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Alaska Cruise Review: Spirit of Discovery

Whales & Wilderness - June 2008

Dear Linda, here is the promised story of our cruise.

In general I have to say that it was perfection. I can't think of a thing I would change or could improve. Maybe we were singularly blessed on this particular trip but it was, as I said, perfection.

As we departed Juneau there was a double rainbow and a pair of bald eagles on the roost on the bridge as we came back from Douglas.

All our travel needs in regard to airport transportation and luggage were taken care of in a timely fashion and as promised, so it was seamless.

We were blessed with perfect weather on all of the days. Only a light mist one day for a few minutes and fog that cleared going into Sitka which was very atmospheric.

The food and staff were great, responsive, helpful and friendly.

Our trips to Glacier Bay and Kake and Tracy Arm were all great. The native dancing with the invitation to join in was great and didn't seem contrived at all. I was also very pleased with the response and maturity of our fellow shipmates in the open and accepting way that they participated and enjoyed a very different culture.

Now to the wildlife. Our guide said that there is a list of potential sightings for the entire season and that WE SAW THEM ALL! Very early on we saw three or four wolves along the shore, going into Glacier Bay, I believe. She said they had never been seen before. When we landed at Fox Creek, on the other side from us was a brown bear mother and her three cubs! The staff was appropriately cautious but allowed us to stay and photograph them and there was no sign of the mother wanting to come closer to us. We saw whales on three different occasions and on the last, the humpbacks came very close to the ship and set up bubble nets right off the side. Our guide once again said she had never actually seen that, only read about it.

The last night out in the Frederick Sound as they were shifting over to the other generator, the captain signaled us all to be still out on the deck so we could hear the "silence" but what we heard were the humpback calling under the water and bald eagles calling from their nests in a beautiful setting of low light with gentle pastels of almost sunset at 9:30 at night. It was MAGICAL!

The trip was everything I had hoped for and more. We really appreciated the reading list as we read the Muir Journal as we traveled. He was crazy in the things he tried to do. Its amazing that he didn't die.

The cabin was just perfect, quieter apparently than some with regard to engine noise. In 303 there was none so thanks again for that recommendation.

Lastly the idea of the CD-rom of pictures taken by the staff and then pictures added from the digital cameras of the passengers was wonderful and gives us a great record of all the wonderful events of the trip.

Thank you Linda for your help and patience. It took us two years to get it done but it was definitely what I had dreamed of.