Cruise Review: Sailing Southeastern Alaska With UnCruise Adventures

As I quickly learned, an average day on an UnCruise Adventures’ cruise is … well … anything but average. 

On my particular sailing — onboard the line’s 84-passenger Safari Endeavor sailing the Northern Passages & Glacier Bay itinerary through Southeast Alaska (from Sitka to Juneau) — this was in part thanks to Kelly Sutter, the expedition leader at the helm of our weeklong adventure. 

When Sutter wakes up each day, her mind goes into overdrive, planning (and then re-planning) the day’s excursions, docking locations and sailing times as if she’s attempting to solve a giant, cruise ship-size Rubik’s cube. After taking stock of her passengers’ mobility, ages and activity preferences, she gets to work crafting the day’s agenda, which could include up to six unique group excursions per day. 

Sometimes, though, even the best-laid plan becomes fraught — deviations from the course may occur when a pod of humpback whales appears off the bow, for example, or when an onshore excursion runs late. 

“There’s no strict schedule,” Sutter said. “We are super flexible on where we go, and every week is different. I’ll get a call from the bridge saying, ‘Hey, there are whales,’ and I'm like, ‘Do we have time to stop?’ ‘Yeah, of course, we do.’”

This go-with-the-flow approach is all part of the UnCruise Adventures experience — or, what Sutter playfully refers to as “adult summer camp.”

Indeed, our cruise did feel like a summer camp adventure, albeit one that was ultra-personalized to our eclectic group of 29 passengers, who spanned a variety of ages (from a college student to multigenerational groups to 70-year-old+ retirees) and physical fitness levels.

A Range of Onshore Excursions

Morning and afternoon activities run the gamut with UnCruise. Cruisers can choose slower-pace skiff tours and relaxing beach walks, or they can opt for heart-pumping bushwhacks, stand-up paddleboarding or guided and open-paddle kayaking sessions. For the bravest of souls, a mid-day polar plunge into glacial waters has become a weekly tradition at UnCruise, made even better with a post-plunge Jacuzzi session and a well-deserved cocktail (which, in my opinion, was worth every bit of the chilly experience).  

“[It’s all about] how adventurous you want to be — do you want to do the intense kayak and then an intense bushwhack? You can choose to be super active, or you can choose to be looking out for wildlife,” Sutter said. “You can get a whole array of different ability levels, and we try to accommodate everybody.”

Such an individualized experience may not be possible onboard a larger cruise ship; at 84 guests, Safari Endeavor is one of the largest in UnCruises’ fleet, yet the cruise felt intimate, without being too small.

Another draw of choosing to explore Alaska via UnCruise? Its exclusive access to ports.

We're going to blaze our own trails, and we're going to find our own adventure.

“A lot of other boats will go to the places where all the trails are, but we're going to blaze our own trails, and we're going to find our own adventure,’” Sutter said. “And that's what's really unique about UnCruise compared to any of our competitors.”

But Sutter cautions travel advisors not to sell an UnCruise sailing based on the itinerary alone, as most are subject to change based on the placement of other ships in the water or environmental factors. (However, she hailed the Northern Passages & Glacier Bay itinerary as being the most conducive to wildlife viewing.)

“I don't want to be on top of another boat,” she said. “I want to be as environmentally friendly as possible, and I want to make sure [the forest] has time to heal from our footsteps. You can do the same itinerary every week, and have such a different experience. That’s the hard part for our sales department and travel agents to explain to clients. Believe in the expedition leader that they want to have the best trip possible."

You can do the same itinerary every week, and have such a different experience. That’s the hard part for our sales department and travel agents to explain to clients.

A Digital Detox and Basic (Yet Comfortable) Onboard Accommodations

There is no Wi-Fi access onboard, and cellular data was often elusive as we traversed the remote Alaskan waters, so we “campers” were often encouraged to just unplug and absorb the beauty around us.

Veteran cruisers who have sailed with other lines should note that the onboard ambiance is casual; passenger attire usually consists of T-shirts, rain pants and high rubber boots (which our guides fondly referred to as “Alaskan Cowboy Boots”). And the laid-back vibe extends to all on-ship activities, as well.

While there is no official nighttime entertainment, guests can stay occupied with educational talks led by UnCruise guides, informal game nights or an in-cabin movie, courtesy of the onboard movie library. Alcohol is included in the cruise rate, and signature cocktails change by the day (sometimes, they are even dreamed up by — and named after — the week’s passengers). I often found myself in the onboard lounge during the late-night hours, accompanied by a nightcap, newfound friends and Alaska’s midnight sun.

When it comes to onboard accommodations, travel advisors should note that high-end clients looking for luxury accommodations should book one of two onboard Commodore Suites (beginning at $11,395 per person), which include a king-size bed, fold-out sofa and step-out balcony. There are a range of other stateroom categories onboard; my mother and I stayed in a Trailblazer cabin (from $6,895), an exterior-facing option on the upper deck with two fixed twin beds and a two-window view. Although it was no-frills, it certainly had everything we needed, and we didn't stay there long, only retreating back to our stateroom when our eyes drooped from a heavy day of adventuring.

After all, we needed to rest up; by the time we woke up, it would be time to blaze trails once again.