Luxury and adventure Alaska cruise

Seabourn provides a rare combination. With 4-star dining, small ship service and amenities, and their own zodiacs and kayaks for exploring Alaska’s Inside Passage, you have the ideal luxury and adventure Alaska cruise. We will explain why to choose Seabourn and review our 10-day itinerary.

9 reasons for choosing Seabourn:

1. Small ship with beautiful public spaces

We call Seabourn the “Goldilocks” ship. It’s not too big and not too little. Our ship, with 225 suites, is small enough to take Alaska’s Inside Passage and visit locations the big cruise ships can’t enter. We leave them to battle over the larger ports. Yet, the ship is big enough to feature a plethora of amenities along with lots of nooks and crannies to enjoy privacy.

2. Luxury accommodations

Seabourn is all suites, 90% with spacious verandahs. No inside cabins here. That is critical for Alaska, as there is very little open sea. The result is so much to see from your balcony during the 18+ hours of daylight.

Typical suites are some of the largest among cruise ships, with a walk-in closet, a full bath plus shower, dual vanities, a large sitting area with dining table, and more. With 24-hour room service, you might be tempted to stay in.

3. Amenities included. No hidden costs.

We pay full-price for our Alaska cruise, booking directly online. We aren’t worried about being “nickel and dimed” onboard. Just the opposite. All drinks, including real Champagne, are included. Every dining option included. Entertainment included. Only the spa and excursions are extra, which we knew. What we didn’t know was Seabourn would give us $1,000 to spend onboard, essentially covering the cost of those extras (more on that later). And the high-quality rain jackets we are wearing above are a special gift to all guests.

4. 4-star dining

I had recently taken a Carnival cruise where most of the decent food was served in specialty restaurants, costing a surcharge of as much as $96 per couple for a meal. Want a mixed drink and a glass of wine to go with the meal, and that couple can add another $60. Seabourn offers an array of fine dining options (though not as many as Silversea), all included.

The top choice, the Grill by Thomas Keller, does require reservations and is restricted to one or two dinners. That’s not a surprise, as the quality of the experience matches Keller’s French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley, where the wait for a table is months and the price is well north of $1,000 per couple. Even Seabourn’s “buffet restaurant” – the Colonnade – featured Thomas Keller-inspired nights, where we are delighted by some of the best southern fried chicken and BBQ to go with my favorite Guinness Extra Stout. Want a specialty coffee establishment where they remember your drink? How about the Singapore TWG afternoon tea service? All these and more are waiting for you. Oh, and the vibe is casual elegant, not formal.

5. First-class entertainment

I have been on cruise lines that attempt to reproduce a Broadway show type of atmosphere in their big theatre. They always fall short. Seabourn is smart. On a small ship they recreate an up-close supper club type vibe. And it works. Among the highlights are the Sir Tim Rice “Circle of My Life” production. A very brief clip is above.

We are not usually the bar lounge type, but find ourselves drawn to some excellent entertainment in those venues (Observation Lounge, Club Lounge) as well.

6. Impeccable service

While Silversea touts its butler service as a top amenity, we find Seabourn matching this. Two crew members were constantly available for anything we wish. More ice? An earlier turn down service? More chocolate? The captain mentions a book on cruising Alaska, so they provide us with our own copy. Our June cruise is a little light – 318 guests – to be served by 335 crew members. It is no wonder that crew throughout the voyage could address us by name.

7. Interesting people

Admittedly, with the price tag and the service comes a certain clientele. We find most people to be from 50 to 70, from all over the U.S. and other English-speaking countries, and generally with the means to cruise in luxury. For one couple from Montreal, it is upscale cruise number 42. Mostly, we find people to be interesting, intelligent travelers. It is surprisingly easy to engage with people. I can’t say that about the experience on the big ships. There are 3 children onboard, outnumbered by guest lecturers and a dozen expedition people always available to enlighten us on Alaska.

8. Excursions by zodiac

Speaking of expeditions, Seabourn has a dual personality. It provides both a luxury and adventure Alaska cruise. The ship carries not only its own tenders, but also a half dozen zodiacs (each with room for 10), and a similar number of kayaks. So, the small ship maneuvers fairly close to a glacier, then you board a zodiac for the trip through ice-filled water for an even closer view. Each zodiac is piloted by an expert on Alaskan nature and wildlife. See below for more on our zodiac excursions, known as Ventures by Seabourn.

9. Truly sails Alaska’s Inside Passage

Because of the size of ship, Seabourn is able to cruise around the Inian Islands, through Icy Straight Point. The captain can choose between Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm for the best experience. We have Misty Fjords all to ourselves. And even the days “at sea” are really transiting Queen Charlotte Sound, the Princess Royal Channel and Seymour Narrows. That means you see more narrows (sorry for the pun) and are never really out of sight of land. No wonder we take about 1,000 photos and videos!

Where do we go?

Ketchikan

36 hours after departing Vancouver, we reach our first port. Ketchikan has many slogans, including Salmon Capital of the World. It also calls itself Alaska’s First City. I guess that’s because it’s the first place all the cruise ships stop. The town’s 8,000 residents are dwarfed by nearly 1.5 million visitors over the summer season. The town also prides itself on having some 150 inches of rain each year. No wonder it is so green.

We are truly blessed with what will be an ongoing theme – great weather. Given that, Ketchikan is a very walkable city. Armed with a simple map, you can visit all the haunts and even hike out of town, where we see our first bald eagles in the wild. Creek Street is touristy fun too. In a few morning hours you can see everything, walk past four big cruise ships, and settle back onto Seabourn for lunch.

Sitka

The next day is a similar size town, but with more diversity of sights. Not to be missed is the Alaska Raptor Center, a rehabilitation center for sick or injured birds. Primarily eagles, hawks, and owls are treated and released back into the wild.

We visit some totem poles in the Tongass National Forest, watch a tribal dance, and enter an old Russian church downtown. But if you do just one thing in Sitka, make it the amazing Raptor Center. The 17-acre campus allows us to get remarkably close eagles on their way back to their natural habitat.

Inian Islands and Icy Strait Point

Ventures by Seabourn is the unique expedition experience that turns a luxury cruise into an adventure. Today we travel around islands that can only be explored by zodiac or kayak. Our zodiac is careful not to disturb the many whales who have found their breakfast buffet nearby. Then on to view sea lions basking on the rocks and sea otters, who, out of protection, spend their lives entirely in the water.

That afternoon we are tendered into Hoonah, the world’s largest village of the native Tlingit people. Today it is a lively fishing village with some decent tourist shops.

Juneau and Mendenhall Glacier

Juneau is an interesting town, home to only 30,000 people. Yet it is the second largest city in the U.S. by area. What’s more, Alaska’s state capital is inaccessible by road! Of course, we arrive by ship, and there are 4 other ships in town throughout the day. There are lots of seaplanes too. It is a fun place to walk around, visit the Sealaska Heritage store for unique gifts, and munch on tasty fish and chips at Deckhand Dave’s.

The can’t-miss highlight of a day in Juneau is to take a bus a few miles outside of town to see the Mendenhall Glacier. From the visitor center we hike in a few different directions for extraordinary views of the glacier and also right up to Nugget Falls. Sadly, the glacier retreats about 160 feet per year. This is a morning well spent in the vast Juneau ice field.

Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier

Captain Tim has a decision to make overnight – Endicott Arm or Tracy Arm Fjord? He chooses the remote Endicott Arm, as no other cruise ships will be there. Of course, even our small ship can only get to within a half-mile or so of the glacier. That’s where Ventures by Seabourn kicks in with another adventure. This time our zodiac is greeted by calm green waters, where we bump into clear and blue little icebergs (the blue ice is older). Some icebergs are home to frolicking seals. Some just drift by. One of us picks a piece of ice for us to taste. It’s cold!

What we experience is hard to describe, photograph, or video. Dawes Glacier is a magnificent 600-foot-tall icecap. From water level, it is a wonder to behold. It is believed to be 10,000 years old. To view it up close by zodiac is clearly a highlight of the voyage.

Wrangell

After a day of extraordinary fjords, we reach Wrangell. One of the oldest towns in Alaska, it has a storied history which is uniquely displayed in a fine little museum. With just 2,000 inhabitants and few cruise ships visiting (no port), we get to experience Alaskan life somewhat unchanged by tourism.

Misty Fjords

As we leave Wrangell, we are 150 miles south of Juneau and on our way south back to Vancouver. We spend a full day slowly sailing the calm waters through an area John Muir called one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen. That’s a tall order, but we get his point. From every vantage point on the ship, we are treated to vertical 3,000-foot cliffs, glistening waterfalls, and foggy forests.

Back to Vancouver

Our final day is one of scenic cruising through the Princess Royal Channel and Seymour Narrows. We spot a whale nearby from the Observation Deck. We catch up with new friends we have made onboard and share stories of the past 10 days (watch video above of bald eagles swarming a fishing boat). Then we dream about the next luxury and adventure cruise.

When to go?

Our early June sailing has been carefully researched. For one thing, June has some of Alaska’s best weather, with less rain and pleasant temperatures. We are blessed by both. And June has the longest days of the year – 18+ hours of daylight. The photo above is taken in Juneau at 10:30 pm!

The real high season hasn’t started yet, which means fewer guests and somewhat lower prices too. Remember, Journeys With Stephen is all about Upscale Travel on a Budget, for the traveler who wants both luxury and a good deal.

Do you have any Alaskan stories to share or suggestions to help others? Feel free to comment at the bottom of this post.