Very small company; excellent Alaska cruise

Thank you Essiesmom for telling me where to post this.

Hi All,

I searched a lot and then decided to take my first cruise with a small company. Then I couldn't post a review on CC because they are not on the list but my family had such a great time I thought some of you would be interested. Here's the review I wanted to post:

MV Sikumi cruise with Custom Alaska Cruises

On June 28, 2016 our family of 9 boarded the MV Sikumi and began the greatest week of our lives! We were greeted by the Captain, Kurt, and his crew of 4, and a second Captain, Steve, that was along for a refresher of this vessel since he is semi-retired. They met us at Auke Bay Harbor in Juneau. The crew consisted of 2 guides, Lauren and Bret, a steward, Alicia, and a chef, Brody. This team is incredible! They are professional, knowledgable, kind, friendly, attentive, accommodating and FUN! More on these great people as the review goes on.

First some ordinary but useful information. The MV Sikumi is 67ft. long and has 4 staterooms. The staterooms can be booked individually but we needed all 4 so it was a whole boat charter. The staterooms each have a double bed and a twin bunk if needed, private bathroom, and ample storage. The crew took our empty suitcases to store below where the crew's quarters are as soon as we unpacked. The accomodations were very comfy and the toiletries were well-stocked with shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, body soap, lotion and make-up remover wipes.

The boat has 3 decks. The upper deck contains the wheelhouse, Captain's quarters, outdoor seating areas in bow and stern and a covered solarium. The middle deck consists of the staterooms, a living/dining area and the galley. Below deck housed the crew's quarters, engine room, storage and supplies.

The route that we chose was Juneau to Juneau which took us around Admiralty Island and past Baranof and Chichagof Islands. We saw very few other boats and had wide swaths of empty waters to kayak on 3 occassions, the last was among 'bergy bits' which are pieces of ice that have calved from the glacier we saw. We were always on the lookout for wildlife but 99% of the time a crew member spotted a critter first.

We saw humpback whales bubble net feeding on the first day out. The Captain stopped and we watched for over an hour. Quite an educational show! We dropped pots on several days to catch shrimp or crabs before anchoring in a secluded cove or fjord each night. The first night we enjoyed watching a black bear with her cubs on the shore as we ate dinner and played card games in the lounge. We had great fun when Lauren, Bret, Alicia and/or Brody joined us for games in the evening. Generally one or 2 would stay up until we were ready for bed. The others would go to sleep earlier and be up a bit earlier to get us started. While we played Alicia's playlist was perfect for all of us from 8yo to 76yo to enjoy music and good company.

For the most part we had wonderful weather, less rain than the crew is used to for this time of year. Kurt was always up early plotting out great spots for us to see wildlife, kayak and avoid bad weather. The first 3 days were warm and sunny. On the second day Kurt and Steve found a pod of about 8 orcas and we watched them play and breach for about 90 minutes. One of the best things about this trip is that we weren't rushed at all; we could spend as much time as we wanted watching amazing impromptu shows! One of the greatest of these came on day 4 when we came upon a pod of humpback. The weather had turned rainy and windy and it seemed that the humpbacks loved it! There were maybe a dozen that breached so often that we didn't know where to look. They seemed to be all around the boat! While the weather was crappy we had an amazing day. We all crowded into the wheelhouse and ooohed and aaahhhed!

I should mention that the wheelhouse door is always open. Kurt and Steve were always available to answer questions about our route, the wildlife, Alaska history, and a bazillion other things. We never felt like they didn't want us there. We were welcome and the crew joined us and got excited with us about everything we saw. And as much as it seemed like we were all friends the crew never stopped attending to us. They constantly checked on us to keep us comfortable with another cup of coffee, or a beer or a blanket when it got chilly. If we were outside then Alicia or Bret or Lauren would bring some of whatever culinary delight that Brody was blessing us with.

The food was fantastic! I don't really like seafood but I ate every seafood dish that Brody offered. And I specifically mentioned in the pre-trip questionare that I don't like brussel sprouts but there they were on my plate on day 2. Brody saw it as a challenge and made some that I devoured! I was in food heaven all week. Plan on gaining a few pounds if you do this trip.

Also plan on everyone of all ages enjoying themselves. When some of us went kayaking with 2 guides my in-laws took a ride in the skiff and saw critters on the shore while Steve dazzled them with his wildlife and history brilliance! But he was also there to pick up any kayakers that wanted to head back to the boat so the little kids could have the experience but be able bailout. The kids were catered to also. When we stopped to dock at Baranof Hot Springs there were berries to pick and eat along the way so Lauren took our 8yo and 13yo to pick berries that Brody then used in a salad that evening and Lauren made smoothies with the girls with the rest the next morning.

Everyday was something wonderful. It only gets dark for a few hours a day at this time of year so there was always something to see. I couldn't stop saying "amazing!" I can't remember which day we saw a sealion rookery but they are quite funny. One popped up near the boat on one of the days we were fishing and I hear it's pretty common for them to come around to mooch.

On our final day I wanted to sleep some and ignored the sound of the anchor coming up but shortly after I felt the boat slowing and I knew there was something to see. I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed up to the bow to find some of our group watching a bear eating barnacles from a rocky shoreline. We were quiet and Kurt pulled within 20 feet of him and we stood and watched and took selfies with the bear.

We packed a lot into the last day. After bear watching we headed to Sawyer Glacier up Tracy Arm. At the end there's 2 fjords that gave a different view of the glacier. While we sat and admired the unbelievably beautiful shades of blue ice a harbor seal lounged on a bergy bit in front and wasn't even bothered by the sounds of calving. The crew set a portable fire pit in the bow and we huddled in blankets watching the calving and getting amazing pics. And Brody sent up bowls of chicken soup for lunch so we didn't need to miss any of the show. There were only 2 other boats there, a tour boat that brings folks from the big ship cruises from Juneau, and one private yacht. We watched til we had our fill and then Kurt backed off a bit and the crew put kayaks in the water so we could paddle among the ice and feel the magnitude of the cliff sides around us. Harbor seals popped up in the water around us and ducked away quickly. They are curious but skittish and very adorable.

The last evening, July 3rd, Kurt headed up to Juneau to anchor near the barge that would set off an amazing fireworks diplay just after midnight. After dinner the fire pit was set on the table in the stern and we played Mafia while we waited for the fireworks. It was the only night that Kurt could join in the game since we anchored just a few minutes from where we would sadly disembark in the morning. The city of Juneau does a wonderful show and residents on the shores light bonfires on the beach. Best 4th of July ever!

I guess this review should end. I'm sure my words don't do justice to describe the wonderful crew and beyond-my-imagination kind of trip. Visit sikumi.com to book this trip of a lifetime with Custom Alaska Cruises!

http://s1383.photobucket.com/user/Sheera666/embed/slideshow/

We did a trip on the Sikumi 10 years ago.Your report echoes our experiences then but with a different crew and sailing out of Petersburg instead.We experienced all you describe plus excellent halibut fishing.We went kayaking and had one of those magic moments when a humpback surfaced beside us.You could literally reach out and touch it.

Some memories-

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And definitely an open bridge-

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For a few more photos-

https://picasaweb.google.com/ron.dolton/Alaska2006640

drron29,

I would love to cruis on the Sikumi again someday but I'm going to check out your galapagos boat, Athala II. That's where I'd like to go next. Thanks for sharing your Sikumi pics too!