Cruise the UnCruise way: A review

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If you were to ask me if I would ever go on a cruise my answer was usually no. I was never really interested in being on a large ship with hundreds of other people, gorging myself on buffet dinners and all I could drink cocktails. I am making a disgusted face just thinking about it.

The short stops on land where you had only a few hours to explore before being swept away to the next location, with no opportunity to truly experience a place. But then I found UnCruise and they changed my perspective, well for the small ship anyway.

This is why I think you should consider UnCruise the next time you want to go on an adventure and try something different.

Cruise offerings

As someone who craves adventure, I need something that gets me out into nature, in different ways. UnCruise offers hiking, kayaking, wildlife viewing, and more on most of their trips.

Some of their destinations include the Columbia and Snake Rivers, in Oregon and Washington (the one I did), the Galapagos, Alaska, and Hawaii. Each also seems to have its own theme. For example, the cruise I went on was touted as an adventure cruise, as are a couple of the others. There are also more wildlife centric cruises and culinary and wine experiences.

Demographics

So, whatever you flavor of adventure, UnCruise probably has it. And depending on the time of the year will depend on the crowd you cruise with. We went in early October and were the youngest on board, by a long shot.

Most of the guests were 65+, and we were asked by just about every one of them why we were there. I was a bit confused because it is touted as an adventure cruise, so I don’t see why I wouldn’t be drawn to the thought of hiking and white-water rafting.

I talked to the crew about it, asking if their guests are usually of this age demographic. The response I got was that it depended on the cruise and the time of the year. But I don’t think that should scare anyone away. We had a blast and met some really wonderful people, who have sailed with UnCruise on multiple occasions and had nothing but good things to say about them.

The Crew

I honestly cannot say enough about the crew. Mostly made up of 20-somethings, all were enthusiastic, extremely knowledgeable about the area’s wildlife, plant life, and history, and seemed to really care about their guests.

That little bit extra

Early on the hotel staff and adventure crew knew everyone’s names. There were 61 people on board. Not only that but they were extremely accommodating for various dietary restrictions. I, myself, am gluten and dairy free. Not only was there a GF/DF option for every single meal, but the staff took great care to ensure the food met my specific needs.

One of the adventure crew, Bobby, who is very interested in birds, among other things, offered to take whoever was interested on a bird watching walk. This wasn’t required of him, but because of his absolute love of nature he wanted to share it with others. He also brought a thermos of hot chocolate because it was early in the morning and there was frost on the ground. I was really touched by this gesture.

Emily, another adventure crew member, picked up trash as we hiked. She didn’t even think about it, it was just what came naturally to her.

Many of the crew have been working with UnCruise on their various ships for years. Some for as many as 8 years. There was even one woman who’s two daughters also worked for UnCruise, it was a bit of a family affair. It just speaks to the culture that UnCruise creates for their staff.

Open bridge policy

The captain had an open bridge policy. Not something you typically see on a ship, for safety reasons. But in this case, anyone was allowed, at any time, to come on the bridge.

I didn’t take the opportunity to go up until our very last day. So, I did not get to see them in action but the captain spent time showing us how everything works and answered all our questions with regards to navigation.

Engine room tours

The engineer on board was a funny, slightly eccentric guy, who also had an open-door policy. He offered tours of the engine room to anyone interested.

He pointed out the two main engines, the air conditioning system, the heating system and more. The entire area was loud and extremely warm as the engines worked hard to move the boat and keep the lights on.

Naturalists

The adventure crew, the one’s who take you on your excursions, were all naturalists in their own ways. Always learning and open to new information they pointed out various plants and birds during each outing.

During hikes we learned about the sunflower species in Oregon and the various plants within the sumac family. While kayak our guide Bobby quoted great explorers and took a moment of silence for everyone to fully experience the silence and beauty around us.

The owner of UnCruise

In speaking with various crew members, everyone felt that the owner of UnCruise truly cared about his staff and the environment. It became apparent that he wanted his cruises to be about more than just cruising.

Our bartender told us that on one of the other cruises they used to partner with a company that takes you diving with whale sharks. The owner of UnCruise found out that there was a significant amount of mistreatment to these animals and he immediately cut ties with this company.

He also ensures that only environmentally friendly products are used on board the ship. There are a certain amount of listed items that can be discharged from ships legally. UnCruise makes sure that anything they discharge into the waters is on the list and kept at a minimum. The only things I saw being discharged during our cruise was cream. Like, the kind you put in your coffee.

The SS Legacy

There are several boats in the UnCruise fleet. The SS Legacy does the river cruises in Oregon and Washington as well as a cruise in Alaska.

The ship can hold up to around 85 guests, comfortably. The rooms come in various configurations, mine having two twin beds and a bathroom. There are no keys for the rooms as they boast they have never had an issue with stealing on their ships.

There is a lounge at the front of the boat with a bar and two bartenders and one lounge waitress/waiter always available. They have an early bird breakfast in there, with fresh coffee, and books and DVDs you can borrow during your stay.

At 5:30 there is a “happy hour,” though you can get a drink at any time of the day during happy hour you also get snacks. And these aren’t just any snacks. One day it was all you could eat Dungeness crab.

The restaurant is like one you would find anywhere with many tables’ setup and various wait staff ready to take you order. Every day the chef comes out to tell you about the days lunch and dinner options and you are served 3 amazing gourmet meals every day. They get a tally of what you might like for those meals so that any food waste is minimized.

On the top deck is a workout room and 2 hot tubs that you can access at any time day or night. I highly recommend bringing a drink to the hot tub while the ship goes through one of the many locks along the river. If you are looking for a good stretch the head of the adventure crew does a morning stretch before breakfast up in the workout room.

There are several skiffs kept on the ship to shuttle people to shore and their various excursions when the boat has no where to dock. They also have kayaks and paddle boards as well. On some of the cruises they have a sort of platform that extends off the back of the boat so that you can hop on a kayak or paddle board and go off exploring wherever you have dropped anchor.

There is no WiFi on board, so if you plan to go online, well, you can forget it. The tv’s in the room have 3 channels which are all related to the ship.

It’s a really cute boat. I fell more and more in love with it the longer we were on board. The rooms were really comfortable and had everything we needed and there were lots of places to hang out on the ship.

When I first saw it, I wasn’t so sure how I felt about it, it seemed like it was a bit older, maybe kind of tacky but it really wasn’t. I loved its quirks and all that it offered.

The food

I could go on and on about the food. On board was a head chef, a sous chef and a pastry chef and they were awesome. You received three meals a day and there was not a bad meal to be had. Dinner had an option of a land, sea or vegetarian meal but you could get a little of each if you wanted.

Like I said above, they were really wonderful about accommodating dietary restrictions. I always had a gluten free/dairy free option for a meal and dessert so I never had to miss out on anything. You could tell that the meals were prepared with great care just based on the presentation on your plate. And each night there was a wine pairing as well.

These cruises are not your typical all-you-can eat cheap foods. This was quality. Like eating at a fine dining restaurant every day. That right there was almost worth the price of admission.

The adventure

I mentioned before that this cruise offers hiking, kayaking, white water rafting. Every day you have options. Some days you have a morning option and then an afternoon option. There are always options. For the hikes they always offer a short hike and a longer, more challenging hike.

Some of the other options included a bike and wine tour, instead of a hike. There was an afternoon of kayaking, or a skiff tour, or a trip to one of the museums. There truly is something for everyone. And if your just not feeling the activities that day, staying on the boat and relaxing is always an option.

Environmental factor

One of the big reasons I was never into cruises was because of the significant negative impact they have on the environment. Many of those large cruise ships not only pollute but they do it knowingly and illegally often times, being fined thousands of dollars on a regular basis.

As I have eluded to above, UnCruise does everything possible to protect and be mindful of the impacts they are having on the river system and the environment in general. From picking up trash along the trails, to working with other mindful companies, UnCruise does their part in teaching people about nature while going to extra lengths to protect it.

Cost comparisons

I’m not going to lie, this is expensive. For this one-week cruise in particular it’s a cost of $6,700 per person. But everything is included, you don’t have to add on an all-you-can drink package, you don’t have to pay separately for excursions and all the food and wine pairings are exceptional. Everything is quality.

If that price scares you, there are other options. There is a two-week Seattle to Alaska tour that is close to $4,000 a person. That’s all inclusive and two weeks. It all depends on the trip. But I get it. People my age are generally working and have families and that cost will scare some people away. But I would encourage you to reconsider. I had some serious sticker shock at the price as well but after going and hearing all the rave reviews from other guests, I get it.

Loyalty program

Then there is the loyalty program. The more you go, the cheaper it gets. With each cruise you get more and more money off your next one and there is always a special offer on top of that if you book your next one while still on the boat.

The breakdown looks like this:

• $200 off per person on your 2^nd cruise
• $350 off per person on your 3^rd cruise
• $500 off per person on your 4^th cruise
• $700 off per person on your 5^th cruise

They also have a refer a friend program and if you refer many friends you can get up to $1000 off per cabin room.

Next adventure savings ($500/person) is their on board special I mentioned. It is combinable with any of the above offers too, so theoretically you could save a good chunk of money on your next cruise.

To UnCruise or not to UnCruise – Concluding Thoughts

I was a little worried when we first met up in the hospitality room before the cruise. Being the youngest on board I wasn’t really sure what I had gotten myself into but I was really happy I went. It was a fantastic experience and a wonderful way to see an area. In some cases, such as in Alaska, these are areas that are not easily accessed by anything other than a small plane or a boat.

We are already planning on signing up for the two-week Alaska cruise next summer. I think that more people in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s (and above) should consider UnCruise as another way to have an adventure and try something different. It put me out of my usual travel comfort zone and I am glad it did. Maybe I will see some of you in Alaska.

*This trip was in partnership with UnCruise but all opinions are my own.