Full-Day Kenai Fjords National Park Northwestern Cruise
Description
Travel to remote areas in Kenai Fjords National Park on this full-day adventure cruise. Ideal for photographers, birders, and whale-watching enthusiasts, this 8.5 hour cruise explores the untouched area of Northwestern Fjord in Kenai Fjords National Park. This cruise travels with a smaller group for a more intimate cruising experience, providing the best opportunity for up-close views of wildlife and glaciers. A full day on the water allows the captain plenty of time to seek out the best wildlife viewing opportunities in the area, home to humpback whales, orca whales, Steller sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, and many types of seabirds. You will spend time in front of the impressive Northwestern Glacier, an actively-calving tidewater glacier. A deli lunch is included.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This adventure cruise is the only small-vessel cruise that explores the remote, glacier-carved Northwestern Fjord in Kenai Fjords National Park. Ideal for photographers, birders, and whale-watching enthusiasts, this 8.5 hour cruise departs from the Seward Harbor 360 Hotel dock 8:30 a.m. and returns at 5:00 p.m. The cruise will travel through Resurrection Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Cape Resurrection, Granite Pass, Harris Bay, and into the spectacular Northwestern Fjord. Due to the vessel size and the cruise length, children under 12 are not suitable on this cruise.
Narrated by our knowledgeable, experienced captain and crew, guests have the unique opportunity to explore remote, untouched areas of Kenai Fjords National Park with a small group. Depending on sea conditions and wildlife-viewing opportunities, the captain’s route to Northwestern Fjord can vary from day to day. After cruising through Resurrection Bay, you will explore the Chiswell Islands (part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge) or Cape Resurrection, home to thousands of nesting seabirds, Steller sea lions, and other wildlife. The cruise will then enter Harris Bay, where you will be greeted with views of beautiful hidden coves, rugged mountains, and possibly feeding whales. Once we enter the virtually untouched and untamed Northwestern Fjord, look for the numerous alpine glaciers nestled high on the cliffs. You will visit Northwestern, Anchor, and Ojive Glaciers at the end of Northwestern Fjord. You will spend time in front of the glacier to watch for glacial calving.
Cruise through Resurrection Bay, the Gulf Of Alaska, and Harris Bay in search of wildlife such as humpbacks, killer whales, sea lions, harbor seals, seabirds, and more.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Adult pricing applies to all travelers.
- Children under 12 not suitable for cruise
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Not recommended for guests with limited mobility
- Please arrive 1 hour prior to departure for check-in
Reviews(395)
We had a wonderful, very informative trip
The crew was very professional and kept us well informed with lots of information. The ship was also comfortable and they kept to the advertised schedule. The only disappointing thing was the lack of wildlife viewing. I understand it is nature and not predictable, but they made it out to be more than it was. For example, they said we saw humback whale bubble feeding - it really wasn't and wasn't even close to bubble feeding. The highlight of the trip was the glaciers, especially Northwestern Glacier.
Fantastic cruise in every way!! Comfortable boat and wonderful and knowledgeable crew. The captain went out of his way to find humpbacks bubble net fishing which was absolutely thrilling. Lots of other marine and wildlife including orcas. Cannot recommend highly enough!
Captain and first mate/naturalist were superb! Commentary on the sights and animals we saw excellent. Skills at sea were fantastic as we did hit some areas of swells.
We chose the 8:30 option on a small boat, and there were 35 of us. The landscapes were magnificent, and we were able to observe many animals and birds Justin and Carl were very professional and super nice I recommend it without hesitation!
We had one of the best experiences of our Alaska trip with Major Marine tours. Their staff is extremely polite, courteous, knowledgeable and helpful. We saw 4 types of whales and more than 8 types of birds and the captain always made sure to stop and give us enough time to take in the moment. Captain John, Rowen and Carl were an amazing crew - they made sure we were safe and comfortable on the cruise. We took the 8.5 hour cruise and throughout the day, the crew checked up on all passengers, suggested remedies for people feeling seasick, gave us commentary about the animals and the places we were seeing, even background about the glaciers and answered all of our questions. I'd whole heartedly recommend Major Marine tours to my friends and family.
This is one of the two best things we did over our extensive two-week DIY tour of SouthCentral Alaska (the other was flightseeing over Denali). A friend recommended, and he was spot on. Captain Justin and Naturalist Carl were OUTSTANDING. Love Carl! It was a chock-a-block full 8.5 hours. No “you’ll snooze after lunch on the way back.” Oh no. We continued making great stops and seeing WILDLIFE. We were fortunate to have a good weather day. We met lovely people on board — among the manageable crowd of 36 — who even enhanced our experience. Lunch was great.
The boat tours through the Kenjai Fjords are always a great adventure, and you never know what to expect. This time the sea was very stormy. Unfortunately, this was not tolerable for every margin. Despite everything, we were able to observe otters, bald eagles, various whales, puffins, and an immense glacier calving on this tour. The tour is highly recommended. The crew also took excellent care of the guests. And they shine with expertise and many years of experience.
If it’s rainy, wear waterproof everything and bring gloves! Thank goodness we wore waterproof shell over our jeans. It was a good trip although the weather was stormy and very very wet and cold. People hogged up the cabin to stay warm and not very willing to share their tables. Many seasick passengers due to rocking boat. Jack, the deck hand was amazing!
Justin and Jack were the best. We saw goats, otters, sea lions, harbor seals, Dall’s porpoise, puffins and of course whales. Saw humpbacks bubble net feeding which was so amazing. And the Northwest Glacier, just watching it calve over and over, what an experience. Highlight of our trip.
