Seward glacier cruise

Seward sits at the head of Resurrection Bay, on the eastern side of the Kenai Peninsula, and it is the town the Kenai Fjords day boats work out of. That single geographic fact explains the whole shape of this page. The national park is mostly ice and water with mountains in between, and there is no road along it. If you want to see the fjords and the glaciers that reach the sea, you go out on a boat from this harbour, come back to this harbour, and the difference between one fare and the next is how far into the park the day takes you.

Four sailings leave Seward, and all four are built on the same idea. You board a large, stable, high-speed catamaran, run out through Resurrection Bay, pass the seabird cliffs of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, and carry on to a tidewater glacier — a glacier that does not stop at a valley floor but goes straight into salt water. The boat holds position in front of the ice for a while. You eat lunch on board, because every fare from this harbour includes one. Then you come back. Nothing on this page is an overnight, a hike, or a transfer to somewhere else.

What changes between the four is time, and time is the only thing worth paying for here. The $265 six-hour cruise is the shortest version and the most booked one anywhere on this site. The $267 wildlife cruise is also six hours but hands the commentary to an on-board wildlife guide rather than the captain. The $271 Captain’s Choice runs seven hours and lets the crew pick the route on the day. The $297 extended cruise runs seven and a half and is the only one whose listing states two tidewater glacier stops instead of one.

One thing to clear up before you book, because it is the most common mix-up in this park. Exit Glacier is the only glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park you can reach by road, and it is a land visit, not a boat one. No sailing on this page goes anywhere near it, and none of them claims to. If somebody has told you that you can “do both in a morning”, they are describing two separate outings on two separate parts of the park.

$297 — Seward: Kenai Fjords National Park Extended Glacier Cruise. Seven and a half hours, 4.9 across 391 reviews, and the sailing we would book. The listing is explicit about what the extra ninety minutes buy: stops at two active tidewater glaciers rather than one, with the opportunity to see ice come off the face, and a longer run through the fjords to reach them. On board you get a knowledgeable captain doing the commentary, binoculars to use during the day, a deli lunch with a turkey, roast beef or vegetarian option, and coffee, tea and water. The listing also states a shuttle from the railroad depot, which matters if you are arriving in Seward by train rather than by car. It is marked likely to sell out, and it carries free cancellation.

$265 — Seward: Kenai Fjords National Park Glacier Cruise w/ Lunch. Six hours, 4.9 across 851 reviews, which is the largest body of evidence behind anything sold on this site by a clear distance. It is also the lowest fare that leaves Seward. The listing sells the plain version of the day: the mountains and fjords of the national park, Resurrection Bay aboard a large, stable catamaran, the towering tidewater glaciers, and a deli-style lunch while you are out, with local beers available to buy on board. Binoculars and a captain guide are included. If your day in Seward has anything else in it, this is the sailing that fits around it.

$267 — Seward: Kenai Fjords National Park Glacier & Wildlife Cruise. Six hours, 4.9 across 149 reviews, and the same length as the fare above for two dollars more. What it does differently is the commentary. This listing includes a dedicated on-board wildlife guide rather than leaving it to the captain, and it names what that guide works through: the seabird rookeries of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, and the geology of the Harding Icefield and the fjords it feeds. Lunch is hot — a Southwest chicken burrito with tortilla chips — and the fare covers the dollar donation to the Alaska SeaLife Center and the harbour fees, so there is nothing to settle at the dock.

$271 — Seward: Captain’s Choice Kenai Fjords National Park Tour. Seven hours, rated 5.0 across 25 reviews. Twenty-five is a small number and we would rather say so than dress it up, but every one of them is a five. The idea behind the fare is in its name: the captain decides on the morning which way to run, and the listing names Aialik or Holgate as the glacier you are likely to end up in front of. An on-board wildlife guide, a hot lunch, and all fees and taxes are included. It is the choice for somebody who would rather the crew used their judgement on the day than followed a fixed line.

Here is the straight call, in the order we would make it.

Book the $297 extended cruise unless your day is already full. It is the only sailing from this harbour whose listing states two tidewater glacier stops, it is the longest run into the park sold from Seward at seven and a half hours, and 391 reviews at 4.9 is a serious record. Worked per hour it comes to about $39.60, which is less than the six-hour fares cost per hour. You are not paying a premium for the extra time — you are paying less for it.

Book the $265 six-hour cruise if the day has to be short. It is the lowest fare from Seward, it carries 851 reviews at 4.9, and it includes the same catamaran, the same lunch, the same binoculars and the same captain guide. What you give up is the second glacier stop and ninety minutes of fjord. For a lot of people arriving in town late or leaving early, that is the right trade and there is nothing apologetic about it.

Book the $267 wildlife cruise if the commentary is the point. Two dollars more than the fare above, the same six hours, and a dedicated wildlife guide instead of the captain doing double duty. The listing names the seabird rookeries of the maritime refuge and the geology of the Harding Icefield as what gets explained. If you travel with someone who wants to know what they are looking at, this is the version of the six-hour day to pick.

Book the $271 Captain’s Choice if you trust a crew more than a route. Seven hours, a perfect 5.0 across 25 reviews, a wildlife guide, a hot lunch and no fees left to pay. It sits between the two six-hour sailings and the extended one on both length and price, and its selling point is flexibility on the morning rather than a fixed itinerary.

And one honest comparison. Sailings from other harbours look cheaper — $180 from Valdez for six hours, $260 from Whittier for a long day — but they are not cheaper versions of this trip. They go to different water: Prince William Sound, Columbia Glacier, Meares Glacier. Good days, all of them, and we sell them. They are simply not Kenai Fjords National Park, and if that park is what you came for, you sail from Seward.

1. Expecting to see Exit Glacier from the boat. Exit Glacier is the one glacier in this park you reach by road, and it is a land visit. The sailings go to tidewater glaciers, which are a different set of ice entirely. Both are the same national park; they are not the same outing.
2. Treating six hours and seven and a half as the same day with a different price. The $297 extended cruise states two tidewater glacier stops. The six-hour fares state one. The extra ninety minutes is the product.
3. Booking a sailing from the wrong harbour. Valdez, Whittier and Girdwood all sell excellent glacier days, and none of them is in Kenai Fjords National Park. If the park is the reason for the trip, the boat has to leave from Seward.
4. Planning the day around an animal. The listings name what the crew look for and give you binoculars to look with. None of them promises anything will turn up, and neither do we. Go for the ice and the water, and treat everything else as the day being generous.
5. Dressing for the town rather than the deck. The best views are outside, and outside on a fast boat in Alaska is cold and wet even in July. Layers and a windproof outer are the difference between standing at the rail and sitting inside looking through glass.
6. Leaving it to the morning of. The extended cruise is marked likely to sell out, the summer months are the busy ones, and every fare here carries free cancellation. Waiting gains you nothing and can cost you the date.