Luxury Yacht Cruising with Un-Cruise Adventures in British Columbia

Press Trip

Lounging on the Safari Quest Yacht by janross53

I curled up on the comfy couch, tucking my feet under me and spreading the warm throw over my knees. I could have been at home, comfortably reading, except for the fact that I could glance up and through the large windows to see dark green water and the incredibly beautiful landscape of the coast of British Columbia slipping past.

My perch was located in the library of the Un-Cruise Adventures yacht, the Safari Quest, and Tom and I were on one of the most incredible cruises we have ever experienced.

My favorite place on the Safari Quest.

We had cruised on dozens of big cruise line behemoth ships and had even downsized to a river cruise ship in Europe, but this yacht was the smallest cruise ship so far – and also the most wonderful.

The Safari Quest.

 When we boarded, we found ourselves in a lovely, beautifully furnished and very comfortable lounge area with even more cushy seating for me to curl up on.

Another comfy area where I spent a lot of time.

The salon ended up being where the 15 guests onboard (the yacht holds 22 guests, in addition to the crew) congregated at all times of the day. There is a 2:1 ratio of crew to passengers on the ship and we were constantly amazed at how nice and friendly every member of the crew was and how they were always concerned with making sure we were all comfortable and having a good time. They seemed to all genuinely love their jobs and it was a refreshing change from some cruises we have taken.

The salon was very comfortable with huge windows and, more importantly, the bar is located in this area. Drinks are included in your fare on the Safari Quest and we were even encouraged to go behind the bar and help ourselves if no crew members were available. I soon became comfortable with getting ice and a soft drink for myself whenever I felt like it and, every time I did, I thought about how much I would be paying for that drink on the big cruise lines. So silly they way they nickel and dime their passengers on those cruises. We much preferred the system on the Safari Quest! The crew had obviously been trained on making drinks because I heard people order all kinds of drinks and they never hesitated when making them.

After we boarded and explored the ship, Tom spent the first few hours prowling all over the ship taking photos.

I unpacked.

When I arrive somewhere, I like to immediately settle in and nest. Nest was a good name for our cozy little stateroom on the lower deck. At first, I wasn’t sure all our belongings would fit but I unpacked two large suitcases and every single item was put away, to my surprise. The staterooms are designed for maximum organization and are amazingly comfortable. The floors in the bathroom are even heated!

Down those stairs to our cozy stateroom!

Here’s a diagram of the ship to give you an idea where everything was located. We were in stateroom C2, tucked away in the bow of the ship. It was very quiet and very comfortable.

The lovely Safari Quest. Photo courtesy of Un-Cruise Adventures.

There are also suites available on the ship, on the top deck, and from what I could see as I passed by open doors, they were quite a bit more roomy and had doors which opened to a small balcony. The sun lounge on the top deck of the ship became the most popular place on the ship as the weather cleared on our second day and we were blessed with warm, sunny and gorgeous weather the entire week. There were kayaks neatly stored up there, along with the skiff, which was used for excursions to view the local scenery and wildlife.

Kayaks and Skiff.

We spent a lot of time in that skiff with Bethany, one of our favorite people and the resident naturalist/biologist on the ship. She got really excited about sharing the area wildlife with us and was not averse to leaning so far out of the skiff to grab something for us to see that we were often afraid she would tumble into the water.

Bethany showing us something while I (as usual) lounge in a chair.

Bethany gets up close and personal with a sea slug.

There was a large hot tub up on the sun lounge as well, which some passengers enjoyed and we intended to but our days were so full, we just never got around to it. The sun lounge was where we watched the killer whales one day and we also watched as day after day incredible scenery passed by the ship.

One view from the Safari Quest.

Princess Louisa Inlet

I loved my comfy perches but Tom’s favorite place on the ship was the bridge. The Safari Quest has an open bridge policy and by open bridge, they really mean it. They have a bench in there for passengers to sit and the captain is always very welcoming. Sean, our captain on this voyage, spent a lot of time explaining how everything worked, where we were and what we were cruising past, and where we were headed next. He never showed any sign of impatience at all the questions and, like the rest of the crew, seemed to love his job. Anytime I was looking for Tom, he was either down this hallway in the bridge or on the sun lounge taking photos.

The hallway to the bridge.

Sean on the bridge.

Every evening, after a long day of kayaking, taking out the skiff, hiking and exploring, we gathered in the dining room for one incomparable dinner after another. The chef and pastry chef did a great job with all the meals and we enjoyed every bite.

The beautiful dining room.

We were never allowed to go hungry on the ship; in addition to three full meals, we had delicious appetizers every night before dinner and every time we arrived back from one of our adventures, we had some interesting food and drink waiting for us.

Snacks waiting after one of our adventures.

Appetizers on the sun lounge one evening.

The crew, the accommodations, the food, the ship itself, the incredible adventures – everything combined to create the perfect cruise experience for our week in British Columbia.

I’d like to be back in my little perch at this very moment!

Full disclosure: Un-Cruise Adventures provided us with the cruise,  but as always, I will share my honest opinion about any travel experiences I have.

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