Cruising Into The Unknown

David J. Danto

Travel thoughts in my own, personal opinion

eMail: ddanto@IMCCA.org Follow Industry News: @NJDavidD on

Cruising Into The Unknown May 2026

Normally I write my travel blogs by highlighting something terrific or something terrible that we as business travelers and frequent travelers have to deal with on a regular basis. This blog is going to be a little bit different. As I write this, I’m less than ten hours away from getting on a plane to Seattle and then, a couple of days later, boarding a Holland America cruise ship headed toward Alaska and the glaciers.

Seeing the glaciers in person has been on my bucket list for at least the last thirty years, but I never really had the time or opportunity to do it. Ironically, this trip came together because we had about $4,000 worth of stray Chase Sapphire points sitting around from a card we really do not use anymore. Since there are very few travel loyalty programs that work particularly well for cruises, this seemed like the best way to get some real value out of those otherwise abandoned points without paying entirely in cash. Interestingly, most of the “free cruise” offers we receive from various travel partners only apply to tiny inside cabins, and if you try to upgrade to something even remotely livable, the value of that so-called free cruise suddenly shrinks to maybe a hundred-dollar credit. (Can you say scam?)

Now, it is important to point out that there are people in life who absolutely love cruises and there are people who absolutely hate cruises. I am probably more in the latter category. This will only be the third real cruise I have ever taken in my life – fourth if you count the ferry years ago between Bar Harbor and Yarmouth, although that felt more like public transportation with beds than an actual cruise.

I think part of the issue for me is that I have never fully understood the attraction of being tied to a ship with thousands of other people, especially in a world where every second news story seems to involve some strange virus outbreak or people quarantined in floating petri dishes. In fact, it was not until our last cruise, around the Mediterranean a couple of years ago, that I finally realized the right way for me to mentally frame the experience. I stopped thinking of it as a cruise and started thinking of it as a floating hotel that conveniently moves from city to city while somebody else schleps my luggage around for me.

That realization helped a lot.

I have heard repeatedly that some of the newer cruise lines with much smaller ships provide a much better experience because they can fit into narrower waterways and less crowded destinations – with less crowded ships. I absolutely believe that may be true, and maybe someday we will try one of them. But honestly, the ship itself is not the attraction for me here. The glaciers are.

There really is no better way to experience Alaska, the Inside Passage, and sights like the glaciers than from this type of trip. We have a nice cabin with a balcony, a little extra room, and a bit of upgraded treatment – not quite the “Retreat” suite experience we had on Celebrity last time, but it should certainly be comfortable enough.

And I am writing all this before the trip because I genuinely do not know how I am going to feel afterward.

Maybe I will spend most of the cruise seasick and regretting every life decision that brought me onto a floating city in the middle of freezing water. Or maybe I will come back talking about it as one of the most beautiful and memorable experiences of my life. What I do know is that finally seeing these glaciers before they melt even further, or possibly disappear within my lifetime or my children’s lifetime, feels important enough to justify the uncertainty.

There are not many trips I take with this level of ambiguity. Maybe “trepidation” is a better word, especially considering the recent quarantines and headlines surrounding the deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship. I tend to prefer experiences I already know and understand. There is comfort in mastering something familiar. Familiar places usually come without gotchas.

Later this year, after a conference in Denver, my wife and I are spending a week in Hawaii. We had a choice between returning to Maui, which we know and love, or trying Kauai for the first time. We debated it endlessly because there is always tension between revisiting something guaranteed to make you happy and gambling on something unknown. In the end, we chose Kauai simply because we have never experienced it before.

Will that turn out to be the right decision? I honestly do not know.

Will this cruise turn out to be the right decision? I honestly do not know that either.

But human beings only grow by experiencing things they have never experienced before. As long as the downside risk is manageable, the potential upside often outweighs it. Here’s hoping there are no surprise onboard outbreaks of some horrifying new virus while we are floating through Alaska. And if the universe insists on unleashing another cruise-related medical headline on the world, hopefully it waits until after we get home.

Either way, I will share pictures, thoughts, and probably a few surprises once we get back.

After decades of candid travel commentary – from loyalty program “magic tricks” to hotel check-in roulette – I’ve decided to turn some of that honesty into apparel. These aren’t novelty shirts; they’re the exact truths every road warrior wishes they could say out loud. Whether you’re quietly muttering “My loyalty points devalued while you read this shirt” or admitting “If delays build character then I’m the whole movie’s cast” you’ll find plenty of familiar sentiments… and more. Everything is produced by a reputable outfit, with black tees that work under a sport jacket plus hoodies and wicking travel gear for life on the road. The site also has my honest and snarky takes on technology trade shows. Take a look at Tinyurl.com/TechAndTravelWear. Even if you’re not buying they’re fun to read and commiserate – and if you do buy something, maybe I’ll break even. If you want a style you don’t see, just email me and I’ll add it.

This article was written by David Danto and contains solely his own, personal opinions.

All image and links provided above as reference under prevailing fair use statutes.

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As always, feel free to write and comment, question or disagree. Hearing from the traveling community is always a highlight for me. Thanks!