Alaska 6.0 - Day 6

 August 15:  Hubbard Glacier

We woke up this morning and for the first time since the day we left we were NOT on a schedule, and more importantly not on an early wake-up schedule.  It was very nice to wake up leisurely and go get coffee and enjoy breakfast while watching the water go by.

The View At Breakfast

NOTE:  I heard that the sticky buns on Holland America are actually made from a special mixture of broccoli, asparagus, and kale with an all natural, non-caloric coating (for the person who'd be most interested in this....that's what I heard - just sayin')

Kim went to the gym at mid-morning and then played in a ping-pong tournament (made it to the semi-finals!).  And then we met up with Patti for lunch in the dining room.  Around 1:45 we were approaching our main objective for the day, Hubbard Glacier.  By 2 pm we were within a few miles and the scenery began to change.  As we finally arrived and "parked" just four miles from the gigantic ice formation the ship turned first to the starboard side so everyone who had veranda staterooms could enjoy a full-on view of the glacier, and then the ship turned around so we (our room is on the port side) could enjoy the full-on view.  To get the full impact of the day I went up top to deck 10 and viewed the glacier when the ship was turned to the starboard side.  The air temp was in the low 50's but with the misting rain, the breeze and being close to the glacier it was PRETTY cold.  I stayed up there for about half an hour, then as the ship slowly turned I made my way to our room and watched in the comfort of our sheltered balcony.

By the time the ship left the glacier it was close to time to dress for drinks and dinner.  Over cocktails we met a couple who'd been to Antarctica.  Their unbridled enthusiasm for our upcoming trip there was exciting (not that we didn't think it would be a "once in a lifetime trip" already, but it was cool to meet ordinary guests, like us who had been there and loved it).  We had 6 pm reservations at the Pinnacle Grill, one of two specialty restaurants on board.  Last night's dinner was excellent, but tonight's was exceptional to the "nth" degree!  Just superb!  After dinner we were early for the 9:30 pm show so we caught about 25 minutes of a "dueling piano" performance and then watched the main show in the theatre which was a dance production set to modern music.  Typically not one for dance, I thought the whole show was top notch and enjoyed it alot.  Tomorrow we spend the day (nearly six hours) in Glacier Bay National Park where we should see multiple glaciers up close and personal!