Much of Kenai Fjords is only accessible by boat. From Seward, one can take Resurrection Bay cruises that last about 4 hours or so and the focus is on the wildlife in the bay and some neat sights. However, to get at the famed fjords and glaciers, the full 8 hour cruise that goes out of the bay is recommended. We signed up for the Major Marine Tour. Their competitor is Kenai Fjords Tours. In comparing the two companies, they seemed pretty evenly matched with perhaps the Kenai Fjords Tour company having more selections given they are a larger operation. At the dock it seemed they had more boats. However, we took the Major Marine Tour as their buffet option was on the boat and they have a NPS ranger serve as narrator. Either way, I think you will get a great cruise. However, be warned, the longer tours go out into the open ocean and motion sickness is an issue. More on that later!

Here is one of those cute little sea otters laying around! We saw some porpoises but they were too fast for me to get a photo. Unfortunately, no whales were seen on our cruise.

Can you spot the bird in the picture? Look for the orange colored bill. Definitely bring a pair of binoculars. Through them, we saw some bald eagles, puffins and a number of other kinds of birds.

Here are some big sea lions lounging around

Photo advice Taking pictures of glaciers is tough because the white snow and ice is so bright that the meter on the camera can get fooled. I tried to compensate by OVER exposing. You see your camera thinks the scene is too bright so it tries to expose LESS by either using a faster shutter speed or a smaller lens opening or both. If you take the meter reading without compensation, the result will be snow that looks dirty and gray. My exposures came out slightly off still but at least I avoided the muddy snow pictures of my past efforts. Depending on your monitor, some parts of the photos may look all white with little or no detail. My prints in my photo album are a bit more clear. So if you just see a whiteout to the left and are wondering what is going on... you are looking at the passengers looking at the ice chunks all over the place. The captain assured us, the boat would not sink as we bumped into them!

Above is the Holgate Glacier. The captain takes the boat up pretty close and shuts the engines off so we can hear the glacier sing. The ice creaks and groans as outer layers break apart. If you are lucky, they say pieces sometimes calve and splash into the water. We didn't get to see that event. However, it is still an awesome sight. Just like sitting around watching and listening to a thunderstorm, seeing and hearing this sight makes one realize just how vast the natural world is and how small we humans really are. It was in this portion of the cruise that lunch was served. It was an all you can eat buffet of salmon and prime rib. The 80% of the passengers who had no problem with motion sickness feasted. My buddies Ron and Leonard each got second and third servings of the main dishes. Harold and I who suffered from motion sickness ate lightly. More on my personal experience with motion sickness is in the panel to the right! I hope my experience is useful to those who have had motion sickness problems or no experience in the open water. My advice is GO FOR IT but be prepared. To read more about motion sickeness visit WebMD.com and do a search on motion sickness

Travel tip Motion sickness is a real problem on cruises. Admittedly, this boat is much small then your super cruise liner. But to see the Holgate glacier up close, a small boat is the only way. I knew going into the cruise that I had a bad history with small boats. However, in my mind, when will I ever get the chance to see a glacier up close. I had to go! I took over the counter (meclizine) motion sickness pills BEFORE boarding the boat, attached accupressure wrist bands, chomped on ginger candy, looked at the horizon and tried to think positive thoughts. Would it be enough? Of the 150 passengers on our boat that day, probably 10% got so sick they could barely do anything. Another 10% were like me who felt pretty awful but were still able to move about and enjoy the ride to a limited extent. When we left Resurrection Bay and hit open ocean, I was in serious trouble. I nearly passed out and almost tossed my breakfast for about 1 hour of the ride. The captain described the waters as "lumpy." I asked one of the crew as they frantically dealt with passengers tossing their breakfast and lunches if this was typical. He said, yeah, some days are a little better some days a little worse. We eventually reached the calm waters of the fjord where Holgate Glacier is located. I may have gotten my sea legs at that point for on the return trip (another 1 hour on the open ocean with lots of rocking and rolling) I was queasy but much better. Is it worth it? If I was layed out flat on the deck and unable to see anything, I would say no. Fortunately, for me, the various remedies I utilized were just enough.

As in Anchorage, we found our accomodations via Bedandbreakfast.com. The Ptarmigan Bed and Breakfast is a lovely place just north of Seward. The lush greenery and quiet of the locale make it an ideal place for harried city folk like me and my buddies. Sharon and Tom were terrific hosts so if you ever find yourself going to Seward, check out their website and send them an email to see if they have openings. In the above left hand photo, you see some ceramic stoneware. In addition to running their bed and breakfast, they also do pottery which is utilized in their breakfasts. The right hand photo is a scene from their living and dining room. Seward Restaurants Ray's Waterfront is located at 1316 4th Ave. The view of the small boat harbor from there is spectacular. Bakery At The Harbor is located at 1210 4th Ave (907) 224-6091. Fast friendly service. Popular place for a quick snack with coffee or tea.

Our wonderful innkeepers Sharon and Tom.

Next stop: Denali!

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