PWS or Kenai Fjords Tours (bad prior experience in Kauai)

[snofy]

Last year we went to Kauai and took the Napali tour with Captain Andy due to the rave review. Everyone had lots of fun, except for my family and maybe another family who also has a toddler with them. I was with my husband, my mom, my sister and my 3 year old (2 at that time). Except for my sister who was out and about on the catamaran, my husband and I spent all the time holding my daughter while my mom just sat the whole trip because she was afraid of falling down. The ride was rough and one young lady actually fell down while walking in the cabin.

 

This year we are going to Alaska in June on NCL Sun and I thought I would ruled out going on any boat rides due to the bad experience on the Napali tour. I've been reading about PWS and Kenai Fjords tours though and it sounds like a better ride than the Napali tours. It seems like the PWS tours are very smooth too. Can anyone share how rough the boat rides are? Can my 3 year old walk around without falling down? I would prefer the Kenai Fjords tour but is it significantly rougher than the PWS tours?

 

TIA for sharing!

[AKStafford]

I've done the cruise in Kauai withe Captain Andy, and I've done the Kenai Fjords and PWS.

The ships for the Kenai Fjords & Prince William sound are much larger and more stable than the catamaran you were on in Hawaii. Plus you are sailing in more protected waters. You should be fine, in my opinion.

Try this... Do a search on Youtube for Prince William Sound Whittier Alaska. You'll find lots of videos posted by previous travelers. You'll get an idea of what their experience was like.

[mapleleaves]

I haven't been on the PWS cruise but my understanding is that PWS is more sheltered and therefore the trips are usually smooth.

I've had 2 bad experiences with the Kenai cruise, so my advice is ... if it's windy and the water looks rough, skip it and go another day. On 2 different trips we went out when it was already choppy around the Seward harbor .... after about 20 minutes the capt said it was too rough to go into the Gulf so we had to stay in the Bay for the 3hr wildllife cruise. I turned green in the Bay, it was that rough. I'm very prone to motion sickness. On the next trip I took dramamine or bonine and felt better. They gave us a partial refund but I didn't care for the Bay cruise.

BTW, if the weather is rough the office will offer a full refund if you want to cancel, OR, if you want to take your chances and see what the capt decides you'll get a partial.

I have to add ... the one time we did get out to the glacier it was fantastic! We listened to the glacier creak and then it calved. We saw a few whales and lots of other sealife, birds and wildlife. It was a wonderful trip. I was glad we had time in our schedule to wait another day.

[vbmom87]

I have been on each tour once. We hit very rough waters on the Kenai Fjords tour....7-8 foot waves. Many on the tour were sea sick. For part of the time the boat was literally rocking and rolling as well as the bow was lifting up and slamming down hard onto the waves. (made for a good headache) There is no way I would take my three year old granddaughter on this tour.

 

The PWS tour, on the other hand, was very calm. It is my understanding that this is how it usually is. This tour would be a much better option for your three year old, based on my experience.

[Budget Queen]

Last year we went to Kauai and took the Napali tour with Captain Andy due to the rave review. Everyone had lots of fun, except for my family and maybe another family who also has a toddler with them. I was with my husband, my mom, my sister and my 3 year old (2 at that time). Except for my sister who was out and about on the catamaran, my husband and I spent all the time holding my daughter while my mom just sat the whole trip because she was afraid of falling down. The ride was rough and one young lady actually fell down while walking in the cabin.

 

This year we are going to Alaska in June on NCL Sun and I thought I would ruled out going on any boat rides due to the bad experience on the Napali tour. I've been reading about PWS and Kenai Fjords tours though and it sounds like a better ride than the Napali tours. It seems like the PWS tours are very smooth too. Can anyone share how rough the boat rides are? Can my 3 year old walk around without falling down? I would prefer the Kenai Fjords tour but is it significantly rougher than the PWS tours?

 

TIA for sharing!

 

I have also been on all three tours. You are on water- you have to be well prepared for rough sailing. No way to predict.

 

Another issue, you need to take a hard look at bringing a 3 year old on either of these tours. There likely will be little interest, and these are small boats with no room, for a restless toddler for hours. It is NOT a zoo, marine animals can be difficult for adults to be spot on with a good look. A toddler isn't going to be able to manage any binoculars or be receptive to spotting directions. Your time my be more occupied keeping an eye on them rather than a serious wildlife search- perhaps. These are costly tours for everyone- with no way out.

 

General facts to consider.

 

A toddler certainly would get more out of the Alaska Sealife Center and the Wildlife Conservatory. The Anchorage Zoo, gets excellent reviews as well.

[snofy]

I think we'll skip the tours this time. The Kenai Fjords is definitely too risky and I think PWS glacier tour is not that worth it to have to handle my 3 year old on the boat. Well, there's always next time. Hopefully we'll see enough glaciers during the cruise with NCL.

 

Thanks for all the advice, very helpful and definitely helped point me to the right direction. Thanks a lot!