Two Orvis Hosted Trips in 2012

Orvis Week Cruising Southeast Alaska Aboard the Mist Cove June 9-16, 2012 and August 18-25, 2012.

Two 8-day adventure cruises between Sitka and Juneau

TO BOOK SPACE:
Email: orvistravel@orvis.com
Call: 800 547-4322

These cruises are a wonderful alternative if you want to explore the coastal waterways of Southeast Alaska but don’t care for big cruise ships. The scale and warm ambiance of the M.V. Mist Cove, plus the range of activities that focus on exploring the outdoors, are very much in keeping with our values at Orvis. The ship holds 24 passengers, and is small enough to poke into the small bays of the coastal islands where you’ll see whales, eagles, and a host of wildlife. Luxurious, but casual and unpretentious, the ship provides plenty of comfort and the crew leads daily excursions to make sure you get the best possible experience, whether you’re interesting in hiking, fishing, kayaking, wildlife viewing or just taking in the view.

The cruise starts in Sitka, airport transfers and a hotel room is provided the night before you board, along with transfer to the ship.

This is a great cruise for all ages. The crew goes out of its way to plan activities to suit everyone.

About your hosts

Famed conservationist, author and landscape photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum will be on the August 18 trip.  His book on the area, The Tongass: Alaska’s Vanishing Rain Forest, is a classic and he will gladly share his knowledge of the Tongass National Forest with you.  He’ll also be happy to give you some photo tips if you like.  

Vicky Vosburg, DVM, will be on the June trip representing the Sitka Raptor Center.  She’s a famed all-around naturalist who lives in the area and will introduce you to the birds that inhabit the marine, forest, wetland and shore habitats you pass through.

Both Robert and Vicky are friendly hosts who will provide extra knowledge of this complex, fascinating landscape where temperate rainforest meets the sea.

Itinerary

This is a typical schedule, but the daily activities are arranged to suit the weather and the interests of the groups.

Fly fishers should note that this is not a dedicated fly-fishing trip unlike programs at Orvis endorsed fishing lodges in Alaska. There are plenty of opportunities to fish, but the guides lead a variety of activities, not just fishing excursions, and you will generally be on your own regarding fly selection, knot tying, and spotting fish. The boats carry all the spin-casting and trolling gear for salmon & halibut-but limited fly-fishing gear; so serious anglers should bring their own.

SATURDAY – Arrive Sitka

Sitka is a remote fishing community located southwest of Juneau on Baranof Island, easily reached by scheduled commercial jet service. Arrive on one of several flights per day and check into the Hotel. Enjoy exploring the quaint town, and at dinnertime try a local seafood delicacy in the hotel dining room. Airport transfers and hotel accommodations are included in the cruise package.

SUNDAY – Board ship, cruise to Sukoi Inlet

After breakfast, spend the morning packing before being picked up at your hotel by crew members and transported to the dock for an mid morning departure. The ship gets under way by 11:00 AM and heads to its first night’s anchorage in scenic Sukoi Inlet on Kruzof Island. Bald eagles and Steller sea lions are a common sight when leaving Sitka Harbor. After a short cruise and an exquisite first-night’s dinner on board, you visit with old and new friends in the ship’s comfortable salon or maybe take a guided “underground tour” of galley and engine room. If you haven’t already done so, don’t forget to take a few minutes this evening to buy a fishing license from your Captain.

MONDAY – Salisbury Sound & Peril Strait

Not far from the night’s anchorage is a popular saltwater sportfishing area, Salisbury Sound, where an all-morning salmon trolling trip aboard one of the ship’s sturdy skiffs may be of interest to the angling enthusiast. Halibut are common hereabouts, as well. Guests can take fish home at the end of a trip. Crew can custom-process your catch, vacuum pack and freeze it on board, and advise you on the best methods for shipment. Alternatively, the ship’s Chef is happy to prepare your catch for dinner and share recipes. If fishing doesn’t interest you, join in a skiff tour along the rocky shoreline to spot sea otters in company with an on-board Naturalist who will share insights into the natural history of this region. We are in the heart of a coastal Alaskan wilderness so we’ll keep a lookout for brown bears, often seen grazing on lush beach grasses throughout summer…easy to spot from a skiff. By lunchtime, we return to the ship to haul anchor and head through Sergius Narrows into Peril Strait. We cruise until dinnertime, when we find ourselves anchored in Saook Bay, another scenic Southeast Alaska harbor. After dinner, your crew can launch kayaks and you may paddle quietly around the anchorage savoring the wonder of your first full day in the wilds of Alaska.

TUESDAY – Paradise Flats & Kelp Bay

The stream at the head of Saook Bay flows through a broad grassy beach estuary called, appropriately, Paradise Flats. This place is heaven for fly fishers. We spend the morning here casting for Dolly Varden char and Cutthroat trout (or, later in the season, pink salmon) and then haul anchor after lunch and head along the coast of Baranof Island into the broad sheltered waters of Chatham Strait. During this afternoon’s cruise we will likely spot Humpback whales, Dalls porpoises, Stellar sea lions and maybe, if we’re lucky, Orcas. Our shipboard Naturalist will be happy to give a presentation while under way on the marine mammals we typically encounter on a cruise. On the way to Kelp Bay we sometimes stop and jig for halibut off Morris Reef – a 247-pounder was landed here on one of our cruises – or take a quick detour to hike up to Lake Eva where you can visit a grove of Sitka Spruce trees that are among the tallest and largest-girthed in the Tongass National Forest. There are choices of activities every day, and the ship’s crew to guest ratio is such that guests can go off in small groups with a knowledgeable staff member to explore according to their interests. Small groups also have less of an impact on the fragile, temperate rainforests environment of the Tongass National Forest.

WEDNESDAY – Red Bluff Bay & Pybus Bay – Admiralty Island

Early risers can go kayaking before breakfast with a guide, where you may see harbor seals and harlequin ducks. Both have little fear of kayakers on the water. Photographers love these outings. Later, motoring south on the ship, we cruise along the “waterfall coast” of Baranof Island – one of the most scenic coastal wilderness areas in southeast Alaska. Glaciers form in high snowfields on the island, and in summer their melting waters gather to flow in noisy cascades, tumbling off cliffs and creating a spectacle of lofty cataracts everywhere you look. When we get to Red Bluff Bay, we’ll divide the ship’s company into several groups to go ashore. Some may choose to fly fish in the river at the head of the bay. But the highlight of this place is the short but steep hike up onto the brick red bluffs, which give this place its name. Here, wildflowers are dense in summer, and the natural rock gardens are resplendent with splashy displays of blue and yellow violets, columbine and fragrant meadow orchids. After our hike, we return to the ship again and haul anchor, bound for Pybus Bay on Admiralty Island where we’ll spend the night. The local Tlingit tribe’s name for Admiralty Island is Kootznoowoo, which means “fortress of the bears.”

THURSDAY – Admiralty Island & Brothers Islands

Today is our final opportunity for hiking and fishing, and we’ve saved some of the best of both for last. We pack lunches and head out in the skiffs right after breakfast. Brothers Islands, lying just off the mouth of Pybus Bay, are notable for their unique mossy terrain. A gentle walk through the lush rainforest on one of these small islands leads us to a wild stretch of rocky beach. Great numbers of Stellar sea lions will sometimes haul out onto some of these beaches, and if we’re careful we can approach these noisy “rookeries” by skiff without disturbing the sunbathing animals. Halibut fishing in Pybus Bay is often productive, as is fly-fishing or spin casting for Pink salmon or Dolly Varden char in nearby Donkey Creek. Bald eagles perch solemnly in the tree tops waiting for an opportunity to snatch an unwary fish from the water. Bears are common here, and your guides on shore will carry a tackle box under one arm and a shotgun, just in case, under the other.

FRIDAY – Glacier Day

We are bound today for either Tracy Arm or Endicott Arm, two spectacular fjords carved deep into the Coast Range by rivers of ice. Both these inlets feature tidewater glaciers, so navigation can be made challenging at times by the presence of floating bergs. If the entrance to one fjord is blocked, we will enter the other. Our objective is to cruise to the head of a fjord and approach to within about a mile of the face of a glacier where we may watch great chunks of ice, some the size of our ship, crash into the ocean in a frenzy of foam and spray. Harbor seals find abundant food in the nutrient-rich waters of this inlet, and for a period of time in the summer female seals will haul-out onto floating bergs here to give birth to their young. Late in the day, we leave the fjords behind and anchor in Taku Harbor, not far from Juneau, where guests enjoy a particularly sumptuous cruise wrap-up dinner, followed by “an underground tour” of the ship’s engine room and a celebratory “roast & toast” with crew.

SATURDAY – Juneau, disembark ship

We arise early and take breakfast under way, with ancient and untouched spruce and hemlock forests marching past our ship’s wake as we make way back to civilization. By early morning we are tied to the dock in downtown Juneau, where you disembark and are transported to your hotel or to the airport in time for flights home or for flights on to Ketchikan to Alaska Boardwalk Lodge.

MV Mist Cove

Deck Plans, pictures and information about the Mist Cove

Stateroom Features

  • 12 staterooms (6 main deck, 6 upper “skiff” deck)
  • 10 cabins have Queen sized bed plus twin upper bunk
  • 2 Main Deck cabins have side-by-side twin beds
  • Temperature controls in each cabin
  • Roomy built-in wardrobe
  • Private bath with sink, mirror, hairdryer, toilet and standard-size stall shower
  • Dresser & several roomy drawers
  • Screened picture-frame windows that may be opened
  • Solid & screen doors open onto covered perimeter deck

Activities

  • Trained naturalist guides
  • Entertaining & educational presentations
  • Hiking, nature walks, beachcombing, picnics
  • Kayaking
  • Whale watching
  • Stream, lake & shore fishing, & trolling from 20′ skiffs
  • Wildlife viewing (binoculars in every room)
  • Reading, videos/DVDs, cards & games in the salon

Cruise Cost

$6895 per person

Included

  • Airport transfers and the first Saturday night at a Hotel in Sitka prior to sailing day.
  • Use of all recreational equipment aboard: kayaks, fishing equipment, hand-tied flies
  • Cleaning, packing, and freezing your catch
  • Guided hiking, kayaking, and fishing
  • All meals and snacks prepared by onboard chef – special diets accommodated – wines with dinner
  • Open bar including top-shelf brands

Not Included

  • Round-trip airfare to Alaska
  • Late arrival or early departure via floatplane
  • An Alaska state fishing license-required for fishermen over 16 (prices vary-sold onboard)
  • Highly personalized fly-fishing rods & gear
  • Gratuities to the ship’s crew
  • Travel Insurance

Deposit

A 25% per person deposit is required to confirm space on the cruise. You will be invoiced for the balance of the payment, which is due 90 days before departure.

Cancellation

Deposits are refundable until January 1 of the year of departure minus a booking fee. After that, deposits and payments are refundable only if someone is found to replace you. We urge you to get trip insurance

Reserving your space is easy.

If we are unable to confirm space, your card will not be charged.

15% discount on Orvis merchandise when you arrange your trip through Orvis Travel. You will receive a “VIP customer card” for booking a trip through Orvis Travel and it entitles you to a 15% discount on Orvis merchandise from the time you book until long after your trip is over.

Orvis has been outfitting travelers since 1856 and you can find all the specialty clothing, luggage and gear you need in our catalogs, stores and website. When you book through Orvis Travel you will never pay a booking fee and will save on every purchase. We also supply you with a detailed packing list so you know exactly what to take.

Terms & Conditions Important Information — Please Read Carefully

1. Reservations, Deposits & Payments

To reserve space on an Orvis Travel trip, call 1 800 547-4322. Mail or fax the completed reservation form to Orvis Travel.

See details listed in the itinerary for each trip piece’s specific information. Deposits may be made by check or credit card: Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover Card.

A signed reservation form and release are required prior to departure.

All prices must be paid in U.S. dollars.

Deposits are not transferable from one trip to another.

Prices quoted are based on foreign exchange values and tariffs currently in effect and prices are subject to change. Orvis Travel reserves the right to adjust prices accordingly until the time of departure.

 2. Planning information

When your reservation is confirmed, you will receive planning information to guide you through trip preparations. Details about arrival and departure, clothing and equipment, trip cancellation insurance, pre- and post- trip extensions, visas and documents and activities are included in the planning information.

 3. Cancellation and Refund Policy

If you must cancel your reservation, the fees in the trip details section will apply:

Cancellation fees cannot be waived for any reason, including health, business or personal emergencies, or weather.

We strongly urge you to purchase trip cancellation insurance.

No refunds will be made for unused portions of a trip, including late arrival or early departure. Guide fees and hotel costs are not refundable if unused as outlined in the itinerary. Orvis reserves the right to modify an itinerary due to circumstances beyond our control. In the unlikely event that Orvis must cancel a tour, all payments received to date will be refunded, which constitutes a full settlement.

Orvis is not responsible for expenses incurred in preparation of any canceled trip, including airline tickets and visas fees.

4. Cancellation Insurance

Your planning information includes an application for travel insurance covering cancellation for medical reasons, trip delay, medical expenses, lost baggage and medical evacuation. We urge you to obtain this coverage.

5. Share policies

Trip prices are based on double occupancy. Single rooms & cabins are limited. If you request a single room, a single supplement will apply as noted in the itinerary. We will confirm the single room as early as possible, but in some cases it may not be earlier than 30 days prior to the trip. If you request a roommate, we can usually pair you with another guest of the same gender, and no single supplement will apply. If you request a roommate, and one is not available, we will only charge you the single supplement if required by the lodge or facility used in the trip.

Children under 18 must share a room with a parent or other family member. In some cases this may be waived.

6. Passports and documents

International trips require a passport. Check your passport early and make sure it has six months validity at the time of travel. A visa is needed in some countries and we will send you complete details and instructions.

7. Arrival and Departure

Group transfers from a central location such as an airport are described in the itinerary, and are included in the land cost. Transfers are not included in the land cost if you arrive early or leave after the scheduled departure day.

8. Equipment & clothing

You will receive a detailed list of appropriate gear with your trip planning information.

9. Airline reservations

The land cost of your trip does not include airfare.

10. Limitation of liability

This section defines Orvis Travel’s responsibility with regard to all travel arrangements made by Orvis Travel, including individual travel and pre- and post- trip extensions. Please read it carefully.

Upon sending your deposit to Orvis Travel, you acknowledge that you have read and understand all the terms and conditions outlined here, and agree to be bound by them.

Orvis Travel, its Owners, Employees, Associates and Agents give notice that they act only as the agent for the owners, contractors and suppliers providing means of transportation and/or other services and assume no responsibility howsoever caused for injury, loss or damage to person or property in connection with any service resulting directly from: acts of God, detention, annoyance, delays, expenses arising from quarantine, strikes, thefts, pilferage, force majeure, failure of any means of conveyance to arrive or depart as scheduled, civil disturbances, terrorism, government restrictions or regulations, and discrepancies or changes in transit or hotel services over which it has no control. Reasonable changes in the itinerary may be made where deemed advisable for the comfort and well-being of the passengers.

Baggage and personal effects, including items purchased, guns, fishing equipment or sporting goods are the sole responsibility of the owners at all times and no employee/agent of Orvis Travel, its subsidiaries, affiliated or associated companies is authorized to accept these for storage, safekeeping, or transportation.

NOT included:

  • Airfare to Alaska ( both trips board in Sitka and disembark in Juneau)
  • Tips
  • Float plane fly outs.
  • Call Orvis Travel and place your deposit by credit card. 800 547-432
  • Sign up online at www.orvis.com/resform. Once you have completed the reservation form you can call us with your credit card deposit.