5 Reasons I Finally Did A Cruise To Alaska

There are two kinds of people in this world; those who love cruising and those who don't.

I had determined long ago that I was among the second group and would never go on a cruise ship. Reason: who wants to be stuck in a hotel on the ocean with hundreds of people who I don't know and probably don't want to know! Well, that all changed this year.

After five years of the usual mid-year Bali holiday, we needed a change. “How about a trip to Alaska and see some bears, bald eagles, and glaciers?” I said to my wife.

Being a picky, independent traveller, I researched far and wide to find some four to five-star hotels in Alaska. What I found was there are no 5 star hotels in Alaska, and not a whole lot of 4 star! There are a few high-end fishing lodges in the wilderness; places where Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch and Pink Floyd are reported to visit. However, there was no way that my wife was spending a day in a fishing lodge, no matter who had stayed there.

Then, I remembered... twelve years ago, I had flown into Juneau, Alaska to do some training for an organisation. I saw this huge sparsely populated state of the USA with millions of acres of wilderness and amazing beauty. When I asked the locals about exploring Alaska, I heard the same thing again and again: "The best way to see Alaska is to go on a cruise."

I was unconvinced but the next day my wife walked into the offices of Cruiseabout in Mosman NSW and spoke to the Manager, Ken. The next day, we were booked on an 11-day cruise from Vancouver to Anchorage on Seaborne Sojourn.

We arrived back in Australia last Sunday and I can honestly say I had one of the best holidays of my life. I have put together the 5 reasons why you should go on a cruise to Alaska.

1.    No Unpacking

Cruising means you don't have to unpack every time you leave a town/city. One of the great things about cruising is that you unpack once and that's it. Every day you wake in a new place with new adventures and you can leave the ship and only take the things required for your adventures.

2.    No Tipping and Paying for Restaurants

Cruising means you don't have to pay at the restaurant. All the food is provided as part of the cruise fare so you get seated, have waiters bring you your courses, and then get up and leave. This was actually a worry. We got so used to eating in one of the four restaurants on the ship and then just walking out we were worried we would continue the habit when we finished our cruise.

3.    No Crappy Hotel Rooms

Cruising is great when you are in countries where there are no quality hotels. You have a quality hotel room every night that's cleaned daily. Alaska is an ideal place to cruise because the towns are small and not that great. Places like Ketchikan, Haines, Sitka and Wrangell are more like visiting Kalgoorlie. Nice to stop and look but not the best place to stay the night.

4.    No Bad Service

Service on the ship could not be faulted. There were so many waiters, you didn't have to lift a finger. At the buffet, you had them wanting to carry your plates back for you. Your room was cleaned daily, some rooms twice a day!

5.    No Boredom

There was no time to be bored. Something was always happening: onshore adventures, tours, dog-sledding, bear watching, fishing, glacier photographing, kayaking around the icebergs, jet boats and catamarans. There was on-board entertainment like singers, comedy, movies, gambling and trivia, as well as the spa, hot tubs and pools.

My goal was to photograph bears, eagles and wildlife. My wife's goals were to see a glacier, photograph a blue iceberg and spend her time in the hot tub. As well as fulfilling those goals, we dogsled on a glacier, helicoptered over mountains, jet boated against fast flowing glacier rivers and kayaked in the freezing waters.

Would I cruise again? We have already spoken to Ken about Antarctica.

Chris Gaborit is managing director of The Learning Factor, a training outsourcing company.