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Full-Day Kenai Fjords National Park Northwestern Cruise

Full-Day Kenai Fjords National Park Northwestern Cruise

Overview

Travel to remote areas in Kenai Fjords National Park on this full-day adventure cruise. Ideal for photographers, birders, and whale-watching enthusiasts, this 8.5 hour cruise explores the untouched area of Northwestern Fjord in Kenai Fjords National Park. This cruise travels with a smaller group for a more intimate cruising experience, providing the best opportunity for up-close views of wildlife and glaciers. A full day on the water allows the captain plenty of time to seek out the best wildlife viewing opportunities in the area, home to humpback whales, orca whales, Steller sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, and many types of seabirds. You will spend time in front of the impressive Northwestern Glacier, an actively-calving tidewater glacier. A deli lunch is included.

City: Seward

Sun 20 Jul

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $325.15

Make a reservation

Sun 20 Jul

Starting at $325.15

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Use of binoculars on board

Narration by knowledgeable, experienced Captain

Restroom on board

Sandwich options are turkey, roast beef, or vegetarian.

All taxes and fees included in price

Water, coffee, and tea

Additional Info

Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Adult pricing applies to all travelers.
Children under 12 not suitable for cruise
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
We have limited capacity on our vessels to ensure that our guests and crew can follow recommended social distancing guidelines.
We continue to maintain our high standard of cleanliness and have implement additional cleaning procedures for commonly touched surfaces during the cruise.
Not recommended for guests with limited mobility

What To Expect

Resurrection Bay

This adventure cruise is the only small-vessel cruise that explores the remote, glacier-carved Northwestern Fjord in Kenai Fjords National Park. Ideal for photographers, birders, and whale-watching enthusiasts, this 8.5 hour cruise departs from the Seward Harbor 360 Hotel dock 8:30 a.m. and returns at 5:00 p.m. The cruise will travel through Resurrection Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Cape Resurrection, Granite Pass, Harris Bay, and into the spectacular Northwestern Fjord. Due to the vessel size and the cruise length, children under 12 are not suitable on this cruise.

Kenai Fjords National Park

Narrated by our knowledgeable, experienced captain and crew, guests have the unique opportunity to explore remote, untouched areas of Kenai Fjords National Park with a small group. Depending on sea conditions and wildlife-viewing opportunities, the captain’s route to Northwestern Fjord can vary from day to day. After cruising through Resurrection Bay, you will explore the Chiswell Islands (part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge) or Cape Resurrection, home to thousands of nesting seabirds, Steller sea lions, and other wildlife. The cruise will then enter Harris Bay, where you will be greeted with views of beautiful hidden coves, rugged mountains, and possibly feeding whales. Once we enter the virtually untouched and untamed Northwestern Fjord, look for the numerous alpine glaciers nestled high on the cliffs. You will visit Northwestern, Anchor, and Ojive Glaciers at the end of Northwestern Fjord. You will spend time in front of the glacier to watch for glacial calving.

Bear Glacier

Cruise through Resurrection Bay, the Gulf Of Alaska, and Harris Bay in search of wildlife such as humpbacks, killer whales, sea lions, harbor seals, seabirds, and more.

Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Reviews (222)

MichellePike

Aug 2024

This trip was amazing. We saw seals, puffins, bald eagles with babies, otters, sea lions, an orca, a group of 15 humpback whales bubble net feeding (both on the way out and on the way back in). The Northwestern Glacier was beautiful. It calved several times. The captain and the 1st mate (Zach) were amazing. If there were things you really wanted to see, they accommodated. Make sure to take some seasick medicine if you are prone.

Hector_R

Aug 2024

It was canceled and I was not told until I showed up the the check in place. I think they should tell us that August is not a good time to go. We came from Arizona just for that and wasted on flight, hotel and did not get the experience.

FamilyLuvs2Travel

Aug 2024

My husband and I traveled to Alaska for my first time in late July. Based on other Trip Advisor reviews, we opted to book the full day 8.5 hour Northwestern cruise. Our goal was to hopefully see as much wildlife and glacier action as possible. The weather in Alaska can change hour to hour. Fortunately for us, rain was in the forecast but it really ended up as light showers for only half the day. There were no major swells to deal with either, but I was prepared with wearing a sea patch just in case. There were two boats departing to the Northwestern glacier. We were assigned on the smaller vessel, the Viewfinder. Our captain/naturalist was Justin and our naturalist/deckhand was Carrie. Both of them were fantastic and were always on the lookout for wildlife. Carrie took good care of us on board, informing us about wildlife behavior, etc… Justin was very conscientious. Sometimes after stopping to view wildlife action, he would turn the boat around changing the orientation of the boat so that the other side had a fair chance for viewing. Our first wildlife sighting was a bald eagle sitting on top of a harbor marker as we ventured out of Seward harbor. As we continued to venture out, mountain goats and harbor seals could be spotted. But the most incredible sightings were humpback whale pods. We witnessed the humpback whale pod bubble net feeding not just once but multiple times. What is bubble net feeding? To bubble-net feed, whales dive deep below schools of fish and use bubbles blown from their blowholes to stun and trap fish closer to the surface. One whale generally leads the effort followed by the rest of the group. The leader will usually be responsible for blowing the bubbles and the other members will surround the fish, following them to the surface by swimming in spiral patterns to keep the fish trapped. Humpback whales are known as “gulpers”, which means they feed by leaving their mouths open, swallowing everything in their paths before closing their mouths, pushing water out through their baleen plates and swallowing the critters (usually fish and small crustaceans) they caught. It was incredible and fascinating. On our return trip to the harbor, we encountered the same pod of whales feeding again but this time they crossed in front of the path of the boat so we witnessed them up close – magical! You could even hear them sing!! We also saw plenty of puffins, otters, Stellar sea lions and the illusive Kittlitz Murrlet. The Northwestern glacier is stunning and we were alone to view it except for the other Major Marine Northwestern boat. We sat and watched it from many angles, watching small bursts of glacier calving. The sounds from the calving echoed to make a much more thundering sound. We were just about to turn around when we witnessed an entire sheet of the glacier calve! It was a sight to remember for all time and felt privileged to have witnessed it. We were served deli sandwiches with snacks for lunch. Plenty of hot drinks on board the entire time. And they have clean toilet facilities. The Viewfinder was laid out very comfortably and outside viewing was available all around the board. I highly recommend booking the Northwestern cruise with Major Marine. It offers more chances of seeing wildlife and is the only tour option to see the Northwestern glacier all by yourself!