If you want to see Alaska from the ship's railing twenty stories above the water or from the inside of the ship's casino, then take a big ship cruise. You may see whales, porpoise, or sea lions in the water but simply wave goodbye to them as you and your 3000 fellow passengers sail on by so you don't show up late at your next port of call to buy overpriced trinkets and jewerly. UNCRUISE has smaller vessels to enhance the Alaska experience. Their largest vessel accommodates 88 passengers. "Passenger" is really an unfair descriptions for UNCRUISE guests because we were much more than passengers, we were full participants in the nature experience. UNCRUISE is considered a soft adventure cruise because the description is totally accurate. UNCRUISE believes you really cannot experience or fully appreciate the wild beauty of the 49th state unless you are actually along the ship railing only 20 feet from the water so you can actually feel and smell the spray of the sixty foot humpback whale cruising within 50 feet of the ship. Get on a zodiac skiff and be able to get close to the incredible majestic glaciers. Reach over the side and pick up crystal blue glacier ice. Knowledgeable guides took us into the woods and described the flora and fauna so you get an education along with the experience of being in wild pristine nature. We saw black bears with baby cubs on the shore. We were so close we didn't need binoculars to determine that the black spots on the shore weren't a muskrat or beaver. Since UNCRUISE doesn't have a set time table to be in the next port of call they have flexibility to ensure you take full advantage as wildlife appears. This was quite an advantage for us as we saw a pod of orca whales ahead of our vessel. The captain shut down the engines a safe distance from the whales in hopes that they would come towards us. The sight we saw was incredible as the pod of 12 orcas moved steadily toward us. They came within 20 feet of the vessel and breached the water and spy hopped for over 20 minutes. They seemed like they were putting on a once in a life time show just for us. Because of the flexiblity in schedule the captain was able to stay right there and provide enough time to really take in the full splendor of those beautiful creatures. Try doing that on a mega cruise ship. Even if the ship had the flexibilty to stop, it would take over a mile to fully stop. The orcas would have been long gone. I'm not knocking large cruise ships but they're not for me. The large cruise ships are great for many people who enjoy extragant floorshows and a casino, but you really miss so much of the true Alaska experience. If you love delicious locally sourced fresh seafood and produce you will really be impressed with the food options on UNCRUISE. The scratch made pastries are unbelievable.

I really believe one of the best things about the UNCRUISE experinence is the crew. You will never experience a more attentive, caring, and professional crew. After the very first day they will know you by name. They will know what you drink and how you like your coffee. It is a personal relationship with the crew and your shipmates. I have taking three cruises with UNCRUISE and at the end of each and every one new relationships have been forged and precious memories created. What else can I say, UNCRUISE is the best.