What to expect when cruising the Inside Passage

[guitarboy53]

Hi there! I will be on a 5 night Pacific NW cruise on the Mercury this weekend and I was wondering what the inside passage is all about. I have been to Astoria and Victoria...I am looking forward to the inside passage but I don't exactly know what to expect. Should I be on an outside deck all day? Will there be glaciers? I would love to hear your thoughts about sailing the inside passage.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Matt

[hermang]

Hi there! I will be on a 5 night Pacific NW cruise on the Mercury this weekend and I was wondering what the inside passage is all about. I have been to Astoria and Victoria...I am looking forward to the inside passage but I don't exactly know what to expect. Should I be on an outside deck all day? Will there be glaciers? I would love to hear your thoughts about sailing the inside passage.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Matt

On our IP cruise from Alaska, we were having breakfast in the Waterfall Cafe,

(last day of the cruise) cameras packed of course when a large humback decided to entertain us for 5 min or so. - GO FIGURE. It was the only wildlife we saw all day - and it was a gorgeous sunny day too

[dakrewser]

It's a lot like cruising up a river. There'll be land to both port & starboard, dense forests topped by high mountains, light houses and cabins, fishing boats (and cruise ships!).

 

 

There could be: humpbacks cavorting; porpoises "drafting;" eagles flying overhead; bears prowling the shoreline; sea lions, seals and otters drifting by and more. Do plan to be watching, and do so where you can hear announcements...

[kay0522]

:) The inside passage is amazing. We actually saw more humpbacks from our balcony than we did on the whale watching tour. The naturalist even announced the presence of two orcas (very rare), that we were able to watch from the deck. The sea lions love to sun themselves on the bouys and we spotted several eagles soaring above. The forests are beautiful, as is all of the scenery. Grab a warm jacket and gloves (not kidding), a couple of cups of cappiccino, a deck chair and a warm blanket and enjoy! I'm anxious to hear about your cruise when you return.

[mii]

Amazing, amazing scenery and by all means go up to the top decks and just take it in. Now on our last Alaskan trip which was in June we most of the time stayed on our balcony and saw tremendous views. We were starboard side but there are views on both sides. Have a great cruise.

 

Marilyn

[xtopher_66]

Ditto to what everyone said above. I was on the same cruise as Marilyn on the Infinity and the scenery was spectacular. Check out the photos in my signature. I also have a gallery dedicated to Inside Passage pictures.

 

Chris

[CelebrityMan]

Hi,

 

..but since you live in Seattle, for NW residents the I.P. isn't much more than an extension of Puget Sound -- forested hills and water. But, hey, we Northwesterners are spoiled with our year-round scenery. :D

 

I liken the majority of the I.P., while gorgeous, and often frequented by captivating wildlife, akin to boating on the Columbia River, which I live very close to. That's not to put down the I.P. in ANY way. We love cruises to Alaska via the I.P. -- British Columbia, Canada and Washington state are beautiful places, no matter where you go.

 

And don't be at all surprised if your ship has a pod or two of Orca playing in its' bow or stern wake.

 

The best of the I.P. is in SE Alaska, and that would be where you'd see the glaciers.

 

Above all, have a relaxing and enjoyable short cruise!

 

 

 

 

 

CM

[catmand]

Ditto 2:

Take a look at the pic's Chris (xtopher_66) linked........................beautiful, thanks.

Imagine our suprise when on this last, and second, trip to Alaska we discovered we did not exactly sail the inside passage the first time!