Could not fault the operation of this cruise that included pickups from airport and hotel. With only 69 passengers and 29 crew members we were pampered with excellent organisation and wonderful food. The wildlife performed admirably although the presence of a brown bear ambling along the shore in front of a glacier meant that we were unable to land as the crew were not keen on losing any passengers as bear food. The scenery is great with the John Hopkins Glacier producing some impressive calving. Apart from the voyage, a number of shore excursions added to the holiday; as did the information about the local native American tribe, the Tlingit. A couple of kayaking sessions produced som amusement as did the sight of seeing about 15 brave souls leap into the rather cold water (they never remained in very long!). The experts, full-time on board and those who joined us for specific shore excursions, provided some great talks, illustrated with slides most evenings. Our cruise was amazingly lucky as we saw the Northern Lights one evening. With such a friendly crew, it was almost like an extended family trip. We saw a number of those huge liners (floating hotels) but none were able to travel to the places that we went. This is the only real way of seeing the Inside Passage if you wish to see all the wildflife and some of the more remarkable glaciers. Full, all-weather gear and binoculars that were provided meant that we neve had to carry excess gear as we flew to Juneau from New Zealand. Having access to the bridge and with a very friendly captain added another dimension to the experience.

The information provided before the cruise was very helpful as we were not sure what to expect.

We both returned home full of wonderful memories of a truly great holiday.