Alaska

Boarding an Alaska small ship adventure trip with ROW Adventures becomes literally a dream vacation. For decades ROW Adventures has orchestrated Small Ship Cruises and Sea Kayaking around the world and Alaska is one our favorite places to go.

Alaska Small Ship Cruises

Our small ship cruises to Alaska give guests a unique, life enhancing cruise experience that provides an up-close and personal approach to a world aching for your discovery. These small ship cruises allow you the opportunity to explore areas of Alaska where the larger ships can not access. The small ships carry 4-12 passengers and deliver an interpretation experience unmatched in the industry.

ROW Adventures hand picked three ships for our guests: The Catalyst, The Song, and The Sea Wolf. Alaska small ship adventures start in April and end in October. The cruises last between 6 and 10 days and the ships may be chartered by an entire party if desired.

Alaska Sea Kayaking

You'll have the opportunity to explore Alaska on sea kayaks during your cruise. There is no better way to get in the nooks and crannies of glaciers and bays than on sea kayaking in Alaska. You'll come up close and personal with nature and wildlife and be able to experience and take pictures of true Alaska while on your kayak. Sea Kayaking Alaska will help you love and appreciate this wonderful part of the world.

More about Alaska Small Ship Cruises and Alaska Sea Kayaking:

Unlike typical cruises to these regions, these small yachts can reach the most intimate places. And rather than merely gazing upon the scenery from the rail of a passing cruise ship, we drop anchor often for intimate exploration. Cruising only three to four hours each day allows plenty of time to walk on secluded beaches, ramble next to perpetual ice fields, dream in old growth rain forests, and to take paddle in hand and sea-kayak in misty fjords where peaks tower majestically above us.

There is freedom to participate as much or as little as you like on an Alaska Small Cruise. Whether your interest is wildlife, sea kayaking, active exploration or lazing on the deck of the "mother ship" while searching for whales, you'll find this to be a life-enriching adventure. The wildlife, weather, tides and your group's interests all play an equal part in making each trip a unique adventure and consequently, no two trips are exactly alike.

Each itinerary is a bit different. Some of them cruise in the Frederick Sound area and others travel further west near Sitka. Each immerses you in a marvelous part of Alaska's spectacular Inside Passage. Thousands of islands and the imposing coast form a natural wonderland woven together by an intricate network of waterways. No roads intrude upon this soul-moving wilderness; one of the few places in North America still largely unpopulated and unspoiled.

The sea teems with life of rich variety. Humpback and Orca whales abound. Playful Dall porpoises play with visiting vessels. Sea lions are as common as sparrows in our own backyards. The highest densities of brown bears and bald eagles in the world are found here. Wolves, beavers, foxes, martens and moose all make this their home. Inaccessible to most, the wonders of this vast wilderness are brought closely to hand aboard the yacht of your choice, accommodating from four to twelve guests.

Life aboard ship includes comfortable private cabins with shared bathrooms, commodious deck and salon spaces and gourmet meals made fresh from the galley. On board you will be joined by a naturalist guide who will share his or her knowledge of the local flora and fauna, as well as the natural and cultural history of this remarkable place.

When to go on an Alaska Small Ship Cruise: June weather is drier than other months. From early July on the salmon start to run up the creeks, so bear sightings are more common. But small ships cruises run from May until October and all seasons have their perks. Many people ask us for a comparison between the cruising area these yachts visit and Glacier Bay to the north. Glacier Bay is popular with the large ships because the area is deep enough and wide enough to accommodate them. By contrast, our yachts travel through waters the big ships can't navigate.

Finally, many people consider Tracy Arm even more spectacular than Glacier Bay. However, we now offer one option for an early season trip to Glacier Bay aboard the M/V Sea Wolf.