A few weeks ago, before boarding Viking Venus, I wrote about what I hoped to discover in Alaska.
There were whales, bears, glaciers, huskies and amazing scenery on my wish list – along with plenty of warm layers for what I confidently predicted was going to be a very chilly adventure.
Well, Alaska delivered on almost everything I wished for…except perhaps the cold!
Who would have thought that on day two in Valdez, I’d be sunbaking on deck in a balmy 20 degrees, surrounded by snow-capped mountains? Certainly not me, as I looked at the Arctic-worthy wardrobe I’d packed.
But that was Alaska. Full of surprises from beginning to end.
Before travelling, I’d dreamed of hearing the thunderous crack of a glacier calving into icy waters. Tick – although nothing prepared me for the sheer scale and spectacle of both Hubbard and LeConte Glaciers.
You can look at photographs and watch videos, but being there is something else entirely.
As you weave through the dense “iceberg graveyard” you can almost touch the floating black ice, hear it sizzle and if you are lucky (and we were!) you can spy harbour seals bobbing and wobbling on the ice floes.
The colours, the silence and then suddenly that enormous CRACK, followed by the thunder of ice tumbling into the water. It’s nature putting on its own show – and nobody is checking their phone.
To add to the thrills and adventure, our small jetboat blew an engine on our way back to Viking Venus and we had to be rescued by another jetboat just in time for our sail away from the port of Wrangell. It gave us extra time to marvel at the incredible surrounding scenery – so exciting!
I’d also wished for humpback whales surfacing beside us. Alaska decided to seriously over-deliver on that one.
At Icy Strait Point, we found ourselves in the right place at precisely the right time as humpbacks breached and bubble-net fed right before our eyes.
Watching these magnificent creatures work together to feed and then explode from the water was one of those rare spine tingling travel moments.
I have been fortunate enough to see some extraordinary wildlife around the world, but this was right up there with the best of it.
My camera got a workout, but as I predicted before leaving, some moments simply cannot be captured properly through a lens.
And yes – there was a bear!
Seeing one wandering through a stream in its natural habitat was another pinch-me moment.
Add bald eagles overhead, salmon-filled waters and some very enthusiastic Alaskan huskies before a thrilling dog-sled experience in Seward and at times it felt as though we’d wandered onto the set of a live-action National Geographic documentary.
But Alaska wasn’t only about ticking wildlife and glaciers off a wish list. What surprised me most was the sheer beauty of the everyday cruising.
I’d imagined mornings on my balcony with a coffee watching mist drift across pine-covered islands – and there were plenty of those. Sailing the Inside Passage really does make looking out the window an activity in itself.
Then there were the smaller towns and communities, where the welcome was warm, the scenery enormous and the pace wonderfully unhurried. There was a feeling of travelling somewhere still gloriously wild and remote.
And Viking Venus turned out to be the perfect companion – and delivered a few surprises of her own.
I already knew I loved Viking’s understated Scandinavian style, but what really struck me on this voyage was just how easy it is to cruise your own way.
Viking is famous for what it doesn’t have – no kids and no casinos – but don’t mistake that for nothing going on. Far from it.
In fact, one of my biggest surprises was the entertainment.
The talented onboard vocalists put on three fabulous shows during our cruise: a brilliant Beatles tribute – particularly fitting given they’re Viking founder Torstein Hagen’s favourite band – a hugely entertaining ABBA show and a fantastic trip down memory lane with a ’60s show.
Great voices, great energy and plenty of familiar songs had us singing along and wondering why we’d ever thought Viking evenings might be quiet!
And if you want to keep the socialising going, there’s plenty more happening around the ship.
From trivia and pitch and putt to live music and an impressive programme of talks and lectures, you can make your days and evenings as busy as you like.
The lectures were another surprise. There were subjects I had absolutely no idea I was interested in, until suddenly I was completely hooked!
Viking does enrichment particularly well, with engaging speakers adding another dimension to the places you’re visiting. In Alaska, where history, wildlife, geology and Indigenous culture are all part of the story, it made the destination even more fascinating.
But here’s the beauty of it: you don’t have to do any of it.
If your perfect afternoon involves disappearing with a good book, there are beautiful nooks and corners all over Viking Venus where you can hide away.
Even though this cruise was full with more than 900 passengers it never felt busy or crowded.
Grab a coffee or a glass of wine, sink into a comfortable chair and watch Alaska glide past those enormous windows. With scenery this spectacular, Mother Nature often provides the best show of all.
That, for me, is the Viking sweet spot. You don’t feel pressured to join in, but you certainly won’t be bored if you do.
One day might involve a fascinating lecture, an adventurous shore excursion, trivia, spa treatment, workout in the gym, a fabulous dinner and a Beatles show.
The next could be a book, a comfy chair and several blissful hours doing little more than watching glaciers and pine-covered islands drift past…oh, and the odd Orca!
Yes, on the very last day sailing the Inside Passage we were accompanied by a whole pod of these incredible killer whales (did you know that they only eat the liver of the Great White Shark). Just one of the amazing facts I learned on board.
And perhaps Viking’s famous “no kids, no casinos” philosophy is less about what’s missing and more about what it makes room for instead – good conversation, great entertainment, enrichment, relaxation and the freedom to enjoy your holiday exactly as you choose.
Add the warm, genuinely friendly crew and a ship that somehow never feels overcrowded and there’s an almost family-like atmosphere onboard.
No kids, no casinos, no pressure. Just plenty of choice and the freedom to cruise your own way.
And when you’re sailing through Alaska, sometimes the hottest ticket in town is still simply a comfortable chair facing the window.
