EdEdwards

Having just been convinced, in another message thread, that this is worth seeing, I'd like to see if anyone might give some more advice. Specifically:

Which of the major operators is best to go with? I've looked at information on Kenai FjordsTours, Renown Charters & Tours, and Major Marine Tours. They're all priced fairly closely.

Also, is a 6 hour boat trip sufficient pretty much to guarantee seeing a good selection of wildlife, or do we need to go further in? Has anyone had experience with these tours in bad weather? I understand that we need to bring seasickness meds for some of the family, but is the experience still good, in inclement weather? The companies all have similar policies of prepayment, with no refund within the final 7 days before the trip. And it seems important to prebook slots to assure that we can go on one, given that we can only schedule one day in Seward.

Also, is it necessary to go on an early morning trip to see the most wildlife, or is an 11:30AM departure ok?

A last question, in case anyone missed my last post but has a different opinion: I've been advised that it is worth doing the Kenai Fjords trip even after having just concluded an Inside Passage cruise which will be visiting Glacier Bay and College Fjord in a big cruise ship -- because the KF trip will afford a chance to get much closer to the animal life and glaciers. I'd be curious if there are any diverging opinions on this, before I prepay for a rather expensive trip for the 4 of us in my family!

Thank you for any advice.

BudgetQueen

First off you may want to try and see if you can get some used toursaver books with 2 for 1 coupons for the Northwestern Fjords tour. Another option is to split up if there are some in your group with little interest.

But, since you ask, I have gone on these tours over 10 times with Kenai Fjords and Major Marine, both excellent companies, choose who fits your schedule best, pick the time you want, I've gone on the 11:30am trips, good as the others.

For clairfication- YES this trip is WAY superior to ANYTHING you see from your cruise ship, closer and more extended viewing. The wildlife is varied again with much closer views than a cruise ship. I get the message from you that you doubt this information? Clearly make your own decisions and go with what is your priority. If the cost is too significant, then there are plenty other options to consider in Seward.

As for bad weather, these trips do cancel, I have gone with some very rough sailing in spots. Always see sick passengers. Last year's August trip had about 25% of the boat sick overall. But you sail in and out of the rough spots and actually "park" for extended glacier viewing which some people got "better". Precautions are necessary for anyone even remotely prone to motion sickness.

A 6 hour tour is the min. I would ever consider, and in my opinion, longer is better. Kenai Fjords runs their nicest and fastest boat on the Northwestern Fjords tour, a big bonus for my priorities. But as mentioned I have taken plenty of their 6 hour tours, you will get a good variety of wildlife and glacier viewing- Aialik Glacier is very active with calving, plus a "stable" glacier at this time.
Bottom line, go with what is your priority for Alaska, everything is great.

EdEdwards

BudgetQueen, thank you for mentioning the toursaver books. I'd never heard about them, but just googled over to their website. It looks too good to be true. Does it really provide 2 for 1's, even in the high season, for things like the KF tours? The website doesn't give any detail. For instance, when 2 for 1's are allowed (are there time or day restrictions, blackouts, etc.), or whether one coupon gets us 2 of the 2 for 1 deals for the same event. Also, how could we get used toursavers? If we're sure that one toursaver book would secure us two 2 for 1's on the KF cruise, and it's hard to get a used book, I'd definitely spend the $100 for a new book.

And, I don't doubt your advice that the KF cruise is superior in quality to the glacier / wildlife experience of a big tour ship! I've read many posts by you, and recognize your expertise. It's just that opinions vary, and I'm wondering if anyone may have a different take on value of the KF tour. Like, maybe some of the 25% of that tour that got seasick. I'm wondering if they, for instance, found the positives so positive that they feel in retrospect that it was worth it. Such testimony would be a very strong endorsement, indeed...

Also, does anyone know anything about Renown tours? They're a little cheaper now, for the 6 hour, and they have new catamarans, promising a faster and less seasickness-prone voyage.

Thanks again.

BudgetQueen

I would suggest you make a request for a toursaver book on this site perhaps, and specify what coupons you want. They are also sold on ebay. There are restrictions on coupon usage, but you can book the Northwestern tour without having the actual coupon in your hands. If you don't produce one when you get there, you will just be charged the difference. Determine if you have any other usage. I have used the coupons for years and alway do a McKinley flight, last year the Arctic circle drive/fly was an excellent tour for the money.

Connie

From info received here, we waited until the day before to book our trip to see how the weather was. This was in mid-July and we had no trouble and they had plenty of options still open. We were blessed with calm seas and didn't see anyone sick.

We went on the Kenai Fjords 8 hour with Fox Island lunch which we enjoyed. At the end of the tour, we and several others commented that we will definitely do the longest tour next time.

jq

When talking about min of a 6 hr tour for Kenai Fjords, that is water time, not lunch on Fox Island so read carefully. The tour books only allow one 2 for 1 per book. You would need more books. Ebay is possibility for used books, from $40-75. Make sure the tour you want is still there. We bought used last yr and used for two flt tours that saved us about $350!!!Book Kenai Fjords Tour in advance if your time is limited or at least a few days early if you have more time or going in slow period. We were going to go on our cruise day but it was booked 3 or 4 days early, so we had to do it the day before we got there for cruise.

Swannee

We just came back and I shall do a post maybe later today -- still trying to wade through all the stuff waiting for us at home and work! We used the Kenai Fjord tours 2 for 1 coupon in the Tour Saver book which was the incentive to go on the longest Northwestern Fjord Tour and also decided on going with Kenai Tours having read many of the posts here.

We also went on the Princess cruise from Whittier to Vancouver a few days later and viewed College Fjord and Glacier Bay. Budget Queen is right, the cruise ship allows you to see some amazing glaciers, but with the smaller boat you really get up very, very close We got amazingly close to the NorthWestern Glacier -- which was really impressive. We saw lots of wildlife and basically thought the tour was very well run. The seats were very comfortable, the food was fine (I personally did not think that the all you can eat salmon dinner that Major Marine Tours offers was a deal as you have to pay extra for it and when I'm on the boat I really don't have the space nor desire to eat a huge meal.-- What we got was fine - choice of chicken or halibut (both deep fried unfortunately, but OK once in a while) and I preferred to have a relaxed dinner in the evening.

I had read posts about people getting sick etc.,well when we went we were very lucky. The day before the same excursion came back early because of rough weather and seas. We could not have had more perfect weather, conditions or comfort. The captain was knowledgeable and gave good explanations and certainly knew when and where to spot wildlife. Kenai also kept our luggage for us in the luggage room as we had been touring and did not want to leave the luggage in the car all day. They have a free parking lot a couple of blocks away from their office and departure point and have a shuttle that goes back and forth to take you to the pier.

I took a Gravol in the morning -- just in case -- but it was fine -- no one got sick, it was just a fantastic experience from the moment we boarded to when we returned. I will elaborate more in my trip post.

atravelynn

I've used this company twice with excellent success.

http://www.alaska.org/glaciers/mariah-tours.jsp

With a small boat, you can see so much more.

I have relatives who live in Seward and that is who they recommend and who they book for their visitors.

This trip is indeed worth it. I'd recommend an over the counter Bonine to battle seasickness.

Karenackermann

I was also looking into the smaller boat tours but I wondered if it was rough or stormy if it would be much worse on the little boats. We also have kids and I though the ability to move around the boat would be better in a big boat. Any feedback from anyone?

jq

Ed
I have taken the 6 hr tour with Kenai Fjords Tours twice and enjoyed it both times. I have done on Memorial Day and in first week of Sept. On the Sept trip, we were going to do on the day our ship, the Summit left Seward. We booked the early train and were going to do the 11:30 tour, but when I called a few days in advance, it was sold out. So we went the day before. As we got ready for our 8:30 tour, they told us it was pretty rough out and they may not be able to complete. If anyone wanted to cancel, no problem. All of us there decided to do, and it was rough. My wife gets sick and she had patch and bomine. No problem. Once we got thru the rough open water, the rest of the trip to glaciers was nice. We saw no whales this time, but lots of birds, otters, eagle, sheep. It is definitely different from the ship experience, and you will get much closer and hear as much or more of the calving.

Geckolips

Swannee, on the NW Fjord Cruise did you actually see blue ice glaciers and see any of them calving? Was it COLD and did you need waterproof gear?
We are going next week and have no reservations for the cruises yet. Still debating about Prince William Sound AND NW Kenai or just the NWK one. Don't know if I can take 2 days in a row on a boat. I am a big Bonine user!!
Thanks.

dfrostnh

We took the longest Kenai Fjords Tour last June. We spent about 1/2 hour in an ice filled bay waiting for the glacier to calve. It didn't but it sure looked like it was going to happen. The boat engines are turned off. The groans and thunder of the glacier moving is eerie. We saw small avalanches but no big calving. However we did luck out with a very warm day and calm water. Alaska was in the middle of a heat wave. We still took polar fleece, hats and gloves because it is always a lot colder on the water. I don't think we packed rain gear but my husband uses an inexpensive foldup poncho and I use a lightweight hooded rain shell. It was very pleasant. Yes, we saw blue ice. We passed several other glaciers that were creeping towards the sea but this one was a big steep cliff of ice. I don't know if it's a common event but not too far out from Seward the mountainous islands had fog rolling over them. It was beautiful. Otherwise it was brilliantly sunny. Watching a pod of orcas rise and dive in unison is magical. We also saw a big chunk of blue ice floating in the lake near the Portage Visitors Center. There's a parking area before you line up for the tunnel to Whittier.

garymey

According to Alaska.org Mariah is a division of Kenai Tours. Does that mean they'll take tour saver? Sounds like one of their small boats could be really good way of getting very close.

BudgetQueen

With Kenai Fjords, the toursaver coupon is very specific and only for their stated tour.
As for glacier calving, Aialik glacier is more active than the Northwestern glacier, you most always will see calving on the former, iffy on the latter.

BayouGal

Ed, we just got back from 2 weeks in Alaska. We used the toursaver coupon to do the NW Fjord tour, with Kenai Fjord tours. I can't say enough about how terrific the trip was, but let me add that our wonderful trip was on a rainy, dreary day. However, the sea was pretty calm for the whole trip, and we didn't see anyone sick during the trip. We went prepared, with Goretex raingear, but learned once we were in Anchorage that we could have bought just about anything we needed at the local Fred Meyers or WalMart (btw, Fred Meyers is larger in Alaska than WalMart, and probably a better bet for finding what you need). Even this early, they are getting a lot of rain in Alaska. It is COLD near the glaciers, so dress in layers and bring warm gloves and hats. We found polypro gloves and socks at an Anchorage outdoor shop on Seward Hwy for a great price, and those turned out to be invaluable on this boat tour as well as for our other activities in Alaska.

Our boat captain was a nature enthusiast and extremely knowledgable. I felt like I was on one of those trips where park rangers come onboard to narrate. The crew was helpful, answered our impromptu questions on deck, and very polite.

The wildlife viewing was unbelievable. We saw everything the brochures say you "might" see, including a humpback whale breaching not 50 feet from the boat! The captain joked that he was afraid we were getting the wildlife viewing for the whole season on that one day trip!

We saw lots of glaciers, including calving, nativated through lots of icebergs, and saw seal pups hauled out on the ice. The captain even did a 360 degree turn so those of us with recording equipment could take advantage of such a spectacular view!

Hot chocolate was available all day, the fish & chips lunch was good--halibut is always a treat for us, and breakfast pastries and coffee were served shortly after boarding.

We wore Scop patches for seasickness, but really didn't need that degree of protection any time during our vacation.

I know many are thinking: 10 hours? OMG, can I stand a 10 hour boat trip? Well, even on a rainy day, and if you erased the extras like the whale breaching, I'd still say the time passes quickly since the scenery is gorgeous, (and even better on a clear day), and constantly changing. BUT remember what Alaskans will tell you: you see more wildlife when it not sunny and the blue ice shows up better. ;-)

You disembark within a very short walk of Ray's so just head there after your trip for a great dinner!

Enjoy! Alaska is not to be missed!

Swannee

Geckolips, sorry for answering late but I have not looked at the web site for a few days as we've been sailing on our own boat and did not take the computer with us.

I don't know if you've left for Alaska yet, but Bayou Gal has answered some of your questions. We did not find it cold but we were dressed in layers and yes, you do feel it colder as you approach the glacier. Yes we did indeed see lots and lots of blue on the glacier and we saw quite a few calvings both on the Northwestern Glacier with the Kenai Fjord Tours and at Glacier Bay on the Princess cruise. We also sae lots of animal life on the NW tour.

We did not have waterproof gear but were were a shell. If it gets wet, just go inside the boat- it is very well protected inside.

We loved the tour.

I am still writing a very long post on our trip -- but work keeps getting in the way.

Hope to have it online soon.

cheers