Kenai Fjord tour

Old Jun 29th, 2003, 06:58 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Kenai Fjord tour

My family and I will be in Seward in August. We want to take a half-day, Kenai Fjord cruise, without a stop in Fox Island. Which is the better, Major Marine or Kenai Fjord cruises? Do they cruise to the same places?
We also plan to drive round-trip from Skagway to Whitehorse in one day. We would appreciate any suggestions as to where to stop along the way.
Thanks.
GerryW is offline  
Old Jun 30th, 2003, 09:07 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,332
Received 2 Likes on 1 Post
We did the Kenai Fjords tour. 8 hours with the stop at Fox Island. It was great. We had a perfect day weather wise and saw lots of sealife: whales, otters, sea lions, puffins, plus the Holgate Glacier. In fact, we stayed out longer in order to see more whales. Our daugher was only 7 and was never bored at all and there were plenty of other children on the boat. Sorry I can't tell you anything about Major Marine or about your driving. Have fun in Alaska and bring plenty of $$$$$.
MichelleY is offline  
Old Jun 30th, 2003, 04:34 PM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,294
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
We took the smaller 2.5 hour bay tour with Major Marine and were very satisfied. They did an excellent job and would book them again.
tcapp is offline  
Old Jun 30th, 2003, 07:14 PM
  #4  
Rob
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 575
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Visit a local bookstore and browse through a copy of The Milepost. There is a mile by mile log of what you can see on the highway from Skagway toi Whitehorse
Rob is offline  
Old Jul 1st, 2003, 05:14 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 4,469
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I have gone with both Major Marine and Kenai Fjords- both good companies, book who fits your schedule. My opinion only, but I would never consider any trip of less than 6 hours on the water. As for Skagway - Whitehorse, the scenery significantly drops off after Emerald Lake and I recommend this as a turn back point. There is nothing for an additional 50 miles to Whitehorse. Whitehorse does have a couple sights worth seeing and a Harley shop (have purchased more than enough t shirts ) but I wouldn't spend time her instead of Skagway- if you can do both great. I recommend heading to the Park Service visitor center before you leave Skagway- consider a free walking tour and all the other activies. It will greatly enhance your unguided trip on the Klondike. Head to your library and get THE MILEPOST, look up the Klondike Highway and Alcan. Very detailed road guide.
BudgetQueen is offline  
Old Jul 2nd, 2003, 06:30 PM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
We went on the half day trip with Major Marine and were very satisfied. We saw lots of wildlife and kids can participate in a jr. ranger program. Spent a few days each in Whitehorse and Skagway -loved them both. See the fish ladders in Whitehorse. Along the way between the two you will go thru Carcross -worth stopping. You can see the Carcross Desert, the world's smallest desert. Also, Emerald and Spirit Lakes are beautiful. Not a lot of other good stops along the way that I remember.
ramekin is offline  
Old Jul 3rd, 2003, 07:45 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Between Skagway & Whitehorse, Carcross is a scenic Indian village on the shores of Lake Bennett. Behind the post office there is a foot bridge across the Natasaheenie River.
At Carcross, it is possible to take the Tagish Lake road for a unique side trip to Atlin, B.C. Atlin's attractions include: historic buildings in both Atlin itself, and in the nearby gold rush town of Discovery. The MV Tarahne was built as a tour boat in 1917, and now is the location of a dinner theatre. Birch Mountain, seen across Atin Lake, is the highest mountain in the world that is located on an island in a fresh-water lake. If you have time, consider a little side trip to Atlin, B.C.
alaska_traveler is offline  
Old Jul 5th, 2003, 04:09 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 4,469
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
At Carcross, it is possible to take the Tagish Lake road for a unique side trip to Atlin, B.C. Atlin's attractions include: historic buildings in both Atlin itself, and in the nearby gold rush town of Discovery. The MV Tarahne was built as a tour boat in 1917, and now is the location of a dinner theatre. Birch Mountain, seen across Atin Lake, is the highest mountain in the world that is located on an island in a fresh-water lake. If you have time, consider a little side trip to Atlin, B.C.


The problem is AVIS doesn't allow nonpaved road driving. Look into PB Cruisers or Sourdough rentals and inquire what their restrictions are. Also verify your own insurance, mine is void with unapproved roads via rental cars, no coverage via my credit card either.
BudgetQueen is offline  
Old Jul 7th, 2003, 03:09 PM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Major Marine's good, but the full-day cruise does feel a wee bit long... but they have a park ranger on board who gives incessant commentary. The lunch buffet ($12) was decent.
r1u2c3 is offline  
Old Jul 7th, 2003, 09:33 PM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I just took the Kenai Fjord cruise (with the Fox Island stop, which featured a nice lunch) on Sunday. Most of the wildlife was packed into the first portion of the cruise. The captain deviated from the regular route to observe some dolphins that aren't normally seen in this area, as well as a type of whale that hasn't made an appearance in the past 15 years. This was all extremely exciting to the crew, but a lot of it was probably lost on the average passenger. To compensate for the change of route, the southern portion of the cruise was dropped.

I think our expectations were perhaps too built up. We had also gone on this line's Prince William Sound tour from Whittier, which was very well paced. Since we saw a tremendous number of otters, birds and seals on the Whittier tour and were told that the Kenai Fjords tour was "the wildlife tour," we thought there would be even more sightings.

As it turned out, the Kenai tour's sightings were of much greater significance to a serious wildlife observer, but there was a long stretch of quiet in the latter half of the cruise for the average layperson.

Fortunately, the weather was picture perfect for both our outings.

If you're traveling with small children, the Kenai Fjords tour might be lacking enough action for them. You might have better luck with the Whittier tour.
D1121b is offline  
Old Jul 9th, 2003, 05:06 PM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
We just came back from Alaska last week. We went to Seward and went on a 6 1/2 hour tour from Kenai Fjord tours. It was one of the highlights of our trip.I wish we would of done the 9 hour tour. The 6 1/2 cruise doesn't stop on Fox Island which was fine with us. We saw everything from the Holgate Glacier up close to Humpbacks, Orka's, Otters, sea lions, etc. They also feed you, either chicken strips or halibut which was really good plus the inside of the boat had really comfortable seating and tables. The crew (mostly young women) were great as well.
Aerowing is offline  
Old Jul 16th, 2011, 10:42 AM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks to the other posters about the cruise - I'm planning the same in July, so can update then too!
As far as stops between Skagway and Whitehorse... I live in Whitehorse and Skagway is one of our most popular daytrip destinations, so I have driven this route many times! There isn't much to see between Carcross and Whitehorse. Just out of Carcross (heading to Whitehorse) there is a Wildlife Museum you might enjoy (www.cariboucrossing.ca/). There's a suspension bridge closer to Skagway - I found that one expensive and wouldn't go again. There are a lot of spectacular views between Skagway and Carcross, so take your time and stop to enjoy and take photos. There are usually small trails so you can explore a little, but watch out for bears. The scenery changes drastically throughout the drive.
Another option is to take the train from Skagway to Fraser and back, unless you want to go to Whitehorse.
Whitehorse does have some redeeming features, unlike what some posters have said, so don't cross it off your list yet! There are hot springs, 2 golf courses, movies, shopping, etc... There are often festivals or musical events happening, so check to see if there's anything going on when you're here.
The drive takes about 2 hours (assuming there's no lineup at the border), plus your stops.
Have a fun trip!
N_Yukon is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
crazyfornps
United States
13
Jul 25th, 2013 02:03 PM
marlib1951
United States
8
Feb 8th, 2009 10:47 PM
krishana
United States
7
Jul 15th, 2006 05:09 AM
hayjax
United States
5
Jun 10th, 2005 08:53 PM
internetconnect
Cruises
4
May 9th, 2005 04:54 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -