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Like the Southeast, Southcentral Alaska offers remote wilderness, but it is linked via roads and numerous communities that can serve as base camps for land adventures. In fact, this region is home to over half of Alaska’s population, so small Alaska cruises here embark from unique road-accessed port towns like Whittier and Homer, with the city of Anchorage being the hub for your travel. Numerous options to explore beyond your cruise on an Alaska land tour include world-class fishing on the Kenai Peninsula or further exploration inland to Denali National Park. On average, about 45 guests is what you’ll find with our curated Alaska small ship cruise vessels. But look for options up to 100 and as few as 8 passengers.
Mendenhall Glacier, AK
See his incredible grizzly bear photography and read stories of the bears in this detailed trip review. The 84-guest Safari Endeavour offers the luxury and amenities of a yacht with the price and efficiency of a small ship. Suites on this ship feature balconies, and activity options include stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking. Small ship Alaska cruises make the most of the summer months when passengers can enjoy warmer temperatures, long days with late sunsets and accessible wildlife. Throughout the summer, weather is variable ranging from warm sunny days in the 70s or 80s to chilly rainy days in the 50s and 60s. Contacting small ship Alaska cruise lines directly does not always answer critical questions about how much activity there is, what the cabins are like compared to other ships and so on.
UnCruise Eastern Fjords & Glacier Bay Cruise—Ultimate Expedition
From Glacier Bay to Ketchikan to wildlife kayak excursions, guests will immerse themselves in Alaskan nature and beauty up-close. You can enjoy a private fishing charter or check out the local museums that showcase the history and culture of this incredible region. Alaska cruise guests can expect to see harbor seals, humpback whales, and salmon feeding in the areas’ coastal waters, rivers, and streams. Moose, wolves, and black bears can be spotted roaming freely along the shore.
Reach Places Big Ships Can’t
Would definitely recommend this trip to anyone who loves the outdoors. The Sea Bird is old and cabins are what they are, but still really good. The common areas were more than adequate for the expedition. Our guide to whale watching Alaska from small overnight ships will help you plan and prepare, with tips on whale types, visitor sites and packing tips. Maximize your chances of close encounters with whales in Alaska. Consult this month-by-month guide for help planning your Alaska travel with tips on everything from weather, wildlife, daylight and the benefits of each month.
10 Best Alaska Cruises to Take This Summer, According to Experts - Travel + Leisure
10 Best Alaska Cruises to Take This Summer, According to Experts.
Posted: Mon, 12 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
New Zealand: A North & South Island Adventure
Brown bear viewing tour, flightseeing, float trip down the Copper River, and exploration of the largest wetland along the Pacific Coast of North America — The Copper River Delta. Small ship cruises are more expensive than big-ship cruises, but in return, you get a more personal level of service, and the chance to travel with a typically curious, adventurous group of travelers. Exclusive offers valid on new bookings only, subject to availability, and combinable with other select offers.
Space under seats or in the overhead rack is typically small, and designed to accommodate items like coats, hats, purses, and small camera bags, etc. Airlines are free to revise luggage policies without notice, and certain airlines have different baggage allowances for different classes of service. This optional Cruise & Event Protection must be requested at time of booking and fee must be included in initial payment. Details will be provided with written confirmation of your reservation. Cruise & Event Protection does not protect travel agent commissions.
Alaska Cruises & Vacations
See all Alaska cruise deals for a comprehensive list of current savings on this and other adventures. The cruise staff are fun, flexible and eager to please. It was definitely "unrushed, uncrowded, unbelievable" as their logo suggests.
There are countless straits, canals, narrows, fjords, and sounds in the maze-like Inside Passage that only small ships can fit through. And while big ships spend no more than half a day in Glacier Bay National Park, the smallest ships can linger a full day and sometimes more. Small-ship cruises in Alaska offer you the luxury of access and serenity. When the captain cuts the engines near a shushing waterfall or a surfacing whale exhaling gusts of air through its blowhole, you not only see nature but hear it, too. One of my first small-ship cruises ever was in southeast Alaska on the 102-passenger Spirit of Endeavour, which sails today as the Safari Endeavour for UnCruise Adventures. Begin planning your U.S. cruise adventure with American Cruise Lines today.
8 Considerations When Helping Clients Decide Between a Small vs. Big Ship Alaska Cruise - Travel Market Report
8 Considerations When Helping Clients Decide Between a Small vs. Big Ship Alaska Cruise.
Posted: Tue, 27 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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Be at one with nature as you cruise the Inside Passage, surrounded by some of the most dramatic and wildlife-rich scenery on Earth – a cruise that is a perfect combination of natural and cultural history. Snow-crowned mountains, glacier-carved fjords, and lush green rainforests contribute to the feeling of being both uplifted and humbled by larger-than-life wilderness as far as the eye can see. There is always the possibility for wildlife spotting – humpback whales, eagles, orcas, harbour seals – and perhaps puffins, sea otters, the ever-elusive bears or the ever-moving salmon. Life under the sea reigns supreme while on the sea, fjords strewn with glacier chunks appear in shades of blue and white. Travel through awe-inspiring ice-capped waters and enjoy a choice of shore excursions on land, all included, to discover Alaska your way.
Each guest unit has a walk-in closet, stocked mini bar, and marble bathroom with a tub; most suites have balconies as well. The new, 186-passenger Ocean Victory is a luxury expedition ship built to cruise through polar ice, spending winters in Antarctica. In the summer, the vessel heads for the relatively warmer waters of southeast Alaska. Many of the small ships sailing in Alaska today are the same ones I traveled aboard many years ago. Only one company, Lindblad Expeditions, has built new coastal ships for Alaska in recent years, these being the 100-passenger sisters National Geographic Quest (2017) and National Geographic Venture (2018).
Each vessel offers a unique blend of elegance, comfort, and adventure, tailored to provide an unforgettable Alaskan experience. Ask our past travelers, and they’ll say it was their trip! Since our Alaska cruise specialists pair travelers with the best small boat Alaska cruise experience for their needs, it’s usually a match made in heaven.
Our master chef source locally fresh ingredients that bring to life the Alaska region. Our menu includes scrumptious salmon pasta, shrimp bisque, crab cakes, fresh oysters, and so much more. Our complimentary meals come with beer and wine, and as always, exceptional personalized service. Bar Harbor To Limit Cruise Visitors By Anne Kalosh For many years Bar Harbor, with a year-round population of just 5,500, was Maine's busiest cruise port, handling hundreds of thousands of passengers a season.
Alaska’s only Indigenous-owned cruise line, Alaskan Dream Cruises (ADC) is run by the Allen family of Sitka, who are of Tlingit descent. Its fleet consists of four small ships carrying 40 to 80 passengers. To this day, my fondest memories of Alaska are from those small-ship cruises.
