Have you sailed in Alaska on large ship AND on small ship/yacht (un-cruise)?

[EngSet]

Good morning! Looking for feedback/thoughts/experiences of those who have sailed to Alaska on a large cruise ship as well as a small yacht (like those used on the "Un-Cruises").

 

Would love to hear your thoughts after both experiences, as well as your recommendations on which you would do if you could only choose one and why.

 

Looking for advice for someone who may only get one chance to sail to Alaska.

 

Thanks!

[Kamloops50]

Good morning! Looking for feedback/thoughts/experiences of those who have sailed to Alaska on a large cruise ship as well as a small yacht (like those used on the "Un-Cruises").

 

Would love to hear your thoughts after both experiences, as well as your recommendations on which you would do if you could only choose one and why.

 

Looking for advice for someone who may only get one chance to sail to Alaska.

 

Thanks!

 

Small yachts don't usually sail from major cities . They are based in cities like Juneau , Ketchican or Sitka. The airfares to these cities can be quite pricy.

The major cruise lines sail from Seattle , Vancouver or fly thru Anchorage to the port. You have to decide what you want to see in Alaska. Many small yachts don't visit Glacier Bay , Hubbard Glacier or Skagway.

[donaldsc]

Good morning! Looking for feedback/thoughts/experiences of those who have sailed to Alaska on a large cruise ship as well as a small yacht (like those used on the "Un-Cruises").

 

Would love to hear your thoughts after both experiences, as well as your recommendations on which you would do if you could only choose one and why.

 

Looking for advice for someone who may only get one chance to sail to Alaska.

 

Thanks!

 

If you can afford it, the small ships are the only way to go. I have done it both ways. Our first trip to AK was on a 40 passenger ship. We have also done AK on large cruise ships.

 

I will admit that the small ships do not have casinos, shops, entertainment, or lots of dining options. But are you doing the trip for this stuff or for AK. The small ships go to interesting smaller ports and their itineraries are somewhat flexible. For example, on our trip the captain got a message that there was a ghost bear with cubs not too far from us on shore. He shot over there and we spent an hour watching the bear. When we got to places for glaciers, we were so close that when the glaciers calved, our ship rocked. At Glacier Bay, we docked at the National Park headquarters dock and got the opportunity to visit their visitor center and to do a short hike.

 

The best part of the small boat trips is that you can go up to the bridge almost any time you want to. I spent hours sitting next to the captain on the bridge. You can't do that on a Princess ship.

 

Also, on our trips, all of the excursions were included. You did not have a choice of which excursion you wanted but you also did not pay for them.

 

I have done several small boat cruises and I will take them over large ship cruises any day. I even considered an 8 passenger trawler cruise in AK once but I could not convince my wife to do it.

 

DON

[mapleleaves]

if it's a one and only visit to Alaska, I wouldn't cruise. I would do land travel with a few day cruises such as Kenai Fjords and Prince William Sound. That way you get to experience the scenery of the coast AND the interior .

Better yet, take 2 weeks, and do a one-week cruise plus a week of land travel !

Have you visited the MEMBER REVIEWS forum? I've read a few un-cruise reports here and on tripadvisor; most people were VERY happy with their choice. I on the other hand thought it sounded dreadful .... cramped little rooms and not enough public space to escape from shipmates. The destinations and activities sounded great but too much togetherness for my liking. So research it carefully ... it may or may not be a good option for you. Good luck!

[Momofcandk]

If you can afford it, the small ships are the only way to go. I have done it both ways. Our first trip to AK was on a 40 passenger ship. We have also done AK on large cruise ships.

 

I will admit that the small ships do not have casinos, shops, entertainment, or lots of dining options. But are you doing the trip for this stuff or for AK. The small ships go to interesting smaller ports and their itineraries are somewhat flexible. For example, on our trip the captain got a message that there was a ghost bear with cubs not too far from us on shore. He shot over there and we spent an hour watching the bear. When we got to places for glaciers, we were so close that when the glaciers calved, our ship rocked. At Glacier Bay, we docked at the National Park headquarters dock and got the opportunity to visit their visitor center and to do a short hike.

 

The best part of the small boat trips is that you can go up to the bridge almost any time you want to. I spent hours sitting next to the captain on the bridge. You can't do that on a Princess ship.

 

Also, on our trips, all of the excursions were included. You did not have a choice of which excursion you wanted but you also did not pay for them.

 

I have done several small boat cruises and I will take them over large ship cruises any day. I even considered an 8 passenger trawler cruise in AK once but I could not convince my wife to do it.

 

DON

 

Can u give me a website for these smaller ships. I'm sure prices r crazy expensive but might b worth it to save up.

[mapleleaves]

Can u give me a website for these smaller ships. I'm sure prices r crazy expensive but might b worth it to save up.

 

Here's one company. I read several very positive reviews 2 yrs ago when they were called Innersea Discovery.

http://www.un-***********/alaska-cruises

[mapleleaves]

un dash cruise dot com

[donaldsc]

Can u give me a website for these smaller ships. I'm sure prices r crazy expensive but might b worth it to save up.

 

The company we cruised w is not in business any more but the ship we cruised on was bought by another company -

 

https://www.adventuresmithexplorations.com/alaskan-dream

 

Do a Google on Alaska Small Boat cruises. You will get lots of hits.

 

I do agree w Mapleleaves that the best way to do AK is to drive. Two summers ago we spent the entire summer (2 1/2 months) doing a land vacation in AK. It was wonderful beyond belief. Expensive - yes. A lot of driving - yes - we put 12000 miles on the car driving to and from Las Vegas. Hard on the tires - yes - we only had to buy 2 new tires.

 

We drove essentially every driveable road in AK and some that were not too driveable. However, it was one of my many "trips of a lifetime".

 

Anyway, small boat cruises anywhere but especially in AK are also great.

 

DON

[Glaciers]

We’ve done Un-Cruise and Alaska Dream, both had about 25 or so on each, plus several mainline to Alaska. They are all very different and all good in their own right. Un-Cruise was exceptional in that they have kayaks and skiffs and we were out in them almost daily, even in Glacier Bay in front of Lamplugh Glacier. Alaska Dream was very cultural and there were several Tlingit speakers and we saw 3 performances in clan houses. Both were able to go where the larger lines can’t and that was a treat. One of the areas is in Glacier Bay when we cruised by South Marble Island.

 

There’s no need for additional excursions on the smaller vessels. As an example we spent a lot of time whale watching from both and had great showings. There is very little entertainment on the smaller vessels which ended up being more small social gatherings to discuss what we saw that day and what to expect the next. Un-Cruise had a naturalist although Alaska Dream did not at the time of our sailing.

 

We had a chance to go on Un-Cruise last summer for one week but chose a b2b on Princess from Whittier. The cost was actually less and we didn’t have to fly anywhere for a change. It also gave us a better chance of running into some good weather since we spread things out over 14 days. Turned out the entire trip was beautiful. The naturalist on Princess was the best we’ve experienced and we heeded everything she said and were out on deck with her much of the time.

 

As mentioned, although I don’t necessarily agree it’s the best option, driving the interior of Alaska can be incredible although in just one week you’ll only get a small taste of it since distances between popular venues is vast.

[Lerin]

We've done Celebrity as well as the Alaska Marine Highway(ferry system).

While the big ship was a lot of fun, we'd do the ferry again in a heartbeat. It's not exactly a "cruise" as some think of, but it has cabins, dining, port stops, and best part: you can bring your car (and dog)! We also have done several road tours from Homer to Fairbanks-amazing.

 

Whatever you decide, Alaska is wonderful.

[mtlycrew1]

Finally found a forum discussing Un-Cruise. We are dedicated small ship cruisers and all the big ship amenities are of no interest.

 

We're planning a cruise to Alaska next year and have narrowed our choices to either Un-Cruise and National Geographic-Lindblad. I'm looking for additional insight from anyone who might have sailed with either cruise line.

 

They seem to have similar itineraries and ships but Nat Geo's prices are double that of Un-Cruise. I'm leaning towards Un-Cruise based on the price. We're looking at their 14 day Ultimate Bays and Fjords cruise starting Aug 29, 2014.

 

On the Nat Geo ships you have a professional photographer (a hobby of mine) as well as Naturalists and other professionals. I can only assume a significant portion of the additional cost goes to pay their salary which is fine. I'm just wondering if there are similar folks on the Un-Cruise ships. Based on what I've read it doesn't appear so other than picking up a Park Ranger in some locations.

 

While I see the value in having the professionals on board I'm not sure it justifies twice the price for basically the same cruise.

 

 

Thanks in advance

Edited October 15, 2013 by mtlycrew1

[EngSet]

Thanks, everyone, for your input/thoughts/info.

 

We are torn between the large ship experience (husband would like to relax; quiet space and quality of food are important to him) and the up-close nature/wildlife experience offered by the smaller ships/vessels (for me).

 

Hoping that we get to take more than one trip to Alaska; however, trying to pick the best cruise/trip for us for our first time to the state.

 

Have reserved on Celebrity Solstice for next September; but, still open to a different type of cruise. A bit concerned about weather in September. (We have done land-based/driving trips before, so this time want to travel by water. For this trip, we don't want to have to figure out logistics daily, so we thought we would try a cruise.)

 

In a perfect world, we would take a large ship cruise north or southbound, add some time on a smaller vessel, and have a land travel element...all on the same trip. LOL But, I don't see that happening next year. So, the need to choose carefully. :) We don't get to take vacations as often as we would like.

 

Thanks again for the info.

[LeftcoastBC]

I was going to mention the two ferry systems. Alaska State as abovee and the BC Ferry ..... goes from Port Hardy near the northern end of Vancouver Island to Prince Rupert and return the next day about a 14 hr journey.

 

On both your really get to see the "Inside"

[donaldsc]

I was going to mention the two ferry systems. Alaska State as abovee and the BC Ferry ..... goes from Port Hardy near the northern end of Vancouver Island to Prince Rupert and return the next day about a 14 hr journey.

 

On both your really get to see the "Inside"

 

Also, you get to meet Alaskans including young people who are camping out on the deck instead of tourists. We took the ferry from Haines to Prince Rupert and the trip was a lot of fun.

 

DON

[azevedan]

and the small boat was fabulous! We did a 9-day on the Pacific Catalyst, a 12-passenger wooden boat, 4 crew. If you search my name, you'll find my review....there's a thread in this forum about Alaska cruise reviews from this season.

Small boats go places the big boats can't. On the Catalyst (http://www.pacificcatalyst.com) we could linger; see wildlife and sealife up close; go whale watching; carry kayaks; have a walk on an ice-floe beach; be escorted by Dall's porpoises...oh, heck. Here's my husband's writeup and links to the videos and pictures.

 

We also did a big boat cruise on Norwegian. I enjoyed it for what it was, but we left knowing we had to come back and do a small boat.

 

Writeup:

Several years ago we visited Alaska on a large cruise ship. The Alaska portion of the trip was incredible, but between visits, you returned to civilization. We wanted to see what a small boat cruise was like, and after some searches on-line we decided to cruise on the Pacific Catalyst, an 80-year old 12-passenger former research vessel with a crew of 4. The cabins were small, but everything else about the trip was incredible. Unlike on the big boat, you were imbedded in the wilderness for the entire voyage.

 

Day 1

We had the morning to wander around Juneau. Went to the Alaska State Museum, which was a great place to visit, with exhibits on native culture and art. We had the museum to ourselves until the shore excursions from the big cruise ships started arriving. Then we wandered around the downtown, which has a lot of stairs, as it’s built on the side of a hill. We saw the governor’s mansion and an old Russian Orthodox church.

 

Juneau is the capitol of Alaska, and the 4th largest city with a population of over 30,000 people. On a busy day during the summer, there might be 5 large cruise ships in port, adding another 12,000 people roaming the streets. You cannot drive into Juneau, the only way in or out is via ship (i.e., ferry) or plane.

 

We departed Juneau at lunch time (lunch aboard), anchored in Swanson's cove for the night. Following lunch, Tracie (our chef) interviewed the passengers to determine food preferences. For the rest of the trip she prepared incredibly delicious and healthy meals for us three times a day. For those passengers with special needs or preferences (i.e., vegetarians), she made special accommodations. For Ann she substituted a meat entrée for fish items on the menu.

 

Day 2

On to Glacier Bay National Park, with a brief stop at the visitor's center, and a short hike into the woods and tidal flats.

 

As the Pacific Catalyst cruised into the park, Dall's porpoises surfed in our bow wave.

 

We spent the night anchored in North Finger Bay. On our first sea kayak adventure we saw otters, bears, bald eagles, and a moose. All the hikes, wildlife watching, and sea kayaks were in the company of the naturalist, who pointed out critters and items of interest. (Towards the end of the trip she gathered together everyone's photos to make a CD of the trip for all to share.)

 

Day 3

We visited Reid inlet, and hiked on a beach. This was followed by a boat ride through an ice field to John Hopkins Glacier, with some incredibly gorgeous scenery. There were humpback whales and mountain goats.

 

We anchored in Reid Inlet to be out of the wind.

 

Day 4

The next morning, as several of us enjoyed our morning coffee at the aft end of the boat, we saw a grizzly meandering down the snow-covered hillside on the shore 20 yards away. He paid no attention to us.

 

We sailed into the spot where the big cruise ships go - Marjerie and Grand Pacific Glaciers, but had it to ourselves. There was lots of calving off Marjerie. As we were leaving, Holland America Volendam arrived (we could see it coming).

 

We kayaked around Puffin Island in the afternoon. There were more sea otters (floating with babies!), mountain goats, eagles and even a trumpeter swan. The day ended with Ann spotting another grizzly meandering up a river on shore at North Sandy Cove.

 

Day 5

At Muir Inlet, we hiked over a snow field into a glacial lake, where we saw harbor seals! In the afternoon, we zodiac'd in again to McBride Glacier, where we walked among the ice sculptures piled up on shore. (Ann had a seesaw ride on one.) The sculptures were ice bergs that had floated downstream from the glacier and been beached when the tide went out.

 

We anchored at Stump Cove that evening.

 

Day 6

We interrupted our cruising to watch a pod of Orcas feeding and playing. There were more humpbacks, puffins, sea lion colonies, black bears and otters everywhere. At Dundas Bay we walked on the beach, where we saw a marmot and lots of birds.

 

The ability to spend a few hours watch interesting stuff (i.e., Orcas) is one of the big advantages of the small boat over the large cruise ships.

 

Day 7

Another kayak trip. Then out of Glacier Bay NP into the Icy Strait. There was lots of wildlife and sea life (including a porpoises, whales, bears, otters. One whale was right next to the boat!)

 

We stopped at Elfin Cove (a secluded fishing village with a population of 2000) and walked around there. All of the houses had flower and vegetable gardens, as all fresh produce has to be shipped in. Most of the houses were on the south side of the mountain, where they maximized the sunlight available for their gardens.

 

We walked around a tidal pool with anemones, sea stars, etc.

 

We anchored at Jack's Cove that evening.

 

Day 8

Followed various whale sightings, we ended up getting a spectacular display of bubble netting right off the shore near Hoonah. The humpback has the most diverse feeding repertoire of all baleen whales. In a technique known as bubble netting, one whale swims in a shrinking circle blowing bubbles below a school of prey (herring). The shrinking ring of bubbles encircles the school and confines it in an ever-smaller cylinder. The whales then suddenly swim upward through the "net", mouths open, swallowing thousands of fish in one gulp! It was incredible to watch, and the process repeated itself every 10 minutes.

 

Went ashore at Hoonah and got a presentation (and song/dance) at the Tlingat mural being carved for the new visitor's center at Glacier Bay National Park.

 

We anchored at Swanson's Inlet, where we kayaked before dinner.

 

Day 9

 

More hiking and whale watching then back to Juneau.

 

 

 

The links to the pictures and videos follow.

 

Wildlife:

 

 

Videos

Dall’s porpoises

 

Brief view of whale bubble netting

 

Ice floes on beach

 

Seesaw ride on ice floe

 

Glacial lake

 

Starting the engine

 

Whales

 

Glacier calving

 

Ice field in John Hopkins Inlet

 

Orcas http://youtu.be/m9b0HMAs138

(this one was shot by someone else on the boat)

 

Edited October 16, 2013 by azevedan

[rnlmigacz]

The links to the pictures and videos follow.

 

Wildlife:

 

 

Videos

Dall’s porpoises

 

Brief view of whale bubble netting

 

Ice floes on beach

 

Seesaw ride on ice floe

 

Glacial lake

 

Starting the engine

 

Whales

 

Glacier calving

 

Ice field in John Hopkins Inlet

 

Orcas http://youtu.be/m9b0HMAs138

(this one was shot by someone else on the boat)

 

 

Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures and review of your trip. It looks like a wonderful experience. Maybe one day!

[Tom2]

Good morning! Looking for feedback/thoughts/experiences of those who have sailed to Alaska on a large cruise ship as well as a small yacht (like those used on the "Un-Cruises").

 

Would love to hear your thoughts after both experiences, as well as your recommendations on which you would do if you could only choose one and why.

 

Looking for advice for someone who may only get one chance to sail to Alaska.

 

Thanks!

 

My wife and I like small ships and did Alaska and the Denali Extension with Lindblad/ Nat Geo in May - June of this year. Here is a link to a video slideshow I put together of that trip: http://www.tomjed.com/index.php/alaska When my wife and I travel we post a daily blog on our web site for family and friends, the day by day travelogue is down the right side. Hope this helps in your planning.

 

Tom

[mtlycrew1]

Tom2

Great video. You two have really done some traveling.

When you were planning your Alaska trip did you consider other small cruise lines like Un-Cruise. We've narrowed down our choices between UnCruise and Nat Geo and are looking for more insight.

 

Thanks in advance

[Tom2]

Tom2

Great video. You two have really done some traveling.

When you were planning your Alaska trip did you consider other small cruise lines like Un-Cruise. We've narrowed down our choices between UnCruise and Nat Geo and are looking for more insight.

 

Thanks in advance

 

mtlycrew1,

I am glad you liked the video, we did not do a lot of comparison between small ships when we booked Alaska because in 2011 we did the Gray Whale Migration off of Bahia with Nat Geo and were very impressed by the whole trip, especially the caliber of the naturalist guides on board. The Alaska trip maintained that same high standard. The cabins on the ship are very small and leave a lot to be desired but in reality you are only in the cabin to sleep, all of the action takes place either on deck or in the zodiacs. The food on the ship was better than any of the big ship cruises we have taken and we have taken over 30 in both the Caribbean and Europe on multiple cruise lines. I am not knocking big cruise ships because we have had some great times on big ships and will do so again, but when we went to Alaska we went to view and photograph the wildlife and not for the nightlife. The small ships are a lot more flexible in that regard for example we came upon a pod of Humpback Whales “bubble net” feeding and followed them for over two hours getting some great photos. We tracked a wolf digging clams on the beach for 30 minutes, a big ship isn’t flexible enough to do that; they might be able to slow down for a little while but can’t turn around and have a schedule to keep. The small ships schedule is determined by the wildlife spotting’s. We also liked the Denali extension that Nat Geo offered where we stayed 90 miles in Denali and not outside the entrance and bussed in each day. I am sure whatever line you choose you will have a great time, we didn’t start our more exotic travel until 2004 but we have never taken a trip before or after that we didn’t come back with great memories, every trip is what you make of it.

Tom

[mtlycrew1]

Tom,

Great information. Sounds like Un-Cruise or Nat Geo will be great. We're hooked on small ship cruising. You're right, the rooms are tight but as you said, the only time you're in there is sleep. We too wanted to focus on the wildlife and photography on our Alaska cruise and plan to extend in Denali.

 

Bill