Happy Friday friends! I hope that you are having a wonderful day! Today I am excited to continue recap my Alaskan Road Trip Adventures from 2019. As I have shared, I wanted to do this because I hope that it encourages you to consider taking a road trip of your own this summer to this beautiful part of the world!
Today I am excited to share about our whale watching tour that we did with Kenai Fjords Tours. Kenai Fjords Tours is part of the Pursuit Collection activities and experiences and it was such a blessing to have the opportunity to collaborate and partner with them for this experience! We spent the day out on the ocean and I am excited to share about it today!
After my gorgeous morning walk, my sister and I grabbed a yummy breakfast Resurrection Roadhouse (where we had eaten the delicious dinner I shared last week -click HERE to read). It was a sweet time for the two of us and a morning that I truly treasured. Sue decided to sleep in that morning, so we brought her back an omelette before we started our day.
Kenai Fjords Tours (located in Seward) was only a short 5 minute drive away from the Seward Windsong Lodge Property so we arrived a few minutes early and were able to leave on an earlier tour group than scheduled.
We boarded the Nunatak (our ship for our voyage) and were pleasantly surprised to see how it was not that crowded. After receiving safety instructions, we chose seats up front and got ready for our adventure!
We were so in awe of the beautiful day that we had (we had the best weather the entire trip!) plus all of the beauty with the boats and the mountains surrounding us.
The beauty as we rode out of the bay was simply lovely. The views were simply breath-taking.
As we continued to ride out of the bay the clouds seemed to blow away and we were struck by the vivid blue and green colors. As a side note- if you look at the middle picture in the group of three pictures above you can see Fox Island, where there is another Pursuit Collection property and also where Kenai Fjords takes a dinner cruise to that sounded absolutely lovely.
I have a little love affair with Alaskan waters, mountains, and sailboats. *smiles*
I am giggling as I write this because it is a little ironic that the weather seemed to turn, just as some of our experience of the trip did. *haha* I want to give a preface to this story because I think it is important for anyone considering this tour to be better prepared than we were for the trip. *smiles*
{UPDATE July 2021: Please read the comment section for the first comment as I think we solved the mystery on what took place on the story that I am about to share! HAHA!}
When I was offered this trip experience it truly was an incredible blessing. My sister had dreamt about going on a whale watch tour for a long time, so when we were going to Alaska, we knew that had to be included. Sue was not convinced and was quite upfront about being concerned about being sea-sick. Because of this I decided to call and talk with someone at the company regarding our concerns about Sue getting sick and go over this specific tour.
The woman that I spoke with assured me that this trip that we were scheduled for (the 6 hour trip) didn't even leave the bay area and it was "very tame". She even went as far as to say that people didn't ever get sick on this specific tour. She admitted that they couldn't control the weather as far as if a storm was happening (makes total sense), but said that the route that we were going to be on was completely in the bay. I had no reason to question this and didn't think that there was any reason to check with someone else from the company assuming that who I spoke with would have the correct information.
Now, it is my fault that I didn't look at the website that clearly states we would be going to some "remote Alaskan islands", but again, I didn't have any reason to question what I was told. I wish I had, because while we were thrilled to see all that we did, Emily and I ended up getting violently dizzy and sick and Sue (who had come more prepared with anti nausea meds) didn't feel great either.
Also... imagine our shock when right after we ate lunch, the boat started gathering speed as we were approaching the end of the bay and started going full force into the waves which were HUGE and we headed outside of the bay... and then imagine my shock when the captain announced that we were at the tip of the Gulf of Alaska and right in front of us was the widest part of the Pacific Ocean.
And if we kept going straight we would eventually run into Antarctica.
Adventuresome. Yes.
A little freaky because we had been told we would be just in the Bay and now were out heading to Antarctica. Yes.
So as the three of us are nervously laughing, holding on for dear life as we went over the now huge waves, and I am wondering if we can legitimately swim to safety if we need it (hahaha)... someone spotted whales.
Seeing them so close to us was simply amazing. Our boat was literally surrounded by whales. It was incredible.
It was truly incredible and we were in awe of what we were seeing. Even our captain was shocked because he shared that the last few days had been so deprived of seeing wildlife. We were so excited and it was so fun and my sister was thrilled.
Unfortunately though we were not well prepared at all for the combination of waves and currents as we stopped to watch the whales. For a girl who loves spending time on the water, I am sad to say the situation quickly became really bad as we got so dizzy and sick. Our captain (maybe he was new?) didn't turn into the wind or go with it but insisted on letting the waves hit us on the side and the movement of the huge waves, plus people trying to move from side to side to see the whales just made me so dizzy.
A kind deck hand helped me to the back of the boat (where he insisted that it was calmer and it was a little bit) and while I didn't get extremely sick, 90% of the people on board did and I felt so awful I just wanted off the boat. Unfortunately Emily got violently sick and pretty soon Sue didn't feel great either.
We would start to feel better and then the captain would stop and turn the boat sideways and the rocking would start all over again. Again, I am thinking he was new because I have never seen this before on a ship of any kind and am hoping that in the future he learns to drive better for the sake of everyone on board.
It didn't smell great either because of people being sick, but we had a great time laughing about the whole thing. Seriously- these two were awesome to travel with - their attitudes were just incredible! It made the whole trip and I can't wait to do another trip with them!
The three of us ended back in the back of the boat where we camped out for the remainder of the five hours and decided to enjoy the experience as much as possible and we were glad we did.
The Alaskan seagulls and puffins were adorable too.
It was so neat to see the Sea Lions too!
Overall I know that I just shared a pretty negative aspect of the experience but I share it more for those who are planning a similar trip so that you can be better prepared than we were.
The experience was incredible, but I would definitely recommend talking with your doctor ahead of time for anti-nausea /anti-dizzy meds to bring with you just in case you might need them. I am not a girl who gets sea sick and it was difficult so definitely come prepared!
Would I recommend doing it? Absolutely yes! It was so incredible to see the whales and the wildlife in their natural habitat and the beauty surrounding us was incredible! Also-stay tuned for tomorrow too because I can not wait to share about our time at Holgate Glacier on this tour which we did after seeing the animals! It was simply so gorgeous it was unbelievable!
A huge thank you to Kenai Fjords Tours for the complimentary experience for myself and two guests. ALL opinions are my own.
Want to step forward and plan your trip but not sure how? Check out all of the Alaska Road Trip posts from our trips in 2018 and 2019 which you can find them in the Alaska travel section on my blog by clicking HERE or you can click on the specific links below:
Anchorage: // Hyatt Place Anchorage-Midtown Video // Beluga Point //
// Hyatt Place Anchorage-Midtown// Room 209 Hyatt Place Anchorage-Midtown //
// Anchorage Travel Guide//
Chugach Mountains (Alaska 1-South Drive): // Seward Highway Drive (Turnagain Arm Drive)//
// Along the Matanuska River on Alaska 1-South// A Beautiful Lake Adventure Near Chickaloon//
// A Cloudy & Beautiful Drive on Alaska 1-South//
Chugach Mountains: // Eklutna Lake//
Cooper Landing (Kenai Peninsula): // Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge Nature Hike//
// Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge //
Denali State Park Area: //Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge (Pursuit Collection)// Denali Highway Video//
// One Last Adventure on the Denali Highway// The Denali Highway: Part Two //
// The Denali Highway: Part One//
//The Drive to Cantwell// Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge //
Girdwood: // Winner Creek Trail Video// Winner Creek Trail //
Hatcher Pass Area: // Hatcher Pass Video// Hatcher Pass // Little Susitna River //
Homer (Kenai Peninsula) Area: // Homer Video// Homer Spit// Homer Lighthouse// Bishop's Beach//
// A Brief History of Homer //
Kennicott/McCarthy Area: //Root Glacier Hike //Kennicott // Kennicott Glacier //
// Kennecott vs. Kennicott Spelling // The McCarthy Highway //
// An Unfortunate Review of the Kennicott Glacier Lodge //
Seward: //Holgate Glacier// Kenai Fjords Whale Watching Tour//
//A Beautiful Morning Walk in Seward// An Evening Walk at Seward Windsong Lodge//
//Resurrection Roadhouse Restaurant at Seward Windsong Lodge//
//Seward Windsong Lodge// Room 408 at Seward Windsong Lodge//
Seward Highway Area: //Beluga Point// Scenic Seward Highway Drive (Turnagain Arm Drive)//
Talkeetna: //Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge (Pursuit Collection)//
Thompson Pass Area: // Thompson Pass Area Video // Worthington Glacier Hike//
//Worthington Glacier//
// Among the Alaskan Fireweed on A4-S: A Beautiful Symbol of Hope in the Hard Seasons of Life //
// A Brief History of & Drive on Alaska 4-South of the Richardson Highway//Klutina River//
// The Beginning Drive to Thompson Pass//
Whittier: //3 Things to See and Do in Whittier Port on Your Alaskan Cruise //
// Hyatt Place Anchorage-Midtown// Room 209 Hyatt Place Anchorage-Midtown //
// Anchorage Travel Guide//
Chugach Mountains (Alaska 1-South Drive): // Seward Highway Drive (Turnagain Arm Drive)//
// Along the Matanuska River on Alaska 1-South// A Beautiful Lake Adventure Near Chickaloon//
// A Cloudy & Beautiful Drive on Alaska 1-South//
Chugach Mountains: // Eklutna Lake//
Cooper Landing (Kenai Peninsula): // Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge Nature Hike//
// Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge //
Denali State Park Area: //Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge (Pursuit Collection)// Denali Highway Video//
// One Last Adventure on the Denali Highway// The Denali Highway: Part Two //
// The Denali Highway: Part One//
//The Drive to Cantwell// Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge //
Girdwood: // Winner Creek Trail Video// Winner Creek Trail //
Hatcher Pass Area: // Hatcher Pass Video// Hatcher Pass // Little Susitna River //
Homer (Kenai Peninsula) Area: // Homer Video// Homer Spit// Homer Lighthouse// Bishop's Beach//
// A Brief History of Homer //
Kennicott/McCarthy Area: //Root Glacier Hike //Kennicott // Kennicott Glacier //
// Kennecott vs. Kennicott Spelling // The McCarthy Highway //
// An Unfortunate Review of the Kennicott Glacier Lodge //
Seward: //Holgate Glacier// Kenai Fjords Whale Watching Tour//
//A Beautiful Morning Walk in Seward// An Evening Walk at Seward Windsong Lodge//
//Resurrection Roadhouse Restaurant at Seward Windsong Lodge//
//Seward Windsong Lodge// Room 408 at Seward Windsong Lodge//
Seward Highway Area: //Beluga Point// Scenic Seward Highway Drive (Turnagain Arm Drive)//
Talkeetna: //Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge (Pursuit Collection)//
Thompson Pass Area: // Thompson Pass Area Video // Worthington Glacier Hike//
//Worthington Glacier//
// Among the Alaskan Fireweed on A4-S: A Beautiful Symbol of Hope in the Hard Seasons of Life //
// A Brief History of & Drive on Alaska 4-South of the Richardson Highway//Klutina River//
// The Beginning Drive to Thompson Pass//
Whittier: //3 Things to See and Do in Whittier Port on Your Alaskan Cruise //
//Whittier Tunnel (Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel) //
Wrangell-St. Elias Park Area: //The McCarthy Highway // Copper River Princess Lodge //
Wrangell-St. Elias Park Area: //The McCarthy Highway // Copper River Princess Lodge //
3 comments
Hi! I work for Pursuit and wanted to make an observation. You said the tour you were booked on was not supposed to leave the bay. That's our 12pm Resurrection Bay Tour. You also said you arrived early and were able to get on an earlier boat. The RBT ONLY goes out at noon so the earlier boat you must have gone on was our 11:30am National Park Tour, which DOES go into the Gulf. I'm sorry the staff at KBT didn't make that clear to you when you changed the time. But I though this was definitely worth mentioning.
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOODNESS. REALLY?? WOW. NO noone made that note to us and that explains SOOO much!! I am kind of laughing because I think that you have solved a mystery for us! YES. We thought that we were only on the Resurrection Bay Tour- and when I had called and talked with someone they mentioned the National Park Tour and because it went into the Gulf I turned it down! Again, we weren't upset, but this makes so much more sense! I have added a disclaimer into this post referencing your comment!! Thank you so much for taking the time to share!!
DeleteI'm glad I was able to help!
ReplyDelete