Don't Just Cruise Alaska: Experience Alaska!
- Jay French
- Sep 14, 2022
- 4 min read
UnCruise is Exactly That. A Very Un Cruise Like Cruise Experience. UnCruise is Way More!
We have cruised Alaska several times previously, hit all the major ports, and slipped in and out of Glacier Bay the same day. We wanted more. More of Alaska. We wanted to really experience Alaska, get very close to nature, wildlife, immerse ourselves in off-the-beaten path Alaska. So this time we selected UnCruise.
UnCruise is all about the experience. UnCruise ships are intimate with less than 90 guests. The cabins are modest but functional. The food is fabulous and generous in variety. The Bar is almost always open and INCLUDED. All of your activities are included. You never pay for an excursion. And the staff throughout the entire team is beyond exceptional. The Adventure Team is especially incredible. More on them below.
We selected a 7-night itinerary on The Legacy - the largest ship in the fleet, designed with only 45 cabins. We began in Juneau and terminated in Sitka with a promised stop in Glacier Bay and no ports in between, just harbors, bays and parks. The owner of the line greeted in before we boarded and suggested we forget the original itinerary. They had something more instore. The Captain and Adventure Leader would create the itinerary as we cruised based on weather, whale and animal reports.
Right off the bat our itinerary exploded with not only Glacier Bay the first full day. But we would overnight in Glacier Bay and continue there the following day AND evening. Wow! Who gets to do that! Hint: No one on a big ship. These 2 days were once-in-a-lifetime experiences we will cherish forever.
I encourage you to learn about UnCruise via our experience and thoughts, and review our Day to Day itinerary. You will have a chance to see our personal photos and plenty of videos of the ship, whales, food, bears, seals, sea lions, waterfalls, kayaks, skiffs, glacier bushwhacking, moose, Glacier Bay and many incredible locations.
BRIEFLY WHAT WE EXPERIENCED
Overnight in Glacier Bay. 2 very full days, with in park activities.
Bushwhacking alongside a 17-mile Glacier
Skiff right up to John Hopkins Glacier
Kayaking in Glacier Bay
Bear viewing up close
Hiking in Glacier Bay
Up close viewing of the 2 largest Glacier Bay glaciers
Sea Lion colony up very close
Day 5: Amazing whale activity for 30-minues plus, in the wild via a skiff. Must see our videos!
Holding a Sea Cucumber and Kelp on a skiff
Skiff adventures daily
Fabulous Meals and snacks
Open Bar
Daily Happy Hour with info for the next day's itinerary and activity options
FOOD, SERVICE & OPEN BAR
The Chef comes in the Dining Room each morning during breakfast to explain the lunch options. Soon after your waiter re-explains them, answers questions and takes your order. You are free to change your mind at lunch though. The same process in repeated during lunch for the dinner options. Every one of our meals were delicious and varied.
The UnCruise policy is OPEN BAR, open from late morning until the last guest leaves (within reason). Our Bartender, Steve, was exceptional, very friendly and extremely accommodating. There are no charges for any drink, at any time on UnCruise.
The service from the entire staff was outstanding in all areas. Chase greeted us on arrival, escorted us to our cabin, refreshed the cabin daily, and as chance would have it was our waiter the first night. We elected to stay with Chase the remainder of the cruise for the 3 daily meals. He knew our drink preferences and reserved a table for us by placing our drinks on the table we preferred. As you just read, the staff multi-tasks and works very hard.
ACTIVITIES
An UnCruise is inclusive of all activities. There are no additional charges for optional excursions. From the ship the Adventure Team has kayaks, skiffs, paddleboards, and leads hikes and more difficult bushwhacks. Our Adventure Leader, Dawn, announced the next days destination and available activities during Happy Hour each evening. Typically we had a list of activities to chose from for each morning and again in the afternoon.
Dawn explained each set of activities and then went around the room with the Team to visit with each guest personally to sign them up for their choice and to answer questions and make recommendations if needed. Not to worry. You can always cancel or change your choice (based on availability). At least this gives the Team an good idea of how to prepare equipment and staff to accommodate the wishes of their guests.
I can not praise the Team enough. Their knowledge of animals, mammals, the environment, the areas is on full display constantly. Their friendliness, effort to accommodate each guest and ability to lead activities is impressive. Lets just say they have a real passion for what they do. They made the trip!
Well that's it for a quick overview. I encourage you to visit our Day to Day itinerary for much more detail plus many of our personal photos and videos to give you a better feel for a real UnCruise cruise in Alaska. We will be back! We will be pleased to help arrange an UnCruise cruise for you. Just call or email us. We're here for you.
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