Eco-tourism (expensive) cruising Southeast Alaska-Very special
Written: May 28 '04 (Updated Mar 19 '06)
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Pros: Charming, personal attention, luxury food and wine, natural beauty everywhere.
Cons: Very expensive, Southeast Alaska only.
The Bottom Line: Unforgettable, close-up view of a coastal rainforest paradise. Luxury without pretension. Once-in-a-lifetime.
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| obsoperator's Full Review: The Boat Company |
The M.V. Liseron (French for a flower) was built as a wooden minesweeper for the U.S. Navy in 1952. It was completely rebuilt by the McIntosh Foundation for http://www.theboatcompany.com/ . There are ten cabins intended for couples. The crew is about the same size. This is a cross between luxury cruising and wilderness travel. That is, there's no swimming pool or casino, but there's unlimited fresh hot water in the bathrooms. Everyone sits down at the same large table on the fantail each night for a freshly prepared (set menu-little choice) gourmet dinner, prepared by a full-time cook in a lavish kitchen. You have to hang your own gear in the "drying locker" after an outing.
Each room has a lower queen bunk and a single top bunk. You control your own heat, and the (shower) bathroom is the same size as most cruises. Beds are made for you, and the linen changed every few days. There's no room service food. But coffee and snacks are out all the time, on the fantail. Nightly cocktails and fine wine at dinner are included. Water and sandwiches or trail-bars are provided for hikes. Excursions are by custom-built aluminum skiffs stored on the top deck. Plastic kayaks are available morning and night.
The public lounge is attractive and luxurious, without being pretentious. It's quite large enough for all 20 guests to read and chat in small groups, or for everyone to hear a naturalist's lecture. The upper deck, with 4 of the 10 cabins, also has a warm, smaller lounge with wraparound observation windows. This is just under the captain's bridge deck.
Each afternoon, the ship drops anchor in an uninhabited cove that a Princess ship could never enter. When the wind drops, you're alone in a green wilderness of silence. After dinner, the kayaks are set out on the glassy, still water where no one else can be seen. Or, chose an evening beach walk with a guide (...carrying a gun in case of bears.) Day outings include fishing, energetic walks along CCC-cleared trails, sea lion rookeries, seals and their babies, and of course glaciers.
We saw plenty of eagles, porpoises, whales, and a few bears. Wildflower season was over, but we found three kinds of native orchids in bloom. (Heart-Leaved Twayblade, Ladies' Tresses, and Western Coral Root.) Our fishing fans caught two huge halibut (50-100 pounds), and enjoyed fresh-water lake fishing as well.
Each cruise is customized, depending on weather and passenger interests. (For example, "How many people would enjoy an uphill but not steep, 1 1/2 mile hike to a lovely lake tomorrow?") Our anchorages (you might be able to find them on the free Forest Service "Tongass" map) were:
Wed Night: Punchbowl Cove (Hike to Nooya Lake)
Thu Night: Short Bay (Kayak PM, Beach Walk AM)
Fri Aftn: Shrimp Bay (Hike to Orchard Lake)
Sat Night: Zarembo Island (Beach Walk PM)
Sun Morng: Scenery Cove, Thomas Bay (Baird Glacier *walk*)
Sun Aftn: Cleveland Passage, Fanshaw Bay (Beach Walk PM)
Mon Morng: Brothers Islands (Forest Walk, Sea Lion rocks)
Mon Aftn: Endicott Arm (Ford's Terror skiff excursion)
Mon Night: Sanford Cove, Endicott Arm (Beach & Forest Walk)
Tue Morng: Tracy Arm (Skiffs to S. Sawyer Glacier and seals)
Tue Night: Taku Harbor, Stephens Passage (Kayak and farewell dinner)
I hope this list illustrates why you might choose this cruise over a larger ship: The focus is on the natural environment, not on the ship's features (which are quite nice enough for a 145' ship.) Why climb a plywood rock face aboard ship when you can scramble up a real hill?
We were on our own in the terminal cities, Ketchikan and Juneau. But they are busy tourist cities, with plenty to see, do, and (if you wish) shop!
My wife and I have been seasick on ocean cruises. The Boat Company told me that issue seldom comes up on the Inside Passage. (Note that other popular spots in Alaska are more exposed to waves, for example Glacier Bay.) Only once in our week, they warned us that we'd be making a turn in the channel, and some people might want to take their pills. In fact, the turbulence was quite minor, and only lasted 15 minutes. The rest of the trip, there was little sensation of being on the water.
The crew consists mainly of well-trained 20-somethings who love the area. Our naturalist spent her summers on the Liseron, her fall and spring in tree-top bear observatories doing research, and her winters as a registered conservation lobbyist at the legislature. (However, she was very careful not to impose her political views on us. She explained both sides of all issues.) The captain and mate were older, and obviously experienced. But most of the young people had marine certifications as well.
We were fortunate to travel in a group where each of the ten couples knew at least three of the other couples. So you may not achieve such good compatibility. We were told that some groups "click" more than others. The 2004 price is about $6175 per person for 8 days (1 on shore), but it includes the arrival hotel night, which is new this year. We paid much less, but that may reflect the fact that we "guaranteed" the whole boat at once, and were in "shoulder" season. Tipping is separate. We were so personally and well-taken care of, it was a pleasure to tip. That's a luxury price, to be sure, but it's a unique experience. And it's run (indirectly) by a conservation charity.
This company also operates a similar boat touring Costa Rica. That's a modern, metal boat built to order. Frankly, one reason they built it is that our boat is so old that the diesel emissions are not very "green". I'm talking about the moral issue, not any perceptible smell!
I should note that we had a middle-aged person with mobility problems and a diet restriction. Despite the small size of the operation, she was discretely, graciously, completely accommodated by the crew. One of our guests wore leg braces, but went on all of the hikes. Obviously such a situation should be discussed well in advance with company. But everyone in our group was a full participant, and had a wonderful time.
[Added March, 2006] I'm writing to remove my previous report that this particular cruise was not going to continue after 2006. I received a letter from the McIntosh Foundation saying that they decided, after all, that this trip was worth subsidizing to carry their message about protected wilderness. I can tell you that this trip prompted me to write to my Senators and Representative after we returned.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Tour type: Group
Tour format: Boat
Tour length: Several Days
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Epinions.com ID:
obsoperator
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Location: Bergen County, NJ, USA
Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 0 members
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