- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Kenai Fjords Tours
Category: Hotels & Travel Tours Tours [Edit]
1304 4th AveSmall Boat Harbor
Seward, AK 99664
(907) 224-8068
24 reviews for Kenai Fjords Tours
24 reviews in English
-
Review from Caroline C.
Cincinnati, OH
11/21/2011
One of the best tourist trips during my trip to Alaska. The staff on board were incredible and made this a truly memorable excursion.
The scenery is incredible (whoa, glaciers are loud!) and the wildlife sightings about as neat as they come... puffins, bald eagles, humpback whales, seals, sea lions and omg not everybody gets to see them but TRANSIENT ORCAS!
We went on the mid-tier trip which includes some time out on the open water. If you have the slightest propensity towards seasickness, beware. Some folks on the boat were completely miserable. They do have plenty of dramamine or plenty of beer for whatever suits your fancy.
If you have the time and money, this is a trip not to be missed. -
Review from Melissa G.
Katy, TX
9/25/2011
What a nice little cruise. I might have enjoyed it a bit more if it weren't my 3rd day seeing glaciers and my 9th day on a boat, but that is not this company's fault. This was basically arranged by the tour company which was handling myself and the other tourists.
Our tour guide (also captain) really seemed to want us to not just see glaciers, but also the wildlife in the park. We were taken on little detours a couple of times when orcas, seals, or humpback's were seen in the distance or even reported as seen by another tour leader over the radio. When some people out canoeing seemed to be stranded on an island, he went to check on them before we left the area.
Just an all-around great day even if I was sick of seeing glaciers by this point. -
Review from Matt S.
Eugene, OR
8/23/2011
Easily the most memorable and meaningful experience on our recent Alaska trip. We took the 8 1/2 hour glacier tour with the salmon/prime rib buffet on Fox Island. A significant expenditure but worth every penny.
I was prepared to see a couple of glaciers but had no idea the extent of the wildlife we would see during the tour. As mentioned by others-- porpoises, orca whales, humpback whales, puffins, bald eagles, sea lions were some of the major highlights. The captain did a great job of slowing the boat and positioning us to get great views without disrupting the animals.
The captain also gave the narration. He had a wealth of knowledge about and respect for the oceanic wildlife, and balanced the information with his humor and with quiet moments and longer periods of time.
The buffet dinner was pretty good, what you would expect on a random island where they have cooked for 150 or so people eating at once. I stay away from prime rib myself, but my wife said it was great. I ate tons of the salmon and was completely satisfied by the end of the meal.
I hesitated to buy the tickets for this experience, but I was convinced by the Yelp reviews I read. Kenai Fjords Tours greatly exceeded my highest expectations-- I'd recommend them to absolutely anybody who was spending time on the Peninsula. -
Review from Janeen D.
7/31/2011
Loved, loved, loved this tour and it was worth every penny!!
Left the dock early in the morning and saw TONS of wildlife-killer whales, humpbacks, puffins, seals, bald eagles, and more...plus glaciers too! We were so close to hear the glaciers calving. The day was beautiful in mid-July, but at times, many of us who stayed outside the entire time had on our fleeces, and winter hats!
It can get super windy near the glaciers and being out on the water, but this is definitely a HUGE highlight of my trip to Alaska.
Bring snacks if you like, and a zoom lens will definitely come in handy.
Our tour guide/narrator was Very talkative and at times many of the people I met on the boat, and myself, were hoping he would stop talking so much so we could just enjoy...the funniest part of his narrative all day was when he told everyone to sit down in their seats if they wanted a cookie that was baked by his crew!! I felt like a young schoolgirl! -
Review from Jim S.
8/13/2011
Amazing.
Like I wrote in another review, it's important not to confuse the wonderful surroundings with your tour company's service. In this case, Kenai Fjords Tours enhanced our experience in the park, rather than simply providing transportation. Our captain - who had 18 years experience at Kenai Fjords - was highly knowledgable and provided fantastic narration throughout the tour. He went to great lengths to turn the boat so everyone got good looks at wildlife and glaciers. He even allowed us to return to Seward a little late after we spotted some breaching whales.
In all, we had pretty much the opposite experience with Kenai Fjords Tours than we did with Major Marine, whose narration was dumbed down and whose tour experience mostly revolved around a buffet rather than the natural surroundings. Best of all, Kenai Fjords Tours does NOT allow smoking, unlike Major Marine.
Kenai Fjords Tours is a bit more expensive but totally worth it. Go with the classier company. If you're a true nature lover, make sure you go on the Northwestern Fjord cruise - it was epic. -
Review from Nicole F.
6/27/2011
It's a good tour - a bit pricey has some have mentioned but you can get 10% off if you are military active or retired. The captain went right up to the fjord, plowing through ice that had just calved due to an earthquake the prior evening. That was interesting.....
Lots of great whale watching and dolphin sightings. And how could I not mention the imfamous Alaskan puffin? Lots of those sightings too.;-) -
Review from Michael P.
New Castle, CO
7/30/2011
We took the Resurrection Bay dinner cruise and we highly recommend it. Very informative guided trip and our captain took us by a spot where porpoises swam along our boat, by rocks crawling with sea lions, and out to a point to watch humpback whales..and man did we get a show with them surfacing, jumping and twisting
The meal was all you can eat salad, rice, bread, fresh caught Salmon and local prime rib (and an all you can eat snack bar), also came with a free drink and $1 off bar drink...food was very good for a ship buffet. Ask about AAA discount if you have...our total cost with discount was $90 for cruise and dinner and it was well worth it! -
Review from SUSIE Q.
South Pasadena, CA
7/2/2011
We took Kenai Fjords Tours for a wedding in Fox Island. We were on the boat from 3:30 to 6:20 PM. We had appetizers (it was catered by Ray's) on the cruise. They served us oysters on the half shell, shrimp/crab cocktails, hummus with balsamic vinegar on toast, and wine / beer.
The Captain Dan was very knowledgeable and very informative. The staffs were very friendly and nice. We are from SF and LA. We were all dressed up (in short dresses) and high heels!! We have never been on a boat in high heels and walk around the deck taking scenic pictures. We took pictures with the Groom, family and friends on the boat ride to Fox Island. The weather was overcast, windy, and cold, but not too bad. No one got seasickness or thrown over board on this cruise to Fox Island. At times the water can get choppy. We saw lots of Humpback whales (other whales,too), Puffins, Stellar's sea lions, sea otters, Bald eagles, porpoises, and goat.
Everything on this tour was AWESOME! The wedding on Fox Island is another review. -
Review from Mitzi I.
Simi Valley, CA
9/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
This site seeing tour is awesome!
-
Review from Kalpa S.
Englewood, CO
9/25/2010
We did the resurrection bay tour with Kenai Fjords tour company. It was really outstanding.
The tour package comes with a lunch buffet. The buffet was not too shabby. Being vegetarian, I had the veggie lasagna. Ofcourse for the hubby and other meat eaters, there was grilled steak, salmon, corn on the cob, salad and bread. Dessert consisted of several kinds of brownie bars, also pretty good.
The tour in itself was awesome...ZERO sea sickness, and trust me I'm the queen of getting sea sick. We saw tons of wild life. There was a ranger on board and the captain herself was pretty informative.
There were a few Alaskans on board. It was so cool that even they had a good time on board. Overall, totally worth the money -
Review from Erin H.
5/12/2011
A little pricy but I've always gotten a great show! I've been many times and I've seen almost everything advertised, everytime. Although years ago I remeber getting fish 'n chips for lunch. Just last week it was a very pathetic Cesar wrap, a bag of mini carrots, and a granola bar...not sure what happened there?
-
Review from Paige G.
Baton Rouge, LA
8/1/2011
Had a great time on this tour! My sister and I opted for the combo and kayaked part of the tour. Definitely a good option for those that do not like sitting on a boat all day or who have kids with a lot of energy to burn. The kayak tour was amazing, great views, got to see a lot of puffins up close as well as star fish. We didn't see too many other animals besides birds, but the views were postcard worthy and it was great to leisurely kayak for a few hours around fox island. After the kayak portion was complete, we were picked up by a tour boat (after eating the provided buffet lunch, not too bad). We saw a few humpback whales, some sea lions and a lot more birds! Bring binoculars or a zoom lens and looks up in the mountains for white spots, you may just see a mountain goat! All in all, I had a wonderful time and I highly suggest it!
-
Review from Ria J.
Oakland, CA
9/28/2010
Do the longest trip you have time for. It is worth it.
If you are a photographer, go on the small Mariah Tours boat. The captain will adjust the tour for best photography and wait an appropriate amount of time at each stop. I got really seasick, but everyone else seemed fine. I should have taken medicine. The water gets extra choppy with the boat starting and stopping. If you get motion sickness, take precautions.
If you are with kids, go on one of the bigger boats as there will be more information and activities geared for them. -
Review from Cory O.
Houston, TX
3/26/2008
I've been on countless glacier tours with visiting friends and family and yet the only company that comes to mind is Kenai Fjords Tours. We've used them more than once and each time, my guests have been very happy.
I enjoyed the boat's small size that allowed us to have a more intimate feel to the whole trip. Sure, it is cold and there isn't that deck room with all the people jostling you with their cameras, but there's enough to get your 300 photos of the same two otters and leave feeling satisfied.
The staff tend to be pretty happy go lucky and why shouldn't they be? Tourism in Alaska is one of the best fields to be in.
The food is not even worth mentioning, so bring a snack. I'm not bothered by seasickness, so I can't really give too much advice in that area. When in doubt, get the patch.
In the end, this is a great way to spend a day and to encourage your touristy friends to enjoy the all the beauty that Alaska has to offer. They'll definitely see enough glacier, otters, bald eagles and the occasional whale on this trip, so make sure they bring a camera with plenty of batteries. -
Review from Crystal C.
Alexandria, VA
8/9/2010
OUTSTANDING----OUTSTANDING----OUTSTANDING!! I am very hard to please--a bit spoiled and enjoy the finer things in life. Given all that, I was amazed and cant rave enough about this cruise.
I had to come to AK from Washington DC for work purposes. I came up a few days early with my boyfriend to enjoy AK (And celebrate his bday while here). We stayed in Anchorage and drove down to Seward for the cruise, the morning of. The drive here on Turnagain Arm was also amazing and a MUST DO. (Give yourself extra drive time so you can pull over and take lots of pics)
We took the 6 hour Kenai Fjords Cruise. The Captain and crew were freindly, knowledgeable and very accommodating. We saw TONS of WILDLIFE. This included: Orca whales, Humpback whales, Bald eagles (many), mountain goats, a black bear, Puffins and many other birds (if you are bird watcher-a must see), Steller Sea Lions, Porpoises, Glaciers, and Many sea otters, etc... The glacier was active and put on quite a show with its falling ice chunks---sounds like a frieght train.
I recommend taking snacks of your liking; the boat has stuff but the choices are few. Dont forget the extra camera batteries--you will take so many beautiful pictures that you cant anticipate. Dress warm, it gets cold and we got light rain so a rain coat is smart as well.
The captain is an excellent narrator and provides so much interesting info that you will enjoy listening to.
This cruise is done RIGHT!! Thanks--we enjoyed this so much. A lasting memory for sure. -
Review from Doug C.
San Jose, CA
8/6/2010 9 photos
We took the 9 hour Northwestern Glacier Cruise with Kenai Fjords Tours and cannot rate them highly enough. We were with Capt. Bob on the Alaskan Explorer. The boat was clean and smooth. The crew were helpful, knowledgeable and courteous. We were fortunate to have very calm seas and abundant wildlife. Black bear, eagles, mountain goats, orcas, humpbacks, Dall's porpoise, and more species of sea birds than we could begin to list (if you are a birder, this cruise is a must). The star of the show though, was the glacier(s). It is impossible to describe the immensity of these things and the sight and sound of calving. It sounds like a cannon and thunder mixed together. There are not enough superlatives. I f you go take plenty of layers it can get quite chilly out there.
-
Review from Kris R.
San Jose, CA
9/8/2009
I would HIGHLY recommend getting on one of the dinner cruises with Kenai Fjords Tours.
The crew was very informative and friendly, never once wavering to answer a question fielded by us tourists!
The catamaran cruise gives you more sights in less time with much less roll than a standard single hull boat. If you get sea or lake sick, this is a good option for you. (I know, I get sick on the water all the time, and never once got queasy on the 6 hr. cruise!)
The dinner was much better than I had expected - not to mention the warm cookies afterwards!
The views were superlative. Expect to hear the glaciers talk to you, and have the camera ready to go at ANY moment for wildlife and scenery. -
Review from Heather L M.
Trenton, NJ
10/12/2008 1 photo
Despite the fact I wasn't feeling so hot for part of the trip (a little seasickness), this tour was amazing. We saw tons of wildlife - puffins, bald eagles, humpback and killer whales, sea otters, seals, sea lions - UP CLOSE and Holgate Glacier. The crew was amazing and provided wonderful narrative, and the boat was very clean. If you're in Seward, do not miss this experience!
Listed in: Go North, Young Lady
-
Review from Robert P.
Eagle River, AK
3/19/2008
Mariah Tours
(Division of Kenai Fjords Tours)
If you want an up-close nature cruise experience and are not bothered by seasickness, Mariah Tours is for you. I have been on most of the major wildlife cruises out of the Seward Harbor and Mariah Tours is the most memorable. On this full day tour, a cold picnic style lunch is served. (I actually preferred it over the micro waved crab cakes and fish sticks served on some of the larger boats.) The tour is called "Captain's Choice" for a very good reason. At the tour office there is a list of attractions you might see on the tour - Glaciers, Birds, Seals, Whales, etc. The day of the tour the Captain will choose which area has the best greatest prospect for activity and then adjusts the route accordingly. Consequently, you might not see everything on the list, but you will experience the best tour possible for the conditions. Because of this boats small size (22 passenger maximum), it can get very close to the shoreline and marine wildlife, making it absolutely perfect for birders and photographers. The day we went out, one of several pods of Orcas we encountered surrounded the boat and the babies were spy hopping within a few feet of us. We also saw numerous humpback whales, mountain goats, a black bear and several different species of birds. I would not recommend this tour for people with small children or physical handicaps because of the boats small size and the possibility of rough seas.
Get out and enjoy Alaska !!Listed in: Places to see while in Alaska
-
Review from chris c.
Albuquerque, NM
8/1/2008 4 photos
seriously?
if you are even in alaska to begin with, you probably like nature, right??
i took the longest, most expensive ride (like 8 hours), and thought it was the greatest fucking thing ever!!!
there were times when everbody, the whole boat stood silent in awe of the nature we were witnessing!
amazing! -
Review from Carly B.
Portsmouth, VA
7/6/2010
This was simply awesome. I would absolutely do it again if given the chance! The crew was nice and very knowledgeable and we saw so many animals. It was great. If you are in Seward, you MUST do a tour. We did the 6 hour Park tour which includes a trip to a glacier which was the best part. The captain turns off the engines and everyone on the boat is quiet and you can watch and hear chunks falling off. Awesome!
-
Review from Ellen P.
Sacramento, CA
6/20/2008
I went on the wildlife cruise and very fun trip with a fun and knowledgeable narrator. We got to stop and see a lot of wildlife. The food was not great but not horrible, and some of the staff were a little apathetic. Overall a great ride and definitely something to do if you are in Alaska.
-
Review from Nicole D.
9/4/2008
In early April of 2006, my husband and I took my mom out on a whale watching tour, on a bi-level pontoon boat. The length was 3 hours, which was long enough, especially if you have kids with you.
We went out into the Gulf of Alaska, and it was practically blizzard weather. A lot of people got sea sick, including my husband (who I swear, was literally green in the face).
They gave us all the option to go to the galley and get ourselves some bagels and fruit and some little snack things, but if you're prone to motion sickness I suggest you don't eat it. They gave it out when we were on our way out to the Gulf, which I found quite humorous.
The only negative effect I experienced was while I stood on the deck outside in the Gulf, bracing myself up against the wall of windows, straining against the bitterly cold snow and wind and salt mist to videotape. IT WAS BETTER THAN A ROLLER COASTER.
I'm thinking about getting my grandparents out there this weekend, as it's the last week of the tourist stuff for the year.
The narrators were great, they were quick as possible to point out the movements of the creatures we saw, even estimating the approximate reappearance of the humpback whale we saw fluke on a number of occasions.
HIGHLY recommended tour, especially for the people that live here in Alaska. -
Review from Dave S.
Berkeley, CA
6/24/2009
Even though the weather was pretty bad, the tour was actually pretty good. Tons of wildlife which obviously THEY are not responsible for, but they do a good job of searching out and getting close to it.
I don't particularly care for the very packed seating arrangements. They are bolted down tables, but loose chairs, and it's REALLY tight and cramped. Of course you could walk out in the 20MPH winds and horizontal rain and have a little room!
Two suggestions.
1) Skip the meal. It's disgusting and it's too much. Just pick up a LITE lunch in town and eat before boarding. Nothing more disgusting that eating tons of food on a choppy cruise and seeing people barf all over the place.
2) If they mention the seas are a little choppy, TAKE the Dramamine or whatever. Even if you thing you're the macho-never-get-sick type. Our boat was full, and there were probably 20-25 people sick on our cruise. Girls, boys, men, women. You could bet those that were sick thought they could handle it.
