Our cruise was with a company called Alaskan Dream. It is Alaskan owned by a family in Sitka that also conveniently owns a unique lodge called Orca Point. They have decided to incorporate a stop at this lodge on their Alaska cruises, and I believe that is the absolute correct decision! It was one of the highlights of our trip! Not only is it nice to have a landing to break up time on the ship, but it is simply "Alaskan". When you think of The Last Frontier, visions come to mind of being in a remote cabin surrounded by trees and wildlife. This gives guests a taste of that wild experience, but with an easy catamaran ride to shore from a luxury cruise ship.
There is a tide pool exhibit where you can look at starfish, anemone, sea urchins, and more up close. Better yet, walk along the lodge's beach where you will find piles of mussels, scurrying crabs, bladder kelp, and more! Don't forget to peel your eyes from the wildlife-rich ground every so often. You might miss the playful porpoises jumping out of the water and the numerous bald eagles soaring above your head. It's truly amazing to have so much life LITERALLY all around you, under you, and above you!
But that's not all, folks! You get to have dinner at Orca Point Lodge. And not just any dinner...KING CRAB LEGS, PRIME RIB, COHO SALMON...not to mention homemade bread, a colorfully fresh salad, roasted root vegetables, creamy mashed potatoes, among other things I could not fit on my plate nor in my belly. I'm still daydreaming about those sweet, buttery King Crab legs. I would say it's because I have lived in land-locked states my entire life, but even the local Alaskans were claiming these "THE BEST King Crab" they had ever tasted. And I think just being an Alaskan makes you an expert in all things crab by default.
Your lovely evening at the lodge slowly concludes with a huge bonfire and s'mores. (Jordan was quickly recognized by his passion for constructing and roasting the "perfect s'more". I guess the intensity of his eyes and sudden silence gave it away pretty quickly.) It's the perfect time to get to know your fellow passengers a little better, breathe in the freshest of salty air, and experience time slowing down while gazing mesmerized into a glowing fire.
Mary has kept in regular contact and prepared me for everything so far
Michael Sinner
1 month ago
Very prompt responses. Erin found us the trip we were looking for and gave us good advice.
Nancy Brown-Koeller
1 month ago
I don’t have the words to describe it but the last week has been one of the best I can remember. 6 days of adventure in South East Alaska including trekking through lush rain forest, sitting in silence listening to glaciers calving, up early to see the northern lights, kayaking and stupidly swimming in iceberg frozen waters ! (That actually hurt).
Animal sightings including black and brown bears, Minke and hundreds of Humpack Whales, porpoises, sea lions, mountain goats, harbour seals, bald eagles, salmon and more birds than I can count. Wonderful friends and connections made. A huge shout out to Trevor and his totally amazing crew on the Admiralty Dream whose energy and enthusiasm made this most incredible experience.
DAVID JAMES
2 months ago
From the initial booking all the way through the trip, this was by far our favorite trip. Small boat travel is the only way to see a location. The excursions were so much more than I could explain. The locations were remote and awesome.
Lori I
2 months ago
Personal, knowledgeable service. We felt so informed and supported before our trip. Highly recommend and would use again.