Barry G.
Traveler Beware– No Contingency Plan
We were scheduled to join Discovery Voyages for their 3-Day Sampler Cruise June 9 – 11 of 2026 (the centerpiece of our one big trip of the year). Our flight to bring us to the region was leaving early on June 5th and we received a call from Meg on the evening of the June 3rd letting us know that Captain Dean was injured and required immediate surgery (we hope his recovery goes well), and as a result, our cruise was canceled. This was a once in a lifetime bucket list trip, more than 9 months of planning and special purchases, and very abruptly canceled. My dream of kayaking in the ice cubes and getting up close and personal with Alaska’s wildlife and terrain was pretty much over. As a result of our other plans in the region and the penalty of lost PTO, we were unable to scrap the trip entirely, so we had to plan our entire Alaskan vacation 36 hours before we flew out. Meg gave us some thoughts on things we could do while we were in Alaska, a couple of attraction links to consider, and a promise of a full refund, but we were completely on our own to research attractions and make any arrangements. We pivoted nicely and were able to book some typical tourist activities including The Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Seward, an 8.5-hour Major Marine Tours boat cruise, and a White Raven Tours Transit Tour back to Anchorage (we recommend all). We also needed to book hotels, get reservations for dinners, rent a car for a half-day, and just walk around aimlessly to balance out our time in Alaska. In all, we had a great time and will remember it forever, but it was not the vacation that I dreamed about, and bored anyone who would listen to me about it for 9 months. Upon our return, the big comment from friends was “they didn’t have a contingency plan”, and the response was “no”. So, if there is an injury/illness to a vital crew member, a problem with the boat, or some other thing that you may not be thinking about, you’re not going. For all I know, this was the first time they’ve had to cancel a cruise, and possibly a “World According to Garp” occurrence, but I guess there is one thing you should be asking yourself before booking….Do you feel lucky? We also had some friends who were anxiously awaiting our review so that they could book one of the cruises, they’re not going to take the chance.
Response from Discovery VoyagesJul 29, 2026
Barry, We truly apologize for needing to cancel your trip. Yes, this was a 'once-in-a-lifetime' event in which Capt Dean was injured and required surgery. His wife (the co-captain and chef) needed to be absent from the trip as well. With the over 30 years we have been operating our tours, we have developed numerous contingency plans to keep our guests happy and voyages running. In this particular scenario, we were unable to secure two additional qualified and capable captains with such short notice (mind you, if someone is worth anything, they are already working). We needed a captain who could keep the vessel functioning and not create problems for the rest of the season. We needed to secure a reliable chef who would produce quality meals. Trip cancellations do happen in all industries, big and small. Right now, a cruise ship is cancelling trips due to uncontrolled intestinal infections. Unfortunately, sometimes things happen that are out of anyone's control. We do our best to avoid them, but sometimes life throws a curveball and it is just not possible. Best to you in your future travel plans.