My family is coming up to visit me in the Fall, and we're thinking about going to see the Kenai Fjords. We've been scoping some of the cruises out, and they look a little expensive. For those of you who have been there before - what did you think? Was it worth the money? I've noticed that you can just go to the Kenai Fjords National Park and hike around. Is this just as good as going on the cruise? My mother gets terribly motion sick every time we go on a car trip, therefore, seasickness is a huge concern of ours.

If you search this forum by typing in the key words that you are searching for, with "Alaska" highlighted, you will see that the 6 + hr boat tours are highly recommended. Also, most posters list seasickness precautions that worked well for them. Good luck with your planning!

Yes the cruises are expensive, just like everthing else in Alaska. However, we felt it was worth it since we had never been to Alaska and will probably not go back for a long time. I don't think hiking would be comparable. We have used Bonine for motion sickness with great success.

Good luck.

MY

Oops . . . forgot to mention that we loved the Northwestern Kenai Fjords 9.5 hr boat tour, and it was worth every penny. We used the prescription transderm patches for seasickness.

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but we took the 9 hour Kenai Fjord cruise (used the Toursaver 2 for the price of 1) and it was waaay tooooo long for one prone to sea sickness. You will go to a glacier and see the same wild life ( although never guaranted to see whale on either cruise) whale, sea lions, puffin seagulls, etc.)on the 6 hour cruise just as on the longer trip. I used Bonine but still had to sit at the back of the boat feeling like I would hurl any minute. Sitting beside me were people wearing the wrist band, eating ginger, wearing the patch etc. It was just a nice big rolling sea - but one poor lady fed the fish for hours upon hours upon hours. About half the people on the boat were sleeping or reading through much of the trip - just too long. Leave poor mama on the shore. She will love you forever. She can go to the wonderful Sealife museum (also 2 for 1 inthe Toursaver). By the way, we stayed in a very nice B&B called Soo's B&B. She is a great cook and the house was spotless. We walked to the dock just about 4 or 5 blocks away. Abuot 15 mies outside of Anchorage on the Seward Hwy there is a small glacier you can walk to - the Byron Glacier, as well as one just outside of Seward (sorry I forgot the name) but they are beautiful and you can see the blue ice. You might not see any calving this way, but we only saw one calve at about hour 5 of our cruise. We did see some calving at the small Portage Glacier. Be sure to see the movie in the information center - very interesting.

I've taken the Kenai Fjords National park tour twice in July when the weather was calm. I was also booked last year in September and the trip was cancelled due to rough seas. If this a concern-beware-the seas can be rough. In the fall you have a better chance of booking the day before because season in ending therefore you can call and ask about weather and sea conditions. If you can get good weather do go....It is one of the most awesome experiences-I have pictures of a lifetime of whales, puffin,glaciers ...It is worth every penny.There are discounts in the tour saver and also AK. resident discounts. Other things to do 1. Exit Glacier 2. Millers Landing 3. Sealife center. Exit Glacier is really cool.Ther is a ranger and info station and also a short hike to the face of the glacier. Have fun.

I did a Kenai Fjords NP day cruise that stopped for lunch on Fox Island which I highly recommend. It departed at 10am then traveled for a bit, we stopped for lunch then kept going. This was nice because it broke up the trip so we weren't on the boat the entire day. The lunch was suprisingly good... there is a nice pavillion type facility on the island where they make the lunch. You can walk around on the pebbled beach and the surrounding areas. It was just the right amount of time on the island before we got back on the boat. There aren't any guarantees you will see wildlife, but we saw TONS of whales, eagles, & more and it was in July.

http://www.kenaifjords.com

Thank you everyone for your postings and opinions. I'm getting a much better idea of what the cruises are like and the various things to see around the glacier. I'm going to let poor seasick Mom take a look at all of your views and then let her decide whether she wants to risk it or do something else. Thanks again!

We were lucky that the sea was exceptionally calm the day we went. The captain said there were only a couple of days each summer that were that good and she was able to get the boat thru a tiny entrance into a beautiful cove. I think the recommendation for the visitors center near Portage Glacier is good. Combine that with a visit to the Sealife Center and a tram ride up Mt Alyeska in Girdwood.

I am one that does a Kenai Fjords boat trip at least once every trip. An always must do. But definately consult your MD for motion sickness preventions. I see sick passengers EVERY trip.