Hubbard Glacier Catamaran Excursion — Get Closer to North America's Largest Tidewater Glacier

How the Catamaran Excursion Works

Hubbard Glacier is not a traditional port of call. Your cruise ship does not dock anywhere. Instead, it sails into Disenchantment Bay in Yakutat Bay and positions itself for glacier viewing, typically holding station about half a mile to one mile from the glacier face. On select sailings, the cruise line offers a catamaran or small vessel transfer that takes a limited number of passengers much closer.

The process is straightforward. You report to a designated meeting area on the ship, then transfer via gangway to a waiting catamaran alongside the vessel. The transfer requires stepping across a short gap over open water, which is why this excursion is not wheelchair accessible. Once aboard the catamaran, the captain navigates through the floating ice and positions the boat roughly a quarter mile from the glacier face. You spend 45 minutes to an hour at close range before returning to the ship.

The entire experience runs two to three hours from check-in to return.

What You See Up Close

Hubbard Glacier is staggeringly large. It stretches six miles across and towers roughly 400 feet above the waterline, with another 600 feet of ice below the surface. From the ship, you can appreciate the width and general scale. From the catamaran, you experience the texture and violence of a living glacier.

At close range, you can see the deep blue crevasses that crack through the face, the dirt bands that mark centuries of accumulated sediment, and the individual pillars of ice called seracs that lean precariously before breaking free. Calving events happen frequently at Hubbard. When a chunk of ice the size of a house separates from the face and crashes into the bay, the sound is like a cannon shot echoing off the mountains. From the catamaran, you feel the resulting wave rock the boat. From the ship, that same event looks like a small splash.

The color of the ice is another revelation. Compressed glacial ice absorbs red wavelengths of light and reflects blue, producing an intense sapphire hue that photographs beautifully but is far more vivid in person at close range.

Wildlife in Disenchantment Bay

The waters directly in front of Hubbard Glacier support a surprising amount of wildlife. Harbor seals are the most common sighting. They haul out on floating icebergs to rest, sometimes dozens at a time, and seem unbothered by passing boats. These seal-covered bergs are one of the most photographed scenes at Hubbard Glacier.

Black-legged kittiwakes nest in the rocky cliffs along the bay walls and swoop over the water in large, noisy colonies. You may also spot sea otters floating on their backs in the calmer pockets of water away from the glacier face. Bald eagles occasionally perch on the forested shoreline of Gilbert Point as the catamaran transits toward the glacier.

Marine mammals are drawn here because the glacier’s meltwater creates upwellings that push nutrient-rich water to the surface, concentrating the small fish and krill that seals and seabirds depend on.

Which Cruise Lines Offer This

Not every cruise line offers a catamaran transfer at Hubbard Glacier. Holland America has historically been the most consistent provider, offering small-boat glacier approach excursions on their Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier itineraries. Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean have offered similar options on select sailings, though availability changes season to season.

Because this excursion depends entirely on the cruise ship being present in Disenchantment Bay and the operator having a vessel staged nearby, it is only bookable through the cruise line. There is no independent alternative. You cannot arrange your own boat to meet the ship. Check your cruise line’s shore excursion portal once bookings open for your sailing date.

Weather and Cancellation Risk

Hubbard Glacier sits in one of the wettest regions of Alaska. Overcast skies and light rain are common, and dense fog can roll in quickly. The excursion operates in most weather conditions, but heavy fog or excessive floating ice can force cancellation. The cruise line and catamaran operator make this decision jointly, prioritizing passenger safety.

If you are booking this excursion specifically for photography, know that overcast days actually produce better glacier photos. Flat, diffused light eliminates harsh shadows and brings out the blue tones in the ice. Sunny days create glare off the water that can wash out images.

Cancellation rates are lowest from late June through mid-August when water temperatures are highest and ice conditions in the bay are most navigable.

What to Wear

Dress as if you are going to stand outside in 40-degree weather with a cold wind for two hours, because that is exactly what you will be doing. Even in July, the air directly in front of a glacier is brutally cold. The catamaran’s katabatic wind—cold air flowing down off the glacier face—drops the perceived temperature significantly.

Wear a waterproof outer shell over warm insulating layers. Bring a warm hat that covers your ears, waterproof gloves, and a neck gaiter or scarf. Footwear should be closed-toe with rubber soles, as the catamaran deck will be wet from spray and condensation. Leave the fashion boots on the ship.

Bring your camera with a fully charged battery (cold drains batteries fast), a zoom lens if you have one, and binoculars for scanning the ice face for calving activity before it happens.