The Yacht
Now, a bit about the ship itself. The Safari Spirit is a 105-foot motor-yacht with a beam of 24.5 feet and a 6-foot draft. She was completely rebuilt and redecorated in 2005. It's perhaps the cleanest and best maintained ship I've sailed in years. To be honest, everything looks brand new - from the exterior paint job to the carpets and furniture to the condition of the "extras" like binoculars, mustang suits, and sea kayaks.

Staterooms
There are six staterooms. Admiral Staterooms, A1 and A2, on the Library Deck feature sliding glass doors right in front of the king bed (can be converted to two twins). The balcony is just a small step-out - no room for chairs - but it's a lovely feature and next time I sail with American Safari, I'd book a stateroom with the sliding glass doors. These cabins also feature a Jacuzzi tub and shower. Unlike many cruise ships with tiny bathrooms that are hard to maneuver, all bathrooms on the Safari Spirit are quite spacious and have heated floors! A wonderful addition when cruising the cold Alaskan waters! The "A" cabins also include a comfy armchair.

The next category of stateroom contains just one cabin, C4, the Captain Stateroom. On the lower Cabin Deck, this stateroom boasts a king bed and opening port holes in the bedroom and a Jacuzzi tub/shower combo in the bathroom.

The remaining three cabins are Mariner Staterooms, like our own C2. Located just down the stairs from the main meeting area, the Salon, the Mariner cabins feature queen or twin beds, port holes, and a Jacuzzi tub/shower. We found we had plenty of room in C2 and it was very quiet - we never heard any sound from our neighbors and only an occasional noise from upstairs.

All cabins are outfitted with bathrobes and clogs (not slippers as noted in the brochure), a hair dryer, alarm clocks, and a flat-screen TV with DVD player.

Main Deck
Let's discuss the yacht, deck by deck. As I mentioned, the lower-most Cabin Deck houses staterooms C1 - C4. Guests, however, spend a lot of time on the Main Deck that features the Salon, the Dining Room, the open Bridge, and the Aft Lounge (which leads to the full-beam swim step that's the load-in/out point for the skiff and kayaks). The galley is also located on the Main Deck.

Travelers mingle in comfort in the Salon with its sectional sofa, two armchairs, a small game table and two high-back chairs, large flat-screen TV with DVD player, and bar (stocked with soda, water, juice, beer, wine, champagne, and other spirits). Each morning from 6:30 - 8:00 a.m., you'll find an Early Risers Breakfast set up in the Salon. Chef Dave provides a lovely fruit platter, muffins, cereal, and yogurt...enough to tide you over until the full sit-down breakfast at 8. In the afternoon you'll find a wine bar here and at 6:00 p.m., Chef Dave puts out a delectable pre-dinner appetizer. After dinner, guests retire to the Salon for a cordial and some chocolate truffles.

The buffet in the Dining Room is where you can find coffee, tea, and hot chocolate - day and night. The long, rectangular table seats all guests at one sitting for each meal: generally 8:00 a.m. for breakfast, 12:30 p.m. for lunch, and 7:00 p.m. for dinner.

Of course, everything aboard an American Safari ship is dictated by wildlife. If whales are spotted in the area or bears are on the shore, your meal will be interrupted by your very enthusiastic expedition leader who'll give you the opportunity to take a break from the fine dining in order to hop in the skiff for a closer look or at the very least step out on deck for a few minutes. This may happen several times during a journey and we are so glad the crew cares enough to let us know when there is something exciting to see!

The Bridge is open to all guests and is a great place to hang out and watch for wildlife in the sea and on the shore. You'll often find the ship's expedition leader/naturalist on the Bridge or out on deck. On either side of the Bridge are doors leading out to the forward area of the yacht. This is the other popular place to relax and watch for wildlife. Since all American Safari yachts anchor at night and travel by day, you can always visit the Bridge in the evening when it's less crowded.

The Aft Lounge
To the rear of the Salon is the Aft Lounge. This half indoor/half outdoor area and is the place where you'll pull on your rain jacket or mustang suit before hopping in the skiff. In fair weather, meals are eaten here at the beautiful wooden table.

Library Deck
One of my favorite rooms on the m/y Safari Spirit is the Library. Conveniently located on the Library Deck, right above the Bridge, you enjoy wonderful views through the near floor-to-ceiling windows. You'll also, of course, find a selection of books for your reading pleasure.

Right behind the Library is the cedar Sauna. While I didn't use this dry sauna, other guests did and they raved about it, especially since there's a window so you won't miss any of the gorgeous scenery while you unwind.

At the aft of the Library Deck is the outdoor Hot Tub, a spectacular place for star-gazing! And, next to the Hot Tub, you'll find some exercise equipment (stationary bike and elliptical trainer).

Observation Deck
The upper-most deck is the Observation Deck with a "captain's chair" far forward and a few deck chairs and cocktail tables at aft. Another terrific spot for viewing the scenery.

Additional Gear
The Safari Spirit is outfitted with everything needed to enjoy an active Alaskan vacation, including four two-person sea kayaks, a high-speed skiff (like a Zodiac), mustang suits (to keep you warm when visiting the glaciers or out in the skiff; wearing them is optional), two mountain bikes, dozens of pairs of binoculars, fishing poles and gear, and bug repellant and sun screen, and more. If you need it, chances are it's aboard the Safari Spirit.

Food & Wine Review

Due to the intimate size of the yacht, accommodating just 12 passengers, we hoped the chef would create some extraordinary meals.

We spend most of our time in New York City and are lucky enough to dine at excellent restaurants on a weekly basis. We're not picky, but we are discerning and several luxury cruise lines have disappointed us in the past when it came to food and wine. I'm pleased to report that the Safari Spirit and Chef Dave Gipson exceeded our expectations.

There is one sitting for each meal and guests gather in the Dining Room on the Main Deck. Chef Dave provides an early risers breakfast from 6:30–8 a.m. in the Salon and the full cooked-to-order breakfast starts at 8.

The early risers buffet consisted of muffins (a different homemade flavor each day), toast and English muffins, yogurt, three kinds of cereal, and fruit.

The main breakfast was usually either an egg scramble of some sort with potatoes, bacon and/or sausage or pancakes. Chef Dave prepared a scrumptious eggs benedict with salmon one morning. You could also order toast, oatmeal, eggs cooked to order, etc. Several types of juice are offered, as is coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

Above: Eggs Benedict

At about 12:30 p.m., a light lunch was generally served: a soup and salad combo, a sandwich, or something like seafood gumbo. Dessert was always served but if you wanted something more healthful, you could request a plate of fruit or a dish of sorbet.

Above: seared tuna salad

Above: corn chowder and spinach salad

Above: grilled chicken breast and salad with a spicy dressing

Above: seafood gumbo and biscuit

In the afternoon when returning from whale watching or hiking, Kim and Kim often had freshly baked cookies waiting for us.

Appetizers and cocktails were served nightly at 6 p.m. Some of the items Chef Dave served included salmon cakes, quesadillas, vegetable dumplings with spicy peanut sauce, and smoked pink and white salmon with cheese and crackers.

Wine and champagne were available each evening, as were select liquors and spirits.

Above: Quesadilla Appetizer

Above: Cheese Platter Appetizer

Salmon Cake Appetizer

Dinners were hearty and often focused on fish and seafood. The starter was always either salad or soup and then there were two entrees to choose from (or you could have a bit of each). The chef was careful to accommodate everyone's allergies and preferences. For example, on the first day one guest casually mentioned his dislike of cilantro. After that, any dish with cilantro was personalized for that guest. Again, dessert was served nightly: a delectable peanut butter pie, berry cobbler with ice cream, a lemon/blueberry pudding, and more.

Above: rack of lamb

Above: scallops with cous cous and snap peas

Above: Alaskan king crab with spaghetti squash and risotto

Above: shrimp scampi with mashed sweet potato

Above: Panacatta Dessert

Above: Tiramasu Dessert

The wines rotate but here's a list of what was served during our sailing:

We really enjoyed our journey with American Safari Cruises and the excellent food and wine only enhanced our voyage. Bravo to Chef Dave Gipson!

Photos © Leonard Hospidor and Andrea Rotondo and may not be used without permission.