6 HOUR KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK CRUISE

6 Hour Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise

Visit an active tidewater glacier and discover the abundant wildlife of Kenai Fjords National Park on a stable catamaran. This is the best cruise option for those interested in booking same-day transportation packages from Anchorage. Cruise with a National Park Ranger. Enjoy our optional Alaska Salmon & Prime Rib Buffet while you cruise.

PRICE & DATES

Price

Adult (age 12+): $159.00

Child (age 2-11): $79.50

Infant (under 2): $0.00

Tax, harbor fee, and meal not included in above prices.

Dates

May 3 – September 22, 2019

Departing: 11:30 am

Returning: 5:30 pm

Now booking for 2020. Please call for 2020 rates, dates, and reservations.

OVERVIEW

MAP AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION

OVERVIEW

6 Hour Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise

Our 6 Hour Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise explores the world of whales, wildlife, and glaciers found in Kenai Fjords National Park. The Spirit of Adventure and Kenai Fjords 360 are two of our fastest catamarans, allowing you to experience as much scenery, glaciers, and wildlife as possible within six hours. Providing a full narration to your journey, a uniformed National Park Ranger will be onboard to point out the spectacular sights and provide information on the area’s ecology, history, and geology. You will spend time in front of the mighty Holgate Glacier, an actively calving tidewater glacier. This cruise is the best option for those traveling with same-day transportation packages from Anchorage.

CRUISE & TRAIN INFORMATION: The 6 Hour Cruise aligns with same-day, round-trip transportation on the Alaska Railroad. The train arrives in Seward at 11:05 a.m. and the cruise departs at 11:30 a.m., giving you enough time to walk to the check-in office at Harbor 360 Hotel (2 minute walk from the Alaska Railroad Depot) and board the boat from the dock directly behind the hotel. When the cruise returns at 5:30 p.m., you will have enough time to walk to the depot and board the train before the 6:00 p.m. departure. More information can be found on our transportation page.

MAP AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Our 6 Hour Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise departs from the Seward Harbor 360 Hotel dock at 11:30 a.m. The cruise will travel through the protected waters of Resurrection Bay and continue around Cape Aialik (pronounced “I-al-ik) into Aialik Bay. A National Park Ranger will be onboard to provide a detailed narrative on the history, ecology, geology, and wildlife in the area. They are always more than happy to answer your questions during the cruise.

While in the protected waters of Aialik Bay we will begin serving our optional Alaska salmon and prime rib meal that is freshly prepared onboard. This meal is served buffet style and is consistently rated as the best of any day-cruise company in Southcentral Alaska. While you enjoy our cruising restaurant service you will be able to sit at your reserved seat inside the heated cabin and not miss out on any of the beautiful scenery.

At the end of Aialik Bay is the mighty Holgate Glacier, an actively calving tidewater glacier. We will spend time in front of the glacier to watch for calving, where giant chunks of glacial ice break off and crash into the water.

Depending on the time of year, we will explore the Chiswell Islands (part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge) or Cape Resurrection, home to thousands of nesting seabirds including puffins, kittiwakes, and cormorants. The captain will stop the boat close to the seabird nesting areas, providing great photo opportunities. We will also visit Steller sea lion colonies, where Steller sea lions gather on the rugged, rocky coastline. Sea otters, bald eagles, and mountain goats are also commonly seen along the route.

This cruise is not recommended for those who are prone to seasickness since it travels through the open Gulf of Alaska. Our half-day cruises are a better option if motion sickness is a concern.

This cruise is indicated as the blue dotted line on the cruise map. Routes may vary depending on wildlife, weather, and ice conditions.

Quick Facts

Visit an active tidewater glacier
View wildlife and scenery on a large, stable catamaran with multiple viewing decks and large, fog-free windows
Wildlife: whales, sea otters, Steller sea lions, harbor seals, puffins, eagles, seabirds
Onboard National Park Ranger
Fun and educational Junior Ranger Program available for children
Delicious Alaska salmon and prime rib buffet for only $24 per adult and $12 per child, including complimentary soft drinks and dessert bar. Buffet served at approximately 2:00 p.m.
Guaranteed reserved seating in our heated cabin for every guest
Free souvenir book
Complimentary use of binoculars while onboard
Fits well with same-day transportation packages on the Alaska Railroad and motorcoach
Vessel: Spirit of Adventure or Kenai Fjords 360
Departure location: Seward Harbor 360 Hotel
Wheelchair accessible, inside main deck. Please note if there are wheelchairs in your party when making your reservation.

HEAR WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING

 5/5

Best Experience Ever

The 6 hour tour to the fjords and Holgate Glacier was life-changing. The humpbacks were all over dancing for us out of the water, the orcas were playful, the sea lions played king of the hill, the sea otters were wrestling in pairs, the puffins couldn’t get airborne because they ate too much and the calving of the glacier was surreal. We were lucky to have a day where the water was absolute glass which made for an enjoyable ride (sickness-wise) but also super easy to spot wildlife. Captain Terry and Ranger Steve were awesome and because of the spectacular day, they helped us realize that what we were seeing was something special. I enjoyed all the information shared and Terry’s ability to respect the space each animal needed while getting us close for viewing.

Jennifer W / TripAdvisor

 5/5

Buffet was the best meal on my trip

An Alaska Railroad representative actually recommended the 6 hour tour with buffet. Arrived at the Small Boat harbor check in location in the Harbor 360 Hotel. Surrendered our luggage which was checked directly to the train without any effort on our part. Fantastic. Our boat departed on time. En route, we saw sea otters, a bald eagle, a glacier calving (huge portions of ice falling from the glacier into the ocean water), porpoises, whales, and orca whales. The buffet entrees were salmon and prime rib that were prepared on board. And the prime rib was the best I have had in a long time. Thankfully, seconds were offered and accepted. The Captain skillfully maneuvered the boat for us to get great pictures. He know were to be to find the whales and ready to stop and observe when the unexpected orca whales appeared at the end of the day’s sail. As expected this cruise was the high point of our visit to Alaska at the end of our journey.

jtfftj1155 / TripAdvisor

 5/5

6 Hour Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise – Best Alaskan Marine Experience

After our cruise from Vancouver to Seward we decided we would stay an extra day in Seward and so we booked this 6 hour marine cruise for our day of arrival in Seward. This was by far the best marine tour we had during our entire Alaskan vacation. We saw a few orcas and many humpback whales, several swimming right by the front of our catamaran. There were so many sea lions, otters, puffins, and other birds that were seen during this cruise. In addition, the catamaran was able to get relatively close to a Kenai Fjords National Park glacier. We loved it!. The National Park Ranger who was on the cruise with us was very informative and added to our experience. We would highly recommend this tour.

LandMCampHill / TripAdvisor

SPECIALS, PACKAGES, & ADD-ONS

Specials & Packages

FALL COLORS PACKAGE
Save on a fall getaway including our 6 Hour Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise and overnight at Harbor 360 Hotel. Prices start at $220 per person, based on double occupancy. Available August 19th – September – 22nd.

Add-Ons

Major Marine Tours is your one-stop shop for Alaskan adventure! Add hotel, transportation, and activities to your cruise reservation.

DIRECTIONS

Our 6 Hour Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise departs daily from Seward, a seaside town located 125 miles south of Anchorage on Alaska’s famous Kenai Peninsula. The highly scenic drive to Seward from Anchorage provides countless views of mountains, inlets, lakes, rivers, glaciers, and more. If you’d rather use your travel time to sit back and relax while you gaze at the spectacular sights, we are more than happy to arrange round-trip transportation via motorcoach or the legendary Alaska Railroad.
Click here for Seward Driving Directions & Check-In Information
Click here for Transportation Options

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6 HOUR KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK CRUISE