Which Kenai Fjords Boat Tour?

[paylady]

We intend on taking a Kenai Fjords boat tour on May 27 next year. I have been wanting to do this tour for years now and have been researching this subject for so long that I am on information overload. It appears all three tour operators do an excellent job which makes it that much harder to choose. We arrive on the 26th, so I can schedule our tour any time of day.

 

It would be particularly helpful to hear from someone who has used more than one of the tour operators for a comparison.

 

From what I can tell, the differences are:

 

Major Marine does the same 120 mile route in 7 1/2 hours where Renown and Kenai Fjord Tours do it in 6 hrs. So, why do they take an hour and a half more? Do they spend more time with marine life? More time at a glacier?

 

Kenai Fjord Tours uses an "accredited wildlife interpreter" while Renown and Major Marine use a National Park Ranger. Was there any real difference?

 

Are there any significant differences between the boats they use?

 

Do they all have bottled water available for free or purchase?

 

I noticed the difference in meals, but as much as we like food we're going for the tour not the cuisine so that's not a deciding factor for me.

 

One last question. Will taking a whale watching tour in Auke Bay, which we've done three times in past inside passage trips, be overkill? We do love the whales, but I wonder if it would feel anti-climactic after the Kenai Fjords tour.

[oldengine]

Pictures are worth more than what I can write in a posted response. We enjoyed the Kanai Fjords excursion as much or more than any other part of the trip. I wouldn't want to miss it!

 

Pictures Here

[Budget Queen]

I have gone with all three companies. Be aware that Renown and Major Marine are now the same company, just keeping the separate names.

 

In my experience, there is NO difference in the narration/commentary. The cpts. of Kenai Fjords tours are excellent and have extensive experience and knowledge of the area.

 

The boats are varied and all very nice in my opinion.

 

Bottled water is available for purchase on all of them.

 

There is NO comparism to a whale watch out of Auke Bay. About half of my Kenai Fjords boat trips had NO whale sightings. These are not whale watches. IF you do get whale viewing, it is brief compared to a Juneau whale watch. I don't hesistate to ever do both on a single trip. :)

[minpin04]

Pictures are worth more than what I can write in a posted response. We enjoyed the Kanai Fjords excursion as much or more than any other part of the trip. I wouldn't want to miss it!

 

Pictures Here

 

Oldengine, what camera/lense do you use? Your photos are fantastic!!

 

Kim

[oldengine]

Thanks!

 

Nikon D90 12.3mp with:

 

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-300mm 1:4.5-5.6 VR

 

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 18-105mm 1:3.5-5.6 VR

 

The VR is the key to shooting photos from a bouncing boat or a moving train. Ridiculous: shooting photos from a crowded bus. :rolleyes:

[pizzalady1]

I can only tell you about Renown:

 

 

Major Marine does the same 120 mile route in 7 1/2 hours where Renown and Kenai Fjord Tours do it in 6 hrs. Renown uses a catamarin which goes faster

Kenai Fjord Tours uses an "accredited wildlife interpreter" while Renown and Major Marine use a National Park Ranger. The ranger was wonderful; it was an extra set of eyes over and above the ship crew for spotting critters.

 

 

Do they all have bottled water available for free or purchase? Renown had water free, and some other drinks for a charge.

 

Renown and Kenai Fjord had bogo coupons in the TourSaver Book, so that made a difference for me.

 

...

[paylady]

Thanks everyone for our excellent feedback.

 

We wouldn't get much use from the coupon books because it's possible this would be the only coupon we would use aside from possibly the Sea Life Center. We'll be arriving at night in Anchorage on the 25th and setting off early in the morning for the train to Seward (one way only) on the 26th. We're looking to treat ourselves to the Goldstar service on the train. We'll be departing on the cruise in Seward on the 28th.

 

Spending time around Seward was more important to me than Denali. The next trip up to Alaska we'll do the park.

[msd360]

Here are some more pics, including the Renown boat.

 

A word about boats. Yes, Renown and Major Marine have the same owner, but their boats are still different. Renown uses a catamaran that is faster (and possibly more stable) than the monohulls used by Major Marine. You have to get out of Resurrection Bay in order to see Kenai Fjords, and that takes a while. Renown's boat is bigger, and may be more crowded. Major Marine and Kenai Fjords Tours are smaller and may be able to get closer to the glacier. Major Marine charges extra for their substantial meal (in which you may not be interested depending on sea conditions), Renown's smaller but still tasty snack is included.

[Chenega]

Kenai Fjords now also has two catamarans, one of which goes on the longer Northwestern Fjords trip. Depending on the tour you take, you will either get a chicken wrap lunch or make a stop at Fox Island for a meal.

 

I like Kenai Fjords just for the experience they have in the area and the number of tour options available. Their captains are as well-versed in the area as any of the National Park rangers; some have years of experience working for the company.

[Walter Corrigan]

Here are some more pics, including the Renown boat.

 

A word about boats. Yes, Renown and Major Marine have the same owner, but their boats are still different. Renown uses a catamaran that is faster (and possibly more stable) than the monohulls used by Major Marine. You have to get out of Resurrection Bay in order to see Kenai Fjords, and that takes a while. Renown's boat is bigger, and may be more crowded. Major Marine and Kenai Fjords Tours are smaller and may be able to get closer to the glacier. Major Marine charges extra for their substantial meal (in which you may not be interested depending on sea conditions), Renown's smaller but still tasty snack is included.

 

Just a note on KFT. The owner of Renown and Major Marine USED to be the owner of KFT. He had a five-year no competition clause and bought the two after that time. He's good and he's competitive.

[Choozin Croozin]

I can't compare as I have only done KFT (8am - 6 hour tour) and that was 5 days ago. I thought that the captain(narrator) did an awesome job, we saw lots of critters and because the seas were basically calm we got to go to Aliak Glacier which was awesome. He got us real close too. The lunch was very generous and tasty. Part of the staff was very nice. And once we got on the shuttle the driver was superb..... The reason I will NOT use them again is that I was told 3 times and quite forcefully that I should be off the ship at 7a and call IMMEDIATELY to have someone come and get us, especially since we had luggage to stow. So we got up at 5a to be in the lounge at 6:15a to make the 6:30a call off the ship. (we didn't know how long it would take) And then getting mad at my son and his gf for being 10 min late (we still were off by 6:50), I started calling right away even though she told me their office didn't open until 7a as I know they started boarding the boat at 7:30a. There were other couples waiting also, doing the same thing. None of us got anything but an answering machine saying that they didn't open until 9a. (i asked the guard at the port and he couldn't tell me anything...it wasn't his job) We called until about 7:20 am and my son and I started walking to their office. We got 3/4 of the way there (about 10-15min) and my son spotted a van with their logo on it. We stopped him and explained our dilemma. He was so kind and picked us up even though we weren't on the list. We went back to the port picked up the rest of our party, luggage and others and then headed to the Holiday Inn to drop off our luggage. He was so kind and took care of all our luggage (it was there waiting for us at check in). Then we went to check in on the boat. By the time we got on the boat the only spaces that were available to sit in were outside (and it was chilly). I was so angry. We probably would have spent most of the time outdoors anyway, but it would have been nice to have the option. Also, one of the crew acted like she was doing us a major favor. She barked at one of the passengers for something...then when it was time for lunch we all had to sit in seats down below. We crunched into a booth with some others. My husband was on the end and while we were waiting he went to the bathroom. She started to pass out the baskets and handed me one which I moved to his empty spot. She handed the others theirs and walked away. We all called her back and she said "what's your problem, you all have food?" when we explained that my husband went to the bathroom, she paused and then tossed the basket my way with a heavy sigh. Nope won't go with this one again. The incident in the beginning was enough let alone this rude staff person. I was in such a panic that we would miss the boat. (we had to pay ahead of time) Just my experience.

[oldengine]

Gads! How did the rest of your trip go? :confused:

[vbmom87]

Choosin Cruzin: I do hope you will write the company and express your disappointment. They really do need to know what happened. It was totally unacceptable.

 

You must have had a different boat than we did. We went on the Northwestern Fjords Boat tour with KFT and all seats were inside. We had a cold, raw, rainy day. I could not imagine having only an outside seat.

 

Like you, we could not reach the KFT office, but it was due to the fact that their phones were out. We just grabbed a cab at the dock and headed to the KFT office. It worked for us.

[Choozin Croozin]

Gads! How did the rest of your trip go? :confused:

 

I didn't mean to sound so dismal as this was the ONLY snafu out of the whole 12 days! This was towards the end of the trip. Believe me when I say, I couldn't have been more blessed with the way our trip went. It was perfect in every way. I was just very frustrated and felt helpless. When I said something to the desk they just sloughed it off.

 

Choosin Cruzin: I do hope you will write the company and express your disappointment. They really do need to know what happened. It was totally unacceptable. I did grab a comment card to fill out. Thank you for reminding me to do that.

 

You must have had a different boat than we did. We went on the Northwestern Fjords Boat tour with KFT and all seats were inside. We had a cold, raw, rainy day. I could not imagine having only an outside seat. I think if we all wanted to sit in separate seats, it would have been ok, that's what we did for lunch. There were 4 of us and we wanted to be together. When I got a little cool I just stood below.

 

Like you, we could not reach the KFT office, but it was due to the fact that their phones were out. We just grabbed a cab at the dock and headed to the KFT office. It worked for us. Maybe it was your review that I had read a while back as I was aware that someone else had the same problem. As far as I know they just didn't turn the answering machine off. I looked for a cab, but there were none, thus we started walking.

 

Again,I didn't mean to sound so negative (I guess I was venting a little too much) Once I forgot about it, the boat trip was fantastic..... well with the exception of "Miss Personality":rolleyes:

[Budget Queen]

Was every seat taken inside your boat?? Or were people spread out taking up space with empty seats between them and/or loaded with baggage??

 

I know some people want to sit by themselves, but I've been on these boats where you had to walk up and have people move to free up seats. I can't imagine riding the whole way outside. :(

[Choozin Croozin]

Was every seat taken inside your boat?? Or were people spread out taking up space with empty seats between them and/or loaded with baggage??

 

I know some people want to sit by themselves, but I've been on these boats where you had to walk up and have people move to free up seats. I can't imagine riding the whole way outside. :(

 

Yes, they were all spread out with their stuff etc, but it was pretty full. Mostly it was 4 or more people to a 6 person booth. There were about 8 of us outside. Like I said, we all had to sit down there for lunch so we just spread out throughout the boat. We just wanted to sit together as a family. Thank goodness for us it was a gorgeous day, though chilly, we were dressed appropriately and stayed warm for the majority of the time. If it had been raining, it would have been a different issue. I was more upset about the not being able to get in touch with them to get there more than anything. I was tired and po'd that I had made sure I was out there ON TIME and after being told quite adamantly 2x on the phone and once via email (bold letters) to call at 7a and then not answering your phone, that was what got me. (and there were others at the dock that were doing the same thing) So we volunteered to walk. Oh well, water over the dam now. I guess if I had my choice right now, I would rather be frantic waiting at the dock for KFT than sitting at home where I am right now....SIGH.... The tour itself was awesome thanks to the very kind, passionate captain, and our shuttle driver was just awesome.