Now … I’m not a fan of either cruises or tours so I wasn’t sure how I’d like this adventure.
Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Tours offer 2 different cruises – one to Columbia Glacier which is 6 hours for $135 and one to Meares Glacier which is for 9 hours and $165. We were thinking of taking the shorter cruise but were ‘talked into’ the longer (more expensive) one. Were we GLAD!
First of all it’s a beautiful, well cared for CLEAN boat … very comfy seats both inside and out. The crew were all Alaskan – mostly young very nice people who were very knowledgable about the area and wildlife.
Captain Jeff at the wheel
Valdez Spirit Interior
Captain Jeff kept a running commentary about what we were seeing as we were steaming along and was happy to stop when we encountered any wildlife. And did we see wildlife! We saw Humpback Whales, Orca’s, lots of Sea Otters, Stellar Sea Lions, Harbour Seals, Puffins (Tufted and Horned) … it seemed like there was always something to see.
Puffin
Sea Otters
Pod of Orca’s
Humpback Whale Tail – best I could do!
Harbour Seals on Ice
Along the way to the glacier we were served (served!) a hot meal of rice with chicken breast and Alfredo Sauce with mixed veggies and a roll/butter. Very VERY good!
Getting to the glacier was spectacular! We were able to get within ½ mile of it (which seems VERY close when it’s THAT big!). They stayed in the area for quite a while letting us have lots of views on both sides of the boat. Quite beautiful!
Meares Glacier
Bruce at Meares Glacier
Up close and personal at Meares Glacier
The way back was equally beautiful with the mountains, waterfalls and sea life everywhere. We were treated to a bowl of really good clam chowder at suppertime which just hit the spot!
In addition to wildlife, we were entertained and informed about the area and it’s history – including early explorers, gold & copper mining, fox farming, the fishing industry and of course oil. He also told us about the earthquake/tsunami that destroyed Valdez in 1964 and about the Exxon Valdez oil disaster in 1989. Very informative without being dry – even the kids on the boat seemed interested!
We were out from 10:00 a.m. till 7:00 p.m. and I loved every minute of it!
Bathrooms are clean and tidy … everything is spotless!
I HIGHLY recommend this cruise/tour!
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