Day Cruises

[labarnas]

What are some of your day favorite cruises depart from Whittier and Seward? We'll be there around July and August. Do I need to book early or can I pick a nice sunny day and leave?

[PA12DRVR]

I've taken all of the tours listed. Enjoyed Stan Stephens more than the Lulu Belle, but did not have a bad trip with the Lu-Lu Belle. Major Marine/Kenai Fjords/26 Glacier tours were great. I can't remember which ones were connected to the railroad but (at least as of a few years ago) one could get the train from Anchorage to Seward, take the cruise, and return to Los Anchorage that night. Long day, but turnkey.

Stan Stephens passed away in 2013 (IIRC). Too bad. He (Brad Phillips was the pioneer) really helped create affordable and easy "tourism" in PWS.

[rag-ftw]

bee_46 wrote:
Maybe we just hit a bad day.

Sounds like Fred was having an off day.

I was really impressed with how he stuck the nose of the boat up in the cave with the puffins, how close he got to the face of the glacier, and how he seemed to know where the humpbacks were going to surface next. I will say we saw more animals on the Stan Stevens tour. They have faster boats and run greater distances, but they couldn't get as close to the whales as the Lu-Le Belle. It is interesting to me how both boats pretty much travel the same water but each Captain will point out different things. We learned a bunch from both of them.

Next time you are in Valdez stop by the Lu-Lu Belle office and voice your displeasure. My bet is they would give you free passage on their next trip.

[bee_46]

rag-ftw You are right. We took the trip because it came highly recommended. It may have been a bit more enjoyable if the non-English speakers had followed his rules about running and jumping about the boat. But I was most disappointed in Capt. Fred's lack of animal search since that is what most people raved about and what I had taken the trip for. We sat for a long while just for him to take Holiday card pictures. Maybe we just hit a bad day.

[rag-ftw]

bee_46 wrote:
I also took a trip on the LuLu Belle and it was one of the worst trips that I have taken in Alaska.

Theory Proven: You can't please all the people all the time!

[bee_46]

I also took a trip on the LuLu Belle and it was one of the worst trips that I have taken in Alaska. Capt. Fred rambled on the entire trip. I had to point out to him that he was missing a group of Dall porpoises. He hadn't even noticed them. There was a group on the boat that did not speak English and ran wild on the boat. We saw very few animals while we were out. He was mostly interesting in taking photos for people to use on their holiday cards. I will not go out with him again.

[Sea_Dog]

I second the Lulu Belle.
Without a doubt the best day cruise that we
have ever been on!

[rag-ftw]

Fer2005 wrote:
We've done both Stan Stephens and the Lu-Lu Belle and we liked the Lu-Lu Belle better. Capt. Fred gets you up close and personal with the glaciers and wildlife!

X2. If you go to Valdez you won't go wrong on either of these day trips. I will say if I only had time for one cruise I would spend the day on the Lu-Lu Belle. There is only one Cpt. Fred!!!

[Fer2005]

We've done both Stan Stephens and the Lu-Lu Belle and we liked the Lu-Lu Belle better. Capt. Fred gets you up close and personal with the glaciers and wildlife!

[joe_b_]

Boat tours are something that we seldom hear of any bad reviews from tourists. Another highly recommended tour in Valdez is the Lu Lu Belle run by Capt Fred. But with that said, I have never been on it, but have talked to Capt Fred face to face several times. Real nice guy and very knowledgeable about the area. Now he, like many of the other summer business owners in Alaska, doesn't live in Alaska in the winter time. They are there to work the tourist season and they head back out to the lower 48 to their homes. His boat is his home in the winter in Washington, so he runs back and forth from there to Alaska.
http://lulubelletours.com/

I have been on the Stan Stephens long tour several times, so need to give Capt Fred a try one of these trips to Valdez.

As far as I know, the Stephens family does live in Alaska in the winter. But it is a much larger operation with multiple tour boats. Not sure if Stan, himself still runs any of them but if not it would probably be some family member. The food they serve on the Meares Glacier, 2 Glacier tour, is really very good, comfortable boat, etc.

http://www.stephenscruises.com/

If the weather is rainy, foggy, just plain nasty, getting a few miles out of new Valdez and it may clear up and have a beautiful day. Not sure what causes this, but where they relocated Valdez after the Good Friday Earthquake, traps bad weather it seems.

It is the least touristy of any of the coastal towns that are on the road system, Far enough away from Anchorage that you don't have the weekend crowds from there as you do on the Kenai.

[2gypsies1]

We really enjoyed the Stan Stephens glacier cruise out of Valdez...used the 2/1 TourSaver coupon for quite a savings. You don't have to make reservations far in advance for any cruise. When you are nearing your stopping point within a few days, then you can call. Otherwise, if just arriving you 'might' get on that day or the next.

[rag-ftw]

Out of Whitier the 29 Glacier Cruise is a good day trip. From Seward Major Marine's Kenai Fords National Park Cruise turned up otters, humpback whales, puffins, porpoise, orcas, the Holgate Glacier, (which was actively calving), Aialik And Pedersen Glaciers, and that was just the first half of the day!
The Swiftwater Seafood Cafe has really good fish & chips in Whitier.
On the Seward Highway between Anchorage and Whittier is The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, which is definitely worth a visit.
Ditto on the tour coupon book. It will pay for itself the second time you use it.
My only other advice is to not wait, GO NEXT YEAR, we are!

[DonP]

Get a Tour Saver book for $100 and book the cruises in it. The book gets you 2 for 1 on what ever is in there, you will get your money back on the first cruise you take. I think we took nine different cruises.
There are good deals in the book available on line or in Carr's stores.
Don
here

[bee_46]

We have not been to Whittier, but have taken several cruises with Kenai Fjords in Seward. I have not made resevations in the past, just stopped in when we got there, but I have not been there since 2008. Trips have been enjoyable. We also had a cruise on Major Marine and the weather shortened the trip. They gave us a partial refund since we did not get the full trip.

If you get to Valdez, I highly recommend Stan Stephens Cruises. They serve a lunch and afternoon snack on the longest cruise. Again I usually book after we get to town or call a day or two ahead once I know a weather forecast.

[MORSNOW]

There are so many that you can wait unless you have your heart set on a certain tour. Half day, full day, wildlife cruise, glacier cruise, etc, they are all nice.