Columbia Glacier Cruise from Valdez
Description
This 6-hour tour explores the fjords and passageways of the Prince William Sound in route to South-central Alaska's largest tidewater glacier – Columbia Glacier. Your all-Alaskan captain and crew will share with you the history of the Sound and point out the marine wildlife and bird life in the area such as sea otters, seals, sea lions, whales, porpoises, eagles, puffins and more!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Columbia Glacier is the largest glacier in south-central Alaska. Each day Columbia calves off around 8 million tons of ice. Depending on this ice flow we will navigate the large ice bergs getting as close to the face of Columbia as the ice and safety dictate.
Prince William Sound is a protected part of the ocean that we cruise in. It is rich with wildlife, glacier, beautiful glacier carved fjords and history.
Stan Stephens Cruises has been operating tours in Prince William Sound for 50 years.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- We do provide a vegetarian option, however are not able to meet all special dietary needs. If you have specific restrictions or needs please feel free to bring your own meals/snacks.
Reviews(266)
Unfortunately, you typically can't get all that close to the main branch of the glacier because there is too much ice in the water. You still get a beautiful view though and they take you close to other branches. We saw lots of wildlife too: whales, sea lions, seals.
This was an excellent cruise in every way. The ship was comfortable, the chowder was delicious, and the captain, Chris (if my memory is correct) , was superb! He deftly maneuvered his craft around the large chunks of ice to get us as close as possible to the Columbia Glacier. My wife and I, and a friend, spent 12 days in Alaska on cruises, bus excursions, flightseeing trips, and hiking. We all agreed that this was among our very favorite adventures!
Thanks for traveling with us and taking the time to share your experience. We are glad you had a good journey and we hope to see you next time you are in Alaska.
Top notch experience up close to glacier. Lots of wildlife, too. Well planned with informed guides. Pleasant lunch provided. Good weather was a bonus (not guaranteed in Alaska!)
Thanks for the traveling with us! We are glad you enjoyed your time on board.
The tour was excellent. Very impressed by the boat captain. He provided a thorough explanation of the wildlife, landscape and additional stories of the area. He was also very focused as he drove through the ice fields. Highly recommended.
Thanks for traveling with us. We are happy you enjoyed your journey. Enjoy the rest of your Alaskan travels.
Great staff and knowledgeable. As a rookie geologist (hobby), glaciers have fascinated me for years. This trip was no disappointment. Love the fact we got close to the face. Wildlife was not out while we were sailing as it was rough weather. A few humpbacks and stellar seals. The staff knows the area well.
Thanks for traveling with us. We appreciate your review. Enjoy the rest of your Alaskan travels.
My husband and I visited Valdez within our honey moon and went on the Columbia Glacier Cruise, it was incredible! The sights were breathtaking, the wildlife was amazing, and the crew was beyond friendly. We feel like we lived out an episode of Nat Geo Wild with how much we saw and learned. We would 100% book another tour if we find ourselves back in the area.
Thanks for spending your honey moon with us! Congratulations! We are glad you enjoyed your journey and hope to see you back on your next visit.
It's a shame that the Colombia ice cream shop has diminished in such a short time. The brochures do not reflect reality. A very beautiful excursion nonetheless!!!
Thank you for traveling wit us and sharing your thoughts. Safe travels the rest of you time in Alaska.
This is a great excursion with lots of interesting wildlife sightings and glacier views. The captain and crew were very nice and did a wonderful job. Highly recommend this excursion.
Thank you for traveling with us and for the recommendation. We hope you have a safe journey on the rest of your travels.
The captain was knowledgeable. Saw many whales but they didn't come very close to the boat. Saw many sea otters and a lot of sea lions so. We had a good time. Supper was so so.
Thanks for traveling with, we are happy you enjoyed your travels. Enjoy the rest of Alaska and we hope to see you again when you are in Valdez.
Had a great cruise. It was misty and foggy when we started..don't let the weather stop you!! We had a magnificnet cruise, saw humpback whales, otters, sea lions, eagles, puffins and a BEAR!! Captain Chris..was GREAT. He was willing to chat with passengers and answers questions and stay a good long time viewing the animals. On the way back we were crusing along at a good speep when the Captain saw a Black Bear up on some rocks...he slowed down, stopped and let us all get a glimse...It was awesome. All in all a very good day...and we were out longer than the cruise was supposed to be...that is a great Captain. Thank You. Oh and the clam chowder lunch was very good!!
Thank you so much for traveling with us and for taking the time to scribe a detailed review. We are so happy you enjoyed your time on the Sound. Enjoy the rest of your Alaskan travels.
