Prince William Sound Glacier Cruises/Major Marine in Whittier, 2012

[Chenega]

Apparently, Prince William Sound Glacier Cruises is shutting down operations in Whittier and moving their boats to Seward to operate for the parent company, Kenai Fjords Tours.

 

However, Major Marine is operating a new tour with a high speed catamaran that will go to Esther Passage and Surprise Glacier. This is in addition to their regular trips to Blackstone Bay.

 

There's always something new on the Alaska tourism scene!

[vbmom87]

Thanks for posting.

[Chenega]

Thanks for posting.

 

Rumor is the official announcement will be made on Monday.

[Budget Queen]

That is surprising, as I would think the company did a decent business with their tours, and they are loaded with boats in Seward?? Are there new tours in store there??

 

 

Biut,. Major Marine, hands down- is the winner in the food department of the two companies. :) My PWS meal was just awful this season with Prince William Sound tours. (I don't go for the meal, but it helps if it is eatable. :) )

[Chenega]

That is surprising, as I would think the company did a decent business with their tours, and they are loaded with boats in Seward?? Are there new tours in store there??

 

 

Biut,. Major Marine, hands down- is the winner in the food department of the two companies. :) My PWS meal was just awful this season with Prince William Sound tours. (I don't go for the meal, but it helps if it is eatable. :) )

 

I used to love the crab cakes but they really cut back this summer and the meals went into decline. After three weeks, PWS canceled their Blackstone trips and respositioned the boat to Seward. Sad because they used to run an excellent operation.

 

All the boats will be repositioned to Seward. Don't know if they will run new tours; I missed the afternoon park trip this year because they used to serve a halibut and chips dinner in front of Holgate Glacier that was delicious.

 

Major is an excellent company and their food outshines all the others. Their new catamaran Fairweather II apparently used to operate for the Glacier Bay concessionaire on the park tours. Like I said before, the tourism business up here really gets convoluted:D

[Alaskanb]

Tell me about Esther Passage..

[vbmom87]

Usually these decisions are based on the bottom line. They must feel they will be more profitable in Seward. I am glad I toured with them in August. It was a great trip. Of course, the sunshine helped!!! I don't judge a tour by its food. That is the least of my concerns. I am all after the scenic experience.

[Budget Queen]

Tell me about Esther Passage..

 

Take a look at a map. The companies have route maps available online. It is a very scenic routing of the longer glacier tours out of Whittier. Usually 6 hour tour, vs the 4 hour Blackstone Bay route. Both certainly are very worthwhile, and extremely scenic. I've been to both several times.

[Chenega]

Usually these decisions are based on the bottom line. They must feel they will be more profitable in Seward. I am glad I toured with them in August. It was a great trip. Of course, the sunshine helped!!! I don't judge a tour by its food. That is the least of my concerns. I am all after the scenic experience.

 

Esther Passage is a 12 mile route between Esther Island and the Alaska mainland. It is relatively narrow and a good place to see wildlife. Very reminiscent of places in SE Alaska.

 

As for the closure of PWS Cruises, it was the bottom line and the fact that have a much larger presence in Seward. Still sad to see them go.

[MightyQuinn]

As for the closure of PWS Cruises, it was the bottom line and the fact that have a much larger presence in Seward. Still sad to see them go.

Chenega, I'm sorry to learn that PWS will be leaving Whittier. We took their Wilderness Explorer Cruise through HAL in September and had an exceptional day! I’m so glad that I set aside my initial reservations about taking a ship shorex, since it really was first-class the whole way. The drive along Turnagain Arm was splendid, with sightings of dall sheep, beluga whales and even a few moose on the return. The PWS cruise was great. The Nunavut was the perfect vessel and Captain Doane was an excellent narrator. Even the crab cakes passed muster. We had an exceptional day of sunshine and light winds, which made for perfect viewing from the outside decks. We saw plenty of wildlife but the highlight was the glaciers. Simply stunning! I’m so glad we got the opportunity to travel with PWS this year and I hope Major Marine does as fine a job in the future. Thanks for the update.

[Chenega]

PWS Cruise will be missed since I knew many of the crew members. However, Major Marine has an excellent reputation and will be doing both routes offered by PWS.

[am57]

So if I understand this correctly, all of the tours for Major Marine will be out of Seward?? There will be none in Whittier. When the cruise ship come in do they take the same route that you would have taken on the Major Marine tour or does this tour go to different areas??

[mytime53]

So if I understand this correctly, all of the tours for Major Marine will be out of Seward?? There will be none in Whittier. When the cruise ship come in do they take the same route that you would have taken on the Major Marine tour or does this tour go to different areas??

 

No, Major Marine will still have Whittier tours. It's Prince William Sound Cruises that moved all boats to Seward.

 

http://www.princewilliamsound.com/

http://cam.majormarine.com/site-map/links/southcentral-region/whittier/

[Chenega]

In effect, Prince Willliam Sound Glacier Cruises shut down. However, Major is adding the Esther Passage/Barry Arm trip in addition to their long-running Blackstone Bay tour.

Also, 26 Glaciers continues to run their trip to Esther Passage and Barry Arm as well.

[Chenega]

They must feel they will be more profitable in Seward.

 

Exactly. My wife worked for the company in Whittier and this was no surprise. She felt Whittier was always viewed as the stepchild to Seward and the parent outfit (CIRI) just lost interest in it. Lots of equipment and staffing problems this summer so CIRI just cut their losses and left to focus exclusively on Seward.