What was your favorite Alaskan excursion?

Reviving this thread.... anyone done the Kenai Fjord cruises?

Yes, twice. Highly recommend. Lots of wildlife and glacier.

My other favorites are bear viewing at Katmai and Anan and whale watching in Juneau.

Alaska is great!

My Alaska trip is coming up in June, so I can't give a review -- but I'll share my research and my decision.

 

The two primary tour companies that cruise Kenai Fjords are Kenai Fjords Cruises and Major Marine. Their boats hold around 150 people, more or less - lunch is either available on board or on Fox Island, depending on which company you cruise with. The meals may be buffet, salmon, prime rib, etc. They also offer various perks (fog-free windows, heated seats, free use of binoculars, etc.) and are worth checking out.

But I decided that I didn't want to have to jockey for viewing space with over a hundred other people, and the whole lunch thing wasn't really a priority for me. So I found Alaska Saltwater Lodge - they also do tours of Kenai Fjords, but their 45-foot vessels top out at 15 passengers max. They have bathrooms (that's important to me, LOL) and do serve lunch -- but it looks like simple wrap sandwiches and cans of soda. But for me, it's not about the meal, it's about getting close to beautiful scenery, glaciers, and wildlife.

 

So I'd recommend you take some time to think about what's most important to you and choose the company that you'll be most happy with.

Thank you so much for that info! I was aware of the two larger tours but not the smaller one, and it definitely sounds more my style (and glad to hear it has bathrooms too!). I will have to check it out. :)

Thank you so much for that info! I was aware of the two larger tours but not the smaller one, and it definitely sounds more my style (and glad to hear it has bathrooms too!). I will have to check it out. :)

Glad to be of help! Can't wait for my cruise and DIY land tour!!

What was your favorite Alaskan excursion and why? Was it exciting, breathtaking, educational? And if you don't mind, was it expensive?

A tour of Denali National Park .Our guide was a history professor from Portland Oregon who was a part time guide. He gave everyone on the tour several books .He was great ,the tour was great. It was in 2008 and I cannot recall how much we paid.

LOVED Island Wings flightseeing from Ketchikan over Misty Fjords: http://www.islandwings.com

 

$239pp with 50% paid at time of reservation and the other 50% paid on the day of the excursion.

You posted this 1 1/2 years ago, and now that we are less than 4 months from our trip, I have decided this is a must do for me. Just booked!

Pre-cruise on our DIY trip it's hard to choose. LOVED trekking on the Matanuska Glacier with Mica Guides. Something I've always wanted to do and I got to do it! Plus getting to fill up a water bottle with fresh glacial runoff was soooooooooooo refreshing.

Then there was the Kenai Fjords tour with Major Marine. It was a wildlife enthusiasts dream! Plus we got so close to a glacier that we got to hear and see it calving. We weren't able to get that close on our cruise.

I also love our behind the scenes tour at the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward. Oh and the train ride from Anchorage to Seward was just filled with spectacular scenery - while my mom and I sat sipping mimosas!

On the cruise, in Skagway - Chilkoot Charters train to Fraser and then bus up to Emerald Lake/Caribou Crossing/Carcross. Had a great time. But there is a tie for my favorite - it comes down to the whale watching excursion with Glacier Wind Charters in Icy Strait Point or the sea plane flight into Misty Fjords National Monument with Michelle at Island Wings.

Glacier Wind only takes 6 passengers and so our group of 5 had the whole boat to ourselves along with the owner who piloted the boat. He took us to an area that had a lot of the cruise ship boats around because they had sighted some whales and so we started there. After the whales went "dark", he took us to an area just inside Glacier Bay National Park. We were the only ones out there and we were so blessed to be able to watch a baby humpback practicing his breeches! We must have been out there for close to 30 minutes - all by ourselves. There was never another boat that came out there.

Island Wings - Michelle was just so accommodating for my youngest son who was on crutches due to a broken foot. The flight was just spectacular and she landed in a cove and we were able to get out and walk around a little getting pictures. The scenery was to die for and Michelle had a soundtrack playing that just meshed with what we were seeing so well, that it brought tears to my eyes. And it was so cool taking off and landing on the water!

I can't wait to one day get back to Alaska. I want to go out and see bears and up close and personal as I can get!

My first cruise was an Alaskan cruise in 2005. This June we plan to go for our second trip to Alaska.

Truthfully, on the first cruise we didn't do that much. We just got off the boat, walked around, and basically spent most of our time on the boat....enjoying the scenery as we cruised through the inland passageway.

However, friends told us: "You have to take the train while in Skagway".

So we did it....it was wonderful...and we look forward to a repeat this June.

So to answer your question, I would have to say the train in Skagway.

....

You will be happy to know that this time, we plan to do more: In Juneau we want to whale watch and visit Nugget Falls @ Mendenhall glacier.

As for Ketchikan....not sure what we'll do, but it may just be walking around again ... this time making sure that we see "Creek Street".

The fourth stop on our cruise is Victoria, Canada. I've never ported there while on a cruise. But I have been there before (as a side trip while in Seattle). If that is on your itinerary....Butchard Gardens is a MUST.

Hope this was helpful....and I look forward to reading all of the replies to your post.