If you're looking for a sightseeing cruise with non-stop wildlife, Seward is the place to be. And if you want both wildlife and glaciers, head into Kenai Fjords National Park.
Major
Marine Tours runs cruises out of Seward into Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park that provide a lot of nice comforts, too: guaranteed reserved seating in a heated cabin, a salmon and prime rib buffet, and National Park rangers guiding most tours.
Your boat will have multiple viewing decks: one level of indoor seating, an outdoor top level and an open-air bow. For safety reasons, the ship will get up to half a mile away from the glaciers—although icebergs sometimes prevent a closer inspection—but you’ll feel even closer because they're so huge.
If you’re coming to Seward from Anchorage, Major Marine Tours can also help you set up train travel, to make the trip here even more leisurely and rich with scenery.
Here are the main tour options:
Full Day Kenai Fjords National Park Tour (6 or 7.5 hours): There are two full-day options, but they both cover 120 miles of the Kenai Fjords National Park and the Chiswell Islands National Wildlife Refuge. You choice is between taking the new 6-hr high-speed catamaran cruise, or the traditional 7.5-hour cruise.
Wildlife is abundant throughout the park, and the tidewater glaciers are massive. You'll hear a sound like the crack of a gunshot and watch as a big chunk of ice falls hundreds of feet to the ocean below.
Half-day
Resurrection Bay Cruise (4 or 5 hours): You’ll explore the world of wildlife up close in the calm waters of Resurrection Bay, drifting close to massive bird rookeries and sea lion colonies. The ship stops along the route for whale, sea otter, or Dall's porpoise sightings. You'll enjoy spectacular photo opportunities of a variety of glaciers, including the enormous Bear Glacier, the largest glacier in the Kenai Fjords National Park. Travels 55 miles.
Gray Whale Watching Tour (4 hours): This spring tour heads into Resurrection Bay to follow Gray Whales for a bit of their annual migration north, from Baja California to their summer feeding waters in the Bering Sea. Gray Whales travel by "line of sight", meaning they stick close to the coastline—where you may also see alpine glaciers, Steller sea lions, Dall's porpoise, bald eagles, puffins and other marine birds.
The tour is narrated by the captain and naturalist crew members. There is no meal served, but you can bring your own, or buy something at the snack bar; guests also get free coffee, tea and hot chocolate.
Details: Full-day cruise not recommended for infants. If you tend to experience motion sickness, take your usual precautions. The half-day cruise travels through calm, protected waters, except for a little open water at the far end of the loop. The full-day cruise is in open water much of the time.
Although Seward has overcast days in the summer, this shouldn’t affect your views. Morning clouds or fog often clear up by the time the tour starts.
Major Marine Tours also does glacier cruises of Prince William Sound, out of Whittier.
For comfort throughout the cruise-both inside and outside the heated cabins and in a variety of weather conditions-guests are urged to dress in layers, including a warm, rainproof coat.
Head south from Anchorage on the Seward Highway. Upon arriving in Seward, turn left onto North Harbor St., then right onto 4th Ave. The office is one block south, next to the Harbor Master's office. Pay parking is available in 72-hour public lots. Get Direction To Major Marine Tours »
At time of placing reservations, Major Marine Tours requires full payment by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover.
Cancellation Policy
All cruise reservations are fully refundable until two weeks prior to cruise date; 70% refundable within two weeks of cruise until 24 hours prior to cruise; non-refundable within 24 hours of cruise.
After purchase, reservation date may be changed once at no charge by calling at least 24 hours prior to original cruise (subject to availability of desired cruise). Each subsequent change will be subject to a $15 per person change fee.
Tickets not used at the time of sailing ("no show") are non-refundable and may not be used on other sailings. Tickets not picked up 15 minutes prior to cruise departure are subject to cancellation. The cancelled tickets can be used on another sailing for a $15 fee per person.
At the discretion of the Coast
Guard-certified captain, Major Marine
Tours reserves the right to cancel
or re-route its cruises based on
weather or other conditions. In such
cancellations, Major Marine Tours
may modify the full-day tour, and
will refund $50 per adult
and $25 per child.
top
