We had a really great day trip on the Stan Stephens boat! It was a beautiful and sunny day, so visibility was really good. We saw so many animals--humpback whales, harbor seals, stellar sea lions, sea otters and lots of puffins! We got a pretty cool up close view of an oil tanker as it was coming into the port of Valdez. There was a good bit of ice, so we weren't able to get as close to the glacier as I have in other day cruises, but it was close enough to see and it was beautiful.
The crew were all really friendly and the guide was excellent. Lunch was good--we had our choice of clam chowder or minestrone soup, plus a bagel with cream cheese and a pack of Oreos. There was unlimited coffee, tea, water and lemonade on board, plus a snack bar if you wanted to buy extras.
The boat is spacious--we had arrived early and were the first ones on board, so we grabbed a table near the door on the upper deck to use as our 'home base'. We spent a lot of time running outside to view the wildlife, the icebergs and the glacier.
It was a great day. I've taken both companies glacier cruises in Valdez and I have to say that I much prefer this one by Stan Stephens over the other. I'd highly recommend!