Last week, Len and I returned from a fabulous 7-night Alaska Inside Passage cruise aboard the Safari Spirit. This is one of American Safari Cruises 12-passenger yachts. The experience was spectacular and we highly recommend it!
You can read my day-by-day blog at
http://luxurycruisebible.blogspot.com/ (The cruise blog starts with the June 21st entry.)
Or, if you're just interested in photos, you can see some of my favorites at
http://www.solorecording.com/downloads/alaska/Photos.html On this particular voyage, there were 8 guests, including Len and myself and 6 crew (captain, mate/engineer, expedition leader/naturalist, chef, and two stewards).
If you love wildlife, this is a terrific way to get up close to whales, seals, seal lions, and bears. We spent a lot of time out on the skiff and got really close to humpback and orca whales. We even saw some humpbacks bubble net feeding!
And, we were lucky to have three excellent bear encounters—the bears (with cubs!) were on the shore and we approached slowly via skiff. It was just breathtaking!
The visit to LeConte Glacier was also a highlight. Photos don't do this area justice!
The expedition leader was incredibly knowledgeable and we learned so much in 7 days!
The yacht was beautiful and is in pristine condition. We booked the lowest stateroom category but it actually had a larger bathroom than our favorite penthouse suite on the Regent Mariner. And, I loved the fact that it had a heated floor!
But, next time I'd probably book an Admiral stateroom since those cabins have sliding glass doors for excellent views.
ASC cruises are all-inclusive and we thought the food was excellent. Len also appreciated the wines served and selection of premium liquor (all included in the cruise fare).
For the price, this trip was a great value because it included all food and beverages, a city tour in Petersburg, and daily shore excursions.
This was a very active vacation and included kayaking (which I did once...I'm glad I did it but it's not my favorite activity), easy to intermediate hiking, and whale watching on deck and on the skiff. Some passengers also did some fishing.
Evidently, a lot of small groups often charter these yachts...families, friends traveling together, etc.
American Safari operates several yachts, ranging from the 12-passenger Safari Spirit and Safari Escape to the 22-passenger Safari Quest and the new 36-passenger Safari Explorer.
The Explorer sails Alaska in the summer and will begin a Hawaiian itinerary this December, calling on Maui (Kahului and Lahaina), Lanai, Molokai, and the Big Island (Hilo and Kona).
They also sail Mexico's Sea of Cortez and the Columbia and Snake Rivers. We're looking at the Sea of Cortez route for a future getaway.
All in all, a fantastic yacht, fun fellow passengers (in our case, a lawyer, an actress, a British magistrate, a finance executive, a documentarian, and a college professor), and an excellent crew.
If you have any questions about the trip, let me know.
Andrea
PS - American Safari's website is
http://www.amsafari.com
