Kenai Fjords National Park

[nolaAlive]

Depends on what you want to do...but think a 2 yr old would get bored. There is inside' date=' but I wanted photos, and ended up with a baysitter (Capt. Daughter) because they were afraid I'd go overboard (Railings were quite low some places, and while doing photos, the ship lurched and my camera & I did almost fly over!) Realized this little redhead was sent to babysit after she spent the rest of the tour with me until I went back inside to eat our lunch!:D Yes quite a bit was spent open water and was rough[/quote']

 

Not at all my experience. No "low" railings and no rough water.

 

Whatever the weather/sea conditions, common sense dictates to hold on with one hand to a rail or something, just in case, and the other hand for a child or camera.

[nolaAlive]

I enjoyed your pictures nolaAlive!

 

 

Thank you.

 

No big buffet on Renown. Free bottled water all day and a soda or whatever with lunch. Bagel, cream cheese, smoked salmon, cookie - think that was about it, but perfectly sufficient:

 

 

 

If feeling queasy, do not stay below decks. Suck it up, go up on deck somewhere and watch the horizon. It should pass, good luck.

[Chenega]

I guess some people come to Alaska more for the tanzanite gift shops, tacky t-shirts, and fun and games on a cruise ship. Sorry for the sarcasm but glaciers, mountains, and wildlife are what this very special state is all about. I've been seeing glaciers up here for over 35 years and never get bored. No such thing to me as too many glaciers but each to their own. Just be ready to experience Alaska on its own terms which may include a little time on rough seas to see some of the wonders of the natural world.

[oldengine]

Finally, someone who wants to see Alaska the way I do. That's why I chose a cruise/tour over a cruise, and added the good stuff. Our tour will include none less than five different vessels and three jaunts on the railroads. Now that's a cruise!

[TomAndJane]

What did you take with you to be prepared? I have never been seasick, nor has my family, but from these responses, maybe it would be good to take something just in case. Should you take Bonine before the trip just in case? Or does it work AFTER you get sick?

Thanks!

 

We took a seasick pill the day before and of the trip. Once you are sick the pills will not work!!

[canadarocks]

nolaAlive, thanks for the pictures! Now I know what lunch consists of! :)

[nolaAlive]

nolaAlive, thanks for the pictures! Now I know what lunch consists of! :)

 

You're welcome. If you don't want the salmon, they also have turkey and maybe something else. You also get one coke or other soda included.

[canadarocks]

You're welcome. If you don't want the salmon, they also have turkey and maybe something else. You also get one coke or other soda included.

 

Wow, more great info! Hubby doesn't like salmon, but loves turkey.... so we're good to go! :cool: We don't have to let them know our lunch choices ahead of time, do we?

[nolaAlive]

Wow, more great info! Hubby doesn't like salmon, but loves turkey.... so we're good to go! :cool: We don't have to let them know our lunch choices ahead of time, do we?

 

 

Nope. And you can even try the salmon and if you don't like it, they will still give you turkey. There is a place not far from the dock that has a $10 breakfast buffet if you want to chow down before the cruise, but if the seas are rough that day you might want to cut back on the amount of grease consumed.

 

Also a grocery (I think) if you want to put together your own picnic basket.

 

Seward is kind of a neat place to explore.

[canadarocks]

Nope. And you can even try the salmon and if you don't like it, they will still give you turkey. There is a place not far from the dock that has a $10 breakfast buffet if you want to chow down before the cruise, but if the seas are rough that day you might want to cut back on the amount of grease consumed.

 

Also a grocery (I think) if you want to put together your own picnic basket.

 

Seward is kind of a neat place to explore.

 

Actually, we will be in Seward in the middle of b2b on HAL's Ryndam. We're doing the Seavey Iditaride dog tour first thing in the morning and then the Renown 6 hour tour. But we will be sure to eat a big, non-greasy breakfast before getting off the ship! ;)

[pshaze]

Where do you get ginger root capsules? We couldn't find them at CVS or some of the drugstores in supermarkets. Do we have to get them in a health store?

 

I get mine from Wal-Mart, they have it with the different vitamins.

 

Also, Ginger root is a natural blood thinner so you might want to check with your doctor especially if you are on any other blood thinning medications like Aspirin or Coumadin.

[wolfie11]

There is only one small section of the cruise where the water gets rough. That's when you leave Resurrection Bay and head out towards Aialik or Northwester Fjords. It takes under an hour to cross and then you are back in smooth water again (usually).

[SoBaycruiser]

We did the 6 hr tour with Kenai tours (just like the link above) last month and it was on a 1 year old catamaran. The boat has a lot of outdoor space with outdoor seating above. It was very stable as compared to a mono-hulled boat. It was a windy day but this how they handled it. Deep within Resurrection Bay the water was smooth and we had no problem. As we neared the exit of the bay (toward open ocean), the captain said he'd hug one shoreline to protect the boat from bouncing as much. Even this was a little too much for some people, but most were fine. We then crossed some open water (where those that were going to have a problem did) and then we went into the fjords. There it was calmer again. The itinerary was modified some from what you see on the map in the post above to keep us in calmer waters. This did not detract at all from the trip. We got SO close to the glacier face, saw calving, as well as a lot of wildlife- bears, many birds including puffins, humpback whales and two resident pods of orcas. On the trip back to the dock, we again experienced some rough seas for a short while until we got back into Resurrection Bay. So you see, the whole trip isn't rough water even on a less than desireable day. All in all, it was a terrific day.

 

As to sea sickness: I am a boater who never gets sea sick... until once... and that was enough. I invested in a Relief Band Explorer Motion Sickness Device (about $130 on drugstore.com) after talking to a number of people who swear by it. It's drug free and and FDA approved. It looks like a watch and sends a slight pulse onto your wrist. Friends have said that even if you become sea sick, you can put this on and you'll feel better almost immediately. As it turns out, I've never had to use it... but I carry it with me in situations like this. It's a lot of money but it will last forever and when you add up the cost of all the pills one would take over the years, it becomes cost effective.

[tentimecruiser]

I just returned from my first Alaskan vacation and we did many amazing things on our trip but this tour was the highlight of my entire trip. I don't get seasick on cruises but have been twice on deep sea fishing trips off California and Hawaii so I asked my Dr. to prescribe the patch and I wore it for this trip. Sometimes it makes me sleepy but I stayed up on the top deck taking photographs (at least 1000 this day!) and the brisk breeze kept me wide awake. Many people were feeling seasick and it was pretty rough at times so you really had to hold on if you were on the top deck.

I saw such a variety of marine and bird life and a huge calving of the Holgate Glacier that made a very large wave. The pod of Orca whales with the baby was just wonderful! Some have said the lunch wasn't much but I found it to be plenty of food and very satisfying. I think they also had hot drinks for the duration of the trip but I never went below to check this out because I was having too much fun on deck. The National Park Ranger that narrarated for us was very good and pointed out a lot of interesting things.

[Budget Queen]

SOOOOOO Bottom line- These people are now Kenai Fjords "graduates". Confirming this TOP tour choice recommendation posted over and over by us long timers. :)

 

Spread the word!!!!!!!!!

[nfox211]

We just returned from Alaska on Friday. We took the 6 hour Kenai Fjords trip with Renown Tours. The views were breathtaking BUT if you are prone to motion sickness, please take precautions before going on the trip. We had an absolutely beautiful, sunny day but the section through the open sea found many people hanging over the railings, if you get my drift. I wore the PSI bands and did fine. There were times where you could not walk across the deck without hanging on very tightly so I'm not sure that I'd have little ones on the open deck. We spent almost all of our time on the back of the 2nd deck. We were protected from the cold somewhat and had wonderful views. I did see several people (6-10) get sick and at least one person who spent almost the entire time curled up in a ball on deck. I certainly recommend this tour as everything we saw was amazing but PLEASE premedicate if you are prone to motion sickness.

[Jana White]

By far the bet wildlife cruise I have ever been on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[vbmom87]

We just returned from Alaska on Friday. We took the 6 hour Kenai Fjords trip with Renown Tours. The views were breathtaking BUT if you are prone to motion sickness, please take precautions before going on the trip. We had an absolutely beautiful, sunny day but the section through the open sea found many people hanging over the railings, if you get my drift. I wore the PSI bands and did fine. There were times where you could not walk across the deck without hanging on very tightly so I'm not sure that I'd have little ones on the open deck. We spent almost all of our time on the back of the 2nd deck. We were protected from the cold somewhat and had wonderful views. I did see several people (6-10) get sick and at least one person who spent almost the entire time curled up in a ball on deck. I certainly recommend this tour as everything we saw was amazing but PLEASE premedicate if you are prone to motion sickness.

 

On our tour it was so rough, the captain actually made everyone go inside until we got to calmer waters.

[nolaAlive]

There was nothing on my tour at that I would describe as rough water - no sick people to the best of my knowledge, and virtually all of the lunch baskets picked up. There was light rain occasionally. It is Alaska.

 

But sometimes, at least once in recorded history (and I suspect many more), the tour does not always encounter rough water.

[nolaAlive]

p.s. overcast and rainy off and on is an EXCELLENT time to spot wildlife.

[vbmom87]

There was nothing on my tour at that I would describe as rough water - no sick people to the best of my knowledge, and virtually all of the lunch baskets picked up. There was light rain occasionally. It is Alaska.

 

But sometimes, at least once in recorded history (and I suspect many more), the tour does not always encounter rough water.

 

We had some locals on our tour and they said they had been out many times and never encountered anything as rough as what we had that day. Lesson: Be prepared.

[nolaAlive]

We had some locals on our tour and they said they had been out many times and never encountered anything as rough as what we had that day. Lesson: Be prepared.

 

Being prepared is one thing - being an alarmist another.

[Budget Queen]

Being prepared is one thing - being an alarmist another.

 

Sorry, most times these tours do encounter rough sailing. I've been out on this many times- over 12 , and have seen sick passengers every trip. So it isn't an "alarmist" posting, it's good advice to consider. You had a rare trip, and not the norm.

[Seashell86]

I just wanted to add that I took this tour on my trip at the end of May and it was smooth. I was expecting rough waters and even took Bonine, but didn't need it at all. Nobody got sick on our boat.

 

It was a rainy day, so you really cannot assume that the weather will reflect what the waters are doing.

 

We also saw tons of wildlife! If you want to see marine life, this is the way to go!

[nolaAlive]

Sorry, most times these tours do encounter rough sailing. I've been out on this many times- over 12 , and have seen sick passengers every trip. So it isn't an "alarmist" posting, it's good advice to consider. You had a rare trip, and not the norm.

 

I was also on a catamaran which is a smoother riding boat.

 

It is good to be prepared, but you are not guaranteed rough water. My trip was proof.

 

It could also have something to do with riding downstairs instead of running up to the top floor like most seems to do. There was plenty of room downstairs and usually when there was something worth seeing they would slow down and open the front hatch to let people stand on the bow of the ship. Once in a while I would have to run up the stairs to get a better view, but usually downstairs was fine.

 

This was on Renown's boat. Your mileage may vary on other boats/captains.