We boarded the Safari Endeavor in Sitka on Saturday. The captain and crew gave us a warm welcome. This was my first time on a small ship and I was looking forward to an adventure cruise. And so it was, filled with beautiful scenery of the Tongass National Forest and wildlife which included Harbor seals which surface next the ship. Pods of orcas were seen along the water surface. on our first day.
I enjoyed kayaking in secluded coves where curious sea lions popped up next to our kayak. I enjoyed observing many varieties of birds. Numerous bald eagles could be seen in the trees on shore. In addition to kayaking, we were able to see many interesting sightings of wildlife from the 12 passenger skiffs. Our guides pointed out various birds including a Kingfisher and a Blue Heron. We had one Naturalist who was wild about Jellyfish. We got quite an education along with many being brought onto the ship for us to learn and then thrown back into the water were they were happy.
We spent one day in Glacier Bay National Park. Margorie Glacier could be seen through the windows of our cabin as we awoke. We traveled closer and closer as the day went by. We had specific hours that we were allowed into Glacier Bay as per our permit. As we traveled the bay, Two goats were seen high above the water grazing in the tall mountains close to our ship.
Binoculars were provided and we got a closeup look of some of the birds in the area. A group of Puffins with their orange beaks were seen.
Experiencing the adventure of Bushwhacking was exciting. Our guide would clear the brush so we could travel among the trees of the forest. Our knee high rubber boots, provided by the ship, kept us dry as we were able to cross streams and deal with wet landings. As we hiked our guides would stop often and explain things in the forest, for instance how to determine the age of a fallen tree by counting the rings. Taught us how to identify two of the most common tree species in the area by the bark, one bark looks like strips of bacon.
The cruise was my first small ship adventure. I definitely recommend small ship cruising as the best way to enjoy the many sights of southeastern Alaska. We were able to see glaciers and wildlife up close and traveled where the large ships could not reach.
The food served in the dinning room tasted excellent and we had a large variety of dishes to experience over the week. My favorite was the local crab that was served. There were two hot tubs on the lower deck were enjoyable for a dip after dinner..
The ship has an open bridge policy and we were able to visit the bridge and watch the crew officers navigate the ship. Captain Adam was there to answer our questions and explain how the ship sails. Captain Adam interestingly started many years ago as a Deck Hand and worked his way up with experience and lots of classes and education to Captain.
One of the highlights of the cruise was being able to observe bears feeding themselves on live Salmon. We were able to watch the bears from a close distance. We visited a fish hatchery with the salmon running up the ladders. The bears were right there to grab them out of the water. Totally fascinating, we stood and watched for a long time with one of our naturists. .
The week seemed to be too short as we finished our cruise in Juneau. Uncruise has an office on the dock as soon as you get off the ship.
I definitely recommend using a small ship to experience Alaska; UnCruise Adventures made my cruise extremely enjoyable.
David S.
Los Angeles California
