Oh, The Places We Went: Kenai Fjords Tours in Seward, AK

Friday, September 21, 2012

Kenai Fjords Tours in Seward, AK

Our cruise boat.

Rating: You Should Go

Kenai Fjords offers several tours from 3.5 hours to a few days. We did the 4.5 hour Resurrection Bay tour that left at noon (mostly because I didn't know if my stomach could handle any longer than that). We showed up 30 minutes before our cruise and found out they
had already started boarding. It worked out, though, because we didn't have to fight any crowds to check in. We took seats on the lower deck and set out. The tour started off pretty slowly. There were hardly any animals on our way to Fox Island (which took about an hour to get to), so we just enjoyed the sights and the beauty of the bay.

Then we got to Fox Island and the buffet was ready and waiting for us. It was made up of salad, cooked vegetables, potatoes, salmon, and prime rib. There was also an option to add 1/2 pound of King crab to the meal for only $10 a person, but we didn't do that. My advice to you is, if you like it, ADD THE CRAB TO YOUR MEAL. You will not find a better deal anywhere else, and the prime rib was seriously disgusting. It was cost and very rare (which I usually like except in this circumstance), and 60% fat. The salmon was good, but I wish I would have gotten the crab to fill out the meat in my meal a little more. Everything else about the meal tasted fine, including the cheesecake dessert. During the meal there was a presentation on the history of the island (which was actually quite interesting), then we got to hand out on the rocky beach for a bit. The stones there are perfect for skipping along the water. Apparently, I'm just a horrible stone skipper. I was able to get a few hops now and then, but mostly I just threw the rocks straight in. The scenery was beautiful, though, and I was glad for the time to stretch my legs.

Then it was back to the boat. During the second part of our trip, we saw quite a few animals (as you can see below). My only disappointment was that we didn't see any whales (I still haven't seen any in the wild). We tried out different parts of the boat to get different views. The front inside deck was the worst for me as far as motion sickness. I could hardly feel the boat move on the bottom deck, and the outsides were the best for pictures. I kind of wish we would have picked a longer cruise (although some don't have as good of food options). If we have the money the next time we go, I'd consider doing the overnight with kayaking at Fox Island. As for this trip, $94 a person was a good deal for some animal sighting and mostly good food.