Our cruise, Whales, Wildlife and Glaciers aboard the Safari Endeavour was exceptional. The staff all the way from our Captain to housekeeping was top-notch with great attitudes and a real sense of adventure. There were generally four options each day for the guests to indulge in. We generally went to places that were very interesting and had quite a few wildlife opportunities. The Expedition staff was exceptional, getting up early in the morning to scout our area and find great things to see and do. And our Captain and ship crew often would slow or stall the ship when wildlife presented itself. We felt the meals were generally good, but like we had seen on our Ama Waterways Danube River cruise, the chef tends to get too fancy at times, making the lunch and dinner courses a bit less desirable. The best meal aside from the crabfest was the salmon cedar plank for the fish lovers and a tomahawk steak for the meat lovers. These were simple, not flashy items that would have been nice as options to the often more fancy courses. But otherwise, the food was good and there was always plenty of it. The wait staff was as good as any you would find in a fine dining restaurant. One note of correction to the Cruise Critic overview of the Safari Endeavour is massages are no longer included. This should be updated in the Cruise Critic information.

The land tour, Denali & Talkeetna Wilderness Rail Adventure, while being touted as a seven day tour, is really only five actual travel days at a fairly steep cost. While the amenities were very good in Talkeetna and on the domed rail car, it wasn’t enough to justify the cost of the excursion. The final travel day was essentially a motor coach ride back the same way we had traveled on the train. Our traveling partners had done different land options than us, one couple planned it themselves – the other couple used a different land tour company, and both couples had far better experiences with better value than we did.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a small ship with an active itinerary and an upscale environment, use UnCruise for the cruise portion. But if you plan on seeing Alaska’s interior, look elsewhere.