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Beware of UnCruise

By croftsohana , March 22, 2021 in Ask a Cruise Question

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croftsohana

This was to be our very first cruise experience and UnCruise ruined it. UnCruise cancelled our Alaska cruise for May 9, 2020 and refuses to refund our $18,000+. UnCruise also did not honor trip insurance which we purchased from UnCruise. We made numerous requests for a refund and all have been rejected. (1) UnCruise falsely accused us of canceling the trip on our own before they cancelled it; (2) UnCruise faulted us for exercising our right to dispute all charges with Costco Citibank Visa, and filing complaints with the Better Business Bureau and State of Washington Attorney General’s Office; (3) UnCruise took taxpayer PPP bailout AND kept our money. Don’t believe all the glowing reviews from UnCruise customers. UnCruise has an “F” grade from the Better Business Bureau because of their refusal to refund customers for cruises the company cancelled in Alaska, the Galapagos and others.   

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On what day did they officially cancel the cruise? On what day do they say, you cancelled the cruise?

There must be a paper trail some ware. Ask them what day they said you cancelled, if they say it was by email then they will have a copy of this email (if you have made a mistake, so will you) and it will be dated. If they say you phoned them to cancel, ask on what day you phoned them, they will have a dated record of this call and many companies record all calls, check your call records to see if you have made a mistake, to see if the dates match theirs. If you have made a mistake you will have a record some ware, if it was by email there are records on their systems and your computer, even if you hit the delete button, its still there just hidden. 

Seems to me the onus is on them to give you dates, if they don't and if it was me, my next call will be to a lawyer. 

Flatbush Flyer

44 minutes ago, croftsohana said: This was to be our very first cruise experience and UnCruise ruined it. UnCruise cancelled our Alaska cruise for May 9, 2020 and refuses to refund our $18,000+. UnCruise also did not honor trip insurance which we purchased from UnCruise. We made numerous requests for a refund and all have been rejected. (1) UnCruise falsely accused us of canceling the trip on our own before they cancelled it; (2) UnCruise faulted us for exercising our right to dispute all charges with Costco Citibank Visa, and filing complaints with the Better Business Bureau and State of Washington Attorney General’s Office; (3) UnCruise took taxpayer PPP bailout AND kept our money. Don’t believe all the glowing reviews from UnCruise customers. UnCruise has an “F” grade from the Better Business Bureau because of their refusal to refund customers for cruises the company cancelled in Alaska, the Galapagos and others.   

It’s a good bet that this boils down to #1 and how it is treated by the cruise line’s T&Cs (to which you agreed by making the purchase).

So: Did YOU cancel the cruise before they did?This should be easy enough to prove with copies of emailed correspondences (I.e., the date/time on the cancel notice they sent you AND the date/time of your email cancelling the cruise or acknowledging their cancellation and your acceptance of whatever they were offering as compensation for cancelling (before you did).

In general, if the cruise line (not you) cancelled first, you’d be offered a refund or an FCC (that’s “boilerplate” in most cruise company’s T&Cs).

Of course, if they’ve got a time stamped phone recording (or your email) with you cancelling first, you are SOL for penalty phase losses which I’m assuming is 100%.

As for cruise line insurance, the line is most often - not the insurer. They just sell policies (which usually don’t include “cancel for any reason” - like fear of Covid).

In any case, you can dispute the credit card charge with your CC company, file an insurance claim with the insurer, make a complaint to the Dept of Consumer Affairs and/or Secretary of State in whatever State you purchased the cruise. However, they all will base their judgement on the provided evidence.

What is UnCruise?

CruiserBruce

7 minutes ago, shipgeeks said: What is UnCruise?

Just a quick look around:

https://uncruise.com/

Honolulu Blue

This probably doesn't have anything with OP's situation, but Uncruise has implemented a vaccine requirement as of last week:   https://uncruise.com/pages/covid-travel-updates

Top_of_the_Cube

20 hours ago, croftsohana said: (1) UnCruise falsely accused us of canceling the trip on our own before they cancelled it;   (2) UnCruise faulted us for exercising our right to dispute all charges with Costco Citibank Visa, and filing complaints with the Better Business Bureau and State of Washington Attorney General’s Office  

I assume that the $18,000+ is money that you actually paid to UnCruise for this trip.

Just for clarification:

1)  I read this to say UnCruise just straight up cancelled the sailing, and that you did not communicate with UnCruise (before or after they cancelled) in any fashion that they could misconstrue as you cancelling or considering cancelling.  If that is the case, seems like a slam dunk with the credit card company when you provide the appropriate section of the governing T&C.

2)  I don't understand what "faulted" means.  Did they take some adverse action against you (beyond not giving your money back), or just say they didn't like you doing that?  Did they somehow use your dispute as some kind of "evidence" as to why they won't refund your money?

Not at all being critical, looks like you got robbed.

I wonder if we'll see any answers to the questions from OP.

Just now, Shmoo here said: I wonder if we'll see any answers to the questions from OP.

ColeThornton

6 minutes ago, Shmoo here said: I wonder if we'll see any answers to the questions from OP.

Seems to me they are just venting.  It's another thread that doesn't belong on the Ask a Cruise Question forum.  The mods will probably move it.

2 hours ago, ColeThornton said:   Seems to me they are just venting.  It's another thread that doesn't belong on the Ask a Cruise Question forum.  The mods will probably move it.

OP originally posted the same post on 3 different forums (the one prior to this one was in July 2020).  One of which has disappeared (don't know when that one was posted).

BoozinCroozin

File a lawsuit if that is the case. It is your only recourse. You have done everything you can and that leaves one option remaining. You will need to be sure to have your documentation 100% accurate, pay for an attorney, let the attorney determine your documentation is accurate, then proceed with a lawsuit. Because if you don't win, you can be held liable for the defendants legal fees as well. On the other hand, you could win and still not recover your money. The business can shutter and you are at the bottom of list for what little is left. Before a small business does that, they get large one-time bonuses clearing out most of the liquid capital.

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Musings of a Rover

Uncruise Review: The Best Alaskan Cruise?

If you are looking for a small ship cruise line that specializes in adventures, wildlife, and showing you the real alaska, then look no further than Uncruise.

So you want to go on a cruise in Alaska? But those huge mega cruise ship lines just seem wrong to you. I get it. I have no desire to ever be on one of those big boats. But a small cruise ship exploring the hidden away places? Now I can get behind that. Find out if Uncruise Adventures is what you’re looking for with my Uncruise Review.

My Uncruise Adventure was the Wild, Wooly, & Wow Cruise set in June of 2022. We had remarkably good weather I think with just a bit of rain on a couple of days. It was a bit foggy in the morning though.

What Makes Uncruise Different?

Well for one it’s a small ship cruise line . Our boat had a 86 guest capacity and it’s the biggest one they have.

A small ship means that it (and you) can fit places the other big cruise lines can’t. You’ll explore fjords, glaciers, and coves that others don’t even come close to.

Oh and you’ll be able to get so much closer to wildlife.

It’s also Uncruise Adventures and they definitely mean it. Adventure is their passion. With two activities planned everyday, you will never be bored.

Trust me, they mean it when they say: Unlimited adventure, nature, and drinks .

Yes, drinks too. Everything is included.

That’s one of the big things I liked about Uncruise. I didn’t have to worry about add-ons or additional excursions. Literally everything was included for us. All the activities, meals, alcohol, etc. The only thing that’s extra is the tip. (Which they collect at the end of the week and it gets split among the crew.)

Now Uncruise is all about showing you Alaska. Open, wild, and mostly uninhabited. You may stop by some more popular spots (depending on the cruise you pick), but for the most part, you won’t see many other people.

We saw only a couple of other boats the whole time.

What this also means is that your cruise won’t be covering a huge swath of Alaska. Their one week cruises stick to southeast Alaska and usually are roundtrip out of Juneau. There are a few exceptions to this, but you won’t be sailing from like Seattle to Alaska and back again in a week.

Instead you’ll be exploring more of Alaska. Seeing more wildlife, getting closer to nature, and relaxing at anchor.

General Daily Schedule

This was the general flow of the days. There were exceptions (of course), but this will give you a general feel of what to expect.

For the early risers, there was coffee and a small appetizer (like a pastry) in the Lounge at 6:30am. Due to the time change, we were often one of those early risers.

Plus a few days a week we woke up next to a glacier and going out early to experience it was high on our to do list. Or I just enjoyed grabbing a cup of coffee and then stepping out on the deck to take in the early morning fog drifting over the mountains.

Then breakfast was at 7:30am . There was always 2 options, one was usually an omelet and the other was something different (like french toast, steak & eggs, biscuits and gravy, etc.). You can also add sides of like bacon or sausage. And they were super flexible if you didn’t like either option and just wanted oatmeal or something.

After breakfast the morning activities would begin . In the day by day breakdown below, I’ll explain what each of these were as more specific examples, but think like skiff tours, kayak tours, bushwhacking, etc.

Basically chances to get off the boat and see Alaska. These were usually staggered throughout the morning and lasted anywhere from 1-2 hours.

After everyone was back from their morning excursions, lunch would be served around 12:30pm or so. There were always 2 options (meat & vegetarian) and then a salad option with the fish of the day.

Oh yea, and dessert too.

During lunch you would also pick your activities for the following day so that the expedition leader could make the schedules. For each session (morning and afternoon) there were usually a few different options to pick from depending on the activity level you wanted.

There were times where everyone would do like a skiff tour (because we were right by a glacier), but these were the exception. You have choices in what you want to do.

After lunch, the afternoon activities would start . Again these would be rolled out over a few hours and included kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, and more.

Everyone would usually be back on the boat around 4 or 5 and you’d have some time to take a nap, drink in the lounge, take a shower, go in the hot tub, and just generally have a bit of downtime.

Appetizers would pop up in the lounge too around 5ish in case people were hungry. (And cookies around 3ish.) So trust me. You are never hungry.

Dinner was usually around 6:30pm . And like lunch, there were three options: meat, fish, and vegetarian. And trust me, they are all delicious. The group of 3 sisters who shared our table usually got one of each and split them between them.

And yes, there’s a crab night. All you can eat crab. So if this is high on your bucket list for Alaska, it’s included in your Uncruise.

After dinner there was usually a presentation in the lounge around 8pm or so. I loved attending these to learn more about glaciers, Alaskan wildlife, and more. That way when you’re out in a kayak, you can actually point out and recognize things. Like some beautiful oystercatchers that were just hanging out on a rock during on of our kayak excursions.

Then the rest of the evening is up to you. Want to read with a glass of wine? Or take a cocktail up to the hot tub? Or just go to bed early so you can wake up the next day ready to go? (This last one was usually my go-to.)

General Ship Layout

Now our ship (the Wilderness Legacy) was the largest in the fleet (at 86 guests), so if you are take another cruise on a smaller boat, expect changes.

The lower passenger deck included a handful of guest cabins that were accessed via the interior. We booked the cheapest room so this was one of our rooms.

We still had a double bed, bathroom, and a window. And, honestly, I didn’t mind at all. We were able to leave our boots outside of our room when they were soaking wet and they were safe in the hallway.

Now the rooms on an Uncruise ship are smaller than I think you find on those bigger cruise ships. You still have what you need, but there’s not really any room to spread out. So you want to hang out, read a book, play a game, etc., you’ll want to head to the lounge.

The dining room took up the other half of the lower deck and included tables of about 6-8 people. Due to Covid precautions, we were placed at the same table for every meal.

The second deck included the lounge with plenty of comfortable seating, books, and the bar. You could also access the front deck and this is where I was most likely found. The second half of this deck was guest rooms.

The third deck was all guest rooms. And the upper deck included the covered fitness room, the hot tubs, and the bridge.

My Uncruise Adventures Itinerary: Wild, Wooly, & Wow

Now my uncruise itinerary did not follow the itinerary that we saw online. This is due to the fact that they got an extra permit for Glacier Bay National Park and therefore we were going into the main part of the park. This isn’t included normally in the cruise we picked, but we were ecstatic that we got to do this.

Due to this permit (which is for a specific day), changes had to be made to the itinerary. I say this upfront because…well…things change. Weather, icebergs, permits…don’t expect your cruise to exactly follow the scheduled itinerary.

Instead, be flexible. Know that they have your back and are trying to make sure you have the best cruise Alaska can offer.

Day 1: Embark from Juneau

We landed in Juneau the night before since we were coming from the east coast. You can check in and drop off your bags early at the Uncruise office before you actually need to board in the evening. Definitely do this if you need to.

Juneau Activities

• Breakfast/Lunch at the Rookery
• Devil’s Club Brewing
• Barnaby Brewing
• Hike the Perseverance Trail or the Flume Trail (you can make a 5 mile loop if you are feeling froggy – wear hiking shoes)

Once we boarded, we were shown to our cabin and we unpacked. That night we had an orientation/introduction and then we headed to bed early (jet lag you guys).

Dinner: mushroom risotto, beef tenderloin, & salmon Dessert : chocolate cake

Day 2: Endicott Arm

I remember looking out our window that morning at like 6am and being like…oh my god there’s a glacier outside. Because yep, we had travelled down Endicott Arm and were within sight of Dawes Glacier.

Dawes Glacier is a tidewater glacier. It’s 200 ft tall at the waterline and 15 miles long.

We slowly made our way closer until the ship slowed to a halt. That morning everyone took a skiff tour closer to the glacier (1/4 mile away).

This was one of the best things we did the whole trip. Because we saw not one, but two calvings of the glacier .

After the morning tours, the ship headed back up Endicott Arm and anchored in a small cove. We opted for the open kayak activity and spent about 1.5 hours exploring the cove, its waterfalls, and the seals that popped up near us.

Breakfast: frittata & cheesy omelet Lunch: fish sandwich & salad with rockfish Lunch Dessert: red velvet cake Dinner: scallops & stuffed chicken Dessert: key lime pie

Day3: Thomas Bay & Baird Glacier

We decided to do the all-day kayak. The guides told us it would be tough and that we would be out in the elements the whole day. It was also the only day it really rained on us. Our kayak group (of about 12 people) kayaked 11 miles and bushwhacked 4 miles. It was brutal and uncomfortable. I was exhausted and sore afterwards.

But we were the only ones to see Baird Glacier and its glacial lake and that was incredible.

Basically our kayak started in the morning, and we made our way towards the glacier. But due to the tides and the rapids, we had to haul our kayaks out on the far side of the terminal moraine. Then we hiked across it (and afterwards all around it) to get a good view of the glacier.

We sat in the ran and ate a packed cold lunch while we gazed at the glacier. We saw a bear and lots of wildlife poop. We used glacial silt as war paint to mark our victory. I peed against an iceberg.

It was a tough, exhausting day. But it was worth it.

Dinner: beef short ribs & cod Dessert : panna cotta (forgot to write down the breakfast & the lunch was cold sandwiches during the all day kayak)

Day 4: Security Bay

In the morning we took a skiff tour around the bay and saw so much wildlife . First we watched a humpback lunge feed close to shore for like 30 minutes. Then we saw dozens of seals and a whole raft o sea otters.

In the afternoon, we headed back out on kayaks and were able to get closer to the seals and sea otters. We even saw a couple of sea otters fighting.

That evening the ship made a pit stop in Red Bluff Bay to see a massive waterfall.

Breakfast: huevos rancheros & smoked salmon omelet Lunch: salad with salmon & poke bowl Lunch Dessert: matcha white chocolate brownie Dinner: lentil soup with halibut & pork tenderloin

Day 5: Corner Bay

In the morning we took a skiff tour to explore the bay. I feel like the more popular options for this day were to either kayak or to bushwhack. However during our skiff tour we saw lots of eagles and even a brown bear hanging out on the hillside.

That afternoon we went mountain biking on Chichagof Island. It was definitely not easy (10 miles total), but we saw a bear along the trail! We were with a big group (20 people maybe) so he wandered off quickly after he spotted us.

Apparently we were the first group to ever go mountain biking with Uncruise! It was a cool experience, but I would recommend it only to people who bike regularly. It wasn’t an easy ride. But the ride back was mostly downhill, so after the initial push to the turn around point, things did get easier.

That night at dinner was also celebration night! If you had let them know you were celebrating a special occasion (birthdays, anniversaries, honeymoons, etc.), they made an announcement and then you received a specialty dessert. And since it was our honeymoon, we received chocolate covered strawberries.

Breakfast: french toast & denver omelet Lunch: salad with rockfish & pork arepa Lunch Dessert: lemon olive oil cake Dinner: lamb chops & rockfish Dessert: cobbler

Day 6: Glacier Bay National Park

This was probably the best day of the trip. And the one that was most unexpected. Uncruise had obtained an extra permit for Glacier Bay and so we were headed into the Bay.

It began with an early morning wakeup call at 6am. Marjorie Glacier (and the Grand Pacific Glacier) were waiting for us right outside. We spent a good 30 minutes or so taking them in before we had to move on.

Our destination for the morning? Lamplugh Glacier. There were several options for the morning including a hike we almost picked. But in the end we opted for a kayak out out to the glacier. A terminal moraine sits at the face of the glacier, and we were able to kayak right up to the moraine.

Then it was back on the boat for the polar plunge. Yes, I jumped into the icy water of Glacier Bay National Park. And yes, it was cold. Frigid. Shockingly icy. I don’t think I’d do it again. But I’m glad I did it once.

After lunch, we slowly made our way through the Bay stopping for wildlife along the way. We saw lots of seabirds including puffins, as well as goats seal lions, and sea otters.

That night was crab night! And so we feasted on crabs before a an evening walk through Bartlett Cove where the main visitor center is.

Breakfast: spinach omelet & mexican bowl Lunch: bison chili Lunch Dessert: bread pudding Dinner: crab legs Dessert: orange mousse

Day 7: Inian Islands

Things were a bit different for our last day on the boat. First we slept in till 7:10am since breakfast was moved back. (There was still some snacks in the lounge.)

But we began with a skiff tour around the islands. We found some (and by some I mean a lot) of sea lions swimming through the waters.

Then after brunch (yes a delicious filling brunch), we took a skiff over to George Island. The other option was a guided kayak around the island, and I kind of wished we would have picked that. But we still enjoyed the short hike on George Island.

We got to explore at our leisure. And afterwards, we headed up to the hot tubs for the remainder of the afternoon.

That night we watched a slideshow of the trip and all the pictures the guides took along the way.

Brunch: cinnamon rolls and steak & eggs Dinner: prime rib & salmon Dessert: s’more cake

Day 8: Back to Juneau

We woke up to the boat docking and had an early breakfast before we headed off. Everyone was off the boat by 8:15am.

Uncruise arranges shuttles for those headed to the airport (or hotels), and will even hold onto your luggage until the shuttle’s departure.

Breakfast: biscuits & gravy

Who Is This Cruise Good For? My Final Recommendation

This cruise was amazing.

The small ship meant we could go places other cruises could not. We saw so much wildlife and were able to explore in a variety of different ways. It was probably one of the best trips of my life.

If you like having a plethora of activities to choose from, if wildlife viewing is high on your list, then consider Uncruise.

So maybe the better way to end this is by trying to determine who this cruise isn’t for.

Well, for one, Uncruise isn’t cheap. Now if you would plan to do a lot of add-on excursions and shore activities on a larger cruise, I’d suggest you price it out and see if there’s a big difference. Because my bet is that in the end, they are relatively close in price.

I paid for this trip myself (it was our honeymoon). And we had to save up quite a bit in order to add it onto our trip to Alaska. So I definitely understand if the price is what’s holding you back. But I definitely think you should price it out compared to the other cruise lines (and their add-ons).

Also the Uncruise experience is focused on activities and adventures . And they had experiences for people of all different activity levels. Everything from all-day kayaks to short hikes and even skiff tours. So you didn’t need to be in good shape take part.

But you do need the desire to experience Alaska. To get off the boat. If your idea of a cruise is to sit on your deck, read a book, and just watch Alaska go by, then Uncruise is not for you.

Lastly, the food was amazing on the ship. And there were options to choose from for each meal. I included the ones we choose in the itinerary breakdown above. But this isn’t a buffet. And if you are a super picky eater then maybe this isn’t for you.

And I don’t mean dietary restrictions – because they will accommodate those. I mean picky. I mean you go to a restaurant and routinely ask them to alter/adjust/edit/remove items from dishes.

But beyond those exceptions, I would recommend Uncruise Adventures to everyone. You will see Alaska. You will experience it. You will remember it forever.

Planning Your Alaskan Trip?

Interested in a cruise? Check out my review of Uncruise Adventures ! This small-ship cruise line will help show you the real Southeast Alaska.

Want to see two amazing national parks in just one week? My 7 day Alaska itinerary has all the details you need to know!

Headed to Denali National Park? Read my review of the popular Tundra Wilderness Tour to see if it will work for you!

Fly in a helicopter. Land on a glacier. Go dog sledding. My experience dog sledding in Seward was the highlight of our trip.

Want to see wildlife like orcas & puffins? How about 2 massive tidewater glaciers? My review has all the details about our Kenai Fjords National Park boat tour .

Looking for more inspiration? These are my favorite destinations:

• Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park
• Greenville, SC
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Maui, Hawaii
• Venice & Florence
• Germany Christmas Markets

Related Posts

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The Best Kenai Fjords Wildlife Cruise

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Thanks for this great review!! I am looking to do an Alaskan cruise and this was so helpful!

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An Unforgettable Baja California Adventure (+ Why This is the Only Cruise I’ve Taken)

This is my full review of UnCruise in Baja California – a small ship adventure cruise I took in 2023. Read on for everything you need to know: highlights, pre-trip plans, the food, the dress code, a day-by-day itinerary, and what makes UnCruise a much more sustainable Mexico cruise option.

I recently said goodbye to Baja California, where I went on my first “cruise,” and I hate to admit it, but I think I’m spoiled for life.

I’m putting “cruise” in quotes because every time I’ve told someone about the trip, their response has been the same: “That doesn’t sound like a cruise.”

They’re right. It was something else entirely.

You could almost think of it as an eco-cruise: 66 passengers. Remote wilderness. Fresh seafood and local, organic produce. No cell phone service or Wi-Fi (a vacation in itself). Beaches without another tourist anywhere to be seen. A female ship’s captain (almost unheard of in the cruise industry) making plans one day at a time, based on the weather and the movement of wildlife. Expert guides and a fairly paid crew who all seemed genuinely happy to be there. That was the vibe on my Baja California UnCruise.

I felt like I’d actually discovered a new way to travel.

UPDATE: I’m excited to say that UnCruise has offered me a discount to share with you! Use the code TILTED500 during booking to save $500 per person on your UnCruise trip!! (It works whether you book online, over the phone, or by email. If you have any issues, please get in touch to let me know so I can make it right.) 

And I spent the week meeting other travelers who were on their second, third, fourth or fifth trips with UnCruise, and still coming back for more. (About half of the guests were repeat UnCruisers.)

By the end, I understood why: You go to bed satisfied at the end of the day. Exhausted from activities that brought rushes of adrenaline and pure joy. Well-fed and nourished with delicious food (and craft cocktails). Mentally stimulated by one of the guides’ evening mini-lectures on native cultures, geology, or marine biology. And feeling like you’re traveling with new friends who you actually have time to get to know.

If you want a super short summary of what defines an UnCruise, that was it. For all the details of my Baja UnCruise experience, read on.

Table of contents

Uncruise review quickie: pros & cons.

• Day 1 on UnCruise – All Aboard!

Day 2 – Vacation Orientation

Day 3 – snorkeling with sea lions, day 4 – one word: weather., day 5 – whales, day 6 – adventures & loreto.

• Day 7 – Kayaking & Playing Cowgirl

Day 8 – The End.

Closed-loops & shorter cruise routes, good jobs, organic food & community, no plastics, better sewage treatment & fuel, how’s the food, what’s the dress code for uncruise.

• Should you do the pre-trip extension?   

The Activity Level & The Vibe

Uncruise cost & what it covers, so was it worth it (thoughts from an independent traveler).

This is just to whet your palate before we dive into the full Baja itinerary – a few things that surprised me about UnCruise, or just really made an impression.

It’s up to interpretation whether each of these is a pro or a con! So I’ll tell you where they land for me. Let me know if you agree or not.

Pro: Detaching from Wi-fi.

As someone with the nasty habit of waking up and checking my phone while still in bed, having no cell service or wi-fi on board the Safari Voyager in Baja was just… liberating. It even made the next point a little bit easier, because my brain had less “to do” in the mornings.

Con: Mornings start early.

This is automatically a con for me (don’t try to talk to me before 10 am), but I tried to look at is an opportunity . “Early riser breakfast” on UnCruise – at least in Baja – is at 6:30 am. Normal breakfast? Either 7 or 7:30, depending on activities for the day. I eventually accepted that it was worth the effort for the famous, spectacular Gulf of California sunrises, but it wasn’t easy.

Pro: Lots of time off the ship, to choose your own adventure(s) without lifting a finger.

Every day on UnCruise has a morning and afternoon activity slot, and lots of options to fill each slot. This would make it a great vacation for mixed groups (grandparents and teenagers, friend groups). One person could go kayaking, while another takes a hike, and you… relax on the beach and read a book? You always have the option for a couple of hours apart, and you’ll always come back together at meal times. (See my final point.)

Con: Diesel fumes.

You hardly ever smell them, but when you do… yeah, they’re stinky. However, they’re still much better than what you’d smell on the mega cruise ships, which burn a much dirtier, more polluting kind of fuel.

[See the section below on UnCruise sustainability for more on this. For comparison, check out my full article about why big cruise ships are bad for the environment .]

Pro: Very social!

Rather unavoidably so, in fact. With a max capacity of 66 guests on board UnCruise’s Safari Voyager , you can kind of get to know everyone. Everyone eats meals at the same time, in the same dining room, at communal tables – so you can’t hide. This is great if you love chatting up new friends! But it could be work for introverts.

Safari Voyager Ship’s Log: UnCruise in Baja California

Personally, I like to prepare for a trip in the sense of vaguely knowing what I’m getting myself into – but not too much. I like to leave some sense of mystery, and unravel the details while I’m traveling.

(And yes , that might be why I packed so badly, and so much, for this particular trip. If you’re in danger of doing the same, take a look at my UnCruise Baja California packing list !)

When John Steinbeck visited this exact part of Baja California Sur, the literary result was The Log from The Sea of Cortez . I read half of it and – with all due respect to Of Mice and Men – found it overwhelmingly slow and dry. (But I might appreciate it more after having actually visited the places he describes… in immense detail . I promise to give it another shot.)

And I promise to keep this ship’s log a little lighter.

If you share my less-is-more travel planning vibe, feel free to skip over this part ( sustainability and trip planning info are below ). If you want a day-by-day review of one UnCruise adventure in Baja California, read on.

(Remember – this is a log of one trip, NOT an itinerary that will be followed to the T. Flexibility is Plan A, B, and C on UnCruise, as plans change due to weather, animal movements, and avoiding other tourists.)

Day 1 on UnCruise – All Aboard!

Day 1 begins in San Jose del Cabo, the town at the southern tip of Baja California, and home to the main airport.

Guests arrive at the meet-up point –  a beach-front resort (more about that below ). And by mid-afternoon, we all boarded (very nice) busses for the 2-hour drive up the Pacific coast and across the Baja peninsula to La Paz , on the interior Sea of Cortez. (Also known as the Gulf of California, which is a nice way to avoid giving too much credit to the conquistador Hernan Cortez.)

Sustainability / Logistics Note: La Paz also has a small airport for domestic flights within Mexico . But UnCruise has everyone fly in and out of SJD airport, because it’s the local hub. Meaning: More direct flights from more places, and lower emissions.

During the bus ride, we kept our eyes on the winter sunset over the Pacific, where the UnCruise guides were pointing out whales spouting, and handing out snacks and local beers.

When we arrived in La Paz, we got settled into our cabins on the Safari Voyager (where our luggage was already waiting for us), and headed straight to the lounge for the Champagne Safety Drill . (As always, it was an open bar; you could have whatever you want. I just like calling it that. Backup name: Abandon Ship Cocktail Hour…?)

Whatever you call it, my enthusiasm was hard to contain. We went through the entire process of what to do in an emergency, how to use our life jackets, and where to meet. I could see it being a comfort to anyone feeling nervous about heading out to sea.

Day 2 began with a light, early breakfast (remember: 6:30 am ) before meeting our UnCruise guides, and rest of the team that makes the adventures happen.

They were a really impressive lot, with diverse expertise, and many years of guiding. One guide was a marine biologist. Another was an expert in the native cultures of Baja California. The lead guide was an expert on sustainable tourism. And one was also a ship’s captain, who’d sailed solo from Mexico to Hawaii without using modern instruments. I felt like I was in good hands for any question I could come up with.

They ran through what we should expect on the trip – multiple activity options every day – and a few rules that I was happy to hear. For example: UnCruise has a “no collecting policy.” This is one of the “ Leave No Trace ” rules that you hear in national parks, for example: Don’t take shells and other things home with you. They’re part of the ecosystem, and other creatures will use them.

Sustainability Note: That Leave No Trace policy is the kind of detail most travel companies (let alone cruise companies) don’t even bother to think of, let alone explain. It was one of the first, small examples of UnCruise’s attention to detail and sustainability.

After the housekeeping, we had a dry-run to get fitted into our wet suits and snorkel gear that we’d use for the rest of the week. (No sharing – you find what fits and keep it, which was great.)

Then it was brunch time. (Cinnamon rolls, veggie frittatas, mountains of bacon, Bloody Mary’s. Choose your own adventure!)

And we spent the afternoon blissfully snorkeling around an island bay that didn’t have a single other tourist (or anyone at all).

When I got out of the water, one of the guides was preparing for a little hike up a hill, so I hopped on that too. Other options on offer: Kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, chilling on the beach with beer in hand. It was hard to make a bad choice.

These were not the right shoes for our afternoon hike, but it was short, I went slowly, and the views were 100% worth the effort. (On the right: Scoping out the only other boat in the area.)

This was the day that before noon I had proudly proclaimed to be THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE.

Snorkeling with teenage sea lions at their colony on Los Islotes, off the north coast of Isla Partida, was one of the coolest vacation activities I’ve ever had the joy of doing. These babies are playful. They come right up to you, nuzzling their huge whiskers right in your face.

For a little taste, click play the Instagram reel below that I made about that morning:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ketti // Sustainable Travel, Zero-waste, Adventure (@tiltedmap)

The local guides UnCruise hires for this were careful to explain how to interact with the animals. (Let them approach you if they want to, but don’t approach them. No diving underwater.)

Anyone who didn’t want to get in the water had the option to stay dry and do a boat tour around the area – which still gave a fantastic look at the sea lion families.

When I came out of the water, I was full of joy but shivering like mad, so I was happy to spend the rest of the day melting in the sun… until the wind started to pick up in the late afternoon.

Options for this morning included a hike, a wildlife watching skiff tour, time relaxing on the beach, or a gentle walk through a salt flat.

I went for the hike. On the skiff ride toward the island, one of the guides, Nicole, dropped this analogy:

“This island of Espíritu Santo is like the American Southwest dipped in turquoise waters.”

I thought it was the perfect description.

But by the afternoon, Mother Nature reminds us we were actually at sea.

The wind picked up, and we had to spend the afternoon in transit, just getting out of the storm. A lot of people got seasick, but I managed to tough it out by staying outside, where I could breathe fresh air, keep my eyes on the horizon, and chat with a few other hardy souls.

Going inside for dinner was a bit of a struggle, but Captain Andréa slowed down the ship and found slightly calmer waters for our meal. A lot of people still missed it, though, which was a shame because it was delicious.  

After dinner, I went straight to bed, and let the waves rock me to sleep – until they got so bad that the dehumidifier in our room started crashing around like R2D2. Once we wedged it in place, the rest of the night was just fine and we woke up to…

We woke up on Day 5 to flat seas, and morning light warming the giant cacti and jagged ravines in the mountains around Puerto Escondido. The views were heavenly. So was the calm.

I was as taken by the texture of the cacti on the hillside as by the lone taxi waiting for a passenger.

And everyone on the Safari Voyager had one mission in mind: Gray whales.

We took a very scenic, two-hour bus ride through the La Giganta Mountains across the Baja peninsula to Puerto López Mateos to (hopefully) see them. You never know with wild animals, but luckily it worked out!

We boarded small boats with a local tour company, Aquendi Tours. (Again, it’s nice that UnCruise works with a local provider for this, instead of trying to do everything themselves. It helps spread the wealth and support small, local businesses.)

Day 6 brought another morning of adventure, and in the afternoon, we explored a town for the first time on this trip. And it was a good one – Loreto is famous being home to the first Spanish mission on the Baja California Peninsula, built in 1697.

Loreto: A mural in the town hall shows the history of Baja, explained by a local guide on our tour. And the town gave us a rare chance for souvenir shopping. (Not the focus on UnCruise!)

We took a tour with guides, then had time to wander, shop, and explore Loreto before heading back to the ship for cocktails and dinner. (For a few more photos from Loreto, check out my post on Instagram.)

Day 7 – Kayaking & Playing Cowgirl

Our final full day was spent in Bahia Agua Verde, which is a virtual playground of outdoor beauty. There were four options for the day, with multiple times for each so everyone could do at least two:

• A desert “goat” hike (the term UnCruise uses for not-so-easy hikes that might involve some scrambling)
• Burro rides
• Guided kayaking
• Skiff tours for wildlife watching
• Hanging out on the beautiful beach

The burro (donkey) rides were something special here because of the local family that makes them happen. UnCruise has been working with the Romero family for years.

Dan Blanchard, UnCruise’s owner and CEO, was on this trip, and he told the story of how they started working together. Years ago, Dan and his wife were on a Baja road trip when their car broke down. Stranded in the desert, this ranchero family took them in, feeding and housing them for days. And they’ve stayed in touch ever since.

Now, during the UnCruise season, the Romeros round up their burros once a week (they live freely out on the desert ranch land) and bring them to this bay to meet up with the Safari Voyager and give a very unique tour. It’s a family business, and the Romeros only work with UnCruise.

They also sell homemade jewelry and small trinkets, so if you’re looking for a souvenir, this is the place to buy one. I bought a necklace made with local coral the Romeros collected from the beach.

The end was bittersweet. I’m surprised it was sweet at all, but after seven UnCruise days, my vacation cup was fuller than it normally is after twice as much time. So while I considered taking up the life of stow-away, living on UnCruise in Baja forever, in the end, I decided it was okay to be done.

I felt satisfied. Fully adventured. I’d made new friends and eaten great food, and actually stopped thinking about my normal life for a whole week.

I didn’t even mind our extra-early breakfast, before saying goodbye to the Safari Voyager at 8 am in La Paz. Most people hopped onto UnCruise’s chartered busses, either straight to the airport for their flights home, or back to the town of San Jose del Cabo.

But I chose to stay and explore La Paz. I walked into town feeling like I was walking on a cloud, and watched the town just starting to wake up (lazy bums).

[ Related: For a short, fun read, here’s a very different kind of ship’s log, from when I got stranded on a boat in Cambodia .]

Is this an “Eco-Friendly Cruise”?

In the beginning of this article, I called UnCruise’s Baja adventure trip an “eco-cruise” in Mexico. That’s a huge statement, if you know anything about the “eco-record” of the cruise industry in general. It’s not only unsustainable, it’s widely criminal and downright disgusting. (And I don’t mean morally disgusting; I mean literally, flushing thousands of toilets straight into the waters we swim in, disgusting. And that’s just one example.)

So, after interviewing multiple experts on the cruise industry for an article about cruise ships and sustainability , reading many books and articles on the topic, following local new sources on the criminal convictions of Carnival Corporation and many other cruise companies and, finally, interviewing UnCruise’s CEO and owner three times over the past three years, I can confidently say that I know what I’m talking about when I call any kind of cruise anything close to “sustainable.”

This section could go on for days , but I’ll just give you the main points below about what UnCruise does better for sustainability.

In one week, the Safari Voyager covered about 400 miles (640 km). That’s the distance a normal cruise ship covers in one day . (Big cruise ships just want to check off lots of destinations, so they dock at ports for a few hours and then go back to high gear, traveling hundreds of miles per day.)

That alone gives a trip with UnCruise a much smaller footprint. And it surprised me when Dan, UnCruise’s CEO, told me it was the most significant thing his company has done to be reduce emissions and be more sustainable . It’s something almost no one thinks about, compared with the topics below, like single-use plastics, sourcing organic food, or even paying fair wages.

And UnCruise has converted most of their itineraries into closed-loop cruises – meaning they start and end in the same port. This significantly reduces the extra flights that travelers book to get back to the city they flew into. (You might think people would look at the schedule and book an open-jaw flight, arriving and departing from different airports, but that often doesn’t happen.)

UnCruise sources as much food as possible locally. In Baja, that means produce comes from an organic family farm in La Paz, where the Baja cruise starts, and seafood is caught by local fishermen. They work directly with these providers, as well as with local guides and families, in long-term relationships that provide significant income. (See Day 7, the burro rides .)

Speaking of income, UnCruise pays all employees US wages – regardless of where they’re from, and regardless of where the ship they work on is flagged. For example, lots of crew members on our Baja UnCruise were from Costa Rica. During the off-season for this trip, UnCruise uses the same ship and crew for their Costa Rica trips . So many employees get to work in their home country for half the year, and earn a great salary year-around.

While many workers on big cruise ships are paid a few dollars a day, without a day off for months, UnCruise provides the kinds of jobs that change lives for employees and their families.

Just like me , UnCruise avoids single-use plastics like the plague. Each guest gets to borrow a metal water bottle for the duration of the trip, which you can fill up with filtered drinking water in the lounge. (I didn’t see a single plastic water bottle on the ship all week.)

[ Related: Here’s how I’ve avoided buying plastic water bottles – even when traveling in places where you can’t drink the tap water . ]

In our cabins, the toiletries were from a small Costa Rican business and delivered in bulk dispensers , instead of mini plastic bottles.

Big cruise ships commonly dump their gray water (water from showers and drains) straight into the ocean (along with their actual sewage, or black water, as documented by many criminal convictions), which is a huge source of toxic pollution. UnCruise does not. They use the exact same advanced waste water treatment systems for their ships’ gray water as for the black water.

And while most mega cruise ships use highly toxic fuel (marine gas oil), which produces terrible air pollution, UnCruise’s ships run on the same diesel that’s used in cars . No, they’re not electric cruise ships (that would be great, but those don’t quite exist yet. Hybrid ships are just starting to become a reality.) It’s not perfect, but it is so much better than average.

For now, UnCruise is much cleaner than any other cruise company I’ve heard of . In fact, after all my research, I actually think UnCruise is probably the world’s most sustainable cruise company.

After my interviews with Dan and others, I could probably share a book with more details. So let me know if you want more! I’m considering writing a separate post about what we can learn from UnCruise as a sustainable travel company.

All Your UnCruise Questions, Answered:

If you’re thinking about booking an UnCruise adventure in Baja California, the details and logistics below should be helpful.

Okay, this could be another separate post, but I’ll try to keep it semi-brief. I’m a pretty big foodie (read: annoyingly picky about ingredients and creativity) and I never had a meal I didn’t like on UnCruise.

And I wasn’t alone. I met a few travelers who said they stopped taking Lindblad trips because the food was so much better on UnCruise. (Lindblad runs the National Geographic cruises, which are UnCruise’s main competitor in Baja. Lindblad cruises are more expensive, and use bigger ships than UnCruise, so I thought it meant a lot that the food was still such a factor.)

Meals on UnCruise were always fresh, mostly locally sourced, and very creative with plenty of choice. The onboard baker and pastry chef makes a different kind of fresh bread every day, plus afternoon cookies, and desserts. They also offer a long menu of wine, excellent craft cocktails, beers, and non-alcoholic drinks. (All included, of course.)

Breakfast and lunch are usually buffet style, while UnCruise dinners are served plated. Dining is always communal, at shared tables in the dining hall.

Cocktail hour become one of my favorite parts of the day on UnCruise. The expert bartender will shake up any drink you want, but he makes a creative cocktail special every day, and they were all just fantastic.

Cocktail of the day: An espresso martini with Mexican coffee worthy of a glamour shot from the deck.

It’s a small ship – so there are no restaurants to choose from, but there are always multiple dishes to choose from at every meal , including vegetarian, meat, and fish options .

Dinner tip: If you’re like me and want to try everything, you can order half and half! I usually had half fish and half vegetarian for dinner, and it was always excellent. You can’t beat local Baja seafood and local, organic veg.

Vegan and gluten-free meals were available upon request, and from I heard from the vegans on board that it was some of the best food they’d had.

The dinner portions were the perfect size – I’d call them “ European-sized ,” meaning I could actually finish them without feeling like I’d done something wrong. That’s great for reducing food waste. (And you’re always free to have seconds, but with fresh bread as an appetizer, and excellent desserts, not many people needed to).

And as I mentioned in the sustainability section above , most of the seafood is caught by local fishermen , and most produce is purchased directly from an organic, family farm . (UnCruise sources local food for their trips in Baja California, as well as Hawaii, Costa Rica, Belize, and other tropical destinations where local produce is actually an option.)

In a word, casual.

The whole UnCruise vibe is nothing like a swanky cruise with a black-tie dining room. On the Baja trip, lot of people dressed up ever so slightly (read: a clean shirt; maybe a casual dress) for the daily cocktail hour and dinner. But just as many looked like they were going on a hike 24/7. And it felt like either option was just fine.

Personally, I enjoyed washing off the salt and putting on one of my casual, packable travel dresses for dinner, but there was no pressure.

[ Related: Before your next trip – any kind of trip! – check out my full guide to packing lighter . I bet there are some points you haven’t heard yet!]

Should you do the pre-trip extension?   

It feels a bit strange that the pre-trip package UnCruise currently offers is at an all-inclusive beach resort – the Barceló Gran Faro Hotel . Yes, UnCruise trips are also all-inclusive, but the Barceló is a very different vibe. There are entertainers running bingo games, and DJs doing sets while you sit in your lounge chair by the pool.

It’s nice , don’t get me wrong, but it feels very commercial, and if you’re going on an UnCruise, that might not be what you’re expecting.

I asked Dan about this, and he said they switched from a small hotel in town ( Casa Natalia ) to a resort because the feedback from guests was that they just wanted to be on the beach. Understandable.

Logistics Note: The Barceló resort is the meet-up location for the UnCruise departure by bus toward La Paz, where you’ll board the ship. So while staying at the Gran Faro Resort isn’t necessary , it does simplify things – especially if you’ll be arriving late the night before the ship departs. And you can always spend the day in town (San Jose del Cabo is definitely worth a visit!) or just step off the resort property and enjoy the beach.

You can book it through UnCruise, but it costs significantly less if you just use Booking.com .

(I’ll share more about the Gran Faro in another post soon, along with some alternatives for any UnCruise pre- or post-trip nights you might be planning.)

[ Related: See my guide to finding more sustainable hotels anywhere you travel.]

I’m in my thirties, and I was definitely among the youngest passengers on my Baja UnCruise. But as for the others, all I can say is damn . They’re an active breed that gave me hope for how much fun it’s possible to have if you can stay active throughout life.

That being said, UnCruise trips are designed to be as active as you want them to be.

You could spend every day hiking in the morning and kayaking/snorkeling/somehow playing in the water in the afternoon, for example. You don’t have to – you can hang out in the lounge or sun deck whenever you want, and most activities have accommodations for different levels of mobility. While most people did two activities a day, others took it a lot easier.

That also makes UnCruise great for multigenerational travel, or a friend group with mixed interests. I took this trip with a close friend, and it ended up being a perfect ladies’ trip.

Want to go to Mexico with your hot best friend and enjoy every meal, private conversation, and awesome hike without getting hit on? UnCruise has got your back.

Of course, the reason the average age on UnCruise skews toward 50+ is that these are not cheap trips. The minimum cost for a cabin on UnCruise in Baja was $5,595 for the 2023 season, plus port fees and taxes (roughly $500 more), plus tipping the crew. (Who is so fantastic you couldn’t possibly want to stiff them at the end. The recommended tip is $35 per traveler, per day.)

And remember, you can save $500 per person on an UnCruise with my discount code, TILTED500 . (See the end of this article, or my Travel Resources page , for more info!) 

( Side note: Then how was I there, as a millennial with no trust fund? UnCruise hosted me on this trip because we’re very aligned on our values of sustainability and ethics in travel. Not only was this literally an experience I’ll treasure forever, but it’s heartening to find travel companies that put alignment on sustainability above audience size in choosing which bloggers and travel writers to work with.)

Beyond that, UnCruise trips are all-inclusive.

You don’t pay extra for food and drinks (fresh and unlimited, including alcohol), or for shore excursions, equipment rentals, transfers to and from the ship, baggage handling, or anything else that most cruises charge for.

And, unlike on a large-ship cruises, there’s rarely any place for you to spend any money even if you wanted to. Mega cruise ships are full of slot machines, boutiques, arcades, art auctions with questionable ethics, and all the trappings of a capitalist vacation. They even drop you off at ports with maps of the “approved” shops you should visit, including diamond stores owned in part by the cruise lines.

UnCruise encourages you to forget all that. You don’t have to think about money, social media (no cell service! no Wi-Fi!), restaurant reservations, or making plans for the entire time you’re on vacation.

Read that again. When was the last time you got to forget about all of those things, relax, and have everything taken care of for you?

So while there might be some sticker shock when you look at the price for an UnCruise, after this trip, I honestly believe it’s worth every penny.

( Note: Those anecdotes about cruise ships’ sleazy art auctions and diamond schlepping are from an excellent book on sustainability in the travel industry called Overbooked .

It has an entire chapter on the cruise industry, and it’s an excellent read. I highly recommend it if you want to better understand what to look for in more sustainable travel options. And if that is of interest to you, then I also highly recommend you get on my email list! 😉 After all, that’s what Tilted Map is all about.)

When’s the best time to go?

UnCruise offers their Sea of Cortez trip from late January through late April. (You can see all dates through 2025 here .)

I took the cruise in early February, and the weather was gorgeous. Warm, but definitely not too hot. (I was glad I packed pants and a heavy sweater for the cool evenings. Take a look at my full Baja packing list to avoid the mistakes I made.) But Baja in February also meant the water was colder than I expected , even with a wet suit.

Since UnCruise trips are so flexible with daily activities, here’s my advice: If you’re more into spending time in the water, and you want that hot desert vacation feeling, go later in UnCruise’s Baja season. If you’re all about the gorgeous desert hikes, aim for earlier in the season, when the temperatures on land won’t be so oven-like.

Frankly, I’m usually a pretty independent traveler, and I didn’t expect to love this trip as much as I did. I’ve backpacked around dozens of countries by myself. I moved to China solo, and did Europe solo on crutches . Why would I want someone else planning every move of a trip for me?

But in the end, I realized it wasn’t just the “convenience” that made this trip so special. It was the connection forged by experiencing this famously unique environment in a way that made it feel like my own little secret.

After a week on the Safari Voyager and another week traveling around Baja California Sur on my own, dipping my toes in both the Sea of Cortez and Pacific Ocean, I realized that UnCruise isn’t just an alternative to normal cruises. It’s an alternative to all the parts of travel that, if I’m being honest, I don’t really like. The negotiating. The constant searching for things. The feeling like a tourist, always cautiously avoiding being sold into a trap.

With all that gone, it just felt like it was me and the desert. The sea lions. The iconic cacti, and the unforgettable sunrises. It was more than I expected from any kind of cruise, and left me feeling more connected to the beautiful Baja California Sur than I’ve felt to many other places stamped in my passport.

Before you go:

Pack right for your Baja trip! Here are the 17 essential items I packed (and wished I’d packed) , plus my full strategy for packing light on any kind of trip .

If you’re considering an UnCruise (or any kind of cruise) after reading this review, Insure My Trip offers cruise-specific travel insurance policies. They’re the first provider I recommend, after a recent lesson in why travel insurance really is a good idea. (Spoiler: I got hit by a truck in France .)

For more about Insure My Trip and all the other travel companies I use and recommend, see my Travel Resources List .

And remember, if you’re thinking of booking an UnCruise , you can use the code TILTED500 to save $500 per person on your trip! (It works whether you book online, over the phone, or by email. The destination you can’t use it for is the Galapagos. If you have any issues, someone else is probably having the same, so please get in touch to let me know so I can fix it!) 

Finally, this article about cruise ships will show you exactly why I’m so impressed with UnCruise’s sustainability efforts!

Questions? Leave them below in the comments, and I’ll do my best answer!

A huge thank you to UnCruise for hosting me on this extremely memorable Baja adventure! I can’t wait to travel with them again. As usual, all stories, opinions, photos, and anecdotes are my own.

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Sustainability and Sustainable Travel Writer

I’m Ketti, the founder of Tilted Map – an award-winning travel blog! – and a Sustainability Editor for the UK's most-read travel magazine. Originally from Montana, USA, I moved to China with a job teaching English, a side-hustle writing for magazines, and just one word of Mandarin. That turned into five years abroad, a Master's Degree in Sustainable Business & Energy, and a passion for finding realistic ways to travel and live more sustainably. I created Tilted Map to share what I'm learning along the way – I hope you're finding it useful!

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Great write up Ketti. You didn’t mention the open bridge and whatever did you contribute to’open mike’ night?

Thanks, Dick! You’re right, I did forget to mention the open bridge! It was pretty cool though, but I guess as a non-engineer it just didn’t make as much of an impression on me as it does on some. 😂 And they didn’t do an open mic on our trip! I think maybe it’s been replaced by Jeopardy night (a quiz on all the trivia we’d learned about Baja) which I probably got way too into!

UnCruise Alaska Review – Northern Passages and Glacier Bay

By: Author Carrie Ann Karstunen

Posted on Published: November 5, 2019  - Last updated: March 20, 2023

Are you considering a cruise to Alaska? We experienced a seven-day small-ship cruise through Alaska’s Northern Passages and Glacier Bay on UnCruise Adventures ‘ Wilderness Explorer . My UnCruise Alaska review covers our day-by-day activities, as well as how this all-inclusive small-ship voyage was so different from a traditional cruise.

Disclaimer: I may receive a small commission when you make a purchase from a link on this site, at no added charge to you. For more info, please read my  Disclosure Policy .

Is an Alaska cruise on your bucket list?

As a former flight attendant and lifelong travel fanatic, I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited almost all fifty US states. But since my airline didn’t fly to Alaska (and I never had any overwhelming desire to go there on my own), it wasn’t a state that I had checked off my list.

Alaska is the number-one destination for US cruises, and so many of my cruising friends had visited the state. Although they all loved their Alaska cruises, I really didn’t think that just viewing the scenery from the deck of a ship was for me.

When I heard about UnCruise Adventures ‘ small-ship expedition cruises in Alaska, and how their smaller vessels can go where the large cruise ships just can’t fit, I’ll admit I was intrigued.

Then I saw that all the daily activities are included: guided hiking and kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), skiff tours, and more. All the food and drinks are included? This sounded like the kind of Alaska cruise I’d enjoy.

Read more: What is an UnCruise and is it the Right Vacation for You?

Where did we go on our Alaska UnCruise?

Mr. SBC and I began our Northern Passages and Glacier Bay cruise in Sitka, and it ended in Juneau. During Alaska’s cruise season (which runs from May to September) the Wilderness Explorer ‘s route alternates between Sitka and Juneau embarkations. Our sailing was the very last of the season—the final week of September.

Unlike a traditional cruise that stops at ports to let passengers off, an Alaska UnCruise’s itinerary includes secluded bays and marine parks.

Instead of pulling up to a wharf and offloading thousands of cruisers, these small ships (the largest in the fleet holds just 86 guests) drop anchor and ferry up to ten passengers at a time to shore via semi-rigid skiffs.

Day 1: Embarkation in Sitka

On embarkation day, we dropped our luggage off at UnCruise’s suite at Centennial Hall after checking out of our hotel, and did some last-minute sightseeing around Sitka .

Back at Centennial Hall in the afternoon, we met our fellow passengers to board a coach to the cruise port. Upon arrival at the small pier, we were warmly greeted by the crew, including the captain!

I was pleasantly surprised at just how friendly and welcoming all of the staff members were. Almost all of the crew were out on the pier, shaking hands with the new passengers and introducing themselves to us.

This was nothing like embarkation on a large cruise ship—there wasn’t a terminal with endless lines to wait in. No long wait to get through security or huge queue for the elevator. We were on the ship within five minutes of exiting our coach.

A crew member then escorted us to our room before the evening’s activities began. She showed us around our stateroom, and explained how to use the heating and cooling unit. Yes, we were 100% in control of the temperature in our cabin! That was definitely a first for me.

We headed over to our first activity, the Champagne reception, to mingle with the other guests and meet more of the crew. Of course, the muster drill (the mandatory safety meeting) was next, before the Wilderness Explorer set sail and we all headed to our first dinner.

Dinner on the Wilderness Explorer

We were all amazed at just how good the food was! Each meal consists of three courses, and there’s a choice of meat, fish, or veggie main course for dinner.

UnCruise pro tip: You can ask for half of one entrée and half of another, or even try all three! Lots of us did this so we could get a taste of everything.

After dinner, we all gathered back in the lounge for cocktails and to listen to an orientation from our Expedition Leader on what to expect over the next week.

Orientation to UnCruise Adventures

On an UnCruise, the Expedition Leader functions as a cruise director, as well as the manager of the Expedition Guides.

He was our go-to guy for questions about any of our daily activities—we’d always see him around the ship making sure our excursions departed on time and ensuring that all the guests knew what was next on the agenda.

During our orientation we also were able to sign up for the next day’s activities, which they call “ops”. Each day there are a few choices for which ops you’d like to do during each activity block.

We chose a meander on the beach followed by a skiff tour around the marine park we’d be visiting. Rather sedate activities, but we wanted to get just a taste of how things worked before jumping into something more adventurous.

Getting to know the other guests

We all had another cocktail after orientation and got to know one another. The guests on our cruise ranged in age from 20s to 70s, and they weren’t all couples! We had a couple of solo cruisers, a mother and daughter, and friends who were traveling together. Most passengers were from the US, but we also met people from the UK, France, and Australia.

Everyone called it a night pretty early, as most of us were planning to get up at dawn so we wouldn’t miss our first 7 AM yoga class!

Day 2: Big Bear Baby Bear State Marine Park

Big Bear Baby Bear State Marine Park is located about 35 miles north of Sitka, near Peril Straits. Its 1032 acres of undeveloped wilderness are only accessible by boat.

It also has the cutest name! Big Bear Bay and Baby Bear Bay are located within the park’s boundaries.

Yoga class aboard the Wilderness Explorer

Arriving on the top deck bright and early for yoga, it was chilly and windy, and the deck was wet—not exactly the best conditions for a yoga class! We were all happy when our instructor let us know that we’d be doing standing stretches and yoga poses because it was too wet to put the yoga mats on the floor.

A little more than half of us joined that first day, and our instructor joked that the first day is always like New Year’s at the gym. We took that as a challenge, and most of our group continued to show up to stretch day after day.

I’ll admit I don’t always love getting up early, but doing warrior pose in the cool morning air overlooking misty mountains isn’t something I can do every day!

Our first Ops: a meander and a skiff tour

On this first full day of the voyage, I think the crew was trying to ease us into what would become our routine of busy, adventure-filled days! We had our kayaking and bushwhacking orientations in the morning, followed by a 10 AM brunch.

We were already warned that this would be our only day that we didn’t need to wake up super-early to have breakfast before our day got going, but most of us did anyway.

Our two ops were scheduled for the afternoon. We chose to start with the “meander”, which was a walk along the rocky beach to see what creatures we could find.

On the rocky seaweed-covered shore we found tiny crabs hiding under the stones and a crystal-clear jellyfish that we each got to hold. But don’t worry, it wasn’t poisonous and it was very dead. Our guide encouraged us to sample a taste of the seaweed. Salty, but good!

We had plenty of time left after our beach meander, so our guide decided that we could do a mini-bushwhack in the forest near the beach. We pushed our way through dense brush to enter the forest and explored for a short time.

As we clambered up an incline, one of our group spotted something odd-looking in the undergrowth. A bear skull! Our guide passed it around so we could all inspect it, and then removed a tooth to send to researchers.

It was just a hint of our bushwhacking adventures to come, and this small taste of exploring Southeast Alaska’s temperate rainforest left me eager for more.

Skiffing around the bay

Our first skiff tour was our next activity, and ten of us, along with our guide and the skiff captain (all of the skiff drivers are licensed captains) climbed into our semi-rigid boat to explore more of the marine park, and hopefully spot some critters!

Our first wildlife encounter was a small pod of little Harbor porpoises! These porpoises are smaller than dolphins, averaging only five feet (1.5m) long and 120 pounds (54 kg).

We stopped to watch them play for a bit, then continued on our way. Our skiff captain mentioned that sometimes they’ll follow along in the skiff’s wake, but our porpoises took no interest as we motored on.

We continued on, using our binoculars to scan the water for signs of life. UnCruise provides each cabin with a pair of heavy-duty binoculars, which you’re free to take along on excursions.

Someone’s eagle eyes sighted a moving mass on the water, so we ventured a bit closer. It was a whale! We just caught its tail fluke as it dove deep to look for its next meal.

Heading back to the ship, our guide grabbed a piece of bull kelp that was floating on the water. With a smile, she took her pocket knife and cut the end off of its thick stem. Placing the other end to her lips, we all laughed as she trumpeted a tune with the seaweed. We all gave it a try. Let’s just say that we won’t be starting a kelp orchestra any time soon!

Cocktail Hour on UnCruise Adventures

Each evening there’s a cocktail hour scheduled before dinner in the lounge. Our Expedition Leader used this time to pass along any information we needed for the next day, and what ops would be offered. We had the opportunity to ask questions, and then sign up for our ops.

In case you’re wondering, you can get a cocktail (or beer or wine) at just about any time—not just during meals and the cocktail hour! At least one of our two friendly bartenders was always on hand in the lounge during waking hours to pour whatever you had in mind.

I was pleased to see that they stocked many local Alaskan offerings, including craft beers and spirits.

A nature presentation

After dinner on a traditional cruise, we usually catch one of the production shows, or maybe spend some time in the casino or a bar. We knew that there’d be a nightly presentation on our UnCruise, but we weren’t really sure what they would be like.

Our first presentation, by one of our Expedition Guides, was titled “Underwater Sounds”. I was expecting that perhaps we’d be hearing some whale songs, and I’d soon find myself snoozing in my chair!

Instead, we learned about how various activities of both humans and sea creatures are heard underwater, and how they can affect marine life. We even got to play a guessing game, listening to underwater recordings and trying to figure out what had made each sound.

Day 3: Halleck Harbor

Our third day found us in Halleck Harbor, named in 1869 for Major General Henry Wager Halleck, who was at the time in command at Sitka. The harbor is located in Saginaw Bay on the northern part of Kuiu Island.

We had signed up for a bushwhack in the morning and a skiff tour in the afternoon, preferring to do the more strenuous activity when our energy levels would be higher.

A bushwhack on Kuiu Island

With a mini-bushwhack already under our belts, we were looking forward to an even more adventurous one, and we weren’t disappointed! The day was cool and rainy, so we made sure to layer up and wear all of our waterproof gear.

After landing on Kuiu Island, we battled our way through brush until we were under the forest canopy, nice and dry. Then our adventure began! This time, the terrain was really varied. We encountered steep inclines, a swamp lined with enormous skunk cabbages, and huge fallen trees that we had to climb over (or crawl under).

A skiff tour around Halleck Harbo r

When you’re out on a skiff, or anywhere in the wilderness of Alaska, you never know what creatures you might see. There’s never a guarantee that you’ll see anything, but on this day we were especially lucky.

We spot Humpback whales!

As we cruised around, peering through our binoculars, we heard what would come to be a familiar noise—a whale blow.

We soon spotted a humpback, and then several more. We motored over as close as we could, and counted. There were six of them! There were whales on all sides of us, breaching and fluking as they searched for food.

We all fell completely silent, in awe of the majestic creatures whose home we had the privilege to visit.

Evening presentation

Our evening presentation by one of our Expedition Guides was on a super-interesting topic. He discussed how animals think and feel emotions. As most of us listening were animal lovers, we enjoyed hearing his take on how other creatures perceive the world around them.

Day 4: Takatz Bay & Chatham Strait

On our fourth day, we woke up in Takatz Bay, on the eastern side of Baranof Island. We were excited to do some kayaking in the morning, and in the afternoon the ship would be cruising around Chatham Strait to spot more marine life.

Our first solo excursion: Open Paddle

Our morning activity was Open Paddle, which meant that we could kayak on our own around the bay. We could start and end our self-guided kayaking at any time within the several-hour Open Paddle window.

We had missed the Kayaking 101 class, but our Expedition Leader offered to give us a mini-lesson. I had some kayaking experience, but these kayaks had rudders, which I had never used before. Mr. SBC had never tried kayaking. I think he was a little nervous, but he was trying not to let it show.

We donned our life jackets but opted to skip the provided spray skirts. It was a sunny day, without a rain cloud in sight. We put our rain pants on just in case.

The two-person kayaks were set up on the lower aft deck, in an area the crew called “The Fantail”.

The Fantail is essentially a launching area for leaving the ship via skiff, kayak, or SUP. To kayak off the ship, passengers get in their kayaks and the crew helps slide the vessels into the water using the rollers embedded in the floor.

I was worried that it would be a scary experience being slid into the water off the ship, but the transition was extremely smooth.

Then we were off on our own to paddle around the bay! The rudder system on the kayaks took some getting used to, but soon we were off, gliding across the water’s smooth surface. We explored the coves in the bay for about 90 minutes before returning to the ship.

Cruising for wildlife

An afternoon op wasn’t scheduled for this day, leaving us plenty of time to cruise around Takatz Bay and Chatham Strait.

We saw some sea lions, seals, and some fluking humpback whales. But the whales were too busy hunting, and soon disappeared from view.

The weather was foggy and damp, and I was about to head back to our toasty cabin to curl up with a book. But suddenly the sun began to peek through the clouds, presenting us with a gorgeous rainbow.

Movie night!

Our evening presentation was a short documentary film about Dick Proenneke , a self-taught naturalist who lived alone in the Alaskan wilderness for almost thirty years.

Most of us hooted with scorn at some of his misogynistic views (perhaps that’s why he lived alone?), but we agreed that his skill at creating a home from foraged material and surviving almost entirely off the land was amazing.

Day 5: Neka Bay

On day five we arrived in Neka Bay in the north of Chichagof Island. On this day, we were doing the skiff tour in the morning and the bushwhack after lunch. It wasn’t the order that we preferred, but the scheduling worked out that way. You have to be flexible on this type of expedition cruise!

We tour Neka Bay by skiff

Out on the skiff, we were hoping to encounter more wildlife, and we weren’t disappointed! A pod of seals soon stuck their snouts out of the water close by. Our skiff captain slowed the boat to let us take a better look as the creatures bobbed on the waves.

Rounding a small rocky point, we noticed something unusual—a little house right near the shore! Did someone actually live way out here in the wilderness?

Our guide explained that this is a National Park Service public use cabin . They can be rented for a small charge per night, but visitors are responsible for arranging transportation and provisions. Most are only accessible by a combination of plane, boat, and trail.

Exploring more of the rocky coastline of the island, our guide asked the skiff captain to get us to shore. She had spotted something that we had to inspect more closely.

Pulling up to the beach, she got out to check what it was. A dead sea lion had washed up on shore!

She guessed that it had been there for at least a couple of weeks. Its decomposing carcass had become a meal for various scavengers. It was a sad sight, but all part of the cycle of life in the wild.

A bushwhack to an unusual landscape

Heading out to the island to begin our bushwhack, we were met by a sandy pebbled beach, with starfish dotting the sand in the shallow water. An expanse of marshy meadow lay beyond the beach in front of the forest. It would have been the perfect place for a swim, if it wasn’t so chilly!

This place was unlike any other area that we had visited so far, but once we began to explore the forest it was even more unusual.

After trekking through the forest for several minutes, we suddenly came upon a wide-open, boggy area with only small shrubs and scrub trees punctuating the landscape.

The ground in this area, known as a muskeg, was covered in spongy mosses. The muskeg was dotted with what looked like small, innocent puddles of water.

Our guide warned us not to get too close to these pools, as we could get sucked into the muck below the surface! I’ve seen too many museum displays of mummified bodies that were pulled out of European peat bogs, so I steered clear of the watery patches.

We carefully made our way to a safe spot to sit and inspect the plant life that created a spongy carpet on the muskeg. The combination of various mosses, mushrooms, and tiny red and green plants was delicately beautiful.

Continuing to bushwhack through the forest, we made our way back to the sandy beach. The starfish were still waiting for us, and we had the chance to pick them up and inspect them before returning them to their watery habitat.

Our evening presentation

After dinner, we all gathered in the lounge to listen to the evening’s presentation. I was excited to hear that the topic was otters! We had seen a few of them on our journey, including a mother cradling her baby on her belly, and two juveniles cavorting on the shore.

I think otters are adorable, and our guide was incredibly knowledgeable. Did you know that sea otters have the thickest fur of any animal? They spend most of their time in chilly water, and without the layer of blubber that keeps other marine mammals warm.

Day 6: Glacier Bay National Park

We were all so excited for the next two days of our journey, because we had finally made it to Glacier Bay!

Glacier Bay National Park is massive—it covers 3.3 million acres. Instead of just cruising around the bay, we were going to have the opportunity to get out and explore, something that large ship passengers just don’t get to do.

We dropped anchor right by a small pier and took the skiffs over to the dock. It had been less than a week since we left civilization, but it seemed so strange to see the fishing and pleasure boats in their slips, and cars in the small parking lot.

We started by taking a short nature walk on one of the trails, where we spotted various mushroom species as well as a spectacular example of a decayed nurse log and its row of baby trees, now mature and standing tall on their exposed roots.

A sad reminder of the impact cruise ships can have in Glacier Bay

Back on the main trail, we spotted a massive skeleton far in the distance, displayed under a wooden roof. I was initially a bit confused—was this a replica of a dinosaur skeleton, perhaps a creature that once inhabited this place?

As we approached the display, signs told us of its tragic story. These were the remains of Snow, a 45-foot, pregnant humpback whale hit and killed by a large cruise ship in 2001. The ship was found to not have been operating in a safe manner and was hit with a hefty fine.

Today, strict National Park Service regulations are in effect for cruise ships to protect the whales, including the endangered humpbacks. Speed and distance limits are enforced, and all ships must carry a Park Service staffer on board while in the area.

A Tlingit partnership

Glacier Bay National Park is the ancestral home of the Huna Tlingit tribe , and the National Park Service along with the tribal government now work cooperatively to ensure that Tlingit culture is represented on the land.

We paid a visit to the Huna Tribal House, a 2015 building representing the clan houses that once lined the shores of this cove.

Along the trail to the Tribal House, we were able to stop and see various expressions of the Tlingit culture, including tree carvings, totem poles, and a dugout canoe.

We visit the Ranger Station and see (a few) other humans!

We had a chance to briefly visit the Bartlett Cove Ranger Station and chat with the rangers stationed there. They do have Wi-Fi available on their enclosed deck (which many of us took advantage of), as well as maps, pamphlets, and a small selection of books and souvenirs.

We learned that Bartlett Cove is a popular camping location, and it’s often cited as one of the best places to camp in the US .

Back on board the skiff to return to the ship, we were joined by our Ranger, Becca, who would be with us on the Wilderness Explorer for the rest of our trip around Glacier Bay.

We then sailed north to see our first two glaciers close up: the Grand Pacific Glacier and Margerie Glacier .

Grand Pacific Glacier

The Grand Pacific Glacier is visible from the Tarr Inlet and extends back 25 miles (40 km), so it’s a pretty large glacier! The Grand Pacific is covered with a layer of rock from landslides and glacial debris, so it’s definitely not an example of a beautiful, clean-looking glacier.

Although the rocky coating makes it look dirty compared to the icy-blue glaciers I was picturing, the rocks provide a layer of insulation. Glaciers with such a coating are often thicker and melt more slowly than uncoated glaciers.

Margerie Glacier

Continuing back out of Tarr Inlet, we stopped to take a good look at the smaller, but prettier Margerie Glacier.

Margerie is one of the most frequently visited glaciers in Glacier Bay. It was declared a National Monument in 1925, and later, in 1980, a National Park and Preserve. UNESCO made Margerie Glacier a World Biosphere Reserve in 1986, and then a World Heritage Site in 1992.

Although most tidewater glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park have been receding, Margerie is currently considered to be stable.

Some of us become Junior Rangers

Throughout the afternoon and evening, we were treated to presentations in the lounge by our Ranger Becca. We learned about the wildlife that we’d likely be seeing in Glacier Bay.

Our Ranger was a wealth of information about the creatures that inhabit Glacier Bay. She had brought along visual aids, including laminated sheets identifying the various species, and pelts from several marine mammals for us to touch.

Although we had no children aboard, she also had a supply of Junior Ranger workbooks that she invited us to complete. Crayons and pencils were passed around, and there were many takers!

A completed workbook would earn you a Junior Ranger badge, and many of our companions eagerly worked to earn their prize.

Spotting wildlife in Glacier Bay

We sailed around Glacier Bay for several hours, enjoying its abundance of wildlife and drinking in its spectacular natural beauty. I was thrilled to spot so many animals, including a mama bear and her cub!

I had been hoping that we’d see bears, and I was thankful that our sighting was from the safety of the ship.

Other animals we saw included wooly white mountain goats, more whales, dolphins and seals, and huge groups of Steller sea lions congregating on the rocks.

The sea lions were entertaining to watch, and their bellowing calls sounded almost human. Like a massive collection of groaning old men! But their odor was incredibly strong, driving many of us to retreat inside to watch from the comfort of the lounge.

Bird species included Kittlitz’s Murrelets, Black-legged Kittiwakes, and Glaucous-winged gulls. We all appreciated Becca’s lecture on how to identify and distinguish between the various birds, and we were able to put our newfound knowledge to use right away.

Disappointingly, we didn’t see any puffins, as it was too late in the season. Horned and Tufted Puffins are more common in Glacier Bay from May until the end of summer. After raising their young, Glacier Bay’s puffins spend their winters out at sea.

Day 7: Glacier Bay National Park

On our last full day of our Alaska UnCruise, we decided to go all out and do back-to-back bushwhacks (with lunch in between, of course). The reason why? We’d be able to visit both Lamplugh Glacier as well as Reid Glacier .

I wasn’t sure how close we’d be able to get to either glacier. I figured that our best bet to get out on top of at least one of the glaciers would be if we hiked out to both!

Lamplugh Glacier

Our first adventure was to Lamplugh Glacier, one of the gorgeous blue-and-white glaciers that immediately comes to mind when you think of Alaska. At its base is a small pool, and we were later able to watch as the glacier “calved” huge chunks into the water below.

As we approached the glacier, we had time to investigate what’s known as a glacier garden . Huge chunks of ice that had fallen off of the glacier littered the beach, melting slowly in the sun.

We hiked up the rocky landscape beside the glacier to get a better view. For once there was actually a clear path where others had gone before us, but the steep, rocky slope was still quite challenging.

Reaching the top, I looked out over the glacier. We definitely weren’t going to be able to hike out on top of this one! Deep crevasses scarred its surface. But we still enjoyed the view of this beautiful glacier, as well as seeing Glacier Bay from such a lofty vantage point.

Reid Glacier

After lunch, we got back on the skiff to head out to Reid Glacier. This was definitely a “dirty glacier”. The approach to the glacier was another now-familiar rocky beach, but this time the rocks had been worn smooth by the glacier’s movement.

Making our way across the rocky terrain and up a slope, I could see that my dream for this trip might actually be fulfilled! The top of Reid Glacier was smooth, with none of the treacherous crevasses we had seen at Lamplugh.

Reid Glacier looked almost like desert sand dunes instead of ice. Our Expedition Guide led us up on top of the massive glacier, explaining that it was only the second time that year that a group was able to go out on top of it. We felt incredibly fortunate to be among the lucky few!

The Polar Plunge

As soon as we returned from our second glacier trip, it was time to change into swimsuits for an UnCruise tradition: the Polar Plunge ! Mr. SBC had mentioned that he wanted to do it, and I had heard a couple of other passengers mention that they were also going to jump into the bay.

Was I going to do it? Heck no! The temperature that day was around 50°F (10°C) and the water temperature was in the low 40s. I can’t stand being cold, so I changed into my cozy sweats and grabbed my camera. Someone had to take pictures of this, right?

Back down at the fantail, I was shocked to see how many people were suited up to take the plunge. There were only about five of us, all clutching our cameras, who weren’t jumping in.

All the Polar Plungers agreed that the water was frigid, but that their dunking made the 50° air feel positively toasty afterward.

A slideshow of memories

We were definitely worn out after our exciting day, but we were looking forward to our evening’s activity: a photo presentation showing highlights of our journey.

Each of our guides had been taking pictures throughout the trip, of both the guests and of the beautiful and interesting things we had come across in our travels.

Sadly, it meant that our trip was coming to a close, but I enjoyed seeing the recap of our adventures with our new friends.

Before we left Glacier Bay National Park, we said our goodbyes to our Ranger, and made a quick stop to drop her off at the Ranger station.

We finally try the hot tub

Wilderness Explorer is too small to have a swimming pool, but it does have a hot tub! It was a pretty popular spot as well—it seemed like every time we peeked out on deck during the evenings, it was packed.

On the last night of our cruise, the hot tub wasn’t quite as busy, so we were able to give it a try. It’s located right on the forward deck, and it’s a traditional, six-person hot tub with a hinged cover, just like you might have on your own patio.

Wilderness Explorer ‘s hot tub is set up to be self-service—just open the lid if you want to get in, and shut it when you leave.

Mr. SBC and I love relaxing in the hot tub when we cruise, and we especially liked that there aren’t any restrictions as to when it can be used.

So many times on large cruise ships, the crew closes the hot tubs super-early. We like to go in after dinner, and we’re often met by nets or ropes closing off the tub for the night. Not on the Wilderness Explorer !

Northern Lights!

We knew there was a chance that we could see the Northern Lights on our sailing. The crew even mentioned that they’d make an announcement over the PA system if they spotted them.

I had somehow never seen the Northern Lights before! Along with walking on top of a glacier, seeing the Aurora Borealis was another one of my wishes for this trip. I had just about given up on seeing them, as our cruise was coming to an end. I was starting to change into my PJs when the announcement came.

All of us rushed to the aft of the ship to get a look at the swirling colored lights in the sky over the mountains. The sight was absolutely gorgeous, and Glacier Bay might be the perfect place to see it—there’s no light pollution to obscure the view.

Day 8: Arrival at Juneau and disembarkation

We arrived in Juneau well before dawn on the last day of our cruise. I was awakened by a week’s worth of text messages and notifications on my phone as we re-entered an inhabited area!

“Uggh,” I thought. “Back to civilization.”

We had to have our luggage outside of our door by 7:30, just before breakfast. I loved the fact that we didn’t need to put our bags out the night before, as you do on larger cruise lines.

Having heard so many stories of people packing all of their shoes (or worse, all of their clothes) in their luggage and having no access to them when they disembark, I’m always super-worried that I’ll accidentally put something I really need in my suitcase. It was really nice to be able to keep our bags until the morning!

After our final breakfast and goodbyes to the crew, we disembarked and headed across the street to Juneau’s Centennial Hall to pick up our luggage. We were sad to leave the ship and our new friends, but excited to explore a new city!

What did we think of our Alaska UnCruise?

Mr. SBC and I had SO much fun on our Alaska UnCruise. There were two things that he said to me as we were packing our bags that sum it up better than I can. First, he said, “You know, this was really the trip of a lifetime. But I want to do it again.”

And, “This was the first vacation where I really felt relaxed. Like, I don’t need more time off to recover from my vacation.”

I completely agree with him!

What took some getting used to on our UnCruise

As an avid large-ship cruiser, there were lots of things on our UnCruise that were really different than on a typical cruise experience. I enjoyed many of the differences, but there were a few things that forced me to shift my mindset a bit.

Here’s what I noticed on our UnCruise Adventures sailing that surprised me:

There’s not much downtime

Traditional cruises have sea days interspersed with the port days. I usually pack a lot into our days in port, so sea days are my time to relax and recover from our adventures. We didn’t have any sea days on our UnCruise, and our active daily ops were often physically demanding.

I found that going to bed really early and getting up at dawn was the best way to recharge ourselves.

You don’t always know which activities will be offered

One of the activities that I was looking forward to was snorkeling (in wetsuits, of course) in Glacier Bay. Since our cruise was so late in the season, the snorkeling activity wasn’t offered. However, they did have the Polar Plunge!

I wish there had been more “open paddle” kayaking ops, where you can go at your own pace. I enjoy kayaking, but I’m not very strong.

Mr. SBC had never tried kayaking before. Because of these reasons, I knew it would be a bad idea to try to keep up with a group on a guided activity.

There are no printed itineraries

UnCruise really makes an effort to be environmentally friendly, which I appreciate. Because of this, they don’t print out daily itineraries for each stateroom. So, it does take a little more effort to keep track of what time each activity begins.

My tip? Use your phone to take a picture of each of the activity times that rotate on your television each day, as well as the ops schedules they post each morning on the wall.

What we especially loved about our UnCruise

There was so much that we enjoyed about our Uncruise! In addition to being able to enjoy the beauty of Southeast Alaska by small ship, there were several factors that set UnCruise Adventures apart from other cruise lines we’ve sailed with.

The food was absolutely amazing

We didn’t have a single meal that we disliked, and all the other guests were raving about it as well. The cuisine was upscale without being too fancy, and I appreciated that locally-sourced ingredients were used wherever possible.

We were never hungry, which had been one of my worries before embarking on this journey. There was always some kind of snack available outside of meal times. We definitely did some snacking with all of the active adventures we had!

An UnCruise is all-inclusive

All of your meals, beverages, and activities are included on an UnCruise. There isn’t even the temptation of shopping, casinos, or the spa to separate you from your money! It was so refreshing to know that we wouldn’t have to think about paying for any extras throughout our entire cruise.

Getting up-close with nature

We both really enjoyed how close we were able to get to the wildlife in Glacier Bay, without disturbing them. All of the crew were dedicated to making sure we had plenty of time to watch and take photos whenever we saw critters—which was pretty often!

Having the opportunity to do several bushwhacks in the wilderness was another highlight of our cruise. The guides were so knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna, and were very safety-conscious. We were in bear country, so having bear safety briefings (and knowing they had bear spray!) let us enjoy the rainforest with confidence.

Our crew was wonderful

Unlike the larger cruise ships that we usually sail on, the crew-to-passenger ratio on Wilderness Explorer was about 1:1. There was always someone around to answer any questions we had, and we never had to wait long for anything we needed. Plus, all of the staff were energetic and fun to talk to—they obviously enjoy their jobs.

Why I’m glad we took an UnCruise, and not a traditional cruise in Alaska

By the time the first full day of our cruise came to a close, I realized why everyone wants to take an Alaska cruise—it’s breathtakingly, stunningly beautiful.

Now that I appreciate Alaska’s beauty, I’m so glad that I was able to experience even a small part of it up close.

Large cruise ships are limited as to where they can go in the Inside Passage . A traditional cruise ship can’t fit in the narrow waterways that we visited, and it can’t just stop in front of a glacier to let its passengers off to get a better look.

Glacier Bay National Park is an area that many cruise ships visit. But there’s nowhere for large cruise ships to dock in Glacier Bay!

Visiting on a large ship means you’ll just be cruising around, peering at the glaciers and the wildlife from afar. Having the opportunity to actually get off the ship and experience what Glacier Bay has to offer is an experience that’s truly priceless.

You may also like: What to Pack for an Alaska Cruise – Plus Free Packing List!

I’d like to thank  UnCruise Adventures  for hosting Mr. SBC and me on a seven-night Alaska UnCruise aboard the Wilderness Explorer . As always, my opinions are my own.

Have you ever been on an Alaska cruise? Did you take a large ship or a small ship? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below!

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Wednesday 4th of March 2020

Now this type of cruising sounds much more me. I’m not really a fan of the giant ships. But I love small ships, this trip sounds great. I have to admit, I’ve not heard of Uncruise before. And visiting Alaska has appealed to me far more than some US states, mainly for the nature.

The small-ship experience is so different than on the mega-ships. I hope you get to try one in Alaska!

Saturday 7th of December 2019

That’s funny- I feel the same way about visiting Alaska but I’ve heard amazing things from others & it’s confirmed with this post I need to go! Amazing jellyfish & bear tooth find also! :)

Sunday 8th of December 2019

Hi Stefanie, glad I’m not the only one who thought, “Go to Alaska? Meh.” I promise you that if you go, your mind will be changed just like mine was :D

Thursday 5th of December 2019

Wow looks like you had a great time! Alaska is definitely on my bucket list and now I’m considering this cruise :)

We really did have a great time! I hope you get to go on the cruise - everyone on the ship really enjoyed the experience.

Undercover Travel Agent

Wednesday 4th of December 2019

I want to go to Alaska so bad! I’m so jealous.

I hope you can get there one day! It’s such a beautiful state. Thanks for stopping by! :D

Ketti Wilhelm

Tuesday 19th of November 2019

Great article, I feel like I was there! I especially like that you talked about the differences between the glaciers you visited. I didn't really know there were such differences, and most other writers don't mention that kind of detail.

Anyway, I still can't believe we missed each other by just a few hours in Juneau! But since I didn't make it to Sitka or any of the other spots on your itinerary, I feel like reading this has just doubled the amount of Alaskan ground I covered!

Monday 2nd of December 2019

Thanks, Ketti! I’m glad you could “see” a little more of SE Alaska through my post! :D It’s too bad I was flying out of Juneau right as you were flying in - what are the odds that we’d both be in the same city, thousands of miles from where either of us lives, on the same day?

UnCruise Adventures

Review Highlights

“ We went to Alaska 's inner passagecruise with a small passenger set (22 passengers, 9 crew members) - boat Safari Quest. ” in 8 reviews

“ Our home for the week was the Safari Voyager, a small ship that holds 60 guests and about 30 staff. ” in 3 reviews

“ Our journey included stops in Petersburg, Wrangell, Glacier Bay National Park, Sitka , Skagway, and Haines. ” in 2 reviews

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About the business.

An exciting alternative to traditional cruising, UnCruise Adventures offers 7 to 14-night small ship cruises in Alaska, the Columbia & Snake Rivers, Hawaiian Islands, Latin America, Mexico's Sea of Cortés, Galapagos and Washington Exclusive voyages aboard expedition vessels, upscale yachts, and a replica coastal steamer carry less than 90 guests. Kayak, hike, watch for wildlife, paddle board, explore by skiff, or go back in time as you discover history and culture. Highly active or slow and easy, there's activity to suit any level. Discover hidden coves and natural treasures. Exclusive encounters, adventurous activities, and your attentive crew provide the memories of a lifetime. Choose your adventure. Then pack, go, and discover! Unrushed. Uncrowded. Unbelievable. …

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Fantastic company. Best staff ever. I have cruised Alaska and Baja, Mexico - I would like to more cruises with UNCRUISE. No - I want to do ALL the Uncruises. Great food, great drinks - all included. It's the knowledgeable, helpful, friendly staff that makes Uncruise so unforgettable.

The pluses: Amazing food. Amazing food. And amazing food. Also, some talented naturalists and outdoor guides. BUT, a few big drawbacks: The boat, the Safari Endeavor, was very old and not as advertised. The sales literature said it was renovated 11 years ago. Patently untrue. The boat was built in 1984 and looks and vibrates like it was built 40 years ago, too. I also felt I was patronized constantly as an older person. I'm 65, in terrific shape, hike regularly and bike 20 miles daily. I was told ridiculous things like, "Let's give the seal lions room," as if they don't know how to swim, or "let's step back from the edge" of a viewing platform as if I were a toddler. Just not my vibe. Also, excursions that were advertised as two hours were cut short to 80 minutes at least three times. Our trip also had many people whose tickets were comped, including the large family of the cruise director, which lent an odd air of missed privilege to the adventure. It didn't help that Alaska is melting; for the money, I would recommend Patagonia 100 times to Alaska. It's much more beautiful with exquisite blue glaciers that are still visible. Or for old spruce trees, visit the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota. If you do go to Alaska, I'd find another small ship operator with vessels that are worth the dollar charged. The Endeavor needs to be retired.

Although the crew was great, we were well cared for and we did have a good time, I feel like we were ripped off by the sales team when they moved us to a different tour on a different boat last minute. We ended up staying in a different cabin class because what we booked wasn't acceptable to us on the new boat. The difference between what we paid for and where we ended up was about $4000. They gave us $1000 for the itinerary change. When I complained afterward, we were offered "an additional savings" (unspecified amount) on our next booking. I've called, written emails, even written directly to the company owner via snail mail and tried to contact him via someone who knows him. It's been three months. Still nothing. The full story...we originally booked the Glacier Bay National Park cruise on the Wilderness Discoverer round-trip out of Juneau, but a large group cancelled and Uncruise subsequently cancelled our trip 4 days before departure. They gave us the option to join a cruise on the Wilderness Explorer out of Ketchikan for which they'd alter the itinerary so it would also visit Glacier Bay and return to Juneau with our same dates, or we could rebook for a different time or cancel completely. They pressured us to make a quick decision and we'd been planning a vacation for months that included follow-on activities. Changing all the dates on that last minute would have been a mess, so we went along with the changed itinerary. We had booked the Admiral cabin (highest cabin class) on the Wilderness Discoverer with a stand-alone queen bed and sitting area. When we arrived on the Wilderness Explorer, the Admiral cabin turned out to have a murphy bed against a wall on one side (so one of us would have to crawl over the other to get out) and since it converted into a sofa, there was no space to store a bag! The room was super small. We ended up switching to a Trailblazer class cabin (two cabin classes lower than what we'd booked) with two twin beds and promises to "make it right" afterward. Apparently "making it right" means offering a discount on a future booking. I don't think so.

Our UnCruise voyage aboard the Safari Endeavor from Sitka to Juneau was an exhilarating adventure with lively, knowledgeable nature guides and varied activities each day (skiff tour, eco-meander, bushwhack or kayak) The crew/staff is much more engaged than any other tour I've been on and a lot more fun. The chef on Safari Endeavor provided a marvelous variation in cuisine. The expert coordination of our 7-day voyage reminded me of a champion figure-skater executing a triple axel with perfect precision. UnCruise Adventures has mastered the art of coordinating a down-to-earth, first-rate adventure. Kathleen Alexander

Delightful guides/crew on the Safari Endeavor

My wife and I just returned from our Uncruise Adventure in South East Alaska, and wow. This was one of the best trips we have ever taken. We experienced the Uncruise Adventure named the Wild, Wooly, and Won aboard the ship the Legace. We had the best time. The crew was amazing. Captain Tim, Shelby, Matheew, Chad, Andrew, Will, and Chief are genuinely great people. The entire team was just outstanding and so much fun. Highlights: The food was five stars. We did not have one bad meal. Andrew mixed up some incredible drinks at the bar, and the chief was amazing. The boat was so cool and comfortable. We loved the small size and saw parts of Alaska that were very remote. The wildlife was life-changing. We witness Wales bubble feeding, bears eating on the shore, Eagles everywhere, sea otters, dolphins, jellyfish, and more. If you like to observe aminals in their natural habitat, this is the adventure for you. I was gobsmacked by how incredible the crew of the Legacy was with all of the guests. Honestly, the crew made everyone feel like family. Can you imagine running around on a small skiff in remote Alaska with a marine biologist talking about all the wildlife around you, especially the humpback whales? Shelby was truly amazing and made everything enjoyable. What an incredible group of people. Lastly, was all the fun and amazing people we met on our voyage. The best part about our adventure was all the new friends we made. The thing about this cruise is everyone is in great shape, loves adventure, and is around the shape age. I was worried the ship would be packed with escapees from the Seattle nursing home. That is not the case at all. The youngest person on the boat was ten years old, and we had a few grandparents along for the ride with their families. I can promise you everyone had a great time. In conclusion, go on this adventure. It was an absolute blast. Thank you again, UnCruise, CaptianTim, the crew, and our new friends. BEST TRIP EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The cruise was very good, with special landings Glacier Bay. Noisy engine/generator, but expected in small ship. The main concern is that two of us, fully vac'd and boosted, careful with masks, got symptoms of Covid last of 7 day trip, tested positive on next day return, and ***despite 3 calls to uncruise, no staff or cruise members were notified*** This seems irresponsible. People return home to vulnerable or unvaccinated family. No help from Juneau public health or CDC. They said it was up to uncruise. The staff were wonderful. Everyone on board deserved better.

I'm giving the "UnCruise" a full five stars for luxury adventure because I can't think of one thing they could have done better. We took a small ship cruise down the coastline of Costa Rica and then through the Panama Canal. Starting with howler monkeys and hiking, we then moved on to birding in the rain-forest, and onward to water sports like paddle-boarding, kayaking and snorkeling with the parrot-fish. The Panama Canal passage is a bucket list item; it is very dramatic and an engineering feat, not to mention strategically important to the US and global trade. Our home for the week was the Safari Voyager, a small ship that holds 60 guests and about 30 staff. The food was excellent, generous and healthy while the top shelf libations flowed freely. A small ship adventure meets the demands of multi-generations and abilities, so college kids can sleep until noon, dad can march up the mountain and grandma can kayak and skiff about. Probably not recommended for younger children due to the demands of the trip but there were plenty of older passengers. My mother is 86 and she did just fine. I'm somewhat confused by the knocks UnCruise is getting with regards to "luxury". We are a camping, hiking, Grand Canyon kind of family, and luxury to us means excellent service, good equipment, clean organized accommodations, and gorgeous healthy food. Thus, the UnCruise gets a hearty five stars from me, and we will definitely be back for more.

Any way for you to shut the boat down while at anchor? While I'm sure your guests are having fun, for the rest of us in Agua Verde on Jan 1 2018, listening to your gensets run for 24 hours wasn't all that fun. The whale sharks probably don't enjoy it much either. Kind of a disconnect for an "eco tour" to disrupt the peace and quiet and pollute such a beautiful place. Kill the spotlights overnight while you're at it. Air, noise and light pollution, nice trifecta!

If I could rate this company 0 stars, I would. I had to cancel a cruise in May (2020). Per their own policies, UnCruise was supposed to refund me 1/2 of my deposit. First, they told me it would be 90 days. Then, it was 120 days. It's now been 7 months and I have yet to receive a refund. They obviously don't care about their customers or their integrity. I cannot recommend every booking a cruise with them. They will steal your money.

What a wonderful cruise, what a wonderful vacation, what a wonderful company! My wife and I took a cruise on the SS Legacy from Ketchikan to Juneau this July. The trip was called Alaska's Golden Legacy, and was a 7-night cruise. Our ship had about 50 passengers and over 25 crew, so that made for a really great passenger-to-crew ratio. The whole cruise felt very intimate, the crew were all incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful, and it was just an all-around spectacular time. Our journey included stops in Petersburg, Wrangell, Glacier Bay National Park, Sitka, Skagway, and Haines. Since we weren't strictly attached to our schedule, our captain even made a detour to LeConte Bay and LeConte Glacier, which was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Some highlights included seeing wildlife (humpback whales, orca whales, bald eagles, brown bears, sea otters, etc.), catching a glimpse of the Northern Lights one night (the captain woke us up in the middle of the night to announce it, and it was so worth it!), seeing glaciers, learning about Tlingit (Native American) history and culture, hearing about Alaska's rich history, taking the train ride in Skagway, getting to know the passengers and crew, relaxing, and oh yes, the food. How could I forget the food! The food was amazing! My favorite meal was the Dungeness Crab dinner, where that's basically all I ate that night. Some other memorable dishes were the black cod, the various salmon dishes, halibut, rack of lamb, crab mac and cheese, and on and on and on. Each meal was a delicious feast, and they provided plentiful snacks throughout the day as well. Our captain, Captain Dano, was an incredibly personable guy - not only was he approachable and fun to talk to while he was steering the boat in the bridge, he also showcased his poetic skills during the open mic night, helped put together a few poker tournaments, and shared some meals with us as well. The crew he brought together was also amazing, and that was a testament to him as a leader. Another nice thing about the cruise is that it's all-inclusive. No having to worry about paying more for excursions, drinks, giving tips (until the very end, when you can give one big tip to the crew), etc. And one free full-body massage! I could go on and on about how awesome the trip was, but you should just stop reading this review and go book yourself a trip with Un-Cruise - you will NOT regret it!

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Expert Review: UnCruise Alaska

If you’re seeking UnCruise Alaska reviews, you’ve come to the right place. This page, written by AdventureSmith’s Director of Sales & Operations, Justin Massoni , covers what sets UnCruise Adventures apart. Below this UnCruise review, scroll down to also find: testimonials rating everything from meals to service and ships, and more UnCruise reviews written by our staff & clients who’ve sailed with UnCruise over the past 25 years.

IN THIS POST – UnCruise Adventures Alaska Reviews : The UnCruise Alaska Experience UnCruise Alaska Ships Review UnCruise Alaska Itineraries Activities on UnCruise Alaska Our UnCruise Review Credentials Testimonials & Trip Ratings Request a Brochure

The insights shared here come from my most recent time sailing with UnCruise Adventures in Alaska, on the 8-day Glacier Bay Adventure Cruise with 2 Days in Glacier Bay round-trip from Juneau, but much what I detail below can apply to any UnCruise cruise you are considering. Our team of experts & Alaska small ship cruise clients each year have tested them all. Read on for my full UnCruise Alaska review to find out if UnCruise might be the right fit for you.

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The UnCruise Alaska Experience

There’s something about UnCruise. If there were superlative awards in adventure cruising, they’d be at the top for congeniality. But from the lens of my experience as Director of Operations for AdventureSmith—having heard hundreds of UnCruise Alaska reviews from our travelers over the years—I can boil it down to three key points that define the UnCruise Alaska experience: off-vessel activity delivery, exceptional crewing & thoughtful itinerary development.

UnCruise Activities

UnCruise Adventures has taken the adventure cruising concept (where off-ship exploration is king) and refined it to near perfection over the past 25 years. The company’s passion for exploration and the efficiency with which they get travelers off the ship, make for an unrivaled active experience of Alaska.

Each day on my Alaska UnCruise, I felt we thoroughly explored an area (by means of foot, kayak, paddleboard, skiff and even snorkel) before the ship would reposition us to the next cove, bay or inlet as we ate lunch or slept. In fact, over the course of 8 days, I had the opportunity to partake in 11 unique off-vessel activities—12 if you include the polar plunge, but it’s less of an activity and more of an… event.

My Alaska UnCruise averaged more than 2 off-vessel activities per day.

And since your first and last day aboard any expedition cruise are typically not activity days, this averages to be more than two off-vessel activities per day. It was truly extraordinary. To give you a picture of what your off-vessel experience could look like, find more details about the activities I experienced with UnCruise below.

Crewing is one of the most important aspects of small ship cruising. Each and every passenger’s experience is deeply impacted by the crew aboard—be they the guide or the steward, the chef or the captain. The UnCruise shipboard and shoreside staff are dedicated, young, enthusiastic, engaged and knowledgeable. The cruising industry has always had notoriously high staff turn-over rates. These are hard jobs with long hours, typically seasonal, and require you be “at sea” for long periods of time. 

We consistently get feedback from our clients that the crew aboard UnCruise ships reflect a team that feels valued, appreciated and respected by the company they work for. This translates directly into high retention rates and a deeply experienced staff. This, in turn, translates into an exceptionally positive experience aboard for passengers. Communication, here, is the key.

The greatest sin on any expedition cruise is to have passengers aboard who are unsure what comes next, or what they need to do to prepare for it. The UnCruise Alaska crews consistently keep their guests safe, comfortable, well fed, and well informed at every stage of their adventure. Not to mention that the Expedition Leaders responsible for managing the off-ship activity programs are black belts in dynamic group organization. 

On my recent trip, there was always enough equipment and guides for everyone to do any activity they wished. These guys have decades of experience in organizing off-vessel activities efficiently and responding to the needs of all aboard. If we happened to have a ton of kayaking interest aboard on a particular day, they’d just add another kayaking group to the morning or afternoon agenda. This flexibility has consistently been the modus operandi for UnCruise Alaska cruises , and it is a true hallmark of their low-stress, fun and accommodating style.

Itinerary Development

I had the unique opportunity to join the development team from UnCruise in 2019 as they scouted the route for their Belize & Guatemala Wonders cruise. Here, I was able to see firsthand the expertise, dedication, time, resources and love that UnCruise brings to designing unique and fulfilling experiences for their guests. I joined representatives from the Executive, Deck (Captains), Expedition (Guides), Marketing and Sales teams as they explored Belize and its stunning barrier reef to locate the very best places for their type of experiential small ship expedition. The care with which this talented team began to map out the experience they wanted to deliver was clear from day 1.

There are cruise lines the world over that launch new products from the marketing department whiteboard—not so here. 

There are cruise lines and tour operators the world over that launch new products from the marketing department whiteboard—not so here. The development team on the ground was committed to ensuring that they would deliver the trademark UnCruise experience in this new destination. In Alaska and the six other destinations that you can cruise with UnCruise , you can rest assured that their team has taken the care to scout, develop, test and then listen to traveler feedback to create a travel experience that combines their hallmark trio of adventure, culture and connection. 

Also note that UnCruise Adventures offers more Glacier Bay National Park cruises and possesses more Glacier Bay cruise permits than any other cruise line.

Find UnCruise Cruises

See the full list of small ship itineraries.

UnCruise Alaska Ships Review

The UnCruise fleet, to us, is Southeast Alaska coastal expedition cruising incarnate. Their seven Alaska-based vessels range in size from 22 to 86 passengers, which is not particularly unique across the small ship fleet in Alaska (AdventureSmith works with Alaskan ships that accommodate 8 to 100 passengers ). However, UnCruise’s innovative systems and processes for the efficient off-vessel deployment of passengers and equipment set them apart. 

As an example: Sea kayaking has long been the core of the off-vessel activities program on small ship adventure cruises in Southeast Alaska . It’s one of the very best ways to explore this near roadless coastal wilderness: silent, fairly effortless and at water level. The launch systems developed by UnCruise are a real innovation and have greatly increased the comfort, safety and speed of kayak deployment. Four of these vessels have an EZ Dock floating kayak launch platform installed across the full width of the stern, and one tows a custom aluminum platform called the “Sea Dragon” that serves the same purpose. Though the double Looksha plastic kayaks used by UnCruise are incredibly stable in the water, entry and exit while in the water can be tricky. Problem solved with this unique floating system that gives kayakers plenty of time and 100% stability to get situated with foot peg adjustments, spray skirts and gear before being gently slid into the water over nylon rollers. Returning to the ship, all you have to do is put the kayak’s bow in the general vicinity of the platform edge to be gently pulled right back up for a stress-free, and dry, exit. 

The program style is generally the same across the UnCruise fleet —you will experience comparable delivery of the same activities, and in many cases the very same day-by-day itinerary. UnCruise does, however, offer a range of Alaska ship styles. As discussed above, these seven ships are all equally well adapted platforms for off-vessel exploration; it’s the onboard experience that varies across the fleet.

Though many of these distinctions are nuanced, you will generally find that:

Wilderness Adventurer (60 passenger), Wilderness Discoverer (76 passenger) and Wilderness Explorer (74 passenger) tend to have smaller cabins with compact en-suite bathrooms (think maritime efficiency), and consequently a lower per-day price point. I consider these three ships to be cleanly comparable.

The  Wilderness Legacy  (86 passenger) is a bit of an outlier, but in a good way. The Legacy is the largest ship in the fleet, boasts a wide range of cabin categories and offers some of the larger cabins and en-suite bathrooms more akin to the Safari ships below. The Legacy also uniquely offers an elevator connecting all three cabin decks, making this a great option for passengers with mobility concerns.

The Safari Endeavour (84 passenger), Safari Explorer (36 passenger) and Safari Quest (22 passenger) tend to have larger cabins with more spacious bathrooms and a more upscale feel throughout (think maritime comfort, wood tones and brass). The latter two also offer an intimacy and small group size unique to the fleet. Consequently, these three vessels carry a higher per-day price point. 

To assist with your selection of vessel, UnCruise recently created sophisticated “360 Degree Virtual Tours” of the fleet, which you can now view on our ship pages (linked above). These tours allow you to take a virtual walk through, to get a better feel for the spaces that are available in different cabin types and public areas. Our team here at AdventureSmith is deeply familiar with this entire fleet, and can help to walk you through all of the options to find the perfect fit.

Regardless of which UnCruise ship you choose, these are ideal platforms from which to explore the protected bays, inlets and passages of coastal Alaska. The UnCruise fleet is not conspicuously luxurious or exceptionally modern; these ships are comfortable, casual and uniquely ready for adventure.

Find Alaska Small Ships

See all the Alaska small ship options.

Reviewing UnCruise Alaska itineraries

The 8-day cruise is the gold standard for Southeast Alaska small ship cruising, and UnCruise keeps it simple by sticking with this length for their Alaska-only routes. While you might find other operators with shorter cruises, you are often shortchanging the destination by going less than a week. It may sound like a lot at the outset, but I have yet to see feedback from a client indicating that they would have rather been doing something else. Considering that your embarkation and disembarkation days are short, 8-day routes comprise 6 days of exploration. 

While you might find other operators with shorter cruises, you are often shortchanging the destination by going less than a week. 

I was recently aboard the Alaska’s Glacier Wilderness itinerary that circumnavigates Admiralty Island, round-trip from Juneau (this itinerary is similar in almost all respects to the Glacier Bay Adventure Cruise , which promises two days in Glacier Bay). The 8-day circumnavigation of Admiralty Island is the classic itinerary in this part of the world, and with good reason. Of the five unique 8-day itineraries in Southeast that UnCruise offers in Alaska for 2024 , three are complete circumnavigations and two are partials. Let me show you why the 8-day circumnavigation of Admiralty is my favorite Southeast Alaska cruising itinerary :

• It can be done in an easy 8 days, round-trip Juneau.  
• There are more flights in and out of Juneau than any other port of embarkation in Southeast. Read: convenient access from the Lower 48.
• With the exception of Icy Strait, sailing is in protected “inside waters,” allowing for overall calmer cruising with no ocean swell. 
• The itinerary is comparatively compact; your small ship is typically not traveling for much more than 500 miles over the course of 8 days. Read: less repositioning, more exploring. 
• It’s “got it all” in terms of wilderness experience in Southeast Alaska: the densest concentration of tidewater glaciers in the world at Glacier Bay; access to the bears of Admiralty Island; access to concentrated baleen whale feeding activity in Fredrick Sound and Icy Strait; steep-sided fjords and bays; accessible salmon streams; towering Sitka spruce and hemlock forests of Tongass National Forest; and a multitude of calm coves, inlets and bays for safe anchorage and off-vessel activities.

Note that UnCruise also offers unique Alaska experiences outside of this region, including an 8-day cruise in Prince William Sound , an 11-day cruise along Kenai, Katmai, Kodiak and the Aleutian Islands and a 13-day exploration of the Inside Passage entire from Seattle to Juneau . So there is truly something for every interest if you seek to explore a bit farther.

Find Even More Cruises

See the full list of UnCruise’s global itineraries, or view other small Alaska cruise options.

What Activities You Can Expect on UnCruise Alaska

Since off-ship activities are so key to the UnCruise Alaska experience, I can’t properly give an Alaska UnCruise review without elaborating about what you do off ship. On my recent trip aboard Wilderness Adventurer , each evening, typically just after dinner, the Expedition Leader described in detail what activities would be offered next day, including the area to be explored and the level of strenuousness associated. The guides then came around to all the tables while we finished our dessert to answer any questions we had and get us signed up for our preferred activities the following day. Here’s what was on the menu:

Kayaking & Stand-up Paddleboarding

Kayaking excursions are expertly guided, typically relaxed and under two hours, and the very best way to experience these maritime environments in perfect quietude. UnCruise’s aforementioned use of the EZ Dock platform for launching sea kayaks quickly, comfortably and safely is a real innovation and bonus for any traveler seeking to try kayaking for the first time.

For the even more adventurous, all UnCruise Alaska ships also carry a complement of stand-up paddleboards (SUPs). For the very well balanced, this is a truly unique way to explore the quiet coves that dot the area. 

Bushwhacking 

Bushwhacking (walking off-trail in dense woods) is typically a mode of wilderness travel avoided if at all possible. The thing is, however, there are not many developed hiking trails in the wilds of Southeast Alaska. Very few of the remote bays, coves and fjords you will visit have any development whatsoever ashore. So if you want to explore inland beyond the beach, you’re often bushwhacking.   

I participated in a number of these off-trail explorations during the week I was aboard—and can honestly say that no participant had anything other than a goofy good time. Crawling over, under and across logs, through the muskeg bogs, over the river through the woods.   

Truly a laugh-out-loud joy at times, and the younger passengers just couldn’t get enough of this type of adventurous exploration.  

Short Hikes & Beachcombing 

On all our activity days, there were Zodiac skiffs and naturalist guides that led less-active groups on very low-impact beachcombing excursions. What better way to spend an afternoon than with a knowledgeable Alaska naturalist simply exploring the wide-open shingle with its colorful tidepools, wrack line of kelp and sea grass, and open views to the sea. 

Light Hikes 

There were also opportunities for medium-length, medium-effort hikes in more open country—often across rocky ridges or in the alluvial plains and moraines created by glaciers. These hikes allowed us access to higher vantage points for sweeping vistas.   

On my particular cruise, while in Glacier Bay National Park, we followed our guide up the ridge adjacent to Lamplugh Glacier and were rewarded for our modest 45-minute effort with an eagle’s eye view of Lamplugh—spilling magnificently into Johns Hopkins Inlet far below. 

All-Day Hikes 

Aboard any UnCruise Alaska itinerary, there is also the opportunity to sign up for longer, nearly all-day hikes.  

On my trip, we departed the ship right after breakfast, armed with a box lunch the galley had prepared for each of us, and headed up Cascade Creek in Thomas Bay. This is one of the few developed trails out in this country, maintained by the Tongass National Forest. The maintenance is primitive however, and we worked hard to hike the 4 miles up this beautiful river gorge to Falls Lake. 

Only one small group of us made it to the lake, but have no fear, our experienced guides were well prepared for varying abilities and levels of fitness. Over the course of the day two separate groups of hikers were gassed from the elevation gain, and there were more than enough guides to turn around with these groups and happily head on back down the hill. 

Skiff Tours 

On every Alaska small ship cruise , there are ample opportunities to explore via small skiff. These are typically 20’ Zodiac or DIB inflatables—very comfortable, stable and safe. They are the means by which you get to shore, but also great platforms to poke into coves, inlets and shallows for exploration. 

One gentleman on my cruise with some mobility issues did no off-vessel activities other than skiff tours. He absolutely captured the finest wildlife photographs of all aboard due to his stable (and highly mobile) perch.  

Alaskan Snorkeling: Not as Cold as You Think

Uniquely, UnCruise’s “Wilderness” class ships in Alaska may offer snorkeling as an added-cost activity. Since this activity requires a great deal of specialty gear, preparation and confluence of weather and sea conditions, it is never guaranteed on any particular departure. 

The time and tides were right for my cruise, so a snorkel guide got me fitted out with a 6-mm wetsuit, full hood, thick gloves and booties, mask, snorkel and fins. With this heavy gear, I was surprised how comfortable I could be in Alaskan waters. The activity necessarily does not last long, maybe 20 minutes in the water, but it was a truly unique wilderness experience that I will never forget. 

Alaskan Polar Plunge: As Cold As You Think 

Polar plunging, for whatever reason, is a thing in our cold-water destinations— Alaska cruises , Antarctica cruises & Arctic cruises seem to always offer this for the adventurous. If there is a day where weather and sea conditions permit, the crew will offer passengers a chance to take a dip without the wetsuit.   

It’s quite an experience to jump into the glacier-fed waters of Southeast Alaska. I’m here to tell you that you are not “off-vessel” for long in the 52-degree water—but there is always a warm drink or a quick dip in the hot tub to assist in the recovery from this delightfully shocking experience. 

Our UnCruise Review Credentials

AdventureSmith Explorations has a long history with UnCruise Adventures and the seven vessels they sail in Southeast Alaska. In fact, our founder Todd Smith helped to pioneer this type of activity-based small ship adventure cruising in the 1990s as a naturalist-guide aboard some of these very ships.

Learn more about UnCruise as a company and our connection to them, view all UnCruise cruises or browse more of our staff expert & client traveler reviews below. We send hundreds of passengers to Alaska each summer cruise season, and partner with 150 different vessels globally and 70 different operator partners , so we can offer a big-picture view at the value each ship and cruise will bring to our travelers. 

DISCOVER YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE

Order a free copy of our printed brochure featuring cruises in Alaska, Baja, Hawaii and the Galapagos Islands aboard the UnCruise Adventures fleet.

Comments & UnCruise Trip Ratings

Looking for more UnCruise reviews? Or have a specific question. Contact our team, or ask us anything in the comments on this page. Below the comment section, find testimonials for UnCruise Alaska cruises, written by our travelers who rate everything from the meals to crew, guides and ships.

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I am looking for perfect combo of adventure and activity for our children and grandchildren ages 2.5,5and 7. With 6 adults. We have heard very good things about UnCruise Line but wonder how appropriate it is for young families. Can you help?

Hi Peggy, Absolutely! You have come to the right place. AdventureSmith experts have been aboard countless UnCruise ships and itineraries and can help you decide if it’s a good match for your family group. Our specialist will be in contact with you shortly, but in the meantime you can learn more by reading the UnCruise summary on our Small Alaskan Cruise Lines article and our top picks for the best Alaska cruises for families .

My wife and I, both in the senior citizen category, are planning an Alaska cruise. My preference is to avoid large crowd so a small ship seems idea. The review given was very useful in that it gives an unbiased review of what UnCruise offers. Provided much more in depth information than I have been able to find elsewhere. Gives a good insight to the different UnCruise small ships and the off ship excursions. Gives a pretty good feel for each ship and what each may offer.

Hi Clay, We’re glad you found this UnCruise Alaska review helpful. We agree that small ships are the way to go in Alaska. We travel to Alaska regularly and can provide more insights on all of the Alaska small ship cruises we offer. A specialist will be in touch soon; in the meantime, consider our other small ship Alaska cruise reviews .

my wife and I are looking for a 7 to 10 day Alaska cruise with the opportunity to add a land package to the interior of Alaska. My wife is not a roughing it kind of person when it comes to ship amenities, nor does she swim very well and is a little skeptical about the kayaking tours. Can you provide some information about the stateroom and ship amenities. Also can you provide feed back on how easy the 2 person kayaks are to use. I have kayaked in the past but my experience is with fishing kayaks.

You’ve come to the right place Joe! With AdventureSmith you can work one-on-one with an Alaska expert to find the perfect match for you and your wife. Our experts know the ins and outs of all the ship amenities, and have all kayaked in Alaska. We will be in touch shortly to help craft your Alaska travel package.

UnCruise Reviews Rating Meals, Ships, Itineraries & More

This trip is beyond words!...My 21 year old and my 18 year old had the time of their lives and didn't even care that they didn't have phone or wifi access the whole week...We have all thought about a large cruise ship - but no longer!

Great company. Food exceeded expectations. Only would recommend to active travelers looking for lots of off-boat activities. Excellent crew, great attitudes and always accommodating. Everyone was friendly.

The spontaneous whale watching, nearly every day at some point, made the trip memorable. That the captain could slow down and maneuver in an area to extend our viewing is not something that could happen on an aircraft-carrier-sized cruise ship.

Trip was great. The crew was amazing, and the food was a very nice surprise. I wanted to hike as much as I could, and this ship seemed to meet that.

Had an absolutely amazing time! Staff were fabulous, energetic, passionate and kept us busy and safe at all times. We chose a small boat trip as we wanted to get as close as possible to Alaska...

This trip was incredible....definitely the trip of a lifetime for us. It measured up to and far beyond any of our expectations. From the wildlife sightings, the scenery, the incredible knowledge, passion, enthusiasm, and people skills of the expedition leaders.....this trip was spectacular.

This trip is beyond words! Our experience was amazing! My 21 year old and my 18 year old had the time of their lives and didn't even care that they didn't have phone or wifi access the whole week. Everyone on the ship was so nice and helpful - we made new friends and will remember this trip for years to come! Met a lot of new friends! Everyone was so friendly - no drama. My kids met new kids their age. Best trip!! We have all thought about a large cruise ship - but no longer! My mother and I will for sure do another one and my kids have talked about in the future going on another UnCruise trip with their significant others. No large ship cruises for us!! What a wonderful experience!!

Accommodations Review

The beds were surprisingly comfortable!! Loved having the window cracked and having the fresh air at night. Very clean cabins and we were really only in our rooms at night to sleep :)

Crew & Guides Review

Again - beyond excellent!! Sarah (with an "h") was the BEST!! She was so friendly and fun! My kids and I really enjoyed her. She did a great job planning the activities and offered a good variety of options. She was also so enthusiastic about everything and she was really easy to approach and talk to. She was a blast when she was our guide. She and Julie were quite the combo!!!

Julie - she was my daughters favorite!! She was a great guide and so much fun!! She always made sure Syd was at the front of the boat to get the best pictures!! She knows her stuff and when asked questions - she had an answer for everything!

Ted - I went kayaking with him the first day. He was awesome!! Very helpful and knowledgeable too. He was fun and very easy to approach and ask questions. He did a presentation on loons - and taught us how to call birds. We are still trying to master that! My daughter is the best one out of all of us. 

Gray - he was my son's favorite. I had him for the fish hatchery. When I saw the bear - he came right to the front and "read" the bear and allowed us to take pictures and have that experience. Very respectful to the wildlife - I wanted to just stay there and watch the bear and baby - but he had us continue on after a few minutes to leave the bear be. 

Andy and Adelia - they drove the skiffs for us a few times. Very nice and fun! We saw orcas with Andy and she got us safely (very fast) lol - to the orcas in time to see carnage with the sea lions. That was a great experience (sad) but awesome. 

Dakota - he was our waiter. HE WAS THE BEST!! After one day - he  knew our drinks for every meal. He had drinks in place in the morning and then different drinks for lunch and dinner.  We and our tablemates adored him. He was a highlight of our day. He asked us about our adventures at night - that was appreciated. 

Matt the bartender ......  what a guy!! Any drink we wanted he would make.. My son is 21 - not a drinker but wanted to try some things. Matt was up for it. Now that I am home and I am not sure I can have a margarita - Matt made the best margaritas!!! He made drinks of the day - and was more than happy to tell how he made it. At the end of the trip he wanted to make me a new margarita. He made a jalepeno, orange cinnamon one. It took a while to make it and it was well worth the wait. I am sure I am missing someone - but EVERYONE was great!!!

Transportation Review

It was a smooth transition on and off the boat and with our luggage. No complaints!

Itinerary Review

I think every place we went had it's own unique experience. My son LOVED the bush whacking tours!!!! He loved seeing things that even people on the ship (me) didn't see. They found blueberries every time and stopped and ate them. He raved about how good they were. He also was able to eat salmon berries which he loved also. He would have done that every day for both excursions! My daughter loved the skiff rides because she wants to be a photographer and what a great place to get good pictures!! She was in heaven and 14,000 picture or more later - she found her happy place. 

I liked everything I did - going to the fish hatchery I think was my favorite though because that is where we saw a mamma grizzly and her baby!! They were right there and didn't seem to mind us a bit! I think my mom enjoyed the skiff rides and the one day it was open kayak - my son took her out on one for about an hour and she loved that. She has never done that before so she enjoyed that. My kids also loved the polar plunge. What a way to end the trip - and they can say they jumped in glacial waters!!! Everything was so beautiful and wonderful!

There was nothing we didn't enjoy - and I am saying that honestly! I think the only thing is one morning we anchored in a really rocky (back and forth) spot and my mom got sea sick and missed out on the days activities. After the morning excursions - they did move the boat to a calmer area - and Matt the bartender made my mom a drink that settled her stomach so she was able to join us for dinner and the evening activities.

Meals Review

Beyond excellent!! I packed snacks for the kids for in between meals - mistake!! I brought them all back home. There was way more than enough food! The food was excellent! The choices were great with a great variety. My son is soooo picky and he tried new foods and found out that he actually liked them. Breakfast was always exciting because we got to hear what we were having for lunch and dinner! No one can say they went hungry or didn't have anything they wanted. If we didn't like any of the options - they offered other items also - but we all tried something that was offered. I found out my self that I like scallops and my son decided he liked crab with the all you can eat crab night! Amazing!! The desserts were to die for also!!

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Very good!! The packing list was spot on - our fault we didn't listen to all if it - most of it - but a few things we didn't think we would need - but we did need. That was our own fault!!

Traveler Advice

Listen to the packing instructions :) A strap for your phone and a camera and a sense of adventure!!!

Featured in this Traveler Review

• Wild & Woolly Alaska Cruise
• Wilderness Legacy
• UnCruise Adventures

Our room was 1 of only 2 on the boat that included an outdoor "patio" area. This was a huge plus and would have been a much less enjoyable experience w/o it. Other rooms had no space other than the common areas.

Lots of food at every meal and off-menu options were always available.

Every place was excellent. We liked that the itinerary was flexible and changed every day based on where was the best place to go. Saw lots of wildlife. Some of the Kayak tours were too aggressive. This feedback was given to the cruise director.

Plan for lots of physical activity on this particular cruise.

The advance literature proclaimed the company sought to exceed our expectations, and they all did in every category. From the ship, the southern Alaska passages, the activities, the Un-Cruise company, down to every individual crew member, every part of this "adventure" was much better than we had imagined. As one example, we were surprised almost immediately buy how engaging and helpful the crew was. Not once did we see a crew member annoyed by a needy passenger or a question asked too many times. That must be a company goal!

The Wilderness Explorer was great. Although the cabins were small, we had what we needed and the public spaces were sized to handle the passengers comfortably, and there were so many activities we didn't spend much time in our rooms. The ship cruised smoothly in the inland passages, and even an overnight relocation cruise didn't interrupt sleep. Most enjoyed any kayaking activity off the boat. The launch/retrieve platform is an awesome modification, and probably what makes launching 10-15 kayaks in a short time possible. We greatly appreciated being able to rent the slogging boots on the boat.

No complaints whatsoever. We even had a pastry chef on our ship.

Might be tempted to say AdventureSmith over prepared us, given the extraordinarily good weather we had. We had only one day of rain in the entire week, and then it was in the 50's. Almost 70 in Glacier Bay for glacier kayaking. Personal to Aaron Gaines:  Thanks for the little 50th anniversary gift you had left in our cabin. On that Friday (Aug 7) we got to celebrate by kayaking in front of a glacier, on a beautiful day, with ORCAS swimming about a quarter mile away! Priceless!  

• Northern Passages with Glacier Bay & Sitka
• Wilderness Explorer

Trip was great. Could not have asked for better weather. The crew was amazing, and the food was a very nice surprise (very accommodating, plentiful and tasted great). The whole group got a long really well. I wanted to hike as much as I could, and this ship seemed to meet that.

[I most enjoyed] the longer excursions (e.g. full day hike) and kayaking (a first for me). St. James Bay was extremely beautiful, and I'm glad we spent the whole day there. Hiking Mt. Riley in Haines was also a highlight (challenging hike, with a rewarding view up top). Can't say I enjoyed any of it the least, but if I had to choose, there were two days where we really only had one off the boat activity. Days when we got off twice were much more enjoyable. More full day excursions should be offered when the boat is anchored in the same place all day.

Ship was tiny, but had everything that was needed.

All of the dairy free options were great and I really appreciated the effort the galley staff and stewards put in.  Harry's soups were great. More than enough food to keep you full all day.  

Captain Andy was a great leader (fun, enthusiastic, knowledgeable) and his leadership showed throughout the crew.

Excellent, I had everything I needed.

• Glacier Bay Adventure Cruise with 2 Days in Glacier Bay

Had an absolutely amazing time! Staff were fabulous, energetic, passionate and kept us busy and safe at all times. Enjoyed all the activities and the variety to choose from. We attached the trip to a Canadian holiday so Alaska was the perfect choice. We chose a small boat trip as we wanted to get as close as possible to Alaska and were after the adventure activities.

Only downside for us was cabin noise from engine. Difficult to hear TV.

We loved everything.

All guides were fabulous. Dawn did her role very efficiently. We had Cailie and Kate the majority of the time and found them knowledgeable, efficient and genuinely wanted us to have the best time of our lives and we did. Lexie was fabulous getting us places on the skiff. All staff were amazing.  

Would tell people it’s the only way to see the inside passage!

• Camp Denali Adventure

This  trip was incredible....definitely the trip of a lifetime for us.  It measured up to and far beyond any of our expectations. We really enjoyed our extra few days in Sitka.  We were lucky to arrive on a beautiful sunny 70 degree day.  We walked the town and down to Totem Park. It was a really nice town, and didn't feel too touristy. We ate both nights on the deck at the Dock Shack Restaurant, part of Shee Atika hotel we stayed at. At both ends of the cruise, everything about the baggage handling and transfers went so smoothly. So organized, friendly, and efficient.

We were fortunate to see an amazing, not often seen, display of wildlife... bubble netting humpback whales!!  It was a calm, partly sunny day which made the sightings even better. We had just started our whale watching afternoon, heading up Chatham strait toward Icy Straits when we ran into them. We must have watched them for over an hour, with at least 12 different bubble netting repetitions... At one point the group of whales swam right under the bow of the idling boat. We reluctantly continued cruising and before long encountered several up close and personal pods of orca.  More stunned and awed expedition leaders when what should we observe but mating orcas! So needless to say this was an incredible afternoon for all on board...one not soon to be forgotten.  My husband and I enjoyed all the off board activities offered daily.  Certainly kayaking amidst the floating ice chunks in front of a glacier, and hiking up beside glaciers, observing the incredible magnitude of the ice wall fronts, and the sounds of cracking and calving ice were more highlights of our trip.  

We felt like our weather all in all was reasonable to good for the area and it didn't seem like it ever stopped us from doing anything.  We had some bonus sunshine too! I could go on and on......but yes, we loved it! From the wildlife sightings, the scenery, the incredible knowledge, passion, enthusiasm, and people skills of the expedition leaders.....this trip was spectacular.  

On board, we were very comfortable in our #213 cabin and felt like there was plenty of room to store our suitcases and "stuff." The food was excellent, lounge and deck comfortable.  We just can't rave enough about how great everything was.

To name some names, our Captain was Captain Marce, Randall led the expedition team of Maria, Flora, Sarah, Jeremy and Gabriella....  all outstanding people. Equally impressive with their spirits, service, friendliness were the hotel team and other crew members.  Wondering how they find such great people to work for them!  

We will definitely consider future small cruise trips with you as well as highly recommend to any and all of our friends and family.  Thank you to Aaron for all you did to make this happen for us!

More UnCruise Alaska Reviews

Don’t just take my word for it. Read individual UnCruise Alaska reviews from AdventureSmith Explorations’ greater team of experts, as well as from travelers like you who have shared their travel journals with us. After reading our UnCruise reviews and chatting with one of our Adventure Specialists, we are also always happy to put you in touch with one of our alumni travelers to discuss whether UnCruise Alaska would be a good fit for you. Contact us today for more information and UnCruise reviews relevant to you.

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Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Brittany; Calls for ban on cruise ships grow in France

Ecologists say the massive ships are an ‘absurdity’ and argue their economic windfalls are overstated.

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Calls mount for a ban on cruise ships to French cities, as protests against the massive ships gain momentum. 

“We’re the iceberg,” declared a banner in Finistère (Brittany) in July , as environmental activists stopped a cruise ship entering a local port.

The Stop Croisières BZH and Extinction Rebellion groups took to the sea in small boats from the town of Concarneau, blocking the passage of a luxury cruise ship named the Seven Seas Voyager. 

The ship had been due to dock at the port, where its passengers were scheduled to disembark to explore the town. 

One protester told regional newspaper Ouest France: “No cruise liners called at Concarneau today. For us, that’s a success because we’re fighting against luxury cruise ships. We think they’re an ecological absurdity and a symbol of social inequality.”

Read more: Cruise passengers booed by environmentalists on arrival in Brittany

Opposition in several French cities

Mayor of Bordeaux, Pierre Hurmic, recently announced he wants to stop cruise ships mooring in the city centre. 

However, the mayor of Bordeaux is not actually allowed to make decisions about cruise ships that respect the legal guidelines, as the Grand port maritime is the one with final control. 

They are working together in order to achieve two objectives: restricting the maximum number of cruises to stop in Bordeaux to forty and moving the mooring area downstream of the Chaban-Delmas bridge, which would enable ships to connect to the electricity grid and therefore cut off their polluting motors. 

A similar plan is also being put in place in le Havre, where construction of a new port terminal has started which will allow up to three cruise ships to plug into the electric grid when docked, totalling a €32 million investment. 

Ecologists oppose cruise ships for their considerable amounts of pollution, disturbing the underwater species and generally harming the biodiversity. They also bothers residents, by being loud and emitting black smoke.

In 2022, a cruise ship carrying 350 American passengers was ordered to leave the port of Nice for producing noise above 60 decibels and emitting large black clouds, which caused repeated complaints from residents. 

Earlier this year, elected ecologists called for a suspension of all cruise ships to the Nice port and the Villefranche-sur-mer bay for environmental reasons, and for the limited economic benefits that cruise passengers bring. 

Christophe Trojani, mayor of Villefranche-sur-mer, strongly opposed the ecologists and claims to have found a balance between environmental protection and economy and more and more cruise ships are docking in the Villefranche-sur-mer bay every year. This does not look like slowing down any time soon. 

The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, has stated in a municipal meeting that he “cannot stand seeing huge cruise ships in the bay of Villefranche, these massive floating buildings with their effects on overtourism, pollution, etc.” and that he will speak to Mr Trojani about it. 

However, his critics believe that he is too soft on cruise ships in his actions.

The struggle in Marseille

Residents’ associations in Marseille have been battling for years against cruise ships, and have now split into two groups, one more radical than the other, to address the issue.

Marie Prost-Coletta is a member of the Cap au Nord Marseille association, which campaigns to improve quality of life in the city’s 15th and 16th arrondissements – an area that includes the harbours used by cruise ships. 

It has a less radical stance than Stop Croisières, which wants to ban the cruise ship industry entirely. It blocked the port last year in a symbolic protest. 

“I accept that some people like to go on cruises, but the way it has developed in Marseille is totally unacceptable, and has to be changed,” she said. 

“We have four or five ships a day, all pumping huge amounts of pollution into the city and into people’s homes.

“Scientists have proved that at least 20% of all the air pollution in Marseille is due to these cruise ships, almost all of which come in the morning and leave in the evening, and have their engines turning full speed to keep the electricity on the ships going.” 

New rules on the quality of fuel that ships can burn in the port mean the black soot that used to cover people’s terraces, cars and garden furniture when the wind blows from the port is less of a problem than it once was. 

“But it is still something that catches in the back of the nose and throat, and the city and surrounding area are way over the World Health Organization guidelines for air quality, largely because of these ships,” said Ms Prost-Coletta.

Scrubbers, which clean exhausts, are being fitted to more and more ships, but these come with environmental concerns of their own. 

“The exhaust might be a bit cleaner, but the scrubbers have to be cleaned of all the soot out at sea, leaving a trail of pollution behind,” Ms Prost-Coletta said.

“And using alternative fuels such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) is not ideal, either. “The city and country have legal commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but LNG ships still add to it. And for what? 

“So that people can wander around the town for a day and think they know it?”

Could the situation improve?

Marseille has plans to build enough electric hook-ups in ports for cruise ships to plug into, rather than keep their engines running. 

However, the associations have doubts about this project as well. 

“A big ship, and at Marseille we have the second largest cruise ship in the world every week, uses the same electricity as a town of 22,000 people. “So the first question we have to ask is: where will the electricity come from and who will pay for it?” said Ms Prost-Coletta.

“It will be more expensive than the untaxed fuel they use now, that is for sure. 

“And then there is the question of installation costs. 

“Two berths have been equipped for ferries and that cost millions, so who is going to pay for the connections for the cruise ships? 

“At the moment it will fall on local councils, which effectively means the taxes of residents.”

She said residents’ attitudes hardened during the Covid lockdown when there were 17 ships tied up in the harbour, all with their engines running for electricity.

“There was no road traffic, which cruise ship advocates always claim is a worse polluter, and no air traffic, but the air quality in the city was terrible because of the ships.

“Something must be done, and for me the cruise industry must stop coming into cities and stay out at sea.”

A common struggle

Anti-cruise sentiment is by no means limited to France. Venice banned cruise ships from its centre in 2021, Barcelona put new rules in place to the same effect last October, and Amsterdam has also started limiting the number of cruise ships allowed in its port.

Julie Dupuy, a Green councillor in Concarneau, said: “The opposition of certain towns and cities to cruises is going to have a considerable impact on other places that ships might stop at. 

“Cruise companies sell a smooth and secure journey, it is one of their selling points, and these cruises are likely to turn to other stopping sites, notably in Brittany.” 

The city’s tourism office sets up welcome desks on ships, financed by public funds and operated by public agents, to promote local attractions to passengers. 

The economic benefits, in terms of tourism, that cruises can bring to a town are often cited as a reason to keep ships in port.

Questionable advantages

Ms Dupuy, however, is sceptical and says more research should be done before this argument can be used to quash mounting environmental concerns. Indeed, many cruise ship passengers prefer to stay on the boat as they are sometimes all-inclusive and it often costs extra to go on excursions.

“When I spoke to the mayor of Concarneau about the economic side of things, he told me that a retailer he had spoken to was very happy to have the cruises,” said Ms Dupuy.

“That is not enough, we need figures and studies to get concrete data.” 

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