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Alaska's Glacier Bay Tours & Cruises

MV Wilderness Discoverer

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Jacqueline Ostendorf
# previous cruises: 2
Date of Trip: September 15, 2002
Itinerary: Alaska-Inside Passage

This was a special very intimate trip. I would not take a large ship cruise again. We never felt hurried or rushed and the ability to change our course each day was perfect for adding to the Alaskan experience. We followed the wildlife and saw the small quiet places the large cruise ships simple cannot get to. Our service from the crew was equally as intimate.

They were adequate, the trip was the star and the ship was simply in support of that star. All decks had complete walk around space available to everyone. The lounge was always open and there were books to read and many videos to watch. We did not have or want a casino or pool.

We were feed excellent meals in an open one dining room setting and though not the large over done spreads you see on the large cruise ship we were never hungry and the daily homemade 3:00 p.m. cookies were always a welcome treat. The open setting allowed for us to meet all of the other passengers on board.

We had the observation deck cabin, it was comfortable, clean and there was ample room. This is a small ship but the noise was never a problem and our bed was so comfortable we never had a minutes trouble sleeping.

We had a Tlingit native, 3 naturalists and picked up a Federal Parks Ranger from Bartlett Cove on our trip to provide all the interesting information about the landscape, people, sea life, flora and fauna indigenous to the area. We also had kayaks and the experience was exhilarating

Our itinerary was varied and subject to the whims of the crew and passengers making this an adventure as well as a vacation. Activities such as a pool or health club was not necessary or required. We visited such ports as Elfin Cove, Hoonah and Wrangell. Due to the type of cruise I would not recommend it to families with small children.

We all became friends on this cruise, we know each other on a first name basis, which lasted for 10 days and have exchanged home addresses, e-mail addresses and have already starting sharing photos from the trip and some of us are planning to meet up for other trips in the future. We actually had some folks cry when we had to leave the boat at the end of the cruise....so special....