The Alaskan portion of the inside passage is over 500 miles long of coastal lands and islands boasting of fjords and pristine beauty that can only be seen by boat. Exploring this area on a “road less traveled” is possible with a small adventure cruise line, but the price point is significantly higher than major cruise lines. Because I was paying for an entire family, I opted to cruise with Holland America. They offer smaller cruise ships, which hold less than 1400 passengers. Their smaller size also enables better port positions and a different itinerary than the larger cruise ships.

August 2014-Starting in Anchorage, we needed to find transportation to Seward to board the ship. Instead of the typical bus or train options provided by the cruise line, I hired PJ’s taxi to load my family of six and our luggage into her van for a personal guided tour to Seward. She made numerous stops along the way: Turnagain Arm with dramatic flats at low tide and Chugach National Forest, a quick tour of the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, salmon swimming upstream, luggage drop off at the port, Showcase Lounge with amazing halibut for lunch, and lastly to Exit Glacier. She even waited for us as we did the afternoon ranger hike and then pointed out some wildlife for us in the nearby bay on the way back to the ship! All of this for less money than the cruise line transportation would have charged us.

Boarding the ship went smoothly and quickly. We unpacked, ate dinner, participated in the obligatory lifeboat drill and had time to tour the ship before sunset. Holland America offered a daily spa package for their thermal suite that first night, which allowed daily entrance to use the amenities of the spa for a great value (services were an extra charge). As we retreated to our room for the evening, the captain announced on the intercom that we would be heading into rougher seas the next day. It was the calm before the storm…

We woke up the next morning and decided to order breakfast to our rooms. We noticed some slight swaying of the ship but we were pleasantly surprised at how mild it was. Being at sea for the day, we had planned to participate in several of the activities offered on the the ship including exercising, a cooking demonstration, and a presentation on the geographical features of Alaska.   As the ship moved out into more open waters, the seas grew as well as our apprehension. We tried to make the best of the formal night in the dining room that evening, but headed to bed early hoping for calmer waters the next morning.

Alas, the next morning our window view showed turquoise blue waters as clear as glass as we entered Glacier Bay.   I donned a jacket and a hat and walked the promenade deck to be greeted by orca whales! The park rangers from Glacier Bay National Park boarded the ship to begin their presentations. Hot chocolate and soup was served all day as passengers wrapped up in blankets on the deck chairs to watch the stunning scenery of glaciers in the Park. This World Heritage site can only be reached by boat or plane. This particular bay is known to have the most active calving glacier sites and it did not disappoint us. We drifted by John Hopkins Glacier and into the Tar Inlet where Margerie Glacier rests. It was just magical! After a much more pleasant dinner with calm waters, we enjoyed partaking of some of the shows on the boat before turning in for sleep.

We awoke to our first port of call in the town of Haines. We were the only ship there and felt like we had to the town to ourselves. We walked down the deck into the quaint town to Battery Point Trailhead and explored the beautiful forest and bay (5 miles R/T).   It was a free excursion and definitely the road less traveled. After a quick lunch on the ship, I had scheduled a 4×4 ATV mule excursion on the Takshanuk Mountain Trail through the cruise line. They did not allow you to book the mules privately so I decided to splurge this one time. While pricey, we did enjoy driving the mules up the mountain, stopping for fresh baked cookies along the way, and ending at a halibut bake. The bus driver also stopped at Dalton City on the return trip for an opportunity to tour to the SE Alaska fairgrounds.

Our next port of call was the capital city of Alaska, Juneau. We were thrilled to be there on a sunny day, a rarity for this stop. We caught the Blue Bus shuttle for only $20 to ride to Mendenhall Glacier with a narrated drive. This was a fraction of the cost of the ship’s excursion to the glacier. We made a quick stop at the visitor center, then hiked out to Nugget Falls before hiking the East/West Lake Trail about 7 miles R/T through the Tongass National Forest. It was the most lush, and green rainforest I had ever seen in. As we came to the end of the trail, we scared a bear in the bushes and it indeed scared us! We returned in time to dine as the ship pulled out of port.

Our last stop on the cruise was the town of Ketchikan. I had booked ahead of time for a private scenic flight excursion over the Misty Fjords through Island Wings Air Service. They are the only outfit that actually makes a landing in the fjords which allows travelers to get out and walk around. The Misty Fjords is a mosaic of sea cliffs, steep fjords and rock walls jutting out of the ocean. Thick rainforests are dotted with dramatic waterfalls which provide jaw-dropping beauty! To be able to step foot onto this pristine location with no one around for miles around was surreal. Our flight returned in time to tour the town to see salmon running upstream, the Totem Heritage Center and some of the town’s architecture. We had our last formal dinner on the ship that night with Surf and Turf.

Our last day of the cruise we headed towards Vancouver through protected waters. We enjoyed the calm day on the water and relaxed as we pondered our adventures! We made a point to have all our meals in the fine dining area to be pampered.   Humpback whales also greeted us as we ate dinner and our Indonesian servers put on a finale show for us.   We ended our time sipping coffee on the deck while taking in the magnificent sunset one last time. As we came to port, we opted to do an expedited disembarkation to get ahead of the crowds and to make an early departure flight at the airport.

I’m not sure our family would say we are anxious for our next cruise any time soon. Cruising isn’t necessarily a road less traveled adventure, but by choosing a smaller cruise line and booking our own excursions, we made the best of exploring the inside passage of Alaska!

“Every time you feel in God’s creatures something pleasing and attractive, do not let your attention be arrested by them alone, but, passing them by, transfer your thought to God and say: “O my God, if thy creations are so full of beauty, delight and joy, how infinitely more full of beauty, delight and joy art Thou thyself, Creator of all”

–Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain