Hubbard Glacier Once Again and 43rd Anniversary

2023 Cunard Queen Elizabeth - 29-Day Transpacific Yokohama to Vancouver

June 14, 2023 (Wednesday) -- Hubbard Glacier

This is our second visit to Hubbard Glacier on this cruise and we are not sure if we should be excited or not since last time was such a disappointment.

As usual, we got up to the buffet at 7:00 and ready for some breakfast. The congee was set out on starboard side but they did not open that area until close to 8:00. We waited just so we can have our share. Saw a man asking for congee on port side of the buffet and was told it’s on the other side and that he should ask the chef. I went and asked the chef and was told the same thing. Apparently, other than Asians, there are people who are interested in having congee in the morning also. I put some pieces of chicken in and it turned into a chicken congee, not too bad!

Then we went up to deck 10, Commodore Club, at around 10:00 and it was still very quiet. We got the front row seats again and stayed there for about a half hour. 

Then we decided we should go to the buffet for an early lunch. Lunch was quite good today, with the best prime rib on this trip. They also had some prawns and asparagus salad and also the Hamachi sashimi today. Son ordered a whole pizza and I had a piece. Very good!

Really good pizza.

Sashimi!

After lunch, it was time that the ship sailed in front of the glacier so we hurried up to deck 5 but all the good spaces were gone by then. We stayed there until the ship started turning, then we went down to deck 3 for a closer look. We saw Celebrity Eclipse coming out as we sailed in. That should be the ship where TC/JoC are on. I wonder if we will bump into them in Juneau tomorrow?

Our ship made another rotation before heading back out to the open sea. It was beautiful but I still think Tracy Arm is prettier. Some people said they saw orca, gray whale, seals, and sea lions today but not us!

I actually enjoyed Hubbard Glacier more than Glacier Bay.

It’s our 43^rd Anniversary today and we are planning to have dinner at the MDR with some champagne. We’ll see how it’s going to turn out.

When we checked into the MDR, I noticed that the Ma’tre D handed an envelop to the waiter who was taking us to the table, and I knew that it has something to do with our Anniversary. We had dinner just like usual except our waiter did not take down our orders for dessert. We took a bottle of champagne to dinner and the sommelier got us four champagne glasses and filled them with the champagne. 

All was well and then for dessert, they brought out the beautiful cake that Connie ordered and the wait staff stood behind us and sang for us. We shared half of the cake right there which was a delicious and beautifully decorated sponge cake. It was a little embarrassing but with went with it. Then we cut the half into two and we took those back to the cabin for later. 

This was the envelope that was handed to the server.

After dinner, we went to take some photos around the ship and they turned out quite nice. We did not go to the casino after that and we were ready to call it a day. 

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."   -- Matthew 25:13

Short Port Visit in Haines

2023 Cunard Queen Elizabeth - 29-Day Transpacific Yokohama to Vancouver

June 13, 2023 (Tuesday) -- Haines, Alaska

It was anticipation with excitement this morning as we got up to the buffet for breakfast. Yes, they did have porridge and rice with some condiments served. I hope more people realized that these were available so it wasn’t like I was the only one complaining. Good thing that QE listened. 

The ship was ready for people getting off at around 9:45 and we gathered at 10:30 to get off the ship. At first, we were planning not to take the group since this is such an easy town to explore. With people still wanting to follow us, we decided to take them along anyway. The walk to town was like about 20 minutes and a beautiful walk. The town center just included a few short blocks with shops, restaurants, library, supermarket, etc. We covered most if not all and were ready to get back. Took about two hours to complete the visit and back on board for lunch. Son bought some fudge and we just bought a few little things at the supermarket. I must say that most everything is expensive here.

Such a pretty sight looking at the town of Haines.

Ready to explore.

What I remember about Haines from 20 years ago was that it only had one street with a couple of stores. It was more likely that we did not explore into the town itself on our last visit and just stayed near the pier. Today, they had a complimentary shuttle going into downtown all day and the walk to town was like 15-20 minutes away. Still, there’s not much to see but it’s nice to be able to check out the downtown area. The Hammer Museum in downtown looked interesting but cost $7 to get in so we skipped.

Downtown Haines

We visited a few stores, went to the city library, and shopped at a grocery store before walking back to the dock. Many people were at the library using their free Wi-Fi.

A local church.

We walked this path behind the church to get back to the ship.

A nice path with pretty flowers.

The main street right in front of the dock. That was where we spent most of our port time 20 years ago.

Lunch back on the ship was at the Golden Lion. The four of us ordered the hamburgers, which we waited for a long time to get. The burgers were good but it would have been better if they were hot. They must have sat there for quite a while before they brought them out. After that we went up to the buffet and had more food before coming back for our afternoon naps.

We also spent some time exploring the ship in the afternoon. With most people still in port, it was rather quiet and empty but very nice. It was almost like being in Europe, like Switzerland, with snow-capped mountains all around. Just breath taking! 

A smaller cruise ship waiting for her guests to be tendered back.

We have not been going to the MDR for dinner in the last couple of nights so we figured we should go there tonight just so we don’t miss our place at the same table. We will probably stay for a couple of evenings and see what we want to do next. The mixed grill served tonight was good though. Nice ending for the day!

For video of this day, please click here.

'For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."   -- Philippians 1:21