JUNEAU -- Seven-year-old Jack McGee is hiding in the crook of a rotten spruce log covered with moss, trying not to giggle. Around him are the sounds of footsteps and muffled cries of "Hurry up, find a place!" as 15 other kids hustle under bushes or behind stumps. Faces pressed close to nature's surface, they wait, crouched in silence among the underbrush of remote Southeast Alaska.
Jack and his cohorts are learning a lesson about predator and prey, not in school but on vacation. A cruise vacation to be exact.
Each year, nearly a million people see Alaska via cruise ship, most of them aboard enormous vessels housing up to 3,000 visitors eager to experience a Last Frontier they've seen on television or read about in books.
This annual influx is big business, and while larger ships continue to appeal to an over-50 crowd, more families like Jack's are choosing to sail Alaska in a more intimate and adventurous setting on a small ship cruise.
Although Alaska's Southeast Panhandle is full of opportunities to explore miles of rugged rainforest coastline, adventure-seeking travelers don't usually consider cruising as a vacation option. But what if would-be travelers were presented with a ship welcoming fewer than 100 guests and offering activities ranging from crafting to kayaking to hikes through thick stands of Sitka spruce?
Smaller cruise lines fill a niche for those interested in an active family journey that, over the course of eight or more days, becomes the destination while supporting some lesser-known Alaska communities. It's also an option for Alaskans who haven't yet experienced the Panhandle's diversity.
According to the Alaska Cruise Association, an organization that partners with port businesses and cruise lines, the small cruise ship market is growing.
"It's of particular importance to smaller Alaska communities that don't have more established ports of call," says John Binkley, association president. "It gives them an opportunity to benefit from the cruise industry with much less impact."
How do they do that?
• Inflatable skiffs replace tour buses for visits to towns;
• Kayaks and paddleboards are launched in coves and bays for closer looks at flora or fauna;
• Wildlife becomes a scenic fixture from topside decks.
Kids are immersed in the unique environment of Southeast Alaska, whether tidepooling a deserted beach with a naturalist or bushwhacking through swampy, pungent tangles of salmonberry and skunk cabbage.
For Ralph and Ashley McGee, Jack's parents, this wasn't just a good way to visit Alaska; this was the only way. Aboard the ship with their extended and often-scattered family, the McGees traveled from North Carolina to experience Alaska together.
"You get to really dig in here," said Ashley, referring to the perspective Jack and his older brother, 10-year-old Ralph IV, were given during their trip between Ketchikan and Juneau on an Un-Cruise Adventures "Family Discoveries" week. "Every single day we saw new things in new places, then got our feet on the ground and learned about them. There's not a lot of places like Alaska, and we wanted it to stick."
Smaller cruise ships have the advantage of a fairly loose itinerary due to their ability to maneuver among the nooks and crannies of Southeast Alaska's forested archipelago.
With rich opportunities for hands-on discovery and daily discussions, cruise lines cater to an active clientele. Access and impact to certain areas is tightly controlled either by the National Park Service or U.S. Forest Service via vigorous permitting, and feedback from passengers is vital as the market for soft adventure morphs into its own segment of the Alaska cruise industry.
Dano Quinn, captain of the Wilderness Discoverer, a 76-passenger Un-Cruise vessel, emphasized the importance of providing kids with an opportunity to capture the essence of a place like Alaska.
"Hopefully, this is going to be the experience of their young lives," he said during a recent sailing between Ketchikan and Juneau, watching carefully as two young sisters took turns piloting the ship under Quinn's tutelage. "We're seeing so much that's new every day, and Alaska has a lot to offer kids. I'm hoping this is something they'll remember forever."
When I caught up with Jack, he was brushing off remnants of rotten wood and bits of forest floor as a game of Camouflage wound down. I asked him for an opinion about his trip to Alaska. The answer came without hesitation.
"It's like a magic place," he said. "I can blend in with the trees and mountains and nobody would ever know I was there."
Erin Kirkland is publisher of AKontheGO.com and author of the guidebook "Alaska On the Go: Exploring the 49th State with Children."
Alaska small-ship cruising
Several companies cruise Alaska from April to September, each offering a niche within the scope of Alaska history, culture and recreation.
• Un-Cruise Adventures (www.un-cruise.com, 888-862-8881). Cruises the Inside Passage and Glacier Bay, departing from Ketchikan, Juneau or Sitka. Un-Cruise provides children with active adventures like hiking, kayaking, paddleboarding and skiff tours during a seven-day itinerary that rarely ventures toward towns. Crafts, games and evening presentations round out the popular Family Discoveries (formerly known as Kids in Nature) program that caters to kids under 12.
• Alaskan Dream Cruises (www.alaskandreamcruises.com, 855-747-8100) is an Alaska-owned company and a leader in the day-cruise industry in Sitka and Juneau since 1970. Overnight itineraries focus on "casual luxury" with trips ranging from eight to 13 days and focusing on the culture and history of Southeast Alaska. Less strenuous than other small-ship cruises, Alaskan Dream Cruises is a good option for families new to cruising or those wanting to visit communities such as Kake, Petersburg or Wrangell.
• The Boat Company (www.theboatcompany.org, 877-647-8268). With two refurbished vessels housing 20 to 24 passengers, the company's cruise model is based on attention to conservation and environmental awareness. Passengers may fish, kayak, explore the shoreline and experience Alaska from the comfort of a luxury, eco-based itinerary based on guests' ability levels and interests.