Kristinesonja

I want to book our Kenai Fjord Tour but am torn between the 6 hr 8am-2pm so that we can visit the Sea Life Center (open 8am-7pm) afterward OR taking the 8.5hr tour which is the same tour but with added 2.5 hr stop at Fox Island including Salmon Dinner. Suggestions? Do Fox Island or skip it?

We have two nights in Seward. I thought we'd hit the Girdwood Forest Fair on the way into Seward, 2nd day take the Fjord trip and 3rd day visit Exit Glacier on our way out of town.

Only other option: hit the Sea Life Center AND Exit Glacier on the way to Alyeska Tram on day 3 wile driving back to Anch. Sound like too much?

Thanks for the help

dfrostnh

The Sealife Center is small, you might consider getting to Seward in time to visit it your first evening. We got into the habit of eating later possibly because with all the extra light it just didn't seem like dinner time. I hope you enjoy the Forest Fair as much as we did (make sure to eat lunch there). We opted for the longest Kenai Fjords trip to see glaciers calve. The halibut fingers lunch on board was tasty but we had very calm seas. We only stopped at Fox Island long enough to pick up some passengers. My husband was leery about eating and getting sea sick after one bad deep sea fishing trip at home. If you aren't prone to sea sickness, it shouldn't be a concern. The bay full of glacier ice and listening to the creaks and groans was amazing. The boat turned the engines off for a great effect. I wouldn't have wanted to miss that.

Kristinesonja

Funny you mentioned sea sickness I am very prone to it and plan to be on some prevention pill that day. (I know it makes be drousy, but I don't have a choice.)

Someone mentioned here the Fox Island meal being worth the effort. I'm gong to have to decide if we skip it to give us Sea Life center time that same day.

Thanks for your input.

cln56

We did the 8 hr w/ lunch on Fox island. It was a great........just dont eat breakfast first, plenty to eat. the tour of the glaciers, whales, etc was worth every penny

MichelleY

Do the longer tour. You will be glad you did. The Sealife Center is very small and will not take too long.

I take Bonine for motion sickness. No drowsiness unless I have a cocktail.

MY

Miss_Maple

Just a quick afirmative for the longer tour -- the dinner while not gourmet, was more than adequate and you will be surprised how hungry you get while out all day in the fresh air. You have time for a little island exploring, skip some pebbles across the water. It is so nice to come back into port, relaxed, and refreshed -- not famished -- to have to rush to another activity. Infact, you might have sensory overhead by trying to cram too much in one day.

Do stop at the Sea Life Center gift shop (you can go in for free) and look for the Alaskan etched colored coffee mugs. The colors are stunning (cobalt blue - deep green) and etched designs of puffins, moose -- they make for a great souvenirs and they hold up well in the dishwasher. Buy at least 2, four if you have the room.

centralpa

Kristinesonja,

I second the use of Bonine (over the counter at the drugstore). My son has serious motion sickness on planes and boats and this works wonderfully. It's a once a day pill. Take the first one about 24 hours in advance, then one about 1 hour before you get on the boat. Enjoy your tour.

Kristinesonja

Miss Maple,

Oh, those mugs & that shop will be on my list!!! I live in So FL and have a house filled with the blues and greens for a 'ocean/beach' theme. My DH has a weakness for etched glass and my favorite things to bring home fit in! Thanks

rm_mn

Much to my wife's dismay, I collect coffee mugs from the national parks we visit. I was unable to find any for Kenai Fjords or Denali on our trip to Alaska. I looked in the usual places, but I wish I had found the gift shop at the Sealife Center. :^(

Miss_Maple

m_m: You just never know what makes for a great souviner till you get home and then you second guess yourself. While in Seward, we took a hike out to Tonsina Point, it was beautiful but o did we hear some really loud squaking. We had no idea what was causing all this ruckess as we hiked along the moss encrusted trees. We turned a corner and crossed a bridge and then we knew .... it was the sea gulls feasting on the dying salmon as they had come to life's end. As we stood on the bridge ,,, a large bird took off from the banks and seemed to head straight for me ... it's large talons looming large ... I was a little alarmed at first, then quickly turned my camera towards the sky and snap a picture of the eagle as it flew 10 feet over my head. I then decided that the eagle was a good sign and purchased a steel cutout wall hanging of a soring eagle from the Wildberry Chocolate gift shop. They also had many great souviners including the fruit filled chocolates.

photo:
http://www.camsoft.us/personal2/Alas...ages/s_049.htm

CeeJayTx

After seeing all the incredible glaciers on the Kenai Fjord Tour, you might be disappointed with
Exit Glacier. We took an hour or two to walk down the trail to Exit Glacier, and look around, but it really wasn't that memorable. I'd opt for as long a cruise as possible (incredible sights every moment and my seasick-prone hubby didn't have a bit of problem wearing the patch) and skipping Exit Glacier. Concur on a visit to the SeaLife Center. It can be as short as an hour, or you could spend half a day - depends on how much you love watching those puffins "fly" underwater!

npurpleh2

I recommend the 8 hour tour that stops at Fox Island for lunch. The food was surprisingly good and it was nice to have a break from the boat for a little while in the middle. Plus it allowed for more extensive touring of the glaciers.

I also recommend definitely doing the hike at Exit glacier. It just isn't that often that you have the opportunity to actually hike right up to a glacier and the hike itself was interesting and had gorgeous wildflowers all along the trail. It was really worth the time we spent there.

BudgetQueen

I have done plenty of the 6 hour Kenai fjords tour and the Fox Island salmon bake run. However, there are factors that are probably unknown to some??

The Fox Island tours- ALL have to keep to a fixed timeframe and arrive on time for the meal. This CAN and does cut into wildlife sighting and makes route decisions. I prefer my boat trips without it (went because it was a 2 for 1 coupon offer). Fox Island is also within sight of Seward, so if going for dinner- the eating and sailing stomach upset is unlikely.

I like the option for the cpt to flex his routing IF something good is spotted, or he gets some good information on his radio. This has happened several times on my trips. Orcas and humpbacks especially will be reported.

farm123

All of this is so helpful. What companies would you recommend for the longest tour? We'll decide whether to stop at Fox Island or not. I'd rather see the wildlife than eat and spend the time on the island.
Can you take another boat at a different time to go to Fox Island or is that necessary? We'll be in the area for a week (staying in Moose Pass).

BudgetQueen

One of the best boat tours in my experience is Alaska Heritage's Northwestern Fjords trip.

birder

I did the longest Kenai Fjord tour and did the Exit Glacier hike (just the short one up to the glacier). I would say, definitely do NOT miss Exit Glacier. It is really amazing. It doesn't look that big as you go up to it, but the closer you get, you realize the bigger it is. You can go all the way right up to - they've roped it off so you can't touch it, but you are pretty darn close. I'd rank it in my top activities in Alaska.

birder

I forgot to say, I agree with the other posters, the Sea Life Center is very small. You definitely should go but it's not going to take much more than an hour. I'd also second the recommendation on the gift shop there - it was really nice. When I went, if you filled out a survey, you got a free gift from the gift shop - an Alaskan Sea Life Center caribiner (not for use in actual rock climbing, of course).

sparks_fly

We took a 9 hour Kenai Fjord cruise that made a short stop at Fox Island to drop of some passengers only. We cruised the entire 9 hours and saw some neat wildlife and the glaciers were incredible to see and hear. Our captain was wonderful. He would stop and wait when he saw whales and other wildlife to make sure that we all got a chance to view. He also spent a lot of time at the glaciers and a beautiful waterfall.

I would highly recommend the longest cruise and possibly bypass the dinner on Fox Island unless you are really set on that. It is well worth your time and money for the longer cruise to get the best viewing time.

I was suprised at how small the Sea Life center was. It took our family about an hour as well to view it all.

Enjoy your trip to Kenai... it is beautiful!!

dfrostnh

Although we didn't spend more than a couple of hours at the Sea Life Center I enjoyed it immensely. It wasn't crowded and I could spend as much time as I wanted at each window/aquarium. We did not take a Behind the Scenes tour but there are extra activities you can do there. http://www.alaskasealife.org/New/cus.../index.inc.php

Kristinesonja

Thanks for all the input. I did book the Fjord 8.5 hour trip with Fox Island dinner. 10am-6:30pm. Won't allow us to fit the Sea Life Center into that day but we'll stop there on the way to Exit Glacier the next day.

Thanks again. I LOVE this forum!!