Seward: Kenai Fjords or Major Marine Tours?

[cardinalsfancruiser]

We will be arriving in Seward on the NCL Sun on Aug 15. We would like to do a boat tour to see the glaciers. It will be 2 adults & 2 children (8 & 11). The more glaciers the better. We will have a rental car to drive to Anchorage that night. Right now I am comparing:

 

Kenai Fjords Tours - National Park Tour with Fox Island. There is a discount of $50 for adults and $25 for children when booking 2. Therefore cost of tour is $147 and $73.50 $441 before taxes). Cruise is 1000-1830 (8.5 tour). You get lunch and salmon & prime rib dinner. The only catch is you only get to see Holgate or the Aialik Glacier depending on activity between the two. National Park Ranger and Junior Ranger program is only done at Fox Island.

 

Major Marine Tours - 7.5 Hour Kenai Fjords national park cruise. $169 adult and $84.50 for children ($545 before taxes). You get to see Holgate and Aialik Glaciers. Providing a full narration to your journey, a uniformed National Park Ranger will guide you to the many spectacular sights while fielding any questions you may have. Plus you can work on the Junior Ranger Program with the Ranger during the cruise. The salmon/prime rib dinner is an additional $19 each.

 

Does anyone have any experiences with either cruise? I like having the Ranger on the ship with Major Marine. But the Kenai Fjords is cheaper but only get to see 1 glacier.

 

Thank you in advance for any advice/suggestions/recommendations.

[Northern Aurora]

I am not sure my answer will be great help to you. We generally drive down to Seward every summer and we have always used Major Marine. We have been so happy with them we never have tried Kenai Fjords.

 

Major Marine has a number of vessels of different sizes. All the ships we have been on have had excellent sound systems so that you can clearly hear the broadcasts from the NPS ranger and staff; the commentary is broadcast both inside and on the outside areas . You are assigned a table which is "your" table to stash your jackets, backpacks and so forth. That table is also where you will dine. They have an very organized system for the dinner, which is tasty and all you care to eat. Both the meal and dessert services are timed to be served in a sheltered (calmer water) area. The junior ranger program seems to be very popular and the kids I've seen have been very engaged.

 

The only comment I will offer is that on every trip we've taken someone has become queasy or seasick. So if one of your family is prone to motion sickness be prepared with Bonine or some other such product.

[cardinalsfancruiser]

I am not sure my answer will be great help to you. We generally drive down to Seward every summer and we have always used Major Marine. We have been so happy with them we never have tried Kenai Fjords.

 

Major Marine has a number of vessels of different sizes. All the ships we have been on have had excellent sound systems so that you can clearly hear the broadcasts from the NPS ranger and staff; the commentary is broadcast both inside and on the outside areas . You are assigned a table which is "your" table to stash your jackets, backpacks and so forth. That table is also where you will dine. They have an very organized system for the dinner, which is tasty and all you care to eat. Both the meal and dessert services are timed to be served in a sheltered (calmer water) area. The junior ranger program seems to be very popular and the kids I've seen have been very engaged.

 

The only comment I will offer is that on every trip we've taken someone has become queasy or seasick. So if one of your family is prone to motion sickness be prepared with Bonine or some other such product.

 

Thank you for the post. Did you pay the $19 for the salmon/prime-rib dinner?

[Northern Aurora]

Thank you for the post. Did you pay the $19 for the salmon/prime-rib dinner?

 

Yes, we have always purchased the meal. It is a tossed salad, a rice pilaf, bread baked from a Seward bakery, salmon and prime rib. Actually, I am thinking that I am missing something. The desserts will be brownies, several cakes and also chopped fresh fruit. But you can bring on your own food and drink.

[paylady]

We also like Major Marine and haven't felt the need to try their competitor.

 

I really enjoy the presence of the park ranger. They are informative and approachable for questions. DH likes the buffet. There's plenty of room outside for viewing.

 

You may have to share a table due to the assigned seating but this has not been a problem for us.

[Cruise_More_Often]

We were also happy with our Major Marine cruise and will go with them again next summer. We had a great day. We originally chose Major Marine because of reviews here on CC (the reports on their food did it for us, and it sure was good). Definitely take something for motion sickness before you step foot on the boat. They had a form of Dramamine and ginger candy for sale at the check-in counter.

[GeezerCouple]

Major Marine seems to have the 8.5 hour to Kenai Fjords in a smaller boat (30 pax) and a 7.5 hour in a 200 pax boat (this is the one with the salmon/prime rib).

 

We prefer the smaller boat.

 

Has anyone been on both of these?

 

And we plan to stay at the Harbor 360 Hotel after the cruise.

Any suggestions about accommodations here or elsewhere in Seward?

 

Thank you!

[jaspersmommy]

We've used Kenai Fjords tours before and loved them. I wouldn't hesitate to use either.

[Northern Aurora]

Major Marine seems to have the 8.5 hour to Kenai Fjords in a smaller boat (30 pax) and a 7.5 hour in a 200 pax boat (this is the one with the salmon/prime rib).

 

We prefer the smaller boat.

 

Has anyone been on both of these?

 

And we plan to stay at the Harbor 360 Hotel after the cruise.

Any suggestions about accommodations here or elsewhere in Seward?

 

Thank you!

 

We've been on several different sized vessels with Major Marine, but never a 30 passenger one, so have no information.

 

But we have stayed at the Harbor 360 Hotel, including a stay last summer, when it was still branded as a Holiday Inn. The building seems to be in great condition, and we have found the guest rooms to be quiet. It is extremely convenient to both the Major Marine and Kenai Fjords offices where you check-in. Unless someone in your party has serious mobility issues the walk from Harbor 360 to the Major Marine check-in location is about 5 - 7 minutes. Just walk past Chinnoks and Ray's Waterfront restaurants and there is the check-in location.

[dcsam]

I've been on both and much preferred Major Marine. It was one of their longer tours, and less crowded. We didn't do the meal-included tour. It was a great trip!

[GeezerCouple]

I've been on both and much preferred Major Marine. It was one of their longer tours, and less crowded. We didn't do the meal-included tour. It was a great trip!

 

This sounds like the one we reserved.

 

We just liked not having 200 people all jockeying for position to see things.

And if we can get to more places with the extra time, that's important, too.

(I'm not too optimistic about what sounds like a minimal lunch, so we may get something from a local restaurant and bring it along.)

 

Now to decide how long to stay in Anchorage and what to see, given we don't have too much time.

 

Thanks very much for sharing your experience!

[lucky cal]

We used Major Marine last summer and took their 6-hour tour. The park ranger narration was valuable and the meal was good. We had a beautiful day and the scenery and wildlife were stunning.

 

One thing to note. You may be required to share your assigned table with others. From research, we were aware of this in advance, but the couple we were assigned to share with didn't know and were very unhappy about it. This made things a bit awkward for us and they were very unwelcoming.

 

We ate lunch there but avoided the table for most of the trip by staying outside. Fortunately, the weather cooperated. They camped out at the table all day and never went outside. I suspect we enjoyed the day a lot more than they did.

 

Since you have a larger group you may not need to share but I thought it was worth noting for others looking at these tours.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

[rjm11]

We used Major Marine last summer and took their 6-hour tour. The park ranger narration was valuable and the meal was good. We had a beautiful day and the scenery and wildlife were stunning.

 

One thing to note. You may be required to share your assigned table with others. From research, we were aware of this in advance, but the couple we were assigned to share with didn't know and were very unhappy about it. This made things a bit awkward for us and they were very unwelcoming.

 

We ate lunch there but avoided the table for most of the trip by staying outside. Fortunately, the weather cooperated. They camped out at the table all day and never went outside. I suspect we enjoyed the day a lot more than they did.

 

Since you have a larger group you may not need to share but I thought it was worth noting for others looking at these tours.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

 

Thanks for that note.... do you recall if most of the tables were tables for four? We are a family of four, with kids, and I wouldn't want to subject strangers to having to deal with my kids if they didn't want to! I don't mind sharing, but I'm thinking others might!

[lucky cal]

Thanks for that note.... do you recall if most of the tables were tables for four? We are a family of four, with kids, and I wouldn't want to subject strangers to having to deal with my kids if they didn't want to! I don't mind sharing, but I'm thinking others might!

 

If I recall correctly, they were mostly tables for 4 and 6, with a few smaller tables as well.

 

Keep in mind that each tour uses a different boat. We were on the 6-hour tour and you are considering the 7.5-hour tour. So there may be some differences in seating configuration depending on the vessel used.

 

That brings up another point. If you have any concerns at all about seasickness, be sure to select a tour that uses a catamaran. Those offer a more stable ride than the smaller, monohull boats.

[onespots]

We took this trip last September, 2 days before sailing out of Seward. These trips are comparable. Length of trip, meals offered, & size of vessel will help you decide.

 

As for glaciers, we had the longest trip offered at the time 6.5 hours. We encountered more than 1 glacier, along with seals, sea lions, otters, wildlife on the shore, & just 1 Humpback Whale. We also lucked out on the weather with near perfect conditions. Very calm seas & a slight breeze. Don't recall anyone getting seasick aboard our vessel. The next day in Seward was miserable with heavy rains & lots of wind. The boats went out put I'm sure the passengers did not spend much time out on deck. ( except for lunch I spent the entire time on the bow taking pictures & chatting with fellow travelers.

 

Obviously the weather greatly enhanced our trip. As many have said, take the longest possible trip on a big boat that can handle the sea conditions. We loved this tour & would do it again when in Seward.

 

Happy Travels, John

[generichandle]

I have done both companies, and loved each one. The Kenai was a smaller

boat, and the captain pulled us right up to the rocky islands in some hidden coves, so we had incredible views of sea lions, seals, and other wildlife.

 

The larger boat was on an even longer tour, and I think no tour I have had anywhere in the World compares for me. The wildlife was non-stop, and glacier

was calving like crazy, and we saw countless sea otters. They knew each

pod of whales. We saw several mountain goats walking calmly on near vertical walls, and two bears [Kodiak, I think] near the Glacier. The island that was

bird heaven was so loud you could hardly hear anyone who talked. I

loved what was called a 'common murre', a very uncommon resemblance to

a penguin, but miniature. Flew like it was drunk, but they said it can dive like

no other bird around, to depths exceeding 200 ft. Sure sounds like a penguin

too.

 

If you love wildlife, as has been said, take the longest one you can take

and just keep looking. Nothing like looking if you wish to find anything!

 

Doug