Let me begin by saying this was our fourth trip to Alaska and third cruise of the Inside Passage. We have cruised on a 2,000 passenger ship, a 140 passenger ship and now on a 60 passenger ship. The 60 passenger ship is the way to go.
We were on the Un-Cruise Wilderness Adventurer on an Ultimate Adventure http://www.innerseadiscoveries.com/alaska-ultimate-adventure. Two weeks of awe inspiring beauty, animal sightings and adventure. Other bloggers have adequately covered the itinerary. Check out
http://velvetescape.com/2011/07/cruise-alaska-inside-passage-small-ship/ and
http://www.cruisereport.com/crReview.aspx?id=2424#.
I would like to give some specific tips, allay some fears and alter some expectations. So here goes.
First, the trip is not a “free for all”. Don’t expect to be able to go ashore and hike wherever you like or kayak on your own route, outside the view of the ship. ALL hikes and “kayak trips” are escorted and planned by the adventure crew, with the exception of “open kayaking”, which I will discuss later. That said, the opportunities are varied and depend on the itinerary.
On our two weeks there were three “long kayak” trips offered. These were 5 hours long and included a packed lunch for your time away from the ship. There were also several short 2 or 3 hour kayak trips. These are active trips with steady kayaking for a long period.
“Open kayaking” is offered when the ship is at anchor. You can kayak as long or as short as you like, they just ask that you don’t go out of sight of the ship. This was the option my husband and I took advantage of three times over the course of the trip. Our friends tried a 3 hour trip, but they like us, prefer to kayak for a while, then rest and just enjoy the view or sounds of nature. They decided that the open kayak option was better suited to their kayaking style.
Second, I’ll give you some packing advice. The Un-Cruise recommends layers. Layering is a good idea, however, don’t leave all your heavy layers at home. I brought thermal shirts and pants, a wool sweater and a down jacket. I used all of these layers. The day we went through Tracy Arm to Sawyer Glacier, everyone was out on deck viewing the ice on the water. It was cold and the glacier produces cold air. I was toasty warm in my ski pants and down jacket. I was sitting next to a woman from New York. She looked at me and said that she wished she had brought some heavier clothes. When they said to bring layers, she brought all light layers and left all her heavy winter gear at home. I had brought my down jacket in a “space bag” with the air all compressed out of it, so it took up little space in my bag.
Foot wear has been a topic of frequent discussion. We took four pairs of shoes, rubber boots, hiking boots, sneakers and water shoes. We used all of these at least once on the trip. If I was going to leave something at home, I would leave the water shoes and wear my sneakers in the kayak, knowing that they may get wet. Also, I was asked by a couple from Israel to tell foreign travelers to leave the rubber boots at home. The boats have about 30 pairs of rubber boots for loan. If you have a very small or large size, then for sure bring your own rubber boots.
Third, what does the cabin look like and where will I stow my gear? We had the smallest cabin offered and had plenty of room under the beds to stash our two 25” rolling duffel bags and a 20 inch carry-on, along with an odd assortment of shoes (rubber boots are kept in the hallway, along with your rain gear). We use packing cubes and these proved to be invaluable. There is no hanging closet (this is also true in the larger cabins). There are four hooks and a shelving unit. Our packing cubes stacked up very nicely on the shelving unit.
NOTE: These photos and comments only relate to the vessel Wilderness Adventurer, cabins on other Un-Cruise ships may have differences.
Lastly, please note that the itinerary is subject to change due to weather or wildlife. Our second week was scheduled to include a visit to a village, but there were six foot swells in the sea we would need to cross, so the captain advised us that we would visit Devilfish Bay and that he was excited because he had never been there. We spent a day anchored at the bay and were able to kayak out of sight of the ship, although the crew had a skiff in the water with us.
The next day we spent looking for whales, but ended up putting skiffs in the water to check out a colony of bachelor sea lions. They put on quite a show for us.
In closing remember my travel mantra, “Be flexible”. Life is too short to get locked into things and you may miss some awesome experiences if you stick to one plan and never alter.
Nice write up! A friend and I were on the first cruise of the 76 passenger Wilderness Explorer a few weeks ago. We had more funthan we could have ever imagined. Your descriptions were right on the mark. I wish I’d had access to a post like your prior to my trip. Although I did well with what I brought, I was wanting my down jacket too!
Thanks Scarlett. I’m glad you liked your trip to Alaska, one of my favorite places.
Great writer up. We don’t go to Alaska until next June, but already I am troubled by how to pack. Your story will now allow me to sleep better at night! Thank you
Debbie, Thanks for your comment. I’m glad my post was helpful. Sharon
Thanks for your blog. Hopefully it won’t be necessary to have a down jacket when we are there at rhe end of July as we live in Queensland Australia and don’t own one! We are very excited about our upcoming experience on the Wilderness Explorer.
If you don’t have a down jacket, bring your warmest jacket AND sweater. The average July temps for the Juneau are between 10 and 18 Celsius and the glacier’s (which you visit at least once) create their own cold. Weather is variable and it’s best to plan for the worst and then not need it. The lady I spoke of from New York was cold and the crew took pity loaned her a wool hat to wear.
By the way the picture of the Wilderness Explorer look fantastic.
I “assume” you are doing the Glacier Bay trip. The Glacier Bay average high is 27c and average low is 9c in July. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/AKGLBA:13
Thanks for the reply. Good practical advice about packing and what to expect. We are very much looking forward to the trip with Inner Sea Discoveries.
does anyone have any experiences going on the western coves cruise in mid-May? Is it usually colder and wetter I presume?
Hi Jerry,
Our cruise was in mid-May (May 12 to May 26, 2012) and we did both Eastern and Western Coves. We had overcast days but very little real rain. InnerSea has a chart says that shows more sun in May (and June) and we found this to be true. We had cruised with Cruise West in September 2009 and had substantially more rain. As to colder, that varies depending on where you are. The day we spent in Ketchikan was pretty much shirt sleeves and a light jacket, but the day at Sawyer Glacier required my down jacket and a wool sweater. They recommend layers and I say don’t forget a heavy layer.
If you look at my video Two Weeks in Alaska, you can see all the sunshine we had in the photos.
Let me know if you have any other questions. By the way if you say I referred you, you can save a little money.
Sharon Lawrence aka TravelBug1950
Thanks Sharon for taking the time to answer my query. I have already paid our down payment so I don’t know if using you as a reference is a bit late for me. We live on the mild central coast of California but since I grew up outside of Chicago I remember how much weather can influence the “clothing” situation. We are looking forward to our one week cruise next May. My wife is a whale fanatic so I hope we will be fortunate to see them. Your video and comments are particularly helpful to us- thanks again.
Jerry Davis
Sounds like you really enjoyed your Un-Cruise Adventures cruise too! We sailed on the Wilderness Discoverer – you may read about our experience here: http://www.sandinmysuitcase.com/exploring-alaskas-untamed-wilderness-with-un-cruise-adventures/
Sharon, wonderful reading all about your trips. All valuable information, we take something from each one. Thank you. Marg