As our pontoon boat bobbed on the frigid waters of Alaska’s Inside Passage, a dozen of us sat swaddled in cold-water suits and lifejackets. Our patience was rewarded when the underwater microphone dangling beneath the boat picked up the swish of bubbles and chattering of whales. They sounded like children at play, but we knew the humpbacks circling in the depths below were on serious business — the pursuit of dinner.

Abruptly, all sound from the hydrophone ceased, then a lone whale began a soulful solo, an ululating song rising to a crescendo as thrilling as any operatic aria. When he fell silent, we tensed, eyes trained on the water around us. Suddenly, with a roar like a dam breaking, a cluster of eight 35-ton whales exploded into the air, their enormous mouths scooping up thousands of herring before sinking back into the water.

Our boat continued to rock as the camera clicks halted and our voices rose in excited babble much like the whales’. Then we settled down to watch for shiny humps breaking the surface and the flash of white flukes as the whales dived. Sounding (diving) is the prelude to bubble-netting, the feeding tactic we’d seen that is peculiar to humpbacks. Teams of whales drive herring into tight bunches with their bubbles, force them to the surface and … dinner is served. Each whale can consume a ton of herring a day.

Time and again, we heard the lead whale’s enchanting solo (C’mon, we had to name him Pavarotti!) and watched the water erupt in a mass of sleek bodies, the white pleats in their throats expanding to take in thousands of gallons of water loaded with small fish. The whales were so close we could smell the fishy exhalations gusting from their blowholes. Spellbound, we lingered until the cold and our own growling stomachs sent us to the comforts of our ship, the Safari Explorer.

Watching whales bubble-net and breach within yards of our skiffs was just one of the highlights of our eight-day adventure in Alaska’s  country. Most vessels are allowed less than a day in Glacier Bay National Park, part of a 25-million-acre World Heritage site that is one of the world’s largest protected wildlife areas. The Explorer holds a two-day permit, so we were able to overnight in the park and venture into seldom-visited regions of the bay. Then we turned south to explore Frederick Sound, Windham Bay and Endicott Arm. The 145-foot yacht anchored overnight in remote coves and motored during the day to give us maximum exposure to scenery and wildlife.

A harbor seal and pup © Donelle Oxley

After leaving Juneau, the steel-hulled Explorer soon began bumping through a field of icebergs. Off to each side were ice floes laden with mother seals and their newborns, their pale faces and big, soft eyes staring back at us.

In the uppermost reaches of Glacier Bay, enormous glaciers — walls of blue-tinted ice towering hundreds of feet above water and stretching to the horizon — dwarfed our ship. We often took to the kayaks for a closer look, picking our way among the floes and watching house-sized chunks of ice calve from the glaciers and tumble into the bay.

Dawes Glacier provided one of those memorable experiences. Stopping our kayaks at a safe distance, we drifted in a cathedral-like silence broken only by the pop of trapped air escaping from melting ice all around us.

I was contemplating the fact the air had been locked in ice since before the United States declared its independence from England when a thunderous boom broke my reverie. A massive sheet of ice had broken loose and was cascading 200 feet down the glacier face, sending ripples out to our kayaks. I gathered some pieces of glacial ice to take back to the ship. It’s not often I have a drink in which the ice is five times older than the whisky.

Critter encounters were the order of every day — roly-poly, bewhiskered sea lions popping up within 10 feet of our skiffs and kayaks; tufted puffins and other seabirds chasing a nest-robbing raven; cormorants diving for dinner; mountain goats gamboling across sheer cliffs with no visible footholds; and bald eagles snatching fat salmon from the water with the ease of office workers at a vending machine. Occasionally, we spotted black and brown (grizzly) bears browsing on the shore.

Every day, the scenery vied with that of the day before. Hills clothed in deep green conifers against a backdrop of snow-covered mountains. Naked cliffs in earth tones rising like skyscrapers from the water. Waterfalls cascading down rock faces, following centuries-old grooves. Wisps of fog dancing around small islands decorated with gnarled trees. We went ashore for hikes through pristine woods and temperate rainforests replete with unusual plants, or climbed cliffs to spy on goats and eagles and gaze down on the ship.

Rarely did we catch sight of other vessels or signs of humans on shore. Instead, we enjoyed a splendid isolation, an antithetical combination of luxury and wilderness. That’s why it felt strange to walk the streets of Petersburg, a small fishing village, while the ship took on water and fresh seafood.

That evening, we dined on a massive white king salmon caught that morning. Like every meal before it, this one was beautifully prepared by the Explorer chef, who offered us fresh seafood entrées daily along with meat choices such as pork loin, leg of lamb or steak. The chef and his staff were also remarkable for their good-natured flexibility. The meal schedule was always a moving target. If wildlife appeared, the ship slowed or stopped. If kayakers chose to wait for a glacier to calve or decided to linger in the shallows over brilliantly hued starfish, the next meal was simply put on hold.

All too soon, we sat down to our final dinner on board — filet mignon and Alaskan king crab legs — and prepared to disembark in Juneau after breakfast the next morning.

If possible, allow a day or two before or after your cruise to explore Juneau. The rollicking former pioneer town has a lot to offer, including the Alaska State Museum with its 23,000 artifacts, works of art and natural history exhibits; an underground tour of the AJ Gold Mine; a bird’s-eye view of the rainforest with Alaska Zipline Adventures; the Mount Roberts Tramway, which travels to a peak 1,800 feet above the city; and the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery. Our favorite was the Cycle Alaska Bike and Brew Tour, a bicycling excursion to Auke Lake and the Mendenhall Glacier that concludes with a tasting of Alaska microbrews in the historic old seaplane hangar at the downtown Merchant’s Wharf. There are also fishing excursions, bear-watching tours to Admiralty Island, helicopter flights to dogsled on a glacial ice field and floatplane sightseeing flights. Juneau is a port of call for large cruise ships, so its streets are lined with shops and restaurants to suit any budget.

On the Safari Explorer, our 34 shipmates ranged in age from 11 to 80, with the majority in their 50s and 60s. Like us, they enjoyed mixing adventure with creature comforts. The ship had a crew of 18, plus two naturalists to brief us on each region we explored.

The 145-foot Safari Explorer has 18 staterooms, all with large windows, sliding glass doors, DVD players and private baths with heated tile floors. Common areas include a window-lined dining room; a library; a lounge with a large-screen TV for movies and naturalist presentations; an open bar stocked with premium liquors and fine wines; and a large sun deck with sauna, hot tub and exercise equipment. The spacious, glass-fronted bridge is always open to passengers.

Alaska Info to Go

Juneau is the only U.S. state capital accessible only by boat or plane. Alaska Airlines flies non-stop daily from Seattle and Anchorage to Juneau International Airport (JNU). Transfer from the airport to the city dock via taxi, rental car, mass transit buses ($2) or Juneau Limousine. If you’re spending time in Juneau prior to the cruise, most hotels have airport shuttles. The Safari Explorer is one of several yachts and small ships in the Seattle-based Un-Cruise Adventures (formerly American Safari Cruises) fleet. The seven-night, eight-day Discoverers’ Glacier Country cruise (round-trip from Juneau) on the Safari Explorer sails May through September. Prices for 2013–14 start at $6,295 per person double occupancy and vary by stateroom and dates. Fare includes all transfers and shore excursions, unlimited premium wine and spirits, gourmet meals, one massage and a pre- and post-trip hospitality suite in Juneau.