Can you beat the crowds during Alaska’s record-breaking season? We find out on a 10-day cruise aboard HX’s MS Roald Amundsen on the new Alaska’s Inside Passage: Fjords of the Great Land journey.
Misty Fjords is living up to its name when we glide silently into the vast wilderness area at the southern end of Alaska, close to the Canadian border. Low clouds wreathe densely forested mountains, waterfalls cascade into still, deep waters, and barely discernible rainfall softens the silvery afternoon light.
This is our first stop since leaving Vancouver a day and two nights ago, having sailed through a maze of photogenic islands and fjords along the Inside Passage.
When our ship, MS Roald Amundsen, is ‘virtually’ at anchor – held on station by dynamic positioning – we disembark in small groups to explore this astonishingly beautiful area on sea-kayaks, Zodiacs and the science boat.
Our Zodiac driver, Rudi, a natural-born entertainer and all-round Alaska expert, says he has seen Misty Fjords many times, but never when it is “actually misty”. It is magnificent – massive, peaceful and utterly remote.
HX Expeditions’ new 10-day itinerary, Alaska’s Inside Passage: Fjords of the Great Land, is designed to take you far from the madding crowds. Alaska is hosting a record number of cruise ships this year, but while megaships are queuing up at ports such as Ketchikan and Juneau to disgorge thousands of passengers every day during the season, MS Roald Amundsen takes a different tack.
Remote communities
When the ship ‘anchors’ off the west coast of Prince of Wales Island, tender boats ferry us to Klawock, a tiny settlement (population 719) that’s known as a significant centre of Tlingit culture.
HX offers five excursions, or of course you can explore independently – there’s a free shuttle bus and the impressive Totem Park and Heenya carving shed are a short walk from the welcome centre.
My cruise buddy Debby and I opt for the ‘Coastal Flavours’ tour. Kathy, our Native Alaskan guide, leads us through the forest – pointing out plants used in traditional food and medicines – to a secluded spot beside the Klawock River dotted with transparent bubble-like tents.
Over the next couple of hours, we sample oysters (“the best I’ve ever tasted”, according to one very well-travelled journalist in our group) and seafood dishes, paired with local wines. Kathy chats with every guest individually about her heritage and sings to us in Tlingit; it’s a very special experience.
We glean further insights into Native Alaskan culture when a community group from Kake, decked out in colourful traditional regalia, comes aboard to perform dances and songs before we go ashore. Kake is one of only two towns on Kupreanof Island and, like Klawock, is home to just a few hundred people, mostly Tlingit.
One of the dancers, 17-year-old Brooklyn, teaches children Tlingit language and culture while also studying for university. On the tender ride, she tells us more about complex society clans and moieties – and teenage stuff, such as where she gets her nails done. Answer to the latter – DIY, or on an expensive seven-hour ferry ride or 30-minute flight to Juneau.
After checking out a cultural display in the school gym, Kake’s pastor Fred is on shuttle bus duty and gives us an exclusive educational tour for two, blessing us with huge smiles when we leave.
Resilient nature
Towards the end of the voyage, we spend a day at Valdez, once best known for the earthquake in 1964 that caused the entire town to be rebuilt and the Exxon Valdez oil-tanker disaster in 1989.
Today, the affected ecosystem in Prince William Sound has largely recovered from the 41 million-litre oil spill – although the orca population struggles to survive – and its location in the majestic Chugach Mountains makes it a popular destination for hiking, fishing, wildlife tours and kayaking.
Kayaking on Valdez Glacier Lake is very scenic and a lot of fun, but as one passenger comments, HX’s kayak adventures are more, well, adventurous.
Back in town, a short walk from the harbour, you’ll find a museum, the Valdez Brewing craft-beer brewery, a few shops and our favourite spot, The Fat Mermaid bar-restaurant.
People-watching reveals a lot of men sporting enormous beards – later I discover that the annual five-day Gold Rush Days festival features a portable jailhouse that’s pulled through the town by locals who arrest people without beards.
Call of the wild
The three port visits on our itinerary are interspersed with a glorious combination of on-water adventures and spectacular wildlife viewing. As we sail towards the Inian Islands past the towering peaks of the Fairweather Range and Chichagof Island, humpback whales are swimming so close to the ship we hear them blowing right beneath our balcony.
Around the islands, bald eagles perch on cliff edges and dive for fish, competing for the catch with cute sea otters and boisterous Steller sea lions we see at very close quarters. Glacial grinding gives the water its startling turquoise hue, and turbulent tidal currents create a smorgasbord of nutrients for marine mammals and seabirds. When we see whales ahead, Zodiac driver Pam opens up the throttle for an exhilarating ride to watch them breaching.
Cruising Icy Bay by Zodiac is more serene but equally spellbinding. Three glaciers feed into the expansive fjord from the St Elias Mountains, and its sculptural icebergs are constantly on the move. Harbour seals watch while Zodiac driver Emily cuts the motor so we can drift, listening to nothing but the hypnotic sound of ice creaking and cracking.
Life on board
The Science Center is the heart of the HX Expeditions experience. However, as well as daily lectures, observation sessions and workshops that analyse findings made by guests on science-boat outings, there are classes in everything from knots to watercolour painting, origami and NASA GLOBE cloud identification.
Cocktail masterclasses that add exploration history into the mix are popular, as are after-dinner Tiny Talks, entertaining bite-sized stories from the expedition team.
All events in the Explorer lounge are well attended, but the highlight is the mid-voyage crew party. Not only are the crew and expedition team super-talented at their day jobs, but a sizeable number of them are also fantastic musos and singers. Everyone is dancing and laughing, and the show goes on long after its allotted hour.
Grand finale
As Captain Bram Olof van Spriel says on his daily broadcasts, the weather gods have been smiling on us for the entire voyage.
The day before we disembark is no exception – bright sunshine reflects on the glassy waters of College Fjord, highlighting the imposing tidewater glacier in front of us. It’s one of five in the area named after US universities – Zodiac driver Mitch says this one is Yale – and its face is as high as a 15-storey building.
Mitch expertly steers the boat through a mass of icebergs – growlers and larger, blue-tinged bergy bits – until we can clearly see huge cracks in the glacier’s face.
As we turn back towards the ship, we hear the unmistakable thundering sound of the glacier calving. It’s the perfect end to another perfect day in Alaska – and guess what, we’re drenched in rain the next morning in Whittier as we bid Ms Roald Amundsen farewell, fair winds and following seas.
For more information, visit HX Expeditions
Sally Macmillan travelled as a guest of HX Expeditions
