Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise?

[wwinfl91]

HI all,

 

We will be on the Royal Princess's 14 day Alaskan cruise starting Aug 16. We have signed up for a Princess tour. This one is in the afternoon in Seward and goes to Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise. It is tour ID SWD610A.

 

Here's the description.

 

Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise

 

Journey into the heart of Kenai Fjords National Park to explore deep fjords and impressive amounts of wildlife.

 

SCENIC CRUISING

Watch for humpback whales, orcas, seabirds, sea lions, otters and other wildlife. Travel to the face of Aialik Glacier and witness the most active tidewater glacier in the park as it thunders into the sea. The trip is narrated by certified captains at the helm of the most modern fleet of vessels in the state. Enjoy a complimentary lunch onboard and keep track of your route on the flat-screen monitors displaying the map of the park.

 

Has anyone been on this one on their cruise to Alaska and if so did you enjoy it.

 

I have also posted this on the Princess board to see what they have to say over there.

 

Thanks and have a great next cruise.

[tjcox9]

We booked it last year when on the Pacific Princess fourteen day cruise. However, due to weather issues, it was canceled and we had to overnight in Seward rather than going on to Kodiak.

 

Next day, we ventured over and booked the Resurrection Bay tour on our own and it was great. (Same company as will do your tour.)

 

This year, we did the fourteen day on the Royal in May/June and booked it again. Fortunately, all was well weatherwise and we took off for a great experience of wildlife viewing. We saw numerous orcas, thousands of various birds, bears, mountain goats, several humpbacks......and on and on. These folks know what they are doing.

 

Our only issue is that the tour is listed at one time and the trip actually starts about an hour later.........giving you time to shop in the shop of the tour operator. One could actually leave the ship about a half hour later with no problem.

 

But, other than that, it was great. Knowledgeable captain, friendly staff. I don't think you'll be sorry. Grab a seat inside on the upper level so you can go in and out easily. Those who grabbed the outside seats, upper level were soon wishing they had an inside as when the catamaran is moving quickly it may get a bit chilly.

 

And, you may have a mix on non ship passengers along with you as we did. That said, you could probably book it on your own since it's not a ship only tour and save about $20PP. But then you'd have to get to the operator on your own.........or since they send their own bus, perhaps you could just jump on with the tour people as there were no stickers given out.

 

[Chenega]

You can book this through the cruise line but the main reason to do so is convenience.

 

You can easily book this on your own through any of the operators:

http://www.kenaifjords.com

http://www.majormarine.com

http://www.renown.com

 

You will have a mix of non-ship passengers since these are open to anyone. I know they often offer discounts for booking online as well.

[fleckle]

Getting to the tour operator's office is very easy if you book the tour on your own. The city runs a free shuttle bus that goes all around the town. You can board it right outside the cruise terminal. Anyone can ride the bus. Hop on or off as you wish. You do not need a ticket. Just let the bus driver know where you want to go and s/he will tell you when to get off.

 

Or you can just walk over there, about a 15 - 20 minute leisurely stroll from the cruise ship dock around to the other side of the harbor. The tour operators' offices and their boats are located at the small boat harbor.

 

You can see the Cruise Ship Dock and the Small Boat Harbor on this map:

 

http://www.cityofseward.net/harbor/seward_map.pdf

[granniez]

We did this tour in June and loved it. Great viewings of coves with puffin, common murre, cormorant, black legged kittiwake, eagle and other birds. Many Sea lion and harbor seals, and the view of Aialik Glacier was wonderful(and mini calving) for us. Lots of other beautiful scenery. :) Excellent tour.

[Foxhill]

If you decide to do this, look into the Northern Lights tour saver coupon book and also the Alaska Tour Saver coupon book. You will find BOGO coupons for this tour. We did it about a week ago and it was wonderful. We had great sunny weather, calm seas, lots of scenery and animals to see. Boxed lunch is served and they have beverages for purchase.

[Budget Queen]

In Seward this is a TOP tour choice, loaded with varied wildlife and close up glacier viewing. FAR superior to anything seen from your cruiseship. IF this isn't of interest to you, then choose something else. TAKE PRECAUTIONS, if prone to motion sickness, I see sick passengers EVERY trip, (including the "calm" ones). :)

[wwinfl91]

Thanks to everyone for your comments. After I signed up 3 other couples from my roll call decided to join us partially based on all your recommendations.

 

Have a great next cruise.