Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise: Wildlife, Whales, and Glacier View Adventure

Embark on a thrilling 7.5-hour cruise in Kenai Fjords National Park to witness the majestic wildlife, whales, and glaciers. Get up-close views of orca whales, humpback whales, sea otters, and more, while visiting two active tidewater glaciers. Don’t miss the chance to see calving and explore Steller sea lion colonies and nesting seabirds. Enjoy captain narration and a complimentary deli lunch.

Duration: 7 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Major Marine Tours - Kenai Fjords Cruise - This 7.5 Hour Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise departs daily at 9:30 a.m. and returns at 5:00 p.m. The cruise will travel approximately 130 miles roundtrip through Resurrection Bay into Kenai Fjords National Park.

Since this cruise does go out into the open Gulf of Alaska it is not recommended for anyone who is prone to motion sickness. Our half-day Resurrection Bay cruises are much better options if motion sickness is a concern.

  • Kenai Fjords National Park - This 7.5 Hour Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise departs daily at 9:30 a.m. and returns at 5:00 p.m. The cruise will travel approximately 130 miles roundtrip through Resurrection Bay into Kenai Fjords National Park.

  • Resurrection Bay - We will cruise through the protected waters of Resurrection Bay, searching for wildlife and and enjoying spectacular scenery.

  • Bear Glacier - We will cruise by Bear Glacier, a piedmont glacier and the largest glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park.

  • Holgate Glacier - Our next stop is Holgate Glacier, another actively calving tidewater glacier. We will spend approximately 20 minutes in front of each glacier, floating among the icebergs as we watch for spectacular calving.

  • Aialik Bay - After cruising through Resurrection Bay, we will round Cape Aialik (pronounced \

What's Included
  • Reserved seating in a heated cabin
  • Complimentary binoculars for wildlife viewing
  • Accessible onboard restrooms
  • Informative narration by onboard naturalist
  • Lunch included
  • No hidden costs: taxes and fees included in the price
  • Complimentary water, coffee, and tea available
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Additional Information

Embark on an exciting 7.5-hour tour of the Kenai Fjords National Park, exploring its whales, wildlife, and glaciers. Take advantage of the additional time at sea for a closer look at creatures such as orca and humpback whales, sea otters, Steller sea lions, puffins, among others. Experience the spectacle of calving at two active tidewater glaciers, where massive pieces of ice detach and plunge into the water. Visit either the Chiswell Islands or Cape Resurrection, both hosting Steller sea lion communities and thousands of resident seabirds. All our guests receive insightful descriptions from the onboard captain and a complimentary deli lunch.

  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
  • Sandwich options are turkey, roast beef, or vegetarian. Please submit choice in advance.
  • Wheelchair accessibility or limited mobility requests must be submitted ahead of time due to limited seating capability
Location
1412 4th Ave
4th Avenue
Arrive 1 hour before departure to check-in Meeting Point: Harbor 360 Hotel Address: 1412 4th Ave Seward, Alaska 99664 If you are driving from Anchorage the morning of your cruise please allow 4 hours for the drive due to construction and traffic on the Seward Highway.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(468 Ratings)
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Mg2009
Aug 30, 2024
Everyone on our ship enjoyed our day - Excellent Captain and Crew made the day for us. They were all friendly, knowledgeable, caring and went out of their way to make a great experience. Quirky fun - glacier margaritas and standing under the glacier waterfall. Saw wildlife
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christopher_w
Aug 30, 2024
Worth every penny, felt lucky to experience it. - We saw almost all of the animals shown on their information packet. I think the only animal we didn’t see was 1 type of whale. We were lucky enough to witness a very active hump back whale that breached multiple times, a killer whale that appeared a few times but stayed relatively hidden, quite a few otters, seals, and sea lions and too many puffins to count. The captain was very informative and made sure to point out everything he saw. The crew was friendly and attentive. They had plenty of snacks on board to purchase(I didn’t get anything besides a water bottle but my group took advantage of this). The catamaran we were on had multiple viewing platforms so I never felt too crowded, and most people seemed to stay inside most of the time from my experience. If you book this, layer up. The wind will make it twice as cold, and you will encounter rain even if it’s dry on land. Learn from my mistake!!
Review provided by Viator
April_h
Aug 30, 2024
Absolutely amazing/bucket list trip - Met all my expectations and more. Saw humpback whale, killer whale, numerous porpoises who also swam along side of boat, sea otters, 3 different types of sea lions, puffins, another bird I don't recall name, momma and baby mountain goats, calving - some awesome calving. Worth every cent!!
Review provided by Viator
Tisha_h
Aug 30, 2024
I'll Never Forget This Tour! - This was a great tour. Unfortunately, our rental car keys fell out of a pocket and went overboard into Resurrection Bay about 30 - 45 minutes after leaving Seward. Needless to say, our minds were reeling from that for several hours but we eventually resigned ourselves to the situation and enjoyed the remainder of the tour. I appreciated the gluten-free sandwich option as I am a celiac. We saw whales, otters, dolphins, bald eagles and puffins. We also saw some small glacier calvings. You lose internet and phone service quickly leaving Seward and only recover it when you get 30 minutes or so outside Seward. (I really wanted to deal with the lost rental car key situation since we were going to be out all day!) For those who are wondering about replacing lost rental car keys ... we were able to get replacement keys in Anchorage ($600 fee!) and there is a wonderful airport shuttle in Seward that did a turn and burn for us. My husband left Seward around 7 pm and returned to Seward around 12:30 am, Keep everything secured in zippered compartments, my friends! haha
Review provided by Viator
Darcy_d
Aug 30, 2024
Amazing Experience. First Class Crew - Captain and crew made for a wonderful day on the water. Would do it again tomorrow if I could! Expert piloting, great narration. I learned so much about the area and the sea life.
Review provided by Viator
Todd_s
Aug 29, 2024
Excellent trip - Got to see orca’s and two large glaciers.This trip was a lot of fun and the crew was very knowledgeable and it made for a great experience I would highly recommend this to any one visiting Alaska
Review provided by Viator
Cindygz1056me
Aug 28, 2024
Amazing Tour - Amazing trip, Crew was excellent and so friendly. Food and drinks were really good. Services provided and available were awesome. Love how they charted our tour and marked all of our sightings. Well worth the money!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mattde7329os
Aug 26, 2024
Highly Recommend! - Everything about our trip with Major Marine was top-notch. Capt. Nat and First Mates Steve and Una were very knowledgeable and hospitable. I highly recommend Major Marine if you're looking to do a boat trip near Seward.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Katie_k
Aug 24, 2024
THE BEST TOUR IN SEWARD - We saw so many glaciers and wildlife - puffins, seals, sea lions, bald eagles, otters, a humpback whale. The crew were very organized. The boat was heated, provided binoculars, lunch, and at the end used glacier ice to make you a beverage.
Review provided by Viator
Chetana_k
Aug 23, 2024
Best way to experience Kenai Fjords NP - Our cruise was incredible with easy checkin, great sandwich, chips and granola bar for lunch. The brownie was also excellent. We started off with a cute sea otter and lots of puffins, then one humpback whale, named Morgan LeFay. After that was a big pod of Orcas, an unforgettable magical experience. Saw two large tidewater glaciers which were very blue on a cloudy day. Bald eagles in a landscape that you would think can only be in movies. Coastal mountain goats, many different birds. It was cold and windy, apparently perfect for Alaskan wildlife and glacier viewing. Highly recommend this tour in Seward.
Review provided by Viator