacier in view longest. Holland America notes Mount Saint Elias shows on a clear day — so turn around and look for it before you go in.
What you’ll see
The ice is the headline — the rest is what the lines say turns up around it. Princess and NCL list harbor seals, humpbacks, eagles, otters and orcas between them.
Haenke Island is the one landmark you’ll hear by name. Holland America’s day boat threads the cut between it and the mainland when the ice allows.
Russell Fjord’s mouth sits beside the glacier, inside the Tongass National Forest’s 545-square-mile Russell Fjord Wilderness. It’s the fjord Hubbard keeps trying to close.
Mount Saint Elias, the second-tallest peak in the US by Princess’s and Holland America’s account, stands behind it all. Cloud often hides it, so take the picture when you get the chance.
Which sailings include it
In the listings we read, Hubbard is mostly a one-way Gulf of Alaska stop, not a Seattle round-trip staple. The usual shape is a 7-night sailing between Seward or Whittier and Vancouver: southbound, it’s day two, after the first night out; northbound, Royal Caribbean’s 2027 list puts it last, the day before Seward.
For 2027, Royal Caribbean’s deployment sheet puts Hubbard on Anthem of the Seas alone, on Northbound and Southbound sailings between Vancouver and Seward from May 7 to September 10, plus a single May 7 Vancouver round trip; Quantum, Serenade and Voyager skip it.
Holland America’s 7-day Southbound Glacier Discovery (Whittier to Vancouver) on Westerdam and Nieuw Amsterdam pairs Hubbard with Glacier Bay the next day, per Cruise Industry News, and Noordam’s 14-day Great Alaska Explorer brings it to a Seattle round trip.
Resellers list Celebrity Solstice Southbound from Seward and Norwegian Jade from Whittier to Vancouver, both with Hubbard on day two, across 2027.
Princess’s own Hubbard page names its Voyage of the Glaciers sailings and the 14-day Grand Adventure, with no ships or years attached.
Virgin Voyages says Brilliant Lady has six Hubbard sailings across 2026 and 2027. Carnival’s 2027 announcement names none.
The 2026 season is over — Ovation of the Seas and Norwegian Jade both carried Hubbard on Seward/Whittier–Vancouver runs this year.
Flying in from the Southeast? Our Alaska cruise flights planner covers the open-jaw tickets these sailings need.
Getting closer than the ship
The ship sets your view — a day boat changes it. Holland America and Virgin both sell small-boat trips that leave the ship in the bay, and both say ice, sea and weather can shorten or cancel them.
Virgin says its boat can’t be booked ahead — you reserve it once aboard — and Holland America’s runs about two hours from $359. Ask your line what it offers before you sail, not on the morning.
The rest of the week happens on land, and most of it starts in Seward or Whittier. Sort the train or the transfer first.
Seward cruise guide
Most Hubbard weeks begin or end at Seward or Whittier, and neither is next to Anchorage’s airport. Here’s how the Seward end of the trip works.
Read the Seward guide →Practical notes
Getting close isn’t promised — and the lines say so.
Princess puts it plainly: “Weather and ice conditions play a big role in how close ships can safely approach.” Its Hubbard page adds that the location is subject to change.
Captain Albert, a Holland America captain who blogs his voyages, wrote up a May 2008 call where fog cut visibility to about 300 feet and the ice only got denser. He turned south without reaching the face, and said Oosterdam had been stopped short the day before.
Sometimes the day goes entirely. In May 2026, Ovation of the Seas dropped its Hubbard call on a Vancouver-to-Seward sailing and finished in Whittier instead.
The reasons came from passengers, not Royal Caribbean. Passengers reported onboard credit of $150 to $400 depending on cabin.
No line page we read promises a replacement glacier when Hubbard is off. Don’t book a Hubbard sailing assuming you’ll get one.
Weather: cold air, low cloud, and more daylight than you’ll use.
The National Weather Service’s Juneau office says 70°F counts as warm in Yakutat, and recommends a jacket over the water even on sunny days.
Princess says temperatures and wind can change quickly on deck. Its general Alaska example: 70 and sunny in Juneau, 45 with a sharp wind at a glacier face two hours later.
Daylight runs long. By our calculation from NOAA’s solar equations, Yakutat gets roughly 17 hours in mid-May, close to 19 at the June solstice, and about 13 and a half by early September.
What to wear: layers, and a hat.
Holland America’s day-boat list is a good deck list too — a windproof, waterproof outer layer, a warm hat, gloves and a scarf. Princess adds binoculars.
Bring them up from the cabin before the approach, not halfway through it.
No landing means no entry check.
Hubbard is US water, so the glacier day itself involves no border formalities. Your document needs come from the rest of the trip — one-way sailings start or end in Vancouver, Canada — so follow your line’s rules for that.
Not the same as Glacier Bay.
Glacier Bay is a national park with rangers who board the ship; Princess says its Hubbard narration comes from its own naturalists. Some Holland America weeks do both, on back-to-back days.
Sources: the US Geological Survey’s Fact Sheet 001-03 on Hubbard Glacier and Russell Fiord (pubs.usgs.gov); the National Park Service’s Wrangell–St. Elias glaciers page (nps.gov/wrst); Travel Alaska’s Yakutat page (travelalaska.com); the NWS Juneau Summer Climate Guide (weather.gov); NOAA’s solar-position equations, used for our own daylight figures; Celebrity Cruises’ Hubbard Glacier page and 2026–2027 Alaska page (celebritycruises.com); Norwegian’s Hubbard Glacier page (ncl.com); Princess Cruises’ Hubbard Glacier page and two Princess blog posts (princess.com); Holland America’s Hubbard Glacier excursion page (hollandamerica.com); Seabourn’s Cruising Yakutat Bay page (seabourn.com); Virgin Voyages’ Hubbard Glacier story (virginvoyages.com); Royal Caribbean’s Alaska 2027 deployment sheet (royalcaribbeanincentives.com); Cruise Industry News on Royal Caribbean’s and Holland America’s 2027 seasons; TravelPulse on Princess’s 2027 season; Cruise Hive on Carnival’s 2027 season; CruiseMapper on Royal Caribbean’s 2026 season; Royal Caribbean Blog on the May 2026 Ovation of the Seas change; The Cruise Web, AlaskaTravel.com and Gangwaze sailing listings; and Captain Albert’s blog — all consulted October 20, 2026. Royal Caribbean’s and Celebrity’s own itinerary pages loaded without dates or times, so the hours above come from a reseller listing, not the lines.
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Hubbard Glacier FAQ
Can you get off the ship at Hubbard Glacier?
No. It’s scenic cruising — the ship sails up Disenchantment Bay, stays a while and leaves.
The exception is a line’s own day boat. Holland America and Virgin Voyages both describe small vessels that launch from the ship for a closer look, conditions permitting.
Which cruise lines go to Hubbard Glacier?
For 2027, Royal Caribbean lists it on Anthem of the Seas between Vancouver and Seward. Holland America has it on Westerdam and Nieuw Amsterdam’s Southbound Glacier Discovery and on Noordam’s 14-day Seattle round trip.
Resellers show Celebrity Solstice and Norwegian Jade with it on one-way weeks, Princess names it on Voyage of the Glaciers sailings, and Virgin Voyages on a handful of Brilliant Lady trips. Check your own sailing — some weeks on the same ship skip it.
What time do cruise ships get to Hubbard Glacier?
It depends on the sailing. One reseller listing for Celebrity Solstice’s May 14, 2027 departure from Seward shows Hubbard from 3 to 6 p.m. on day two; Norwegian Jade’s listings show no time at all.
Treat any window as the plan, not a promise. Ice and weather move it.
Which side of the ship is best for Hubbard Glacier?
We can’t tell you, because the lines don’t say. A balcony gives you your own rail; the open decks see both sides.
What happens if it’s foggy or the ice is too thick?
The ship stops where the captain judges it safe, and that may be well short of the face. Princess says weather and ice decide how close ships get.
Sometimes the visit is dropped. Ovation of the Seas skipped Hubbard on a May 2026 sailing, and passengers reported onboard credit afterward.
Is Hubbard Glacier the same as Tracy Arm?
No — Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm are fjords south of Juneau. Hubbard is on the Gulf of Alaska side, roughly 200 miles northwest of Juneau by Celebrity’s count, and turns up mostly on one-way Seward or Whittier sailings.
Our Endicott Arm guide covers the southern one.
Do I need a passport for a Hubbard Glacier cruise?
Not for the glacier — there’s no landing and no border check there.
Your itinerary is another matter. One-way Hubbard sailings start or end in Vancouver, Canada, so follow your line’s document rules for the whole trip.
What should I wear for Hubbard Glacier?
Layers, with a windproof, waterproof outer shell, plus a warm hat, gloves and a scarf — Holland America’s list for its day boat.
The NWS says even a sunny day over the water calls for a jacket. Bring binoculars too.
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