Monday Sept 4, 2023
Hi Folks! Happy Labor Day to all! It’s weird being on a cruise ship on a holiday. It doesn’t feel like Labor Day at all… all the stores are open and they want your money, especially the casino!
The whole day was a sea day and the first past especially felt that way. I slept in, had a nice breakfast and then watched two really great lectures. One was called “Pacific Giants” which was all about the various whales of the Northwest. And the other was called “The Iditarod – The Last Great Race on Earth”. Loved seeing all those cool dogs and the amazing endurance they have not to mention the human mushers and what they go thru. Just incredible. That’s one thing about Holland America is they really do have some great lectures on board.
Had a nice lunch and then the second half of the day felt more like an excursion day since we arrived at Hubbard Glacier and got to view it in all her majesty. Right before we got there, the skies cleared, the sun came out and it turned into a beautiful day to see the glacier!
You may remember this from our last Alaska cruise but Hubbard Glacier is 6.2 miles wide which makes it the largest tidewater glacier in the world! The ship got way closer to the glacier than I thought she would and did a 360 to allow everyone to take pictures and take in the beauty. We got so close we got to sea and hear the calving of the glacier into the sea. There is just something magical about looking at packed down snow formed into glaciers from thousands of years ago. Really puts life in perspective.
After that, had a nice dinner, played some trivia, listened to some music at the BB King Blues Club and finished the night at the dueling piano bar. But I also got two of my favorite things on a cruise… a beautiful sunset and a towel animal and a chocolate in my room! Woo Hoo!
Really looking forward to tomorrow where we’ll visit Glacier Bay National Park. Of all my trips to Alaska, I have never stopped here since only a few ships are allowed to enter. Should be fun!
The Wandering Italian 