Kenai Fjord Wildlife cruise

[I am Lulu]

I booked my husband and myself on the Kenai Fjord Wildlife cruise, thru HAL quite awhile ago. I shared all the comments about the big possibility of getting seasick, as mentioned on CC. We decided that we'd risk it, and "armed" ourselves with wrist bands, Trader Joes ginger candy, and prescription patches. Now that we are very close to our departure date, my husband is starting to waiver on "if" we should risk being sea sick for 9 hrs., or not. Needless to say, I need some encouragement, or voice of reason, or what ever you have for me. 😳

For those who have been on this excursion, what kind of Wildlife did you see? I know that there are no guarantees, just want to know what the possibilies are.

 

Thanks to all you wonderful CC members for sharing you experiences.

[zqvol]

I booked my husband and myself on the Kenai Fjord Wildlife cruise, thru HAL quite awhile ago. I shared all the comments about the big possibility of getting seasick, as mentioned on CC. We decided that we'd risk it, and "armed" ourselves with wrist bands, Trader Joes ginger candy, and prescription patches. Now that we are very close to our departure date, my husband is starting to waiver on "if" we should risk being sea sick for 9 hrs., or not. Needless to say, I need some encouragement, or voice of reason, or what ever you have for me. 😳

For those who have been on this excursion, what kind of Wildlife did you see? I know that there are no guarantees, just want to know what the possibilies are.

 

Thanks to all you wonderful CC members for sharing you experiences.

 

If you have the patch, and still get seasick you don't need to be cruising. In over 30 cruises I can honestly say that I have never seen anyone with the patch get seasick at all. It is not something that I would worry about.

[donaldsc]

I booked my husband and myself on the Kenai Fjord Wildlife cruise, thru HAL quite awhile ago. I shared all the comments about the big possibility of getting seasick, as mentioned on CC. We decided that we'd risk it, and "armed" ourselves with wrist bands, Trader Joes ginger candy, and prescription patches. Now that we are very close to our departure date, my husband is starting to waiver on "if" we should risk being sea sick for 9 hrs., or not. Needless to say, I need some encouragement, or voice of reason, or what ever you have for me. 😳

For those who have been on this excursion, what kind of Wildlife did you see? I know that there are no guarantees, just want to know what the possibilies are.

 

Thanks to all you wonderful CC members for sharing you experiences.

 

Does your husband really really want to to the excursion or is he doing it because he thinks you want to. If he does want to and you are really uncertain, you do not have to be joined at the hip for every second of the cruise. Let him take it and you find something that you will enjoy to do on land for the 9 hours.

 

Or else you or even the both of you could take the Resurrection Bay / Fox Island with lunch 4 1/4 hour cruise - http://www.kenaifjords.com/day-cruises/resurrection-bay-tour/

 

DON

[onespots]

You are more than prepared for any type of motion sickness. No alcohol or greasy foods the day before your trip are to be consumed. You may want to start using the medication a day before you leave on this boat.

 

It is a wonderful trip. We could not believe how quickly the time pasted. I spent most of my time on the bow taking photos & enjoying the scenery. We enjoyed good conditions for wind & sea during our sailing. Sky was overcast, views exceptional.

 

We saw the following:

Sea Otters

Puffins

Harbor Seals

Sea Lions

Mountain Goats

Eagles

Just 1 Humpback Whale

 

We also viewed some exceptional calving of the glaciers ( ice calving )

In my opinion the best thing you can do Seward... Although you have many choices in this area. I would encourage your husband to go. Should he stand firm, staying on land, you should take this excursion & enjoy the Kenai Peninsula.

 

Happy Travels, John

 

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Just a few pictures of the many I took on this trip. We stayed 3 days in Seward prior to our ship leaving ( Celebrity Millennium ) We enjoyed the 7 night cruise to Vancouver B.C. Sure glad we did the land portion prior to boarding the ship. Easy car return as the Hertz Office, it is only a short distance from the port & offered a free ride to the docks to embark on the Millennium.

[gpb11]

Our Kenai Fjords tour gave us the BEST wildlife and glacier viewing of the entire trip. We were also lucky enough to encounter a very playful humpback that did many near full breeches.

 

In addition to onespots' list we also had some orcas.

 

If you possibly can go, do so. Remember though that this stuff is often luck of the draw and we drew well on our trip.

 

Edited June 20, 2016 by gpb11

[Budget Queen]

Sorry, but this tour is NOT for everyone. And anyone looking for "encouragement" isn't going to get any from me. :) I've been a health care professional, and I have seen Trans Derm Scop- ineffective, so you already know there are no guarantees.

 

Your husband, may just NOT want to go??? If the case- go yourself.

 

I've done done these tours- over 30 times, including May 27, 2016, and yep- I again saw sick passengers, which I do every trip. (various degrees). I'm of the mindset- be true to yourself.

 

 

Last trip, I saw- 3 pods of orcas - for a super pod experience, humpbacks, sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters. Various birds, including puffins.

[Daffodil17]

I did the 6-hour tour a few weeks ago. The route we took brought us out of Resurrection Bay, around the Cape in to Aialik (sp?) Bay to see the Holgate Glacier. It was not particularly a rough day, but we were in the more open waters of the Gulf of Alaska for at least half an hour each way, and even if it is not rough, there will be swell. According to the Captain, the water around the cape is known as the washing machine, as it swirls around and I will vouch for this! Of course this is where the Orcas surfaced so we ended up bobbing around in these waters while we viewed them with delight. The Captain made sure to steer the boat out and ride along the waves to make the ride as smooth as possible but you are still going through choppy waters and there is a lot of movement. I have suffered from motion sickness in the past and am a little nervous in smaller boats, but decided to push myself to go for this once in a lifetime experience. As it happened I wasn't sick, though I did stay seated by the windows, more due to nerves than feeling sick. I didn't see anyone else sick, but I was still quite nervous bobbing around in the waves and the ocean is choppy on a nice day, so no point in using my experience to reassure yourselves. But I have to say it was one of the highlights of the trip! The sun was shining, the ocean blue, we saw humpbacks feeding, a pod of Orcas, Stellars Sealions, sea otters, seals, mountain goats and countless types of sea birds, including puffins. We also got really close to the glacier and saw it calving.

 

So assume you will be sick, if you're not it will be a bonus. but the trip is fantastic if that can help you decide at all.

Edited June 21, 2016 by Daffodil17

[LEtue]

Our Kenai Fjords tour gave us the BEST wildlife and glacier viewing of the entire trip. We were also lucky enough to encounter a very playful humpback that did many near full breeches.

 

In addition to onespots' list we also had some orcas.

 

If you possibly can go, do so. Remember though that this stuff is often luck of the draw and we drew well on our trip.

 

 

What trip were you on when you took this picture? The seas look pretty calm so I assume one of the shorter trips that doesn't leave the Bay?

 

I have only done trips out of Whittier in the past and want to try one from Seward next year. I have never been seasick unless I am in on a small a boat "bobbing around" here in the Gulf of Mexico......

[gpb11]

What trip were you on when you took this picture? The seas look pretty calm so I assume one of the shorter trips that doesn't leave the Bay?

 

We were on the full length tour: http://www.kenaifjords.com/day-cruises/national-park-tour/#10am

The photo was taken in Aialik Bay on the way back from Aialik glacier.

 

The seas were a little rough as we crossed over from Resurrection Bay to Aialik Bay but not for very long. As I've never had any issues with motion or sea sickness I can't give any more helpful info.

 

The boat we were on was one of the Kenai Fjords Tours boats pictured above. It was much more stable than the little 14 person boat we took whale watching out of Juneau. (not implying it didn't rock though, just relatively it was more stable than the little boat)

[LEtue]

We were on the full length tour: http://www.kenaifjords.com/day-cruises/national-park-tour/#10am

The photo was taken in Aialik Bay on the way back from Aialik glacier.

 

The seas were a little rough as we crossed over from Resurrection Bay to Aialik Bay but not for very long. As I've never had any issues with motion or sea sickness I can't give any more helpful info.

 

The boat we were on was one of the Kenai Fjords Tours boats pictured above. It was much more stable than the little 14 person boat we took whale watching out of Juneau. (not implying it didn't rock though, just relatively it was more stable than the little boat)

 

Thanks for the additional information.

 

I am considering the 6 hour tour and I have only been seasick once - when "spotting" for a diver friend in the Gulf of Mexico. It was a very little boat and once we stopped and we started "bobbing" like a cork - that was it. So my concern would be if the boat stopped for extended periods of time in rough water. I will call them and see what they suggest.....

 

I would book the shorter trip but I don't want to spend time on Fox Island instead of on the water :(

[gpb11]

On our trip, the captain moved us through the heavier stuff pretty quickly; he seemed to try to minimize any ill effects on passengers. It'd settled down by the time we crossed back on the return journey.

 

To be specific, we did the 10am National Park Tour with Fox Island Dinner and had booked it through HAL. The stop at Fox Island came at the end of the day and didn't seem to take away from any sightseeing time; the dinner was decent and Fox Island was pretty, but nothing I'd take away from on-the-water time to see. We'd chosen the "with dinner" version since this tour was at the end of our cruise, we were spending the night in Seward, and I figured we'd be tired and not feeling like figuring out a place to eat. (I was right... :) )

[Budget Queen]

Thanks for the additional information.

 

I am considering the 6 hour tour and I have only been seasick once - when "spotting" for a diver friend in the Gulf of Mexico. It was a very little boat and once we stopped and we started "bobbing" like a cork - that was it. So my concern would be if the boat stopped for extended periods of time in rough water. I will call them and see what they suggest.....

 

I would book the shorter trip but I don't want to spend time on Fox Island instead of on the water :(

 

Not sure what you expect the answer is going to be with a call, you "stop" the boat, and there will be movement- you are on water. :) Every trip is different. And the stops made- aren't going to be the same either. My trip a few weeks ago, had a super pod- of 3 pods of orcas with a LOT of time spent on them, at least 45 minutes.

 

What gets people in a lot of trouble with motion sickness- is- photography. :) I see it all the time. That person, who has that camera up continuously shooting, using the camera as binoculars etc. Wham- the mis messages to the brain, with the movement not matching up, to the narrow field of view being seen. . Same with someone, using binoculars from a moving boat, at length. If an issue, you need to back off, and orient yourself, ahead.

[Tricia724]

From my limited experience, it can be good news or bad news.

 

The first time we took this cruise was the middle of June some years ago. We elected to do the trip with the stop at Fox Island. We did manage to get to Fox Island for a nice meal, but the waters were very rough that day and so many people were getting sick that the captain elected to cut the trip short and return to port. We received a partial refund and saw little wildlife.

 

Our second trip was six years ago in early September, and we had an outstanding day, both with the weather and wildlife viewing. Lots of birds, otters, puffins, sea lions, and orcas. The waters were not particularly choppy that day, but it is a boat and there were a few people struggling with sea sickness.

 

My friend, who has some major camera equipment, managed to get a couple of great orca shots. He showed them to one of the crew members who brought out a binder loaded with orca pictures and identified the whale by its dorsal fin and coloration and told us its name and the pod it came from.

 

We will not be in Seward on our upcoming trip but if we were, I'd take this cruise again in a heartbeat.

[EMED2010]

I suffer from motion sickness. I get carsick and even get nauseous floating on a raft in my pool. I only started cruising 5 years ago because of this. I discover Bonine and it works like a charm for me. I have not felt the slightest sickness on our cruises or any of the small boat tours we have taken.

Last summer I did the Kenai Fjords trip and it was one of the best experiences of the trip. I spent most of it taking pictures and we were fortunate to see everything on our cruise. I was able to get this

picture of an orca.

Whatever you choose, I hope it

Works out for you.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited June 27, 2016 by EMED2010

[txwriter]

I suffer from motion sickness. I get carsick and even get nauseous floating on a raft in my pool. I only started cruising 5 years ago because of this. I discover Bonine and it works like a charm for me. I have not felt the slightest sickness on our cruises or any of the small boat tours we have taken.

Last summer I did the Kenai Fjords trip and it was one of the best experiences of the trip. I spent most of it taking pictures and we were fortunate to see everything on our cruise. I was able to get this

picture of an orca.

Whatever you choose, I hope it

Works out for you.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Is Bonine less drowsy inducing than Dramamine? I've used Dramamine, but it makes me SO SLEEPY.

[NancyIL]

Is Bonine less drowsy inducing than Dramamine? I've used Dramamine, but it makes me SO SLEEPY.

 

The main ingredient in Bonine is Meclizine - which is also in Dramamine's non-drowsy formula. It doesn't make ME sleepy, but I know it has that effect on some people. I buy a bottle of 100 generic Meclizine from Sam's Club pharmacy for less than $10.

[alwaysfrantic]

When you book through HAL does it eliminate the train from Anchorage to Seward? How does it affect timing with arriving to the ship?

[Budget Queen]

When you book through HAL does it eliminate the train from Anchorage to Seward? How does it affect timing with arriving to the ship?

 

Why book through HAL? It's simple to just make your own choices, including your transfer to/from the ship. There is no need to cobook. A significant benefit is the ability to choose which tour and vendor you want.

 

But- if you look at HAL descriptions- it will be very clear if the train is included or not.