laurie_ann

I promised more details of our trip on Glacier Bay Cruiseline "Wilderness Adventurer" on Alaska's Inside Passage last week. (They have at least two other vessels on similar itineraries in Alaska too.) I always think that the "right" trip is the trip that is the "right" match for you. Hopefully this commentary will give you some insight as to what to expect. Start with their brochure. The description of itinerary, meals, services, accomodations and overall atmosphere is quite accurate. (Especially the "no dressing up" policy for dinner, or for anything else.) Rather than a day to day description, I will organize it by category: accomodations, meals, activities, ship mates. I will qualify my commentary that I have never been (and from what I know about them would probably not go) on a full size cruise ship. For one, we prefer to travel on our own for local "flavor" and "adventure", unless it is something like this that you can't reasonably do on your own (like have three naturalists accompany you as we did on this Alaska cruise). For two, a vacation to us is not dressing up. If it helps, we are 40 something professionals (and took my husband's 70 something parents with us). Our most recent vacations otherwise have been to Turkey in 2003 and Japan in 2002.

laurie_ann

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Accomodation. Our vessel held about 60 passengers, maybe a few more if all the cabins that could be triples were used as triples. The vessel layout and cabin photos and descriptions are in the brocure. We had a AA cabin, which is what most of them are on this vessel. The cabin was about 8' by 8'. Two twin beds that could be put together as a queen, a combination shower and toilet cabinet, a sink and a small closet. Good beds. Good linens. Your luggage stores comfortably under your bed. Very clean. Cleaned every day and if ever we wanted something, like an extra towel, we had it in two minutes. (Frankly, the vessel is so small you can walk around the whole deck in two minutes.) Overall, the cabins were more comfortable and more spacious than I would have thought. No cabins have a private balcony, but all have windows. It's only up 10 steps to the viewing deck, or down 10 steps to the dining room and lounge with picture windows, so except for a short afternoon nap and sleeping at night, we never spent time in our cabin.

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laurie_ann

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Meals. Three meals a day. Would describe meals overall as good, wholesome, fresh, relatively simple more like homemade style than gourmet. Breakfast was a hot buffet each morning, but there were choices for cereal, fruit, etc. too. Lunch was soup and sandwiches served family style. Dinner was served at your table, a choice of three entrees (meat, fish or vegetarian). On one port day we watched the chef bring the fresh Alaskan crab and salmon on the boat. (For a sample menu, go to their website choose from the download library at the bottom of the page where they have details like the passenger contract they also have a sample menu.) Meals are served at scheduled times, but seating is wherever in the dining room at tables that seat six or eight. We looked forward to the next meal for the food and for meeting someone new. The bar was open from 11 am to 10 pm, where you could get beer, wine (good California and other Pacific Northwest choices at reasonable prices, one of my main criteria for any vacation), mixed drinks, soft drinks. (I don't remember the individual beverage charges but for 4 adults, reasonable drinkers, for 7 days and nights we had a bar bill of about $300 which didn't seem like too much for what all we had.) Also fresh baked cookies in the afternoon. And good free coffee (no Starbucks, but still good coffee).

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laurie_ann

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Activities. Our itinerary was considered a "high" activity level. That meant more "nature" stops and less "town" stops than some of the other itineraries. It suited us just fine. We are active at home, but hardly adventurers and we did everything, which was usually at least once and often twice a day a guided hike or kayak, for about 2 hours at a time. We had never been kayaking before, but with the floating platform, small tidal coves and other amenities they have, anyone could do it. What a great way to feel like a small part of the ocean. The three naturalists on board were as much like camp counselors as scientists, so they organized hikes and kayaks where we could learn about different plants, animals, sealife and their ecosystems. They have a very high respect for the "take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints" travel ethic and insist that their passengers respect that too. In the evenings and often also in the afternoon, depending on where we were going there were programs in the lounge or up on deck, everything from the background of the federal legislation that made so much of Alaska public lands to legends of the native Alaskan peoples to the geology of glaciers. They were always good for animal spotting too. They kept a list in the dining room of all that we had spotted: humpback whales, orcas, porpoise, puffins, sea otters, bears, moose, brown and black bears, seals, sea lions, mountain goats, bald eagles and more than 20 other kinds of birds. Most importantly, we were so up close in places that we seldom saw the full size cruise ships. Even if you aren't so active, even if you never left the vessel, I think you would still feel like you were right there in the center of the experience. Also, if you just wanted to relax there was a small library of books and videos, and plenty of board games and cards, chess, etc.

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laurie_ann

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Shipmates. Maybe this is the most important category. We had I think 53 passengers and 20 or so crew. Ours varied in age and background (all over the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, ages 12 to 70 something, although there were only two children, probably because it was only the last week of May). It is really suitable for anyone and everyone probably from age 10 or so up. (Younger than that there are no "camp" or babysitting facilities and with the ship so open likely just not secure enough for most parents to relax.) All passengers were there because like us they wanted an Alaska cruise but not really an Alaska cruise. Many had planned further itineraries in Alaska or beyond (wish we had more free time too). Overall they could not have been more easy going or delightful, and that goes for passengers and crew. Most crew said if you could do what they do why would you want to do anything else?

Overall. On these cruises of the Inside Passage you have to realize you are seeing only a tiny bit of Alaska, but what a bit it is! I couldn't compliment Glacier Bay higher for giving us a chance to see it real and up close, in a way that you could not experience it otherwise, making it a special experience and a wonderful vacation.

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joan

Great trip report...Thanks!

I want to send this to my family, we went on Holland America and would love to return on a small ship...what happened when you encountered those huge icebergs floating in the Glacier Bay park? Did you feel it when your ship hit them? I was wondering about that, looking down from our mammoth ship a little jealously on those up close and personal smaller boats so close to the calving glaciers.

Also, were the kayaks and hikes extra $ or included?

laurie_ann

Saw but never felt the icebergs. Don't know if it was expert navigation or the thick steel hull the captain mentioned. Hikes and kayaks were all included in the cruise price. The only thing you paid for on the cruise was at the bar (alcohol, bottled water, although there were always pitchers of ice tap water for free, and soft drinks).

dillysnana

Laurie Ann,
It has been my dream when my husband retires to do this with him and also someday he wants to drive the Alask highway. He has been after me to cruise but I'm afraid but promised I would do this. Did you do the 10 day 9 night? I went to their site and skimmed it quick but your trip sounds like a dream as we are 50 somethings and also don't like to get dressed up but certainly want to experience all. Thanks.