The ship started to enter the Hubbard Glacier at about 8 AM. After breakfast, we tried to squeeze in with the hoards of people congregated at all the windows. We stood by a couple who had claimed the only working window as their private viewing spot and would act put out if anyone tried to take a photo from “their window”. Frustrated with the “attitude”, we realized that we had a better view of the glacier from our balcony. So, we headed back to our room, wrapped our deck blankets around us and watched the amazing sight of this humungous glacier.
The glacier, at the northern edge of Yakutat Bay, stretches over 90 miles—and the ice cliff face is 6 miles wide, 300 feet high. It is the longest tidewater glacier in North America and one of the fastest moving in Alaska. You had to be outside to truly appreciate the glacier- it was not only the spectacular sight of such a huge ice cliff, but the sounds! Softened by the warmer sea air and eroded by seawater, huge chunks “calve” or crack and crash into the bay. It’s like a thunderstorm- you hear this loud crack and then seconds later, huge blocks of ice fall into the sea. The ship was only 1000 feet from the cliffs- and it was truly an amazing thing to behold.
Interesting Facts:* Tidewater glaciers spill down out of the mountains and run all the way to the sea.
* Piedmont glaciers are two glaciers that have run together into one.
* Hanging glaciers are glaciers that are draped over hillsides but don’t come all the way down to the bottom of the hill.
* Mountain (alpine) glaciers are confined by surrounding mountain terrain.
* Valley glaciers are mountain glaciers confined by valley walls
* Cirque glacier sit in basins near ridge crests and are usually circular.
Well, since it was our last day on ship, we had to attend the Disembarkation Presentation. We got all the info on departing the ship the following morning and had a farewell from the entire staff.
The Cruise Director gave us a few interesting facts about the ship:
How much food is consumed on our 6 day cruise:
* 24.236 pounds of beef
* 5,040 pounds of lamb
* 7,216 pounds of pork
* 4,600 pounds of veal
* 1,680 pounds of sausage
* 10,211 pounds of chicken
* 3,156 pounds of turkey
* 13,851 pounds of fish
* 350 pounds of crab
* 2,100 pounds of lobster
* 25,736 pounds of fresh vegetables
* 15,150 pounds of potatoes
* 20.003 pounds of fresh fruit
* 3,250 gallons of milk
* 1976 quarts of cream
* 9,235 dozen eggs
* 5,750 pounds of sugar
* 3,800 pounds of rice
* 1,750 pounds of cereal
* 450 pounds of jelly
* 2,458 pounds of coffee
* 1,936 pounds of cookies
* 2,450 tea bags
* 120 pounds of herbs and spices
* 200 bottles of champagne
* 200 bottles of gin
* 290 bottles of vodka
* 350 bottles of whiskey
* 150 bottles of rum
* 45 bottles of sherry
* 600 bottles of assorted liqueurs
* 10,100 bottles/cans of beer
Summit Facts
* Tonnage: 91,00
* Length: 964.6 feet
* Width: 105.6 feet
* Depth: 26.3 feet
* Guest Capacity: 1950
* Crew size: 999
Time to pack so we headed back to our room. 
The ship left the calm waters of Yakutat Bay and headed towards Seward. The boat started to rock and roll and trying to pack a suitcase became a major challenge. As the ship continues to roll, so did our stomachs! We thought maybe some lunch would help and got lunch at the Waterfall Café. But, when we got back to the room, it only got worse. I went to the Guest Relations desk to get some medication for sea-sickness. They were handing them out like candy! We managed to finish packing and both of us laid down to see if a little rest would help. When it came time for our last dinner, we decided that it just wasn’t in the cards. (It turns out that the dining room was almost empty that night!)
We called Room Service and got some cheese and crackers, some tea and a bowl of chicken soup. Not exactly our normal dinner fare on the ship, but it hit the spot.
The ship left the calm waters of Yakutat Bay and headed towards Seward. The boat started to rock and roll and trying to pack a suitcase became a major challenge. As the ship continues to roll, so did our stomachs! We thought maybe some lunch would help and got lunch at the Waterfall Café. But, when we got back to the room, it only got worse. I went to the Guest Relations desk to get some medication for sea-sickness. They were handing them out like candy! We managed to finish packing and both of us laid down to see if a little rest would help. When it came time for our last dinner, we decided that it just wasn’t in the cards. (It turns out that the dining room was almost empty that night!)We called Room Service and got some cheese and crackers, some tea and a bowl of chicken soup. Not exactly our normal dinner fare on the ship, but it hit the spot.
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