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What? Another cruise?

Getting to Juneau
by Pokin Y. (in Seattle on Sep 08, 10)
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Before I took my first cruise, I didn’t really love the concept much. Cruises seemed mass market and, well, a little bit crass.   The only benefit I understood was that these large cruises had onboard doctors so you could get access to decent enough medical care than would be possible ashore.
 
I somehow ended up on a one week cruise from New York to the Caribbean with Carnival Cruises, where I got to experience the tail end of some hurricane chasing us up the eastern coast and felt, first hand, the corresponding rough ride.   We spent most of our time in transit and the (brief) rest of the time herded around on expensive made-up tours.
 
I swore off cruises.
 
Just over a year later, I ended up on another cruise.   This time, with the Hurtigruten up in Norway.   Our itinerary was from Tromso to Bergen, and supposedly this was THE way to explore the famous fjords of Norway.   Ok, I decided to bend the rules a little and go on the cruise -- only to be caught in some freak storm with 30 feet waves, super foggy weather, and had a generally wet ‘n’ wild time.
 
I really swore of cruises this time.
 
So   here, I am, several years later, and I’m sitting on a plane to Juneau, about to go on, yes, another cruise.   This time with InnerSea Discoveries on their 8 day/7 might “Eastern Coves” trip down South Eastern Alaska.
 
Just what in the world am I doing here?!
 
What really caught my eye about the trip this time was the company and their whole concept of an un-cruise.   This time, you’re on a boat mostly because of function (so you can navigate to remote shallow coves that have no access roads) in a fairly intimate setting with up to 49 guests instead of like three thousand, with excursions and activities to your heart’s content.
 
What you don’t get are the giant floating casino topped with the burn-fest-“sun-tanning”-deck.   The crew to guest ratio is 1:3, and the activities are tailored around your interest and fitness level, rather than what package the cruise company negotiated the best rates for.    Activities like hiking?   Paddleboarding around icebergs?!   Kayaking with whales??!   I’m so there!
 
As I’m waiting to land, I’m anxious about whether this un-cruise concept is going to change my mind about cruising.
 
We’ll see!   On my trip are 13 other bloggers/journalists including Nellie Huang from Wild Junket and Abigal King from Inside the Travel Lab.
 
Let’s see how this all unfolds. :)
 
p.s. Much thanks to Kathy Dragon from Travel Dragon for the head’s up on this trip!
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2 comments
Patty S. says:
Sep 22, 2010
Wow great pics! What a trip! -Patrick
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Pokin Y. says:
Sep 23, 2010
Aww thanks! How are you guys doing? Any upcoming trips? Maybe if meeting in TO or SF or MTL is too tough we can find an international destination to hang. :)
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