In The News

Alaska's Inside Passage offers different species of cruise

September 30, 2007

BY FRAN GOLDEN, New York Daily News

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"Whale!" someone shouts, and everyone rushes to the large windows that line the dining room's starboard side. You almost expect the small ship to tip over.

Out the window, there's a hump and then a spout, practically at eye level.

Suddenly, there's a shout from the port side. Everyone rushes to the windows there, pushing chairs out of the way as they go, banging their cameras on tables.

The view is of two killer whales, their backs distinctively black and white.

It's exciting and fabulous, until a woman seated on the port side declares, "Our whales are better than yours."

And the wildlife-viewing competition is on.

Those of us on the starboard side head back to our tables to finish a fine meal but keep our binoculars at hand, just in case. The crowd - mostly retirees, but some younger folks as well - is fired up.

You come onboard the 138-passenger Spirit of Yorktown to explore Alaska from the close-up vantage point of a comfortable small ship, and it doesn't disappoint.

There are no casinos, no stage shows, no spas and gyms. In fact, there isn't even TV or Internet (bringing a good book is highly recommended). There is no need to dress up or make a fuss - pack your hiking boots, not your heels.

You sleep in small cabins mostly outfitted with twin beds (although four suites with queen-size beds are being added). Other than the lower-deck dining room and plentiful open deck space, the only public room is a big lounge that serves as a hub for relaxation, conversation and snacks, and doubles as a lecture hall, with rangers, scientists and others coming onboard.

That's where the sightings come in. On the week we spent experiencing the Yorktown's Inside Passage itinerary, from Juneau to Ketchikan, we spotted many whales, dozens of bald eagles and numerous other creatures of sea, sky and land.

There was even a giant brown bear that thrilled us when it stood up to show us its full 10-foot height - seen through binoculars from the safety of our ship.

Come to southeast Alaska, and you quickly know where you are - and it's like no place else. Two things grab you: the vastness of the land and how much of it is protected. When President Jimmy Carter signed a bill preserving land in Alaska, he doubled the size of the National Park System.

Most days on our cruise, passengers bundled up against the chill - summer temperatures can get down to the 40s - to spend time on the open decks trying to take everything in.

In the 3.3 million-acre Glacier Bay National Park, glaciers can shed Hilton Hotel-size chunks with a sound that has aptly been called "white thunder." From a safe distance, we were treated to a show - and felt the ripples under our ship - as a mammoth piece of ice loudly broke off and collided with the water.

On another day, Misty Fjords National Monument offered whales and views of giant granite rocks in a waterfront park the size of Connecticut.

The crew members were as enthusiastic about the sights as we were. Many were college students working during their summer breaks. They were in Alaska to see as well as serve - even the bartenders kept binoculars close at hand so they wouldn't miss anything.

While there is a rush involved in group sightings, the experience on the Yorktown is not about adventure. There are short, complimentary tours at each port, but if you want to get active, you need to do so on your own or on paid shore excursions.

I tried a thrilling zip-line excursion ($169) in Juneau, strapping on a harness and literally zipping from platform to platform above the treetops of a rainforest.

Later, near the Gold Rush town of Skagway, I hit a hiking trail that brought me far enough into the wilderness that I thought I spotted a wolf - though on closer inspection it turned out to be someone's dog. That sighting did not get written down.

There were opportunities to kayak, one of them in stunningly scenic Haines, which is the kind of funky little Alaska town that could have influenced the TV show "Northern Exposure" - there's even a bar where the lumberjacks hang out.

The ship also called at Sitka, which boasts a Russian heritage; the small fishing village of Petersburg, which prides itself on its Norwegian roots, and the native Tsimshian village of Metlakatla (complimentary dance performances were offered at Petersburg and Metlakatla).

To be clear, the onboard pace of a Spirit of Yorktown cruise is slow. Organized entertainment and activities are nonexistent, and there is no shipboard nightlife.

Still, there are your binoculars and the thrill of sightings to get you through the day.

IF YOU GO ...

The Spirit of Yorktown is operated by Cruise West, which has eight small ships in Alaska, operating May to September. Eight-day Inside Passage cruises include one pre-cruise hotel night and are priced from $4,449 per person. Book by Dec. 7, and save up to $700. Call 1-800-296-8993, or see www.cruisewest.com.

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Cruise West – a second-generation, family-owned business based in Seattle – offers the opportunity to explore remote, worldwide locales by providing distinctive, one-of-a-kind, personalized itineraries not offered by the traditional larger cruise lines. Cruise West’s smaller ships – ten in all – hold between 70-138 people each, and the casual style onboard encourages relaxation and congenial interaction between guests and crew alike. The experience is personally enriching through expert Exploration Leaders providing onboard narrative and lectures, special local guests from a wide variety of backgrounds, and the library provided on each vessel. All have forward lounges and ample outdoor deck space for viewing and photographing wildlife and scenery. All vessels are also equipped with inflatable landing boats for close-up exploration of remote areas and shore landings.

Destinations served include: Alaska and the Bering Sea, British Columbia, Columbia & Snake Rivers, California Wine Country, Mexico's Sea of Cortés, Costa Rica & Panama, The U.S. eastern seaboard, the Caribbean, Japan, the South Pacific, the Kuril Islands, and the Great Lakes