Baranof Dream

Meals Review

The food was delicious. Combine that with excellent service and the dining room was always filled with smiling faces—though we were an easy crowd to please, with all the good wildlife and the weather.

All meals were plated, except for the day we had a barbeque buffet. Expect to eat a lot of Alaskan seafood on this trip. We even ate a King salmon that our guide Lee had filleted in front us earlier that day.

There was always a meat or vegetarian option if you didn’t want seafood, as well as soup, salad and dessert. All allergies and food requests were catered to. Bread was baked daily. There was even a baking class. The final night's Captain’s Dinner started with Tom, a guest from San Jose, singing a song about our week, accompanied on guitar by Silka, one of the stewards. It culminated in a nineteen-dessert extravaganza and a slideshow of our week.

The buffet dinner at Orca Point Lodge was my favorite. It consisted of leg after claw, after leg of King crab, King salmon and prime rib, as well as salads and vegetables, all enjoyed on the deck overlooking glass-flat water at sunset. For dessert we had s’mores around a campfire. Hard to beat that.

Crew & Guides Review

Lee, our cultural guide, was from Ketchikan and Tlingit. He often entertained us with Tlingit folklore, anecdotes of encounters with bears and Robert Service poetry. He was a talented storyteller, and every evening we would all easily suspend our disbelief and allow ourselves to get swept along as he told us folklore of the Tlingit people.

He told us how storytellers were singled out for that profession as young men and instilled with the tenet that stories must be recited word for word without deviation. To test their memory, they would recite stories in harsh conditions, such as while sitting in freezing water, to ensure the purity of the tale for generations to come.

Our Alaskan captain was experienced and negotiated ice chunks and brought us close to the calving Sawyer Glaciers. We took turns to go out on a skiff and get even closer. He even put the bow of the boat into one of the waterfalls that came down the granite walls towering above us.

Steph, our enthusiastic and experienced scientific expedition leader, kept a list of wildlife sightings on the wall by the bar that included a coastal brown bear, puffins, seal lions, mountain goats, sea otters, a porcupine (!) and too many humpback whales to keep track of. Thanks to her, we all became experts in when a whale was going to dive, all of us pointing out when its back arched and it was about to go down deep. As its tail fin, or fluke, stood upright and sank slowly underwater, we would all cheer.

Accommodations Review

The Baranof Dream had plenty of communal space, up on deck for wildlife viewing and for socializing and dining below. I also really enjoyed how there was no bag-packing all week, and as everything was planned, there was no time spent thinking about what to do tomorrow. Also, we didn’t need to bring rain gear, boots or binoculars. Living the “Baranof dream,” we had it all covered for us.

Itinerary Review

The cultural element felt authentic. In Sitka we had tours of the Bishop’s House, the Sheldon Jackson Museum and the St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox cathedral. Our day in Juneau coincided with the vibrant dedication ceremony of the new Walter Soboleff Building. We were treated to a performance of Norwegian folk dancing in the fishing port of Petersburg, by school children happy to be skipping a math test. At the Tlingit village of Kake, we learned about totem pole carving and basket weaving from local guides. We even had the chance to dance with the people of Kake.

Those who wanted to enjoyed a peaceful kayak a few days. A family of four, among others, was cheered on by onlookers, as they jumped into in the cold water together.

The whale watching was phenomenal. One day in Stephen's Passage, Steph, our scientific leader informed us we were following a well spread-out pod of about 20 to 30 orca.

The bulls kept their distance, their giant triangular dorsal fins rising 6 feet out of the water. We got much closer to the cows and calves, with their smaller, curved fins. Mothers and calves stayed together, and the inquisitive nature of the younger orca brought them much closer.

When the mothers and calves, in groups of three or four, came up to breathe, they were often all touching, rolling and swimming over each other. Every five minutes or so an orca’s head would pop up to see what those strange creatures on the boat were up to.

Steph lowered the hydrophone and we were able to hear them clicking and whistling for a few moments. A mother and calf came in for a breath and a look-see no more than 15 feet off the port bow and moments later, the same calf spy hopped about 20 yards in front of us.

We saw orca on two more occasions. Each time was just as amazing as the first. Seeing orca so close was my personal highlight of the whole trip.

Accommodations Review

I had a single occupancy cabin with a queen bed overlooking the water. A delightful way to wake up! Water pressure and hot water in shower was perfect.

Meals Review

Fish and meat options every dinner were tasty and thoughtfully prepared/presented. Lunches were the same each day. Breakfasts were hearty. I would have liked more fresh fruit offered. I would suggest a bit more variety in the lunch menu beyond soup and sandwich/salad daily. We had two families with kids onboard. We all got along very well and the kids commandeered a “kids” table at each meal. My only negative experience was the level of noise in the dining room during meals. Alaskan Dream cruises needs to install sound abatement material on the ceiling and walls! I was not the only passenger having difficulty hearing conversations.

Crew & Guides Review

Nicole was enthusiastic and well prepared each day. My only criticism is that she did not speak clearly at all times. Spoke too rapidly and did not always convey important details in a short concise fashion. A number of passengers wore hearing aids and she needs to be cognizant of that. Otherwise, she did a very good job of scheduling each day. Not too busy nor too much downtime.

Itinerary Review

[I most enjoyed] Kayaking off the boat! Glacier Bay national Park was jaw dropping. I so appreciated the opportunity to see this area in a small boat - we had our locations to ourselves. No other boats were in the same cove/bay. And whale watching! We saw two pods of whales feeding as they rose out of the water. Our captain always slowed the boat if we found wildlife to view. The trip itinerary was crafted depending on what we were seeing. This was my first trip to Alaska. There were no “leasts” in my experience on this boat!

Transportation Review

Seamless! I so appreciated how we were transported to the boat and how luggage was handled!

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

I felt very well prepared and informed for this trip. I will certainly consider AdventureSmith for any future small boat cruises. Very well planned and excellent communication.

Traveler Advice

Pack layers - the temps vary pretty widely within a 24 hour period. The rain gear provided by Alaskan Dream is high quality - no real need to pack/purchase your own.

Accommodations Review

M/V Baranof Dream is quite old, basic and has its quirks. A refurbishment would help and seems necessary due to issues I spotted with the ceiling tiles, shower nozzle leaking, etc. My Category AA cabin was very compact but from what I saw and heard, some other cabins were quite roomy. Despite these things, I enjoyed it for all it was and found myself sad to disembark.

Meals Review

I was impressed with the diverse selection, including alternatives for anyone with dietary restrictions (I'm vegetarian/pescatarian). Each meal was tasty and well-presented.

Itinerary Review

[I most enjoyed]...Tracy Arm Fjord – a beautiful passage with towering granite cliffs, endless waterfalls, and bright blue glaciers and icebergs. Stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking in Kina Cove. Harbor seals, sea otters and birds galore (including tufted puffins) in Glacier Bay National Park. The polar plunge off a dock at sunset in Bartlett Cove. Humpback whales that circled the ship and showed off for us in the bay outside of Sitka. Favorite cultural stop – Kasaan. It felt the most remote/untouched and authentic. The original carved totems were tucked away in a misty forest of cedar trees and I could imagine being there 100-150 years ago. Just WOW.

Crew & Guides Review

The crew was great, despite being a bit young and inexperienced. My favorite expedition leader, Bailey, really knew his stuff and taught us of Tlingit history and culture. The other expedition leader, Carlie, was less talkative but had interesting facts to share about the variety of wildlife we saw each day.

Fellow Passengers Review

Such a wonderful, like-minded group; mostly couples, some friends and a set of parents traveling with their adult son. As a solo female traveler, I never felt unsafe or excluded. Everyone was so sweet, would spark conversations with me and offer an invitation to dine with them throughout the cruise which really enhanced my experience.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

AdventureSmith was helpful and thorough. I felt well-prepared for this trip. Where to next!?

Traveler Advice

Bring layers, the weather is unpredictable (especially late season). Stay alert – you never know when you’ll spot wildlife. Be present with your surroundings/disconnect from technology, let go of what you can’t control, and enjoy the glide!