Why Cruise When You Can UNCRUISE?!

When the ordinary is too routine and the usual is too mundane, somewhere inside each one of us lies a place that thirsts for something more.

This unchained desire is exactly what Uncruised Adventures taps into.

What is Uncruised Adventures?

That's exactly what you're going to find out in today's episode.

Hey guys, I am joined today by Julie Corey with Uncruise Adventures.

Julie, welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Kevin.

So happy to be here.

SPEAKER_02: Well, wonderful.

Well, I'm so excited to have you joining me today and super excited for us to get to talk about Uncruise Adventures.

SPEAKER_01: Awesome.

Well, we're pleased to be here and uh certainly to see if we can educate some folks out there on the uniqueness of small boat cruising.

SPEAKER_02: Of course.

Perfect, perfect.

Well, wonderful.

Well, I guess before we get rolling into the exciting stuff, let's go ahead and if you wouldn't mind, introducing yourself and telling them your role with the company.

SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.

And again, Julie Quarry with Uncruise, and I am the director of business development with strategic accounts.

And in the travel world, all that simply means is that I work with fine partners such as you, Kevin, and to educate them on our product.

So if they'd like to add it to their portfolio, they will be knowledgeable and be able to spread the good word.

SPEAKER_02: Well, wonderful.

Wonderful.

How long have you been doing this?

How long have you been with Uncrees?

SPEAKER_01: Oh, Kevin.

SPEAKER_02: Should I not ask that question?

Is that like asking your age?

I don't ever ask ages.

So I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01: Actually, I should be proud.

It's an awesome industry.

And and really, I've been in in the uh the entire industry for about 30 years.

So I've I've loved it.

I as a young, young kid, I just thought it would be such an awesome place to go.

But I've been with Uncruise for six years.

And prior to that, a cousin of Uncruise, which company called Cruise West, and I was with them for 10 years.

So ironically, I've been working with the same vessels because Uncruise took over some of the Cruise West vessels for over half my career.

So been in it for a long time, but fell in love with the small boat cruising aspect or segment of the travel industry.

SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.

That's awesome.

I was very excited to have you on the podcast, especially right now when we're we're talking about getting back to traveling.

And when we talk about the small boats, that's perfect for right now.

SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it really is.

You know, this this segment of the industry and the the cruise segment in general has been hit pretty hard, especially our our big brothers and sisters out there.

So it's um we feel pretty lucky to be set up once this pent-up demand kind of breaks that that will be set up fairly well for for booking.

So we're happy to be in it.

SPEAKER_02: Well, wonderful, wonderful.

Well, let's go ahead and dive right in.

So I think first off, let's start with the obvious question is people hear the name Uncruise, and I think people are going to think, okay, so what is it?

So would you mind kind of expanding and and giving a little light into the the name Uncruise?

SPEAKER_01: I would love to do that.

And certainly it is a unique name indeed.

And it's funny, when people first hear about it, they either love it or they tilt their heads slightly to the left until they realize the story behind it, which is kind of a unique story and in simple, but it was really resonated with us.

So before we were called Uncruise, one of our guests on board was traveling with us, and she said, This is like an Uncruise, the antithesis of a big ship.

And so we thought about that name for a while and started planning it into our marketing materials and certainly talking to our past guests and in the travel industry.

And in 2012, when we expanded our fleet and rebranded, it stuck with us.

We became uncruise.

So we have a whole lot of unness.

We have an encyclopedia, and we just do things so differently, and we're certainly proud of it.

And I think now more than ever, people need a little unness in their life, Kevin.

What do you think?

I agree completely.

SPEAKER_02: I agree.

Who wants normal right now?

You know?

SPEAKER_01: Right, exactly.

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02: Oh my goodness.

Well, well, that's awesome.

So now tell me, what exactly is UnCruze known for?

Like who is UnCruz?

SPEAKER_01: Well, Uncruise Adventures, we're not as much about cruising as we are about activities and ventures and what we see off the boat.

So we're not port-centric like the big guys, and certainly we embark and disembark in a small port.

But once we leave that dock, we're exploring the tiny waterways, the remote areas.

And in fact, we're the first ones to bring paddleboarding and snorkeling to Alaska.

So everything we do on board our vessels is centered around history, culture, wildlife, and wilderness.

It dictates everything that we do on board.

SPEAKER_02: Wow, so that's awesome.

So that makes me think that uh your ships probably don't look like the others.

I'm I'm imagining we're not having, you know, uh three-story tall water slides and casinos and all of that.

Is that correct?

SPEAKER_01: That is correct.

Although our vessels do represent sort of a mini-me of the I love to call them our big brothers and sisters because they're certainly a beautiful place in the industry for them.

But like any floating watercraft, certainly we function and operate the same.

But our vessels are so unique because of its size.

So we're, I guess a good visual would be we are more like staying on a BB versus a mega Vegas resort.

And we certainly function different on board.

We have the whole dining room and state rooms and bridge and all the things that you would expect to be on a vessel, but we are completely casual.

And what you wear for breakfast, you can wear to dinner.

In fact, I'd love to joke about and describe uncruise with some simple comparisons, and hopefully your audience will find them funny.

Uh, I'd like to say that our ice sculptures are not in the dining room, but we experience the mega ice sculptures sitting in front of the glaciers, or our plumage isn't showgirls on board, but they are, of course, the beautiful scarlet macaws and waterfowl that we see and and hear around all the areas that we go.

And of course, our guests won't be seen in the dining room with furs, but they certainly will witness witness the amazing furry creatures throughout our our voyages.

So our show and our experiences and our entertainment are all around us.

And we just you mentioned that three-story waterline.

Well, we're just one deck from the waterline, so we get to see the show in the wild.

So it's a lot different of a mindset on sailing with us.

SPEAKER_02: Wow, in just a very creative way, you made a standard cruise sound totally lame, I have to just say.

Oh, not only do I absolutely admire and love coming from somebody who loves to do creative writing and all that.

I'm like, ooh, not only she got the right words, but man, she made them mean something.

SPEAKER_01: Oh, they and it was no no offense to our the big guys out there.

It's just a different style for sure.

Um, and we like to have fun with it because it is tough.

Unless you've sailed with Uncrews, it's really tough to visualize what it's all about.

So podcasts like this are tremendous for people to really visualize what how we do things and how different our product is.

SPEAKER_02: Awesome.

Awesome.

Now, now let's kind of give people an idea.

What's life going to be like when they embark on an uncruise, since we, you know, kind of keep comparing the two between uncruise versus the you know traditional cruise lines and stuff.

What's life going to be like on UnCruise in comparison to one of the other major ocean liners?

SPEAKER_01: Well, certainly it is going to be super, super casual on board.

I mentioned what you wear for breakfast, you wear it at dinner.

Um, the cabins on board are very similar to a big ship, just certainly in smaller in size.

We have all the great things that you can imagine being pampered and really being coddled on board the vessel.

But again, it's really about that serene, beautiful nature, really getting into the backcountry where you wouldn't otherwise do if you were just on your own.

So it's it's just such a unique wilderness experience.

SPEAKER_02: Now, speaking of that, do you still have like the standard like interior ocean view balcony type setup?

So what for your cabin category?

SPEAKER_01: Yeah, our cabins do vary.

Typically, we have four cabin categories on board, but there's no inside stateroom due to the size, they're all outside cabins with view windows.

And some of our cabins have staterooms with step-out balconies, and some have cabins that have the door leading directly out to the wraparound deck, which truly are my favorite.

One of my loves in life is photography.

So when the captain says, Lady and gentlemen, there's a pot of orcas off to your port side, you know, everyone flings their door open and boom, we're right there.

We're not traveling, you know, several hundred feet to try to find a passageway out to the deck.

It's simply a few feet out to the wraparound uh decking to check out the wildlife.

SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.

That's awesome.

Now, now talking about kind of like the look of the ships and stuff, would you say they're more kind of like thinking of like an expedition style, you know, cruise ship?

SPEAKER_01: 100%.

Certainly with uncruise.

And I know a lot of small boats vary.

Uh so it's a really good question.

And I, you know, pros like you are so educated with all the various types of cruising.

So it's so critical, of course, to to know someone like you, Kevin, to really hand hold the client into the proper one.

But we are, we fit right into that expedition type bucket.

Nothing certainly fancy.

It's all about uh the access, the luxury comes in, the access of the wilderness that we're able to view.

SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.

That's awesome.

It sounds so wonderful.

Just when when you talk about, and it is there's something about the idea of having your your cabin just open right up onto the the outside deck and be able to snap that picture immediately of the whales.

And yeah, I don't know.

That just sounds really awesome.

It's something that you just don't get on another, you know, big mass, you know, market cruise line.

SPEAKER_01: So I think that just sounds like typically you would go on an excursion, let's say, to go do to go check out whales, right?

But we get to do it right from the decks of the vessel.

So it's it's pretty awesome.

SPEAKER_02: That's wonderful.

Now, what on these ships, what is the normal occupancy, the capacity?

SPEAKER_01: The capacity on our vessels, they range from 22 to uh 84 guests.

So we have nine vessels, and by design, we keep them all under 85 passengers.

So we're all about small groups with small footprints with the environment.

In fact, the unique thing, what we've been seeing through COVID, is an uptick on our charters, on our 22 and 36 passenger.

You know, people have created these bubbles, right, of friends and family who they want to hang out with or who they have been hanging out with in 2020.

So family and charters have been a huge thing for us for 2021.

So it's it's pretty awesome.

So that the cabin ratio would be 11 cabins to 42 cabins.

So pretty small.

SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.

I mean, I think when when people when when we talk about the size and you know, they're like, okay, and we're comparing it to the ocean liners, and then, but it really gives you an idea of of what we're talking about when you talk about the actual passenger numbers.

We're talking 22 to 80 something compared to you know, 4,000 to 7,000.

I mean Right.

Right.

Yeah.

So right there, it kind of uh is that like shocker.

Wait a minute.

This is something totally different than I'm thinking.

So I think it just sounds amazing.

It's literally almost more like you're on a private yacht, you know.

SPEAKER_01: So 100%.

Certainly our 22 and 36 passenger ship, they're they uh they really feel like you're in a private yacht.

In fact, our our CEO, Dan Blanchard, he originally designed the company with a 1222 and a 36 passenger vessel to get people that charter feel without going on a charter.

So and ironically, charters are are one of our our biggest business right now, right now with those two vessels.

But it's uh you're absolutely right.

SPEAKER_02: You nailed it.

Of course.

Now, when when you guys see these the private charters, are you is it generally is it like big like multi-generation families?

Is it just groups of friends?

What do you guys typically see?

SPEAKER_01: Our main charter clientele tend to be families and they're all multi-gen.

Certainly we have some incentive groups that come on and we have friends like celebratory milestone, you know, anniversaries, retirements, birthdays.

But we have one family that uh was left in a trust that every year that they travel together as a family.

So they come back time and time again with us.

So it's been it's pretty neat.

It's really neat to make that family bond something pretty special, especially when the vision was in the trust uh from the from the gentleman who who left the money.

So it was really a it's really a neat part of fulfilling family dreams and and uh bonding people on and it's what nature does, right?

It just is what nature does.

It just bonds be it's one thing that is so common amongst humans.

We're naturally curious about nature and wildlife.

So it's it's pretty awesome.

SPEAKER_02: Of course, of course.

I think I think that is that is one thing that kind of leads into the next topic I wanted to talk about was kind of what makes one of these the life-changing once-in-a-lifetime, you know, cruises that they are is the ability to get up close, you know, with nature and stuff that you guys do with the destination.

And so I was hoping maybe could you could you kind of walk through what somebody could expect life to be like on one of these cruises?

Kind of uh what a day might look like.

Would you mind kind of uh giving us a picture?

SPEAKER_01: I would I would love that.

And that tends to be the one thing people are like, okay, I really dig this idea, but what happens in the day of life on board and uncruised vessel?

So I'll start with the night before because it's it's important to set up the tee up, the what happens the next day.

So we have a team of expedition leaders on board that plan and manage all of our activities.

So I mentioned we're not port-centric.

So once we leave that dock, we're out in the wilderness, and we take all of our toys with us.

Uh, we have a fleet of kayaks, we have zodiacs, stand-up paddleboards, we do nature walks in places like Glacier Bay National Park.

Now, the guests doesn't need to know what activity level they want, you know, are in or what they need to do because we handle that all on board.

So the night before or the previous night before the day of activities, our expedition leaders will gather everybody into our lounge area.

They'll talk about the next day activity.

And we typically have activities in the morning and in the afternoon.

And they'll say, for instance, we'll be in Point Adolphus and we're going to have our zodiacs out, we're going to have our kayaks out, and we're going to have our nature walks.

And by the way, our nature walks, we're going to have a light, a moderate, and maybe a hard charger, right?

So once they describe everything, what they'll, you know, what they're going to see in each activity, they come to each one of the guests on board and take their adventure order.

Now, the cool part about this is you can really customize your day.

And whether you're there with a family or a couple or a single, camaraderie is so instant.

So oftentimes, like my husband and I will go on and I'll go, you know, I really want to try that kayaking because I want to get some, you know, shots of a glacier.

And my husband will go, well, great, I'm going to go on the nature walk because, you know, I've always wanted to, you know, go on this hard charger.

And then people come back together.

So typically, breakfast the next day, once the expedition leaders know everybody's adventure order, we have a large board and we put their entire order on the board.

So you have your cabin number and talking about what time you need to be in a specific place on the vessel.

The next morning you have your breakfast and you get ready and dressed and prepared based on what the expedition leaders had talked about.

And then when your cabin is called to the, you know, uh cabin 101, you're kayaking, please meet down in the such and such lounge and we'll get ready to go on that on the kayak.

So the cool thing about that is there's no time wasted.

I hear so often when people go on a trip or a tour or cruise that they're trying to decide what they want to do.

They wait in line at the shore excursion, or they're waiting in line for dining, or they're waiting in line to try to, you know, to kind of corral up to wait for their shore excursion.

With us, it is seamless.

They're called down, they get in their gear into the kayaks, and we can talk about our kayak launch pad in a bit, but they get in the kayaks or they get ready for their nature walk or they get in their zodiacs where, you know, it's our small inflatable boats, and they go out and explore.

Once they come back, typically lunch is then prepared and served and open dining, and then they'll have an afternoon of activities.

Now, there are some times where the captain and crew will find out there's maybe a pot of whales uh from one of our other vessels or a really unique area where they've sighted some pretty awesome wildlife.

They'll be able to view from the decks of the ship.

So maybe we spend the afternoon cruising and checking out that wildlife because as I mentioned, it just dictates our schedule.

Um I love to say that Mother Nature is our is our uh head expedition leader.

I love that.

And she she just finds she just finds cool places for us to go check out.

So and then everyone comes back, we get ready for cocktail hour, then we have dinner, and then in the evenings we do a presentation.

But we people are pretty wiped out by the evenings.

There's, you know, it's people love to kind of just hang out and then after the presentation crash and get ready for the next day.

So it's you can do as much or as little as you like.

It's all included.

So there's no pressure.

SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.

That's awesome.

Now, I think some people when they're hearing us talking about this and and they hear the word adventure and expedition style cruises and stuff, they might get a little bit worried and immediately think, you know what, that's not for me.

I'm I'm not that type of person.

But from what you've kind of already spoken about, and then maybe you can expand on it a little bit, is it seems like though Uncruised really does a good job of trying to tailor everything to the individual person.

Is that right?

SPEAKER_01: You are 100% right.

And our primary demographics are 55 to 80, and that really shocks a lot of people.

But we do, we cater to all fitness levels from the novice to the experience.

Uh it's really a mindset, Kevin.

It's it's it's so interesting when you start looking at our demographics.

It's for anybody who wants to explore new places by themselves or with friends and family, and some of our guests have some previous experience in our activities that we do, but most are learning from the very first time.

So we absolutely again assess, and that's the when I was talking about the expedition leaders customizing the day for the client or for the guest on board.

They really someone may say, you know what, I've had kind of a tender knee, and you know, I really want to go on this hard, you know, this we call it bushwhacking, that's our our most um active uh nature walk, but I really want to try it.

How do you think I'll do?

And we really handled them that through that.

And it's that again, that great mindset, expanding that mind and doing just uh unique things.

SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.

That's awesome.

Now, I'm sitting here thinking, we're we're talking about some of these different adventures that you guys can offer off the ship.

And and I'm sitting here thinking, now where do you guys sail?

Because I'm sitting here thinking, I don't think I've ever uh been parked next to Uncruise in Nassau.

SPEAKER_01: No, you're exactly right.

We uh we are not in Nassau.

And in fact, we're the unique thing about Uncruise, and uh it it's really interesting through COVID how we've really expanded to educate people is that we're US flagged, which means we can leave right out of a US port.

So So, if someone in your audience wants to go to Alaska, they're spending the entire time in Alaskan waters, or certainly whatever destinations that you travel with us.

So your guests would fly to the destination when they want to sail with us.

I mentioned we have nine vessels, and six out of those boats are in Alaskan waters April through September.

And that's the inside passage.

We do seven to 14 nights there.

We also have a Pacific Northwest, a five-night, six-day.

We run that in the spring, summer, and fall out of Seattle, Washington, again, a great U.S.

port.

Fall voyages on the Columbia and Snake River out of Portland, Oregon.

Some really cool Americana, Lewis and Clark, going through eight lock and dam systems, doing some great nature walks and some paddles.

We even have a river rafting down the Deschutes, which is, you know, it's it's calm.

It's really afloat, but it's got a couple rapids, so you feel like it's it's quite bona fide.

Uh we also, one of our another really popular one for us is we have a seven-night voyage in Hawaii and we visit four islands.

And your your the guests would fly into Kona or into Molokai, but we also visit the islands of Maui and Lanae.

And we visit uh you have three international products, and that's Latin America that includes Costa Rica, Panama, and we have Mexico, Sea of Cortez, and beautiful Galapagos Islands.

SPEAKER_02: Ooh, that would be all sound out of this world.

I was even thinking, I mean, when we even talked about like the Colorado and Snake Rivers, to me, that even sounds absolutely amazing.

SPEAKER_01: It's pretty it really is pretty awesome.

I live here in Arizona, and you know, a lot of people visit the Grand Canyon, but I used to always say you've never seen the Grand Canyon unless you've floated down the Grand Canyon.

And I feel that way with the Columbian Snake River.

A lot of people drive along the Columbian Snake, a lot of people visit that area of Portland and and uh in Washington, but I really feel you've never seen the Columbian Snake River unless you've cruised on them.

SPEAKER_02: It's it's pretty, it's a great program.

Awesome, awesome.

Now, you kind of talked about Alaska, and you said that you guys have a lot of your ships sailing in Alaska.

So obviously I'm thinking that must be one of your more popular destinations.

SPEAKER_01: It is, 100%.

You know, we were founded in Alaska over 25 years ago.

Dan Blanchard, I mentioned our CEO, really had this idea of creating a product that he could show his family and friends.

He was a captain in the area in the Pacific Northwest.

He knew uh Washington, Alaska, like the back of his hand.

He took his family up in the area, and he explored all these awesome wonderments and thought, man, I wish I could bring people up here.

So that's what he did.

He just created those small vessels and took people into his favorite spots, but did it in a very casual way, a very intimate way.

And of course, I'd love to say it a very authentic way.

And that's that's kind of our secret sauce is that authentic, authentic way to show people certain parts of the world that we sail in.

SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.

Now, are your cruises generally like the same as um thinking of like a Caribbean cruise, like seven nights in length, or you know, they do vary.

SPEAKER_01: Most our most common longevity is a seven night, eight day, although we do have a 14-night in Alaska.

And just recently, we have designed a product of five nights, six day.

It's the first time we we've it's been many, many years since we've had a shorter cruise, but we we designed it just in mind of what's going on here in the world with the current with COVID and and travel and tourism, and a lot of you know, futuristic folks that that uh kind of understand what may happen as we move through this, but have thought shorter cruises, domestic cruises in small groups is really gonna be quite popular as we move through this.

So that's when we designed the Five Night Six Days out of Seattle, Washington.

SPEAKER_02: It's pretty special, pretty special cruise.

Awesome.

That's so so awesome.

Now, I wanted to ask you though, you're gonna tell that I'm the Alaska itinerary is one that gets me really excited.

And because I was wondering, on one of your Alaska trips, what type of um activities can you expect?

Is that where like you talked about like doing like the thing you called it, like bushwhacking?

SPEAKER_01: So on all of our cruises, we always have the exact same activities to view the wildlife history, nature, and culture.

Most popular is kayaking.

Everyone loves it.

Even for people who are like, I'm not getting in a kayak, they, I'm telling you, day two are in a kayak.

We make it so easy for them.

We have this um platform that's exclusive to uncruise.

It's called our our kayak uh launch platform.

And it's it's really awesome in that it's when we're underway, it lifts uh out of the, it sits on the aft of our vessel on the back of our ship, and when we're underway, it's lifted up, and then when we anchor, it slowly lowers down into the water, so it kind of hovers right up that water line.

Our expedition team can take the kayaks and set them up beautifully.

We take all the hard part out of kayaking.

People can get in and out of them with comfort and with confidence.

We adjust their seats, we adjust their foot paddles, you know, to help people uh steer the kayaks.

We hand them their paddles and we gently push them out into the water.

If people have never kayaked before, we always host a kayak 101 course.

We want to make sure everybody is comfortable.

And I mentioned that all the activities were planned and managed by our expedition team, but they're also taught and guided, which is is critical uh when visiting a new area.

So we have the great kayaks getting out in our zodiacs are another really, really popular, even though our vessels are small and nimble and get into really remote areas.

Those zodiacs allow us to get into super remote areas.

So we may have, you know, six to eight people in these zodiacs, and they're narrated by again by one of our expedition leaders.

The nature walks are pretty awesome as well.

Again, I mentioned we had three different levels of nature walks from a nice light stroll, maybe a tidal walk, to a more moderate and maybe uh maybe a little steeper in elevation, or maybe a little longer in distance.

And then the bushwhacking.

And the bushwhacking is really fun.

I know it sounds pretty rugged, but it it really is all it simply is just walking where there are no trails, just seeing what again, what's out there.

And uh again, led by our expedition leaders.

So all of those are you can expect up in Alaska, and again, centered around that great wildlife and the flora and fauna and what's out there, just getting back to back to nature.

SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.

They sound oh my goodness, it sounds out of this world, I must say.

Yeah, no, no, one thing I did want to ask you about as far as the the crews and the different excursions and stuff that you guys offer, are you able to accommodate people with disabilities?

SPEAKER_01: Well, that is a really good question, depending on the disability.

So we earnestly try to accommodate all guests uh wishing to travel with us.

And of course, our primary concern to our guests, and of course, and our crew is health, safety, and well-being.

So, due to the size of our vessels, we don't meet all applicable standards for the ADA, the accessibility guidelines.

But a few examples would be on us not meeting those are raised doorways.

And we just have one vessel that has an elevator on board.

But as you know, even with disabilities, even our if you're an adventurer, you won't want to miss out, right?

So that's when we our crew really gets, we have seen most all disabilities on board, and our crew really handles everything with with uh kindness and care.

And because adventures are unique.

Again, it's it's a mindset, right?

So um we work with our travel experts like yourself, Kevin.

Uh we'll be able to do research for our clients and certainly fit all their needs.

So that's perfect.

I don't know if that helps answer or not.

SPEAKER_02: That's where I had thought about it, you know, especially when you're talking about the that awesome launch pad you guys have, because I thought it really doesn't matter, even take away even the term disability, but even just somebody doesn't really matter about physical ability because you guys take the work out of it.

Being able to get into the kayak right on the launch pad, I mean, and then be pushed into the water.

I mean, that's wonderful.

SPEAKER_01: 100%.

And we treat safety, safety has no understanding of uh full physical capacity or non-physical capacity.

It just is really creating an environment that's safe for everybody.

So there's some stories that would put tears into your eyes, uh, just knowing what our the extent our crew has gone just to make sure people are enjoying um the the entire trip.

So and I I leave it to the to the guest on board.

I mean, again, that adventure set mindset has been it's like you just look at and go, whoa, that is that's pretty incredible.

SPEAKER_02: So it's um adventures for everyone.

Of course, of course.

It sounds, oh my goodness.

And and I think even the way to look at it for you know, people listening, and when we say, you know, adventure, it's truly experiencing nature, experiencing the world.

You can't get that when you you know, you think you can watch, you know, National Geographic on TV.

It's not the same as being there and and truly experiencing it for yourself.

And I think that's what you know, listening to you, that's what Uncruise is all about.

SPEAKER_01: Yeah, 100%.

100%.

SPEAKER_02: Wonderful, wonderful.

Now, for somebody listening and they're they're thinking, you know what, this sounds like something I'd really be interested in.

What all is included in your cruise fair?

Are all these different activities that we're talking about, the zodiacs, the the bushwhacking, the kayaks, is that all included in the cruise fair?

SPEAKER_01: It absolutely is.

In fact, the shorter list would be what's not included, but I I it's easy for me to say I work for the company, so I know exactly what's included.

So all I would love to do kind of a quick rundown of all that you're talking about, the excursions, the activities, the shore excursions, all the presentations are included.

Because we go into a lot of national parks, preserves, and monuments, all of those entry fees are included.

Of course, the narration and expertise of our expedition guides.

Meet and greet day of embarkation and disembarkation are included.

Uh, one of the crowd favorites are all beverages are included.

Non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages.

And, you know, given it's not two glasses of wine at dinner, it's if the bartender's not there, help yourself kind of inclusive alcohol.

SPEAKER_02: So which is Of course.

I don't know if you heard about it.

I did say it.

SPEAKER_01: Let's give them a minute so I can so I can hear myself talk.

Uh um, and you might we do have hot tubs on board, which is really unique for a small vessel, but they are by design set up outside.

So after you get done with a day of hiking or maybe a nature walk, you go grab your favorite Alaskan amber or a cup of coffee and go up to the hot tub and just watch the world go by.

Uh, that's pretty awesome.

And we got some yoga mats, you know.

So often people are moving some muscles.

Maybe they haven't moved in a while.

So we've got some great yoga mats up there.

So everything on board is included.

And just to kind of sum this part up is what's not included is our port taxes and fee, which of course are are listed.

Any gratuities that people may want to extend out to our vessel crew and airfare to and from.

Remember, you do need to fly to the destination.

So that is not included, but that's it.

Get on and have a great time.

SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.

That's awesome.

Now, again, related to, you know, if somebody's interested, do you guys recommend using a uh travel agent to uh book?

SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, 100%.

Our travel partners are always a top recommend when it comes to booking on cruise.

Advisors, of course, like yourself, are really educated of what's, you know, what's new, what's exciting.

Uh, typically, as you mentioned, you it's not like it's a household name, uncrew.

So we really rely on our advisor or our partners to help spread that word to make sure that they can create and plan a perfect vacation.

You know, you're experts in travel arrangements and air flights and pre- or post accommodations and what insurance to purchase.

So you save your clients certainly time and money.

Uh, but most importantly, it's um something that doesn't go as planned, such as COVID, right?

That's a great example.

Uh, you're you're the human element or the conduit uh to guide your clients right through the unknown.

So it's it's really uh we have got a big love with our our travel partners and um and again that's one of my jobs is to go out and educate for for people like you that would love to extend Uncrews out to out to their clients that would be a good fit, of course.

SPEAKER_02: Of course, of course.

So wonderful.

Well, well, I know that Uncruise is one of those things that's on my bucket list.

I have, like I said, Alaska is definitely calling my name.

I traveled to Alaska when I was a um a teenager with my family, but we had just, you know, flew into Anchorage and then drove all over.

But nothing, nothing like what you talk about from the experience standpoint, did we we ever have?

And it just, I don't know, it's just, you know, it's a different type of vacation, obviously.

And it's just something that I think, especially in this day and age, especially with what we've all gone through in 2020, it makes you kind of realize you gotta make the most of life.

And you know, and I feel like that's kind of what when I think about and I talk to people about on cruise, is if you want to really enjoy life, enjoy the world, get to to really appreciate this world that we have, you gotta go on on cruise.

SPEAKER_01: Oh man, if you you want to get hired, I that's uh that was beautiful.

Like it's a wrap.

Yeah, that's right, that's right.

Well wonderful.

No, I'm kidding.

That really was beautiful.

Thank you.

It was very well said.

And if you're, you know, and and especially this year, uh, certainly every year we should always do some self-reflection, but this year, especially if you haven't done that, it's it's really important to reflect on on things just as you had mentioned.

So that was that was beautifully said.

SPEAKER_02: Of course, of course.

Now, I have to ask you, I I meant to ask you when we were talking about all the different itineraries, all the different destinations you guys travel to.

What's the your favorite that stands out the most in your mind that you've been on?

SPEAKER_01: Oh, Kevin is like asking me to choose my favorite child.

You know, ironically, I don't have children, but anyway.

SPEAKER_02: So a lot of people give me that same thing that you just said.

Oh, it's like making as I tell them every mother, whether she wants to admit it or not, she has a favorite.

So you have to pick.

SPEAKER_01: Well, I've been so blessed to experience all the uncruised departures, which is awesome.

And most recently, right before COVID uh was for uh shut down Ecuador, I was able to experience one of the things that were on my personal bucket list, which was Galapagos.

So literally in March, uh my husband and I flew back on one of the last flights that that they opened.

But my favorite, my favorite would probably have to be something it sounds like you're very interested in is Alaska.

Because of the abundance of wildlife, uh, no matter how many times you visit there, you never experience the same thing twice.

It's Alaska just endlessly gives back.

And it's it's really special.

And I bet I've been up there 24, 30 times, and I just never tire of it.

SPEAKER_02: It's just one of those very magical places for me.

Wow.

Well, that's awesome.

That's awesome.

Well, well, listen, before we wrap up today, I would love to ask you, is there anything else that you would like to say that you would like to mention to everybody about Uncruise, you know, that you think would just, you know, really kind of help hit home, you know, that we haven't touched on already?

SPEAKER_01: You know, maybe the uh one of the missed one of the questions I get a lot is our entertainment.

Like, you know, because the big vessels and a lot of places you go, even the big mega hotels in Vegas and those sort of things, entertainment is such a big key.

And when people hear of cruise, right, they think of probably entertainment and food, I would imagine.

You know, that's those two are pretty, pretty hot.

So I would say just to understand our entertainment on our vessel is because we have the luxury of being such a small size, our entertainment, of course, is off the vessel.

And it is really why I guess are attracted to Uncrews is the learning aspect.

Our expedition uh team, I mentioned not only plan and manage the activities on board, but they also enhance their understanding of the region by their lectures and discussions.

And we never underestimate the power of solitude when it comes to entertainment either.

I mean, it's a really big, again, that sort of, you know, reflection and a big part of being on our vessel uh for our guests is the solitude of wilderness and relaxing on the decks and watching the incredible scenery.

It's just being immersed in this great authentic environment is is really pretty important.

So I just want to make sure I drove that that visual to people on on that, you know, that really peaceful solitude, but yet uh highly exhilarating uh when it comes to what Mother Nature is showing us.

SPEAKER_02: Of course, and I think that is that is such a perfect point that you've just made because you know, a lot of times when I talk to people about you know going on a different cruise, like in the Caribbean and such, you know, I tell them, you know, listen, you know, the itinerary is one thing, but the cruise ship is also a destination in of itself with all that it's right, right.

Whereas on cruise, the cruise is just a means by which you're getting to experience the destination.

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: Yeah, honestly, you need to be a copywriter for our brochures, Kevin.

SPEAKER_02: Well, just pass my name along.

I will be glad to add that to the repertoire.

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: Well, that's right.

SPEAKER_02: That's great.

Yes.

Well, well, wonderful.

Well, and listen, you did touch on one thing that I did not ask you about earlier, was the food.

So that's I I don't know why I didn't think to ask you about it earlier.

So what is the food situation like?

Is there just one main dining room or there is.

SPEAKER_01: There's one main dining room, and as I mentioned, it really is everyone's favorite part of just travel in general, right?

Is experiencing it's one of those, it's the language we all can speak when when traveling, right?

So if your audience or if you like that whole fine farm to table vibe, that dining, you'll love to be on uncruise.

Uh, when possible, all of our produce, all of our seafood is locally sourced.

And because of our size, we're able to buy locally, and not only to, of course, the obvious to experience the fresh and local foods along the voyage, but sourcing locally really helps support the communities in which we sail in.

So plenty to eat uh throughout uh the trip.

It's really the crowd favorite is our little surprises and delights uh throughout the day.

So you one might be you're out kayaking and you're in this beautiful solitude area, and next thing you know, one of our zodiacs with our crew comes towards you and you're looking at them like, is everything fine?

And they have a thermos of hot cocoa.

And if you want a splash of snaps in there, you can, and you enjoy that, and they take your cups and then they disappear and you go off paddling again.

Or another favorites are two o'clock fresh-baked cookies from our our chef on board.

So, really some some really neat things, but again, that the not only with the food, we because of all of our alcohols included, we of course have all the top shelf.

But really a fun part for us is is sourcing from some of the local distilleries.

In Alaska, we source um our gin and vodka, one of the offerings that was this local distillery.

So you can really taste the difference, a lot of pine and a lot of different things that are are unique to the area and the distilleries.

So it's it's really special.

It is one I know everybody does think of the wilderness and wildlife and the access, that whole luxury of getting so close to nature, but the food on our comment cards are just out of bounds.

People are just so, so blown away with the food we do on board.

SPEAKER_02: Wow.

Well, that's awesome.

I'm so glad we talked on that because I'm so glad people weren't thinking that you guys were packing them a bologna sandwich and sending them on the way when they were on the track.

I'm thinking it's it's like this scene where you're watching, they're filming a movie out in the middle of the last, and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, here comes the the guy on the zodiac with their hot cup of uh cocoa.

I'm like, this is adventure meets luxury, baby.

This sounds amazing.

SPEAKER_01: There you go again.

They're saying the perfect thing.

I love it.

SPEAKER_02: Oh well.

Well, listen, it has been a blast to have you on my podcast today.

Again, I just uncruise is just, I think it's such a unique offering that you guys have.

And um, so it means so much to me to uh have you guys on and to get to share with everybody about Uncruise.

SPEAKER_01: Oh, well, thank you.

And and really, and we're humbled that we could share our story with you and your audience.

And I love what you're doing, Kevin.

You're really bringing unique stories of travel uh into the homes and into the minds of people that are looking.

This is a time of wonderlust, right?

This is the time of to envision what we really want to do uh as we move out of COVID and into future.

And it's really it's partners like you that introduce products like ours to the public.

And we can't thank you enough for having us on.

SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.

You're certainly welcome.

And yeah, that's what I've I've come up with the motto for this year is that 2020 was designed to plan 2021's amazing vacation.

So I love it.

Yes, absolutely.

Wonderful.

Well, listen, thank you again so much.

I'm oh my goodness, right now my my wander lust is just going off the charts.

And I'm just like, this is oh man, I'm ready to get back out there.

SPEAKER_01: So that's terrific.

Well, we'd love to see you on one of our vessels in the near future.

SPEAKER_02: Well, wonderful.

Well, thank you again, and to everyone else listening.

I hope you enjoyed the episode, and don't forget to tune in again next week.

SPEAKER_00: And that's the lowdown on life and travel.

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And until next time, just keep living and enjoying life like it was meant to be.