IndependentTravelAK
Aug 2019
We have been to Alaska many times, and one of the attractions for us is the lack of crowds and freedom to explore. We tend to go the opposite direction of the cruise ship folks (no offense!). Our one exception is day cruising when we are in Valdez or Seward. The opportunity to comfortably see calving, 60-story high glaciers, breaching whales, playful porpoises, lazy seals/sea lions, and countless marine birds is one not to be passed up. The scenery that the coastline provides is spectacular, as well. Besides SS out of Valdez, we have done similar cruises with two different outfits in Seward. All are worth it, but SS has really nice vessels that tend to be less crowded (likely due to Valdez's out-of-the-way location). It's so nice being on a viewing deck without people, literally climbing over people to get a shot of a speck sea otter with their iPhone! Staff is knowledgeable and friendly and the meal was quite good.