Don't Take the Marine Highway - UnCruise the Inside Passage

 

You’ve got a year’s worth of cabin fever built up. You have to get out, far from the walls of your house. It’s time for an adventure, and there’s no place better than the Great Land of Alaska. If ever there was a year to enjoy the Inside Passages of Canada and Alaska, 2021 is it! None of the mega-ships will be sailing these waters for this one year. Only small boats and the Marine Highway system will be available for 2021. The best way to make the trip? On a small boat with UnCruise Adventures.

Let’s say you book passage on the Alaska Marine Highway. You would fly into the Pacific Northwest, with an extra connection or two-hour drive north from Seattle to Bellingham, Washington. The ferry rushes you from Bellingham to Juneau in 60 hours flat in cabins with bunk beds for $750 per person per day.

OR ..

you could make the trip the UnCruise Adventures small boat way. Fly into the international airport in Seattle, where you are met by staff who handle your luggage and transfer you to the dock. Legacy and Wilderness Explorer will take fewer than 100 guests each north from Seattle to Juneau this May. Rather than rushing through the Inside Passage, they cruise the route, exploring and adventuring for 12 days.

Start with a welcome champagne cocktail. Staff show you to your cabin, where your luggage is peacefully waiting for you. Your cabin is “outside” with a view window, no additional charge. After your first three course gourmet dinner (also included in your fare), you settle in your queen size bed with your companion for a good night’s rest. In the morning, adventure begins.

With friendly and experienced expedition guides, start by kayaking and hiking the Salish Sea and San Juan Islands. Never kayaked? Never fear, guides will teach you – and the easy launch platforms make getting in and out a breeze.

This may be a cruise, but you are spending as much time off the boat as on it. Every day brings a different experience. Bushwhack through Tongass National Forest where there are no trails and, thankfully, still no roads. Another day, your expedition guide may take you to a hidden grotto in Misty Fjords. Take a turn with a paddle board for the first time – why not? You are in a protected cove with crew standing by.


Sometimes the thrills happen while on board the boat. Witness the awesome sight of humpback whales cooperatively “bubble net” feeding, with groups bursting to the surface together at once. Your captain and mate will be searching for them as well as Orca and other local wildlife. Don’t be surprised if lunch or dinner is interrupted for a wildlife sighting!

No trip would be complete without visiting Glacier Bay National Park. Watch ice bergs “calving” off the surfaces of Margerie and Grand Pacific glaciers with your hands wrapped around a hot cup of coffee. Scurry from side to side of the boat while you join our wildlife experts searching out puffins, goats, bears, and whales. Learn about the history and culture of the region while you are standing in the middle of it.


After a full day of adventures in the wilderness, come enjoy the boat’s creature comforts. Enjoy a hot chocolate or drink whipped up by our bartender after the wind in your face on a skiff tour. Hose off your muddy boots, change out of your hiking gear, and enjoy a shower. Maybe a nap?

Tomorrow you may get the option for a polar plunge into glacial Alaskan waters. You’ll never have a chance quite like this again. Hustle straight from the water to the hot tub and soak up the praises of your shipmates for your bravery.

Dine every day and night with fresh, local farm to table cuisine crafted by executive chefs and to-die-for desserts from the boat’s pastry chef. (Better put in an extra hour in the kayak tomorrow!) Your partner’s vegetarian dishes are so amazing, some nights you order half vegetarian and half of another option. Even the gluten free bread was baked on board.

After dinner, take a glass of wine to the lounge and enjoy a discussion about local wildlife, culture, or history. The same expedition guide who was so fun on your hike this afternoon turns out to be an expert on whale migration – who knew? Once you’re tired, grab a book or a video from the library and head back to the cabin and your comfy bed.


Last morning – one more amazing breakfast. Exchange email addresses with your newfound friends and plan your next adventure together. Say goodbye to the crew and head into Juneau, ready to explore what she has to offer. All of this adventure, this cuisine, this fun, and this comfort for 12 days? This option starts at $420 per person per day.

Yes! I want to UnCruise the Inside Passage!