I packed a lot of Alaska into the first port day of my Virgin Voyages cruise on the Brilliant Lady: seal spotting, a hike in Tongass National Forest and a bit of shopping.
Then I got back onboard for a dinner show, where a sequin-covered cast sang Britney Spears and Pussycat Dolls covers and an aerialist performed splits in midair.
Cruisers are no strangers to the dichotomy of a day in port and an evening on a ship. But some brands and destinations bring that contrast out more than others.
As I set sail on Virgin Voyages' second-ever Alaska voyage and its first from its summer homeport of Seattle, I was eager to see how a cruise line that considers itself an industry disrupter would do Alaska.
No kids, no buffet, no surcharge for onboard restaurants; that's how Virgin Voyages has established its brand in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, the first two regions it has sailed.
Choosing Virgin in Alaska gets you that same experience with a different backdrop.
For Virgin loyalists, it's a needed new offering; a reason to return to the brand and see a new part of the world featured on many bucket lists. For those seeking out Alaska but choosing between cruise lines, Virgin may be the right choice for all the reasons Virgin may be the right choice for a client anywhere: a child-free environment and laid-back shipboard experience that's a bit less traditional.
I took in the dramatic scenery of Endicott Arm Fjord from the red Virgin Voyages hammock on my balcony. I spotted whales from the treadmill. I enjoyed evening meals, karaoke and live music in Virgin style after days on trails surrounded by towering spruce trees. One of those evenings, I took in "Up With a Twist," the aforementioned pop music spectacle, over dinner.
Virgin offered a few Alaska-exclusive experiences onboard, like a lumberjack-themed competition (more on that below).
Taking in the scenery of the Inside Passage from the deck of the ship. Photo Credit: Teri West
Scenery and serenity
The Brilliant Lady's design works well for sightseeing in Alaska.
I greatly appreciated having a balcony stateroom for the two sea days designed for taking in the scenery: sailing the Inner Passage and Endicott Arm Fjord. It offered an opportunity for some serenity in an otherwise social setting.
Other public spaces onboard offer similar views, though the Brilliant Lady doesn't have a wraparound walkway on a lower deck like some other competitors in Alaska. That limits the ability to get as close to the water as possible for wildlife spotting.
The cruise also could have benefitted from a heads-up about glacier visits. There were no details in the Virgin Voyages app, nor was there an announcement over the loudspeaker about what time we should expect to arrive. I know of one person who missed the glacier entirely and another who nearly did after becoming engrossed in other activities on the ship.
For dining, those interested in locally inspired cuisine can look for a bear symbol on menus, which indicates Alaska exclusives. Many were seafood options, such as the roasted cod I tried at Spanish restaurant Rojo by Razzle Dazzle.
There was also onboard shopping with local products like smoked salmon and salmon jerky.
Alaska-exclusive activities offered new ways to pass some time on sea days.
Drawn to the Wild is a $35 wildlife drawing class in The Manor, where we were given general guidance about how to sketch animals like bald eagles, whales and wolves in three different artistic styles. The atmosphere was calm, and the price included Champagne.
"You Don't Know Lumberjack" was a competition show in the Red Room, where contestants from two teams could volunteer to catch fake pancakes in pans, play hot potato with a toy ax or throw a real ax at a target.
"You Don't Know Lumberjack" is an onboard competition show created exclusively for Virgin's Alaska cruises. Photo Credit: Teri West
Calls of the wild
My sailing visited Ketchikan and Sitka in Alaska and Prince Rupert in British Columbia. We were able to get off the ship as early as 9 or 10 a.m., depending on the port, and final call wasn't until at least 5 p.m.
I participated in a wildlife-focused shore excursion (Virgin calls them Shore Things) in Sitka called Coastal Expedition and Fin Island Lodge Feast. The outfitters provided us with raincoats and waterproof pants and took us out on an open-air, expedition-style boat in a group of 12.
It's easy to spot eagles in Sitka, but we were lucky enough to see a group flying together, two of whom locked talons before descending in a mesmerizing spiral.
Our expedition guide also pointed out otters and was a wealth of knowledge about the region's natural environment, which includes the Mount Edgecumbe volcano. We then enjoyed a casual meal of mostly seafood in a lodge on an island. I loved the fire outside the lodge, where we made s'mores for dessert.
In Prince Rupert, we headed inland to an Indigenous cultural center on a scenic property, where we enjoyed song and dance performances by a local group, had a short walk through the woods and ate a delicious lunch. Though the scenery at the port is beautiful, I particularly liked the drive inland along the base of snowy mountains with cascading waterfalls.
The final day of the voyage offered one more opportunity to enjoy the Brilliant Lady, and I discovered that a Virgin Voyages sea day in Alaska doesn't have to be all that different from one in a more tropical locale. Though the top decks are open air, sunny weather offered comfortable enough temperatures for sunbathing.
The pools were usually empty. But the hot tubs? Always full.