Alaska Travel Guide - World Explorer Cruises

A two-week tour that focuses more on learning than glittery night life

We huddled on the deck, staring out at the horizon while we waited for the small ball of fire to sink under the sea. It was nearly 11 p.m. and the sun still hadn’t said goodnight to the passengers of the S.S. Universe Explorer.

When it did, the clouds above turned pink, then a dark shade of crimson. It was another perfect sunset on Alaska’s Inside Passage during a 14-day eco-cruise, which introduces its passengers to America’s ‘last frontier.’

The contrast between my two-week journey to Alaska with World Explorer Cruises and my 1995 Mexican Riviera cruise experience was dramatic. In the wee hours of the morning, I found passengers on the deck, looking out at the black outline of the majestic Rocky Mountains silhouetted by the light blue night sky, instead of inside the ship partying the night away. Programmed dance and rock music was replaced by classical concerto and jazz. And no casino at sea.

The focus is more on learning and less on glittery night life. S.S. Universe Explorer was launched in 1957 and refurbished in 1995; the ship’s intimacy reflects the fact that it carries 739 passengers and 330 crew. It doesn’t take long before most fellow passengers get to recognize each other.

The itinerary is extensive. Over 14 days, the ship visits twice the number of ports, and spends twice as many hours at each port than any other Alaska Cruise Line. “Going ashore” leaflets are offered, with simple instructions on where to go and what to see, as well as easy to read explanations of each town’s history.

The following are a few highlights of particular interest to me on this most adventurous cruise.

I’m a hiking enthusiast, and so I was thrilled to find trails at every port of call. In Juneau, I hiked about three miles up the Mount Roberts Trail to the Mount Roberts Tramway.

In Seward, tackling Mount Marathon was a challenge. The marathon is famous in the state for its annual Fourth of July race. Here I hiked a steep, well-groomed hill until I was above the tree line, where the sun burned down on snow-covered clearings.

Valdez offered a different outdoor experience, where white water rafting down the Keystone Canyon was on our menu. Cool river water sprayed faces as our raft banged up against the Class 3 rapids.

In Sitka, I encountered a black tailed deer and her offspring grazing on high grass lazily along the beach at Sitka National Historic Park.

Later that day, I took a Sea Otter & Wildlife Quest, a 50 mile ocean journey on the Sea Otter Express along the straits and narrows of the Inside Passage. During the trip, Humpback whales surfaced and dove as they fed on trap krill and schooling fish.

A group of Sea Otters floated on their backs, basking in the crisp sunshine along a wide bed of kelp. The Otters are Alaska’s success story. Hunted by early fur traders, the otter population had dwindled to about 2,000 by 1911. Preservation efforts have allowed their numbers to grow to 150,000, including 8,000 in Southeast Alaska.

Skagway highlighted my trip. I rode the White Pass Railway, which was born out of the mad rush to the Klondike in 1898. Our railcar rocked gently along, as history and wild Alaskan scenery unfolded before us.

Almost endless activity helped me wear off a few of the calories I gained feasting on tasty dishes like baked salmon and three bean chili during lunch and dinner buffets.

As the trip wound down, I discovered a new appreciation of untamed nature. I came back a few pounds heavier and all the more wiser of who and what shares the planet with us.

If you go . . . contact your travel agent or you can contact the company directly atWorld Explorer Cruises,555 Montgomery St.,Suite 1400,San Francisco, CA 94111-254.Phone (415) 393-1565 or toll-free at 800-854-3835.

Author: Troy Landrevill