I should start this post by saying that I have never done a “traditional” Alaska cruise. By traditional I mean on a big cruise ship with several thousand people. I’m sure it’s fun. The food is probably great (depending on the cruise line) and the views, I KNOW, are amazing.
I did Alaska differently. I went on an Un-Cruise.
Un-Cruise Adventures, as it’s name implies, provides a completely different cruise experience. Their ships are small, with the largest having only 44 cabins. This changes a couple of things.:
1 – Since you aren’t on a ship with several thousand guests and crew you tend to make friends fast. And this is such a unique experience, so it tends to attract a certain kind of person and since you were attracted to this type of experience, too, you’ll fit right in. Of course there’s bound to be the odd weirdo or rude person (and you know what they say, if there isn’t, you’re probably that person!) but there will be so many nice people on board, you’ll hardly notice.
2- Because the ships are small they can get to places that the larger ships can’t go, like:
WATERFALLS!
WHALES!
ALASKA!
Un-Cruise has 3 styles of ships –The Wilderness ships are used for Adventure class cruises. The accommodations are a little more basic, drinks are not included in the price, lunch is served buffet style (but is still delicious) and there is an extra fee for taxes, port fees and some activities. The Legacy is a historic style paddle wheeler that has history themed itineraries. Drinks are included (like they are with the Safari ships) but the ship does not have Kayaks etc. The Safari ships are the Luxury class, Drinks are included, breakfast, lunch and dinner are sit down meals served at your table, port charges and taxes are included in the price as is the equipment you need for activities (snorkel equipment in warm weather destinations, rain boots, pants and jackets etc.)
I sailed on the 22 passenger yacht, the Safari Quest.
We embarked in Juneau and, with the exception of Tenakee, AK (population 134) we didn’t stop at a single town or city. Our days were spent Kayaking, exploring in Zodiacs and tromping through the forests.
It’s really hard to describe the whole trip so I’ll just tell you about 5 of my favorite parts.
1 – The people. Like I said before, a special kind of person is attracted to a trip like this. Everyone was so much fun to hang out with and get to know. I made some really great friends on the trip that I am still in contact with today. And of the 22 guests on board, 10 were from Australia so that made it extra fun.
2 – Kayaking among the glaciers.
I wish I could do this every day. We anchored near the glacier and the crew loaded everyone who wanted to go in a Kayak. It was so quiet and calm. Every once in a while the clam would be proken by what sounded like thunder, but was in fact the front face of the glacier falling off and crashing into the water, or “calving”. This led to large and small chunks of ice floating all around us. You know the sound Rice Krispie’s cereal makes in milk? That “snap, crackle, pop”? That’s what it sounded like all around us as those smaller “bergie bits” crackled all around us.
3 – Rain boots.
The first day we hiked I wore new hiking boots that I brought with me. It was muddy, and mushy and there were puddles all over the trail. The other women and I spent most of the time trying to navigate our way to drier spots to step on. The second time we got smart and used the rain boots that Un-Cruise provided for us. LOVE! I was walking right through streams without a single worry. It was way more fun that I thought it would be.
4 – The food.
The kitchen was tiny but they sure worked some magic in there! When at all possible they source fresh, local ingredients. There were always several choices for dinner. I usually asked for a little bit of each. (because – FOMO! (Fear of Missing Out) My favorite? Crab eggs benedict. The night before they brought on fresh crab (so fresh they were trying to escape!) We ate our fill and then for breakfast were offered leftovers on our eggs benedict. One of the top 5 meals of my life.
**FYI – if you have special dietary needs or requests, let us know in advance so we can advise the ship. Like I said – we didn’t stop in any towns so they can’t just run to the store to pick up ingredients if you need or want something special. They will, however, do everything they can to accommodate you. **
5 – The ship. It felt like a floating home. There were so many places to relax and chat. You could even go up to the bridge and hang out with the captain if you’d like. Un-Cruise hires the nicest people. We spent many hours chatting with the captain. And the bathroom have heated floors… I’m planning to install that in my bathrooms at home.
5 ½ – There’s so much more I loved about this cruise. I could go on forever but I just want to add one more thing. The ship is equipped with an underwater microphone. We were lucky enough to come upon some whales bubble net feeding. One whale will blow bubbles around and around into a sort of net surrounding a school of fish. While it’s doing this it makes this beautifully haunting sound. The sound stops and that’s the sign for the rest of the whales to open wide and scoop up the trapped fish. They all break through the surface of the water at the same time. It’s pretty spectacular.
What we love about this cruise
Well, everything above. But also-
You don’t have to be super fit for this. Kayaking is pretty easy, the hikes are mild and on the larger ships, where they might do something a bit more strenuous, you can opt for an easier walk or another activity. There’s always a Zodiac excursion and all you have to do for that is sit in the boat and stay warm.
Because the ships are small and don’t have specific times they need to arrive in a port town they can be more flexible. If the weather is stormy in the scheduled area, the captain will change course to avoid it. If they receive word that animals have been sighted nearby, they’ll head over there. The
What you should know
If you want huge buffet dinner, Vegas style shows, a kids camp where you can leave your kids for hours, and lots of shopping – this is NOT the cruise for you. You will get none of that.
The weather, and the wildlife in Alaska, are unpredictable. We were lucky with mostly dry days but you could just as easily have rain every day. And while the captain will make every effort to find bears and whales and sunny skies, none of that is ever guaranteed.