The Uncruise adventure was very different from our usual type of cruising, so we thought we should reflect a bit on the experience. In the past we have done a number of cruises on big cruise lines. Those are large ships with typically 1000 – 3000 passengers – great place to get lost in the crowd. On our Uncruise trip there were approximately 32 passengers – not getting lost in the crowd here! That made for a hugely different and more intimate experience. However, the very nature of the trip — an adventure cruise — was also completely different from anything we had ever been on before.
Instead of putting into a port to wander around town each day, or maybe purchase some kind of add on tour, the focus of an adventure cruise is on outdoor activities like snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, nature watching, etc, as well as some cultural and historical experiences. Also, all these activities had no additional costs, they were just part of the cruise. And all drinks were included, too! That’s another nice perk.
On a big ship, what you do with your time is pretty much up to you. On a small ship with such a small group, logistics dictate that your day needs to be a bit more structured than it might be on a larger ship. The day’s activities might center on a cultural experience, going for a hike, beach time, a skiff tour, or something else depending on the location. You never have to go, of course you can stay on the ship if you like, and there may be several options at a given location (long hike vs short hike, snorkeling vs kayaking), but a small number of people means a small number of offerings each day. There is likely a specific time that you will need to leave for the day’s activities, and a specific time you will return. However, we did not find these limitations to be a problem at all. It was simply a matter of opening ourselves up to whatever experiences each day offered, and we found ourselves going for the gusto! At first we worried that we might be too ambitious in what we signed up for, but no, these two old farts kept up!
We were surprised to find that our fellow passengers where not at all what we had expected. Because small adventure cruises need to be a bit more expensive, we expected a snooty crowd of dressed to the nines wealthy people. Instead, what we found was a group of people like us. Everyone we talked to seemed to be there because they are inveterate travelers. They came from varied backgrounds – we met a shop teacher, a school nurse, a professor, an IT professional, a travel agent, and others. These were not wealthy people. They were mostly retired (the only young people on board seemed to be traveling in family groups with retired parents), but the defining characteristic seemed to be that whatever disposable income they had in retirement was used for travel. Every one of them could tell numerous stories about the many different places in the world they had visited, the different kinds of cruises they had gone on, and the various modes of travel they had employed. Travel (and the day’s adventures) was the most popular topic of conversation and a great way to learn about new places to visit and different ways to see them.
Frankly, one of our biggest concerns had been about cruising with such a small group of people. Those who know us will be amazed that we quickly made friends and fell into a routine of nearly constant socializing! We shocked ourselves! Usually we like the anonymity of a large ship, being able to disappear into the crowd (or a small, quiet private place) and not engage. And the tight quarters did push us out of our comfort zone socially. Generally the only place to go on board outside of lying on your bed (we had one of the smallest rooms) or going to meals, was the upstairs lounge. Therefore there was almost always a fair number of people there. Between the time together at meals, in the lounge, and on adventure activities, people got to know each other very quickly. Thus in our down time people invariably grouped together to talk and share stories. We usually wouldn’t be in the lounge for more than a few minutes before one friend or another sat down with us to strike up a conversation. And we liked that! We actually liked it! I think the difference for us was that the people on board were so quickly NOT strangers. Talking to strangers tends to make us uncomfortable, but we enjoy talking to friends, and everyone on board felt like a friend almost immediately.
Hanging in the lounge
This even extended to the crew. We noticed that the crew, even deckhands, seemed to make a concerted effort to learn our names first thing. They also had the freedom to stop what they were doing and chat with passengers (unlike large ships where crew fraternizing with passengers tends to be frowned upon). This helped create a much friendlier and cozier atmosphere.
Now let’s talk about food. We always love to talk about food. Once again, since it is a much smaller ship, the food options are more limited. There is no pizza or hamburger bar open for hours during the day and night or multiple restaurant choices for each meal. What there is, though, is very high quality, delicious food with ample selection and more than enough to satisfy those hearty appetites resulting from all that activity during the day. Each dinner had a meat, a seafood, and a vegetarian option available. We soon found ourselves tempted by more than one choice and were pleased to discover the “half and half” option which was happily accommodated by the kitchen staff. Many of us took advantage of that option because, well, who wants to miss out on any delicious food?
The chef on the ship clearly took advantage of local seafood and we found both the entrée choices and meal presentation to be top notch. One of our last meals was the chef’s version of the Cuban dish, Ropa Vieja (old clothes), which was absolutely wonderful. Tami was also pleasantly surprised when the crew surprised all of the May birthday passengers with yummy chocolate cake one evening after dinner! Mmm, that was good.
Cake!
Another thing we learned from this trip is that there is a whole culture of traveling old farts. We ran into a group in the airport at Panama City returning from an OAT tour and compared notes with them. We are also anxious to hear about our good friend Peggy’s concurrent trip to Costa Rica through Road Scholars. Our many travel conversations from this trip will prompt a lot more research into other forms of travel. While we expected to enjoy this cruise, it far exceeded our expectations. We are really looking forward to sailing with Uncruise again. The main dilemma is Alaska vs Hawaii!