Fantastic American Safari Cruises Experience in Alaska

[AndreaRH]

Hi Everyone,

 

In June my husband and I visited Southeast Alaska to sail on the 12-passenger Safari Spirit yacht with American Safari Cruises.

 

We started out in a small fishing town called Petersburg and then cruised up the Inside Passage to Juneau. While the Safari Spirit has a capacity for 12 guests, on this itinerary there were just 8 of us and 6 crew (expedition leader/naturalist, captain, engineer/mate, chef, and two stewards).

 

We anchored each night in tiny hidden coves and fjords. In the morning, we'd get up and either kayak or take the skiff to shore and go hiking. In the afternoons, we'd sail further up the passage on the lookout for whales. When we came across them (some days humpbacks and other days orcas), we'd get in the skiff and motor out to get closer to them. We even had a hydrophone that we could put in the water so we could hear the whale calls and songs. It was magical!

 

This cruise didn't really visit the major ports. Instead, we only went to two villages: Baranoff Springs (the resident population in the winter is 1 person and about 20 in the summer!) and Tenakee Springs with about 75 residents.

 

The weather was ideal and the wildlife really cooperated with us. We saw brown bears (including cubs!), humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, harbor seals, porpoises, eagles, etc.

 

This was the first time we sailed with American Safari and we were very impressed with the level of service and the food. The stateroom was lovely (we booked the lowest category) and the bathroom was larger than what we've experienced on Regent, Windstar, and NCL. The Safari Spirit was also the cleanest ship I've ever sailed...everything looked new (fresh paint, carpet in good shape, etc.).

 

The crew was fantastic and really made each of us feel at home on the yacht. Our expedition leader was full of energy and I learned a lot about wildlife and Alaska from her.

 

If you'd like to see some photos and read our day-by-day blog, visit http://luxurycruisebible.blogspot.com/

 

The blog for this trips starts on June 20, 2008.

 

American Safari has several yachts, including the brand new Explorer (which we got to visit for about an hour when our ship was anchored nearby). The Explorer accommodates 36 passengers and sails Alaska in the summer and Hawaii in the winter.

 

If you're interested in an intimate cruising experience and love wildlife, kayaking, and hiking, check out American Safari at http://www.amsafari.com

 

Andrea