Dispatch Alaska: A new small, adventure ship that even cruise haters can love

Every globetrotter knows there are seemingly endless travel experiences to fit the also seemingly endless range of traveler personalities and styles. But when it comes to cruising, people generally fall squarely into one of just one of two camps: cruise lovers and cruise haters.

Admittedly, we generally side skew toward the latter. But the more we’ve had the chance to sample the growing number of river, small ship, yacht and expedition products being launched around the globe, the more we find ourselves inching toward the former.

The latest turning point: Jeri’s experience on American Queen Voyages’ Ocean Victory, the company’s new 186-passenger expedition ship that offers a first-of-its-kind luxe option for exploring Alaska’s lesser-traveled passages, islands and towns.

In fact, Jeri liked it so much that she ended up twice extending her experience – sailing for a total of 14 rather than three days – then hoping (unsuccessfully) for an excuse to stay on even longer!

Check out the pictures and her dispatch below.

But first, here’s this week's news:

A new spin on lodging protections

Airbnb launches guest protection programs. Fresh off revealing record first quarter earnings and expectations for a booming summer season, Airbnb has unveiled a host of upgrades just ahead of the peak travel season. One that caught our eye is the new "Aircover" initiative. Here's a quick overview:

• A 24-hour, “safety” number. For guests who might “feel unsafe," this 800-number “priority access to specially-trained safety agents, day or night.”

• New paths for refunds. If a host needs to cancel a booking within 30 days of check-in, or if a customer can’t check into a home and the host can’t fix the issue, Airbnb now promises to issue refunds if Airbnb can’t find “a similar or better” home.

• Another refund path. Customers can also qualify for a refund or a "similar or better home" if “at any time during your stay” the listing isn’t as advertised (something’s broken; fewer bedrooms, etc) and the customer reports it within three days.

Andrew Jernigan, CEO, Insured Nomads, a global provider of travel insurance, health plans and well-being memberships, applauds the move. "After living through two years of unpredictable events that disrupted travel, many people are rethinking how they can protect themselves – and their trips – in the event of canceled flights, accommodations and other unexpected expenses," Jernigan told Travel Essential. "Short-term rentals are no different. Airbnb's decision to refund cancellations will go a long way toward helping their customers feel protected and loyal."

Adios, weekend hotel deals

Timing is everything. Before Covid, business travelers were less likely to be on the road Thursday to Sunday nights, opting instead to stay home with family. So, hoteliers were more motivated to put “heads in beds” by giving leisure travelers weekend deals. Those days may be over. “Occupancy is flipped now,” Marriott International President Stephanie Linnartz said recently during a Milken Institute panel that Travel Essential covered, with Friday and Saturday being the busiest. Why? “People are extending business trips and adding a “fun” element at the end,” she said.

Clear sees runway for growth

More airports. Higher prices. With people trying everything possible to avoid travel hassles, we’re not surprised that Clear, the biometric-ID company that speeds you through airport security, reports membership has doubled over 2019 levels as it expanded its airport lanes. Today, Clear operates 120 lanes in 43 airports, following its April entry in three California airports, San Diego, Ontario and Palm Springs. What’s next? Growth in the Americas, from Canada to Brazil. “Stay tuned,” said Clear CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker. The company is also raising its annual price by $10 to $189, although existing members are grandfathered in at the old rate. Some discounts can still be had, though, through partnerships with companies like American Express.

Summer of Love?

Romance means travel; Bumble's not optimistic. Whether it's a hike in a national park, a weekend trip to London or two weeks on a tropical island, travel is often synonymous with romance. So, to read the tea leaves for this summer, we turned to dating app Bumble. Sadly, Bumble Chief Financial Officer Anu Subramanian told Wall Street analysts recently that it’s not anticipating a summer of love because people are still reluctant to meet up with strangers. Still, he says, Bumble is prepared in case the desire for new romance emerges. Bumble’s launched experiences with SoulCycle, TopGolf and foodie haven James Beard Foundation, for instance, just in case people want to resume meeting in real life to see if the sparks – and the resulting romantic getaways – resume.

Airline check-in: Still below 2019, but barely

Whether we're data-obsessed industry players or travelers just trying to set expectations for our next flight, understanding airlines' recovery from Covid lows can be helpful. So, we're here to share the latest comparison of passenger volumes, courtesy of Airlines for America, the main lobby group for U.S. passenger airlines. Between May 2 and 8, airline passenger volumes for the majority of U.S. airlines were just 9% below 2019 levels for domestic travel and 15% down for international, according to the group's latest count. That's pretty incredible, considering that road warriors haven't returned in their old numbers and the jury is out on if they will return in the same way. Stay tuned for more on business travel next week!

Dispatch Alaska: Getting up close and personal with the locals and the wild

By Jeri Clausing

When I first boarded Ocean Voyager May 4, it was supposed to be for a three-day day VIP sailing from Seattle to Vancouver showcasing the new, small luxury expedition ship as it headed for its first season in Alaska.

Having sailed to Alaska once before on a traditional big ship – and too spoiled by years of luxury travel assignments to get overly excited about a week on the other, much more basic, basic adventure offerings on the travel market – my main objective was to get a quick sample of the ship and its amenities.

Lucky for me, it turned into the cruise that kept on giving.

First, I scored an assignment to stay on longer to cover for a writer who had to cancel at the last minute. The plan was to sail a few more days, then get home to all my other obligations.

But a few days later, we found out there was no border agent in the town of Petersburg, where I’d planned to disembark. So I had to either get off a day earlier or stay on for four more days, when the cruise ended in Sitka.

Thinking of looming deadlines, I decided to go home early. But as I pulled out my suitcase to pack, I had serious second thoughts. I loved this ship. I loved my spacious balcony cabin. The eighth deck’s glass-lined observation deck. The expedition team. The onboard scientists. And of course, great food, three bars and a sky deck with an infinity pool and two hot tubs.

As I walked upstairs to further discuss my option, I ran into the expedition cruise’s leader, Peter Szyszka.

When I told him I was torn, he looked at me as if I were a bit crazy.

“Why would you get off?” he asked.

A good question indeed. And one that reminded me life is too short to ignore serendipity when it hits you in the face.

So, obviously, I decided to stay on – a decision that was reinforced less than an hour later as me and a fellow travel writer being hosted for the cruise wandered the streets of Wrangell, population 2,500.

As we walked past Zac’s Cafe, we stopped, trying to figure out the source of an odd, and quite loud, water-like sound coming from the sky?

“Oh that’s the raven,” said diner owner Catherine George-Byrd, who had emerged to see if she could help the two startled visitors on Wrangell’s otherwise empty main street. “It’s imitating dripping water. Some imitate cats, others crying babies.”

Later, at the Totem Bar, bartender Drew Eyon laughed when we told our story.

“They’re known as tricksters,” he said of the birds.

The raven experience was just one of several memorable and truly authentic encounters away from the seemingly endless rows of souvenir and jewelry stores that dot the streets of larger ports frequented by the big cruise lines.

In Kake, population 500, we saw the world’s tallest totem pole and met with residents committed keeping their indigenous Tlingit culture alive.

In Petersburg, we went on the only boat I loved more than Ocean Victory, the 13-passenger Point Retreat operated by a father-son team, Rob and Teagen Schwartz, who promised to get us closer to the LeConte Glacier than any other jet boat operator in town.

They kept true to their word, navigating for nearly two hours through fields of ice while regaling us with stories of life in real world Alaska, past and present.

On the way, they took us on a detour to see whales, sea lions and bear – a route that also took us past Bootleg Creek, where Rob said his great grandfather used to buy moonshine from a man until 1929, when the bootlegger was found “deader than a doornail, curled up with a bottle.”

Between port stops on Ocean Victory, we spent days spent exploring some of the inner passages’ many inlets via kayak and Zodiacs to look for wildlife, landscapes and glaciers with seasoned expedition leaders and onboard naturalists and scientists.

The nights were spent in perfect casual luxury, with fine dining, open bars and the company of the friendly expedition team.

Finally, however, I ran out of excuses for a third extension and had to say goodbye in Sitka.

Missed some of our recent Travel Essential Dispatches? Links to a few of our favorites:

• Dispatch Mississippi Delta: We can’t help but sing the Blues!

• Dispatch Washington D.C.: A delicious culinary tour of the Chesapeake Bay

• Dispatch Norway: A London couple works remotely, with a fjord in their backyard

• Dispatch Santa Fe: Stay at the former homesite of the region's first Catholic Bishop

• Dispatch Mexico: Luxury for less with this 28-room hacienda, a Marriott hotel