Kenai Fjords, located near the charming fishing village of Seward, is one of the most popular national parks in Alaska. However, the vast majority of the park is covered by ice and water—so the best way to explore and enjoy its famed landscapes and wildlife is by boat. Here’s everything you need to know about taking a Kenai Fjords cruise, from what to expect while you’re out on the water to whether it’s worth the hefty price tag.
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How to get to Kenai Fjords National Park
Alaska is home to eight national parks, three of which are accessible by car—Denali, Wrangell-St. Elias, and Kenai Fjords.
Kenai Fjords is the most easily accessible, given that you can get there via cruise ship, scenic train ride, or a two and a half hour drive south of Anchorage.
Even though you can drive to Kenai Fjords, there’s only a small area in the national park that’s accessible via car near the Exit Glacier, where you can explore the Exit Glacier hike or the Harding Icefield trail.
To see the rest of the park, you’ll need to get out on the water on a boat. Most of the cruises around Kenai Fjords National Park leave from the Seward Boat Harbor, located here, which is conveniently within walking distance of the town’s cruise ship terminal.
If you’re driving to Seward, there’s paid daily parking for $10 right across the street from the harbor. Alternatively, it’s pretty easy to find free street parking nearby if you’re willing to walk a few blocks (just be sure to give yourself plenty of time so you don’t miss your cruise!).
Which Kenai Fjords cruise operator should I choose?
There are two main operators of Kenai Fjords cruises in Seward—Major Marine and Kenai Fjords Tours (neither of which is affiliated with the national park).
Both of these operators offer tours of differing lengths, ranging from four hour-long wildlife cruises to an eight-and-a-half hour option, which usually involves stopping at multiple tidewater glaciers (i.e., glaciers that terminate in the ocean) and spotting wildlife in more remote sections of Kenai Fjords National Park.
My husband, Justin, and I spent about a week in Seward and were trying to choose between these two operators.
I think you’ll have a perfectly good time on either of their cruises, but, after researching a TON, we wound up going with Major Marine, given that it had significantly better reviews with respect to customer service, its food, and their facilities. And we’re SUPER happy with our choice!
The one unique option that Kenai Fjords offers that Major Marine does not is its cruises that stop at Fox Island, an island in Resurrection Bay, like this five hour tour or this ten hour dinner tour. On these tours, you’ll stop at Fox Island, get off the boat to eat in the lodge on the island, and then reboard the boat to finish your cruise.
Fox Island has a nice beach that you can stroll around for a bit, but, otherwise, it’s not a great place to see wildlife. Accordingly, I personally wouldn’t choose these tours, given that you spend a significant amount of time messing around with getting off and on the boat at Fox Island and a lot less time out on the water seeing wildlife. But, to each their own!
What kind of Kenai Fjords cruises are there?
I was a little overwhelmed and confused by all of the different tour options for cruising around Kenai Fjords.
However, during the main tourism season here (May through October), the main options are as follows:
Four hour wildlife cruise
At a glance: This is a wildlife-only cruise (i.e., there are no stops at tidewater glaciers).
On this tour option, like this cruise, you’ll leave Seward in the early afternoon and sail around Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords, in search of wildlife.
You’ll usually sail past Bear Glacier, the largest glacier in the national park, but will not have time to cruise to any of the tidewater glaciers, which are located too far west, given the length of the tour.
This is a great option if you’re short on time, like if you’re just stopping in Seward as part of a cruise (obviously, make sure that this fits within your itinerary!) or if you just have a few days in Alaska.
Six hour glacier and wildlife cruise
At a glance: This is a wildlife-spotting cruise, plus you’ll stop at one tidewater glacier.
On this tour option, like this one, you usually depart in the early or late morning; cruise around Resurrection Bay, the Chiswell Islands and Cape Resurrection; and spot wildlife and one of the park’s popular tidewater glaciers (Aialik and Holgate).
Unlike the shorter options, you’ll also get an onboard lunch.
Seven and a half hour glacier and wildlife cruise
At a glance: This is a wildlife spotting cruise, plus you’ll stop at two tidewater glaciers.
On this tour option, like this one, you’ll depart in the morning; cruise over 100 miles around Kenai Fjords National Park; and spot wildlife and two tidewater glaciers, both the Aialik and Holgate Glaciers.
Again, you’ll get an onboard lunch.
Eight and a half hour glacier and wildlife cruise
At a glance: This is a wildlife spotting cruise, plus you’ll stop at (you guessed it!) three tidewater glaciers.
On this smaller group cruise (with a maximum of 60 guests), like this option, you’ll depart in the morning; sail to the remote northwestern portion of Kenai Fjords National Park; and spot wildlife and three tidewater glaciers, Northwestern, Anchor, and Ojive.
And, of course, you’ll get that delicious onboard lunch!
One important thing to note about this tour option is that, due to its length, it’s not particularly kiddo-friendly. In fact, Major Marine indicates this cruise is “not suitable” for travelers under 12.
Which Kenai Fjords tour should you choose?
I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them, but I would recommend choosing the longest one that you can, given it’ll provide you the most opportunity to spot the park’s incredible wildlife.
Kenai Fjords is HUGE and it can take quite a while to see the kinds of larger wildlife most travelers are looking for, like humpback whales or orcas.
We chose the seven and a half hour cruise option and while we loved it, I honestly wish we had even MORE time.
Right at the end of our cruise, we pulled up next to TWO pods of orcas that were actively hunting and, while our captain let us view them for a few minutes, we quickly had to pull away to get back to the harbor on time. As someone who LOVES orcas, this was super sad for me and I wish we had more time to just chill out and enjoy watching so many magnificent creatures in the water!
The only caveat to this is, if you’re very prone to seasickness, a shorter cruise may be the better option for you—these tours primarily stay in the protected waters of Resurrection Bay, where the waves are calmer, as opposed to the open ocean. Additionally, if you’re traveling with littles, a shorter cruise may hold their attention a bit better than an 8+ hour one.
What to expect on a Kenai Fjords cruise
Obviously, what you can expect will vary depending on which cruise option you choose and when you’re visiting, but they all follow basically the same format.
You’ll need to show up about 45 minutes before your cruise is departing. Be sure to bring your ID for check-in—they confirmed mine matched my reservation—and, after you’re all checked in, you’ll board your boat.
Tip: Be sure to arrive with PLENTY of time before your boat leaves. Parking is pretty limited in Seward and you may have to wait in line or walk a bit to get to the correct dock.
As you get onboard, you’ll be assigned a seat at a table in one of the indoor heated cabins with the rest of your party (unless you’re with a really large group, in which case you might get split up). It’s likely that you’ll be sharing your table with other guests as well.
These cabins have HUGE windows to look out of, as well as complimentary coffee, water, and tea on each of the decks. There’s also complimentary soda and alcoholic beverages and snacks for purchase at the bar on the first deck.
This is just a homebase for you to put your stuff down and sit whenever you want—you’re free to wander around throughout the duration of the cruise, whether you want to stand or use the outdoor seating that’s available. There’s also a few bathrooms onboard for the guests to use, with flush toilets and sinks.
Once everybody boards, you’re off!
As you cruise out of Resurrection Bay, your captain will go over some basic safety information and stop along the way to point out any wildlife or interesting landmarks.
If you elect to go on a longer cruise, the beginning portion of the tour is usually primarily dedicated to tracking down and enjoying the wildlife and then heading to the glaciers in the latter half, with some lunch along the way. Everything, though, is subject to weather and wave conditions.
Along the way, the captain will narrate and provide interesting bits of information about wildlife you see and the behavior they’re exhibiting. For example, after seeing 13(!!!) humpback whales swim together, we learned all about bubble-net feeding, a fascinating behavior where these whales (who usually don’t travel in pods!) cooperatively hunt for fish.
We also saw:
- Fin whales (the second largest animal on the planet!)
- Otters
- Puffins
- Steller sea lions
- Harbor seals
- Dall’s porpoises
- A black bear
- Mountain goats
Obviously, this will vary from cruise to cruise, but, yeah—you can definitely expect to see a LOT of wildlife!
Once you get to the glacier portion of the trip, you’ll have about 20 or so minutes at each one, waiting to see if it will calf (i.e., if any of its ice will break off and fall into the ocean). The captain will also turn the boat about halfway through, so passengers on both sides will have an opportunity to get a good view (although most of the passengers are outside, enjoying the view!).
How bad are the waves on a Kenai Fjords cruise?
I had heard some real horror stories about the waves being terrible around Kenai Fjords, especially once you get outside of Resurrection Bay.
We actually got quite lucky with lovely weather and chill waves the day we visited, with swells about four feet (which, for the open ocean, definitely isn’t too bad)— and yet, a TON of people on our boat (probably about a third!) were extremely sea sick and vomiting over the side of the boat. This is especially wild, as I’ve heard that waves can easily get to be more than ten feet tall on these cruises!
Accordingly, if you have a history of getting seasick or motion sickness—or just want to be on the safe side, I’d HIGHLY recommend taking some sort of preventative medication, like Bonine or Dramamine, beforehand. They also sell them on the boat if you’re in need.
The Major Marine crew were SO kind and thoughtful with the guests, making sure that everyone felt okay and helping them get to a place on the boat where they might feel better—but I can’t imagine it was very fun for the sick passengers or for the crew!
Tip: If the waves are really bad, the operators usually give you the option to reschedule or get a refund for your trip. Depending on how sensitive you are to seasickness, you might want to take them up on that offer—it definitely would not be fun to feel sick and cold for hours and hours on end.
Is a Kenai Fjords cruise worth the price?
As someone who is more on the budget traveler end of the spectrum, I really hemmed and hawed about whether we should do a Kenai Fjords cruise during our time in Seward, given the almost shockingly steep price point.
However, it seemed like one of those iconic bucketlist experiences to have in Alaska, so we eventually decided to splurge on the seven and a half hour tour—and I’m happy to say that it was 100% worth it.
Major Marines’ facilities were well-thought out and immaculately maintained; the crew couldn’t have been nicer or more knowledgeable about the wildlife; and we had an incredible time spotting wildlife and glaciers. I absolutely think a Kenai Fjords cruise is one of the best things to do in Seward and would definitely book another one in a heartbeat if we ever come back to Alaska!
Tips for a Kenai Fjords cruise
Kenai Fjords cruises are only available during certain times of the year.
As mentioned above, most Kenai Fjords cruises run from May through mid-October, when the wildlife is most active and the weather and waves pleasant.
If you happen to visit a bit earlier in the year, there’s also limited springtime cruises from March through May, like this orca cruise or this springtime wildlife cruise.
Outside of this window, there aren’t any cruises available—and to be honest, I don’t think you’d really want to go out on the gnarly winter waves anyway!
Bring warmer clothes than you think you need
When Justin and I were waiting in line to get on the boat, we were talking about perhaps we had dressed too warmly—we had lucked out with a nice, sunny day and I was SWEATING in my beanie and sweater.
Boy, were we ever wrong. Be prepared for it to get FROSTY out on the deck of the boat, especially if you’re heading out on one of the longer cruises that leaves Resurrection Bay. I’d highly recommend bringing along several warm layers, including a warm (ideally waterproof!) coat, beanie, gloves, and a couple of warm layers, like a fleece pullover, to go underneath it.
You can always take them off and leave them at your seat if you’re too warm.
On the other hand, if you don’t bring warm enough clothing, there’s not a whole lot that you can do, other than just hanging out in the heated cabins. And remember that, if you’re feeling seasick, the crew will highly encourage you to leave the cabin and stand outside on the deck for fresh air (and, probably, so that you’re not puking around other guests!)!
You’re not allowed to use tripods
If you’re a photographer, like us, be forewarned that you won’t be allowed to use a tripod aboard, given that they impact other passengers’ ability to move about the deck.
You can, however, use a monopod—so we just kept the legs of our tripod together and used it that way. It’s definitely better than nothing!
If you’re a photographer, bring a zoom lens
If I had one complaint about our Kenai Fjords cruise, it’s that we never really got very close to wildlife (I’m sure this is, in part, due to wildlife regulations, as well as the fact that the captain is driving an enormous boat around a bunch of cliffs and rocks and whatnot). Accordingly, unless you have a KILLER zoom lens, don’t expect to get very good photos on the cruise.
We have this telephoto lens for our camera and I honestly wish we had a lens that zoomed in even further! We’re headed to Antarctica at the end of the year and I’m thinking about picking up this lens for better wildlife photography.
What to bring on a Kenai Fjords cruise
Other than warm layers, a camera, and a tripod, you should also bring:
- Sunglasses: Between glare from the water and glaciers, it’s BRIGHT here.
- Binoculars: Major Marine has several pairs that are available to borrow during your cruise, but asks that each group only take one pair so there’s enough for everybody (meaning your group will need to take turns with the binoculars). And, during our visit, all of the binoculars were taken by other groups—so I definitely wish I had brought some.
- Sunscreen
- Battery pack and charging cable: I was constantly taking photos and videos throughout our cruise—so much so that my phone died! If you’re going on a longer cruise, I’d suggest bringing along a battery pack and turning your phone on airplane mode to help conserve the battery while you’re out of cell range.
- Cash: To tip the staff!
I hope you enjoy your Kenai Fjords cruise as much as we did! Do you have any questions about this kind of tour? Let us know in the comments below!
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