Best sightseeing tour from Seward in July?
 

We are planning to take a boat out of Seward to see wildlife and glaciers. I have seen advice to take an all day tour that goes to the glaciers. I have been looking at the Renown and Kenai Fjords Tours. Both are listed at 6 hours. Does that mean they go all the way to the glacier? They also have toursaver offers. Any experience with using toursaver on these trips? Are there better alternatives?
Thanks

From Seward the best sightseeing boat tour is with Saltwater Lodge. It's a smaller boat so you get closer to glacier and wildlife. We were out for over 8 hours.

We took the 9 hour trip. Check the website, click on the link that shows the routes so you can see the differences
http://www.kenaifjords.com/733.cfm
Our boat got pretty close to the glacier. You can't get too close because it is dangerous. The engine was shut off so we could listen to the creaks and groans of the moving ice. Unfortunately, the big glacier didn't calve that day but it sure looked like it might. The captain was also very respectful of wildlife. We got very close and the orcas didn't seem to care. We got some incredible video. We saw only one pair of the larger whales but close enough to smell whale breath. One of our best experiences in AK. There are different kinds of glaciers. Some are moving into the water from land but aren't tall. The biggest one we saw was a huge mountain of ice that breaks off in chunks. We had very good narration. Nice, simple lunch. Probably more than an hour of the trip going back was quiet so 9 hours might be too long for some people.

We toured with Kenai Fjords tour and enjoyed it. The captain went as close to the glaciers as he could in a boat that size. Our best glacier experience actually turned out to be the Park Service boat at Portage glacier. Because the boat was smaller, we were able to get closer to the glacier. It calved while we were there,and it was amazing to see it up close. Even the rangers on the boat said it was one of the best calving experiences they had had. We were all splashed by the water and the boat really rocked from the "aftershock" aas waves.

We too took the 6 hour Kenai Fords tour and thought it was great and just the right amount of time. Some people swear by the 9 hour tour but we saw calving glaciers and tons of wild and sea life. I suppose a lot of it is just the luck of the draw on what you see and don't see on any given day.

I have been on these boat tours many times, and do not agree that the Saltwater is the "best". IF you want the most exposure, it's all about time and distance. Which means the Northwestern Fjords trips. Be advised that the "glacier" portion is only a small segment of the tour. Far better for glaciers is out of Whittier and boat tours to Prince William Sound.

Take a look at route maps, all the companies have them.

I've used Toursaver over many years. It is the deal in Alaska. There is also Northern Lights coupon book, so compare the two and see what offers you the best.

Always take precautions on Kenai Fjords boat tours, IF prone to any motion sickness. I see ill passengers on every trip. :)

We liked Renown Tour when we did our Kenai Tour. However I would listen to BudgetQueen as she has done most of the tours there.