First of all, I can’t believe it’s been since May that I’ve blogged. I didn’t mean to take such a long break — I was trying to soak up every last minute I had in Alaska before leaving. I’ll be posting all about our adventures hopefully for the rest of this month and next, so we can move on to other things and new destinations! I’m super excited to share with you today about our time touring the gorgeous Kenai Fjords National Park with Major Marine Tours!
I had a really good friend from Germany come visit me the last few weeks of June, and we wanted to take a cruise to see both the glaciers AND wildlife, and couldn’t quite decide what tour to choose. This is where Major Marine comes in, they had such a variety of cruise tours on their site, and after a quick email to their staff asking what tour we should do (we were wanting to focus more on seeing wildlife), we picked the 7.5 Hour Kenai Fjords Nat. Park Cruise, and I’m so glad we did!
We started the cruise out of Seward, a gorgeous little coastal town, tucked away amongst huge majestic mountains. The day was gloomy and a bit rainy, but in true Alaskan form, we weren’t phased by it, and instead just put on a few more layers of clothing before we headed out.
The Major Marine staff greeted us with a smile and a quick picture on the dock before we headed into the boat to check out our pre-booked table and find the best viewing spots for any sort of wildlife we would see. A park ranger also joined us on our cruise and was able to tell us all about the national park and the animals that inhabit it. She was super knowledgeable and willing to answer all our questions. She also had the eyes of a hawk and could see the wild animals about 10x faster than we could!
What kinds of animals did we see on tour? So glad you asked: sea otters, orcas, humpback whales, puffins, sea lions, seals, bald eagles, and quite a few other small sea birds! Probably the most exciting animal spotting was a family of orcas, and although we didn’t get very close, it was SO COOL seeing the pod interact with each other. The captain was gracious to slow down and even stop at every sighting so we would all have time to snap pics and enjoy the wildlife in their natural habitat.
About halfway through the cruise, a buffet lunch of salmon and prime rib was served, and there was more than enough for everyone to have as much as they wanted! The quality of the food that was served on board a boat was amazing! We were thoroughly stuffed as we headed towards the two tidewater glaciers we were to see that day.
Both glaciers were absolutely massive, and it was so fun hearing the active glacier crack and calve into the sea. I’ve never heard anything like it! At the second glacier, the staff grabbed a huge chunk of ice that was floating in the water near the boat and used it to serve fresh glacier ice margaritas. Yum right?!
Although it was only about 50 degrees and rainy the entire 7.5 hours, we had a great time and took advantage of the heated cabin and unlimited coffee/tea when we weren’t out viewing a whale breaching or sea otters playing!
Considering booking a cruise tour with Major Marine? Here’s a few things you should probably bring:
- Camera
- Extra Batteries
- Raincoat
- Rubber-soled shoes
- Hat to keep your ears warm (yes, even in summer!)
- Binoculars (although these are provided free of charge by the staff as well!)
Cruise tours depart daily, and depending on which cruise option your chose, you can book anywhere from late February until October! This particular cruise through Kenai Fjords is offered May – August.
Prices
Adult: $179 USD
Child: $89.50
Buffet Dinner is an extra $19 per adult / $9.50 per child
We were guests of Major Marine Tours in exchange for an open and honest review. All opinions are my own.