Discovery VoyagesReviews of discoveryvoyages.com

The Discovery Voyages captain and crew were superb. They were friendly, knowledgeable, and competent, and they embodied a true conservation ethic. I couldn't imagine a better group for shepherding people through the majestic natural glories of Prince William Sound. Also, the food on the boat was phenomenal.

I love everything about this trip. The stay on board was comfortable, all the meals were excellent, and the crew's enthusiasm and dedication is top notch. We saw so much wildlife from the boat: eagles, gulls, seals, sea otters, bears, mountain goats. Highly recommended.

My tour was called Glaciers and Brown Bears. The first part was on the small ship Discovery and for five days we explored Prince William Sound. Our small group of nine passengers observed wildlife, kayaked among the glaciers, and hiked in pristine wilderness. We saw eagles, kittiwakes, otters, puffins, seals, whales, jellyfish. Our guides Tori and Tyler were so kind and helpful. I learned so much about Alaska from them. And Captain Dean… he had a story for almost every place we sailed by. The whole trip was accompanied by Meg’s wonderful culinary creations! She was a great chef and captain - I hated saying goodbye! The ship was small and the cabins were not staterooms, but comfortable. My lower bunk was plenty large for a good nights sleep. The bathrooms were small, but more than adequate and the hot showers were appreciated after our kayak trip in the ice. The galley and common area were plenty roomy for us and let us visit as the beautiful scenery passed by. The crew was fantastic and extremely knowledgeable about history of the sound and the wildlife. Highlights included the kayak trip to Bryn Mawr glacier, the beautiful vistas of the surrounding mountains, and the hikes. I can’t say enough good things about our trip on the Discovery! The second part of our trip was at Silver Salmon Creek Lodge in Lake Clark to observe and photograph coastal brown bears. We were supposed to be accompanied by our guide and professional photographer, but he was in an unfortunate accident and couldn’t make it. His replacement, however, was experienced and knowledgeable. We went out several times each day to different locations to watch and photograph bears and other wildlife. I’m not a great photographer but got great shots and video with my iPhone. The highlight was seeing a sow with her two cubs! I especially like being in a small group of six people with our own guide (there were 3-4 groups visiting). The only negative was the unexpected cold weather. I was I inadequately prepared and had to wear everything I brought just to stay warm! Our chef made up for my lack of a warm coat with wonderful meals and desserts. The staff at SSCL were great and made our stay a wonderful one! This trip was 11 days plus a few extra in Anchorage. I can highly recommend Glaciers and Bears, even for a newbie like me- I enjoyed myself thoroughly and plan to go on another Discovery Voyages trip sometime soon. This was a trip of a lifetime and I will never forget the people I met along the way!

This was an awesome experience!! You can visit Alaska on one of the cruise ships with 4000 passengers or you can experience Alaska on a small ship like the Discovery. We were able to go ashore and hike twice, and we were able to go out and kayak amongst the ice flows, otters and harbor seals. Wen were also able to get up close and personal with the glaciers. Dean and Meg, the owners are awesome and take very good care of everything, including all gourmet meals!! This is the only way to go to Alaska!!!

I loved every minute of our adventure. The weather was less than desirable, but I don’t think we missed a thing. Our chef, Meg, was creative and patient. There were eleven of us, and she pleased everyone. The adventures, included kayaking, photographing amazing wildlife, walking among the glaciers, and learning do much about Prince William Sound. The nature aspect of this trip was beyond beautiful. As a side note, the group we were with was terrific. We all got along great, chatted the entire time, and played a memorable game. Would I do this again? In a minute.

Great job by the entire crew, in all kinds of weather. Such a highlight for our trip!

My twin sister and I, with our husbands, celebrated our 60th birthday in Alaska and this was the anchor of the trip. Every single moment on The Discovery was so unique and special! Dean and Meg, the owners, and Ashley and Erin, the young women who were their assistants and our guides, were EVERYTHING. They bent over backwards to accommodate our needs and wants! You don’t care for onions? Meg made sure to have a dish without. You like a certain Chardonnay? They made sure it was in front of you. The guides made our excursions so fun, too, full of tidbits of info, and their enthusiasm for all that Alaska offers was so contagious! We learned tasty vs poisonous berries, how to catch a fish by hand, what absorbent moss to use if you need to wipe…well, you get the picture……. And every single time there were animals or fish to see in the water, they were quick to call us all to the side of the boat for the view. The best example of over-and-beyond was the night we were told the Northern Lights were possibly going to make a show in the early early AM. I set my alarm for 1:30 and headed outside, and a few minutes later, I saw Meg peering through the window. Turns out she had been getting up every 30 minutes to check, so none of us would miss it if we were interested. The boat was boat comfy and intimate and everywhere was an awe-inspiring view. The mountains, glaciers, whales, otters, sea lions, harbor seals, bears, salmon, puffins, eagles, glaciers calving…… Meg is a such a good cook and the meals were divine. So good! I bought her cookbook before we got off the boat, but wished I had had it all week so I could take notes! One night we had a blind taste test of two types of salmon to see which was our favorite. Lots of fun. Our meals were gourmet yet felt like we at home eating with the family. Dean is a more behind-the-scenes character, but is worth spending time talking to, which my husband did. Dean has spent decades working in Alaska and seems to know every nook and cranny of the part of the Sound we were in. He is handy, too, doing much of the renovations on the boat. As him how he feels about heart shaped rocks! Obviously, we had an unforgettable experience. We felt like our joy was their joy. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the owners and crew of The Discovery!

This cruise was definitely a highlight of our trip to Alaska. Captain Dean has been working in Prince William Sound for more than 30 years, and knows where to go to see specific wildlife, offer interesting walks, stop at lovely anchorages, and get up close to spectacular glaciers. Our extended, perfectly-quiet float in front of the broad Harvard Glacier was thrilling, as the quiet was broken only by the lightening-like sounds of the glacier cracking, and the thunder of ice falling off its face. The boat is beautifully kept up and comfortable, the food prepared by Dean's wife and co-captain Megan was great, the crew was knowledgeable about the wildlife and sights we were seeing, and there were many little touches during the cruise, like the special Discovery cocktail cooled by glacier ice scooped out of the sea, that made the trip so memorable. Everybody associated with the operation, from the drivers to the crew, were wonderful, engaging people who it was a pleasure to spend time with. And because it's a small group of passengers, we were also fortunate to travel along with others who were personable, interested in each other, and similarly respectful and awed by the amazing country we were visiting.