My family and I will be in Alaska late May/Early June. If we can only afford to go on one smaller cruise, which would you recommend as the better choice? The Misty Fjords cruise in Ketchikan, or the Kenai Fjords cruise in Seward? Hopefully, someone has been on both, and can give us some advice and their reasons why. Thanks!

I have done both.
My Kenai fjords cruise was on an incredibly gorgeous day which had a lot to with my enjoyment of it. That does not happen often there I understand. Even the crew was in awe. Kenai Fjords to me was about the waterlife and the birdlife and the glaciers. It started out with the cutest little otter in Resurrection Bay, We saw plenty of sea lions and lots of different birds, but the views of the mountains and glaciers was indesrcbibable.

Misty Fjords is beautiful and serene. The mountains are higher, think gorge or canyon but you are in the water instead of on a road. The ride on the catamaran along the Alaska Marine Highway was very nice and we did see lots of birds I remember, not sure about other wildlife. A very enjoyable outing for sure.

I am going to Alaska this summer, my 3rd time

Thank you for your comparison! I do have a bit of motion sickness, and I was reading stories of Kenai Fjords being a bit rough. Sounds like you got really lucky.

There is no comparism between these very different boat tours. My preference is always to do Misty Fiords by air, not water. You have a long so so transit from Ketchikan, and the tours just do not get far enough into the fiords. A better option is the fly/sail combo.

Kenai Fjord is all about varied wildlife, and a close up glacier look. Do NOT consider any boat tour of less than 6 hours on the water. Not worth it. If prone to motion sickness, then consult your health care professional and get some precautions. There are several options available.