Repost of my small-boat Alaska cruise, May 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by azevedan

Signed up for a (very) small boat cruise on the Pacific Catalyst II next year up in Alaska. Has anyone gone with them? Impressions?

Thanks!

Back from this non-cruise 'cruise'. It was wonderful! The Catalyst is a 12-passenger 75' wooden boat that we traveled with around Glacier Bay, AK (there were actually only 11 passengers on our trip). 4 crew - captain, engineer, cook and naturalist. All were friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and great fun to sail with.

We sea kayaked, hiked ice floe-strewn beaches, motored through ice fields to hidden glaciers, watched bears (black and brown) from our nightly moorings, had Dall porpoises playing with us as we sailed, saw orcas, humpbacks all over the place (including bubble-netting off Hoona), watched otters, mountain goats, puffins, eagles, seals, and many others. Sat in the pilothouse with the captain, who was always ready to divert for and linger with wildlife sightings. Food was incredible - 3 gourmet meals each day! Cultural expeditions and visits to some of the fishing towns on the far side of the inlet near the Pacific. A thoroughly wonderful trip that I hope to repeat!

I have videos posted on my youtube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/user/realcatena

haven't gotten through my pictures yet.

I'm glad it was so good!

I also have been on a small boat in Glacier Bay and it is fantastic to do so, but .......... expensive.

I'm glad it was so good!

I also have been on a small boat in Glacier Bay and it is fantastic to do so, but .......... expensive.

Yes, but - your shore excursions are like private tours and are all included.

Wine and beer are included. No extras.

Some of the upscale cruise lines are just as expensive or more so (although, I will grant you, their cabins are bigger!

Sounds great.

Keith

Thanks for posting. It sounds like a trip of a lifetime.

Yes, but - your shore excursions are like private tours and are all included.

Wine and beer are included. No extras.

 

Some of the upscale cruise lines are just as expensive or more so (although, I will grant you, their cabins are bigger!

I hope to consider this at some point. Can you post the itinerary you did and the numberof days. Was this a one way or round trip?

What shore excursions were included? Not likely flights? In my case, my "cruise ship" costs are around 1/5 the cost of most of the small boats, so, still greatly cheaper. But, I am starting to come around to something new. :)

The Catalyst mostly cruises up and down the inside passage, but there are a few special trips. I know that cruisecritic sometimes frowns on posting websites, but we'll give this a try:

http://www.pacificcatalyst.com/

If not, just google "Pacific Catalyst".

Our itinerary was 9 nights:

All the hikes, wildlife watching, and sea kayaks were in the company of the naturalist, who pointed out critters and items of interest.

Day 1 Depart Juneau at lunch time (lunch aboard), dock in Swanson's cove for the night

Day 2 Into Glacier Bay NP (stop at the visitor's center and hike into the woods), explore tidal flats. Dall's porpoises played with our bow

Day 3 Reid inlet, hikes on a beach, through ice field to John Hopkins Glacier - gorgeous scenery made me cry. Humpbacks, mountain goats. Overnight back in Reid Inlet to be out of the wind

Day 4 Woke to a grizzly on the shore a few yards away. Sailed into the spot where the big cruise ships go - Marjerie and Grand Pacific Glacier. Had it to ourselves; lots of calving off Marjerie. Holland America Volendam came in and we sailed out. Kayaked around Puffin Island in the afternoon. More otters (floating with babies!), mountain goats, eagles and even a trumpeter swan. My day ended with me spotting another grizzly meandering up a river on shore at North Sandy Cove.

Day 5 Into Muir Inlet. More whales and orcas. Hiked over a snow field into a glacial lake. Saw harbor seals in the lake! In the afternoon, we zodiac'd in again to McBride Glacier, where we walked among the ice sculptures piled up on shore (I had a seesaw ride on one!) Overnight at Stump Cove.

Day 6 Dundas Bay. Orca pod, with a baby. More humpbacks. Puffins; sea lion colonies, black bears and otters everywhere. Walk on beach, where we saw a marmot and lots of birds.

Day 7 Another kayak trip. Then out of Glacier Bay NP into the Icy Strait. Lots of wildlife and sealife (including a porpoises, whales, bears, otters. One whale was right off the boat!) Stopped at Elfin Cove and walked around there. Saw a lot more boats (we had had GB NP pretty much to ourselves). Walked around a tidal pool; anemones, sea stars, etc. Overnight at Jack's Cove.

Day 8 Followed whale sightings and ended up getting a spectacular display of bubblenetting right off the shore near Hoonah. Went ashore at Hoonah and got a presentation (and song/dance) at the Tlingat mural being carved for some new visitor's center, I think either a new GBNP one or a new cruise port. Kayak around Swanson's Inlet, where we overnighted.

Day 9 More whale watching. One last hike. Overnight at Admiralty Cove.

Day 10 Back to Juneau.

Thank you for posting an alternative to the large ships. I have cruised many times and am looking for something new. I wanted to ask about the kayaking. Are they one man kayaks? Although I'm rather athletic, I have never been able to comfortably master a kayak. Is it possible to take a two person kayak?