Kenai Fjords Orca Quest Cruise
Recommended by 95% of travelers
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Seward, USA
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
In early summer, orcas frequent the Kenai Fjords in search of food. This half-day whale-watching cruise—the only orca-focused cruise in Seward—takes you into Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park. Rather than following a set route, your captain navigates to orca hot spots of the day. Hear the whale's haunting calls through a hydrophone, and learn about orcas and their behavior from the captain and crew.
- Half-day orca whale-watching cruise from Seward
- Journey into Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park during prime orca season
- Spot orcas in their natural habitat
- Learn about the whales from captain and crew members
- Use a hydrophone to hear how orcas communicate with one another
What's Included
- Water, coffee, and tea
- Use of binoculars while onboard
- All taxes and fees included in price
- Educational narration by an experienced captain
- Restroom on board
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 1412 4th Ave, Seward, AK 99664, USA
Departure Point: Major Marine Tours Check-In office at Harbor 360 Hotel Address: 1412 4th Ave., Seward, AK 99664 If you are driving from Anchorage the morning of your cruise please allow 4 hours for the drive due to construction and traffic on the Seward Highway.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.12:30 pm
What To Expect
Your half-day orca whale-watching cruise leaves midday from the Seward Harbor 360 Hotel Dock, and docks back here in the late afternoon.
Keep your eyes peeled as you journey into Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park. Rather than following a set route, your experienced captain takes you to places where orcas have recently been sighted, making every day a unique cruising experience.
Along the way, learn from your captain and crew members about the orcas’ prominent dorsal fins and fascinating social behavior. A hydrophone on board allows you to listen to the calls of the orca whales underwater.
Keep your eyes peeled as you journey into Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park. Rather than following a set route, your experienced captain takes you to places where orcas have recently been sighted, making every day a unique cruising experience.
Along the way, learn from your captain and crew members about the orcas’ prominent dorsal fins and fascinating social behavior. A hydrophone on board allows you to listen to the calls of the orca whales underwater.
1
Resurrection Bay
2
Kenai Fjords National Park
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 150 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Paige_J
We had such a great experience! All of the staff on board were so nice and helpful! We saw so much wildlife, but even if we didn't, the views were absolutely incredible on the boat! The views would have been worth the experience alone.
Reviews
4.8
based on 152 reviews
Jessica_T, Jun 2026
Amazing trip. Great crew. Clean boat. We saw lots of wildlife. The crew was great with kids and made sure they had a blast too.
Diane_A, Jun 2026
Staff was great. The captain went out of his way to find Orcas and a humpback whale. We also saw mountain goats, puffins, sea lions and a sea otter.
Michael_S, Jun 2026
Early June excursion, We saw both whales, Orca’s , Sealions, Sea otters and mountain goats on the cliffs.
We had a great trip as I would absolutely recommend it
Jeff_B, Jun 2026
This captain and crew were excellent. They treated us like family. The captain went as far as to have personal conversations with us explaining about the waters and areas we were in beyond the typical commentary you sometimes get. The crew never waited for someone to ask for help they always were there almost like they knew what was going to happen. Would definitely recommend this trip
Kristen_R, Jun 2026
Amazing crew brought us out into Resurrection Bay where we were able to see multiple pods of orcas, humpback whales, sea otters and bald eagles.
It was absolutely amazing.
JENNIFER_S, May 2026
Pack lots of layers & bring your binoculars. This trip is fenominal. The captain of this ship was extremely knowledgeable and loves his job!
Stacy_M, May 2026
Several people were getting sick. Staff was very helpful with this. We took medicine before and our family was fine. However, we don't typically get sick. Our family was very thankful for the concession. It was a rainy cold day, but didn't ruin the experience. We got to see Spire Cove, it's on the top 5 places I've seen. So beautiful! We didn't see whales, but it was still worth it.
Larissa_K, May 2026
Wonderful experience seeing the beautiful coastal scenery and wildlife of Seward, Alaska. The boat was comfortable and the crew was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. This is my second time on this tour, and while we didn’t see any Orca this time around, we saw plenty of other wildlife including sea otters, a bald eagle, sea lions, seals, puffins, mountain goats, and a humpback whale. I highly recommend!
Lisa_G, May 2026
Dress warm. Layers are best. Definitely bring a scarf for your face. It was 60 out when we went, but that wind once you get going 😳.
Keith_A, May 2026
With all the tech and supporting vessels throughout the planned travel area of these tour ships, they should have a better than 70% chance of knowing if Killer whale (KWh) or whale (Wh) sightings will occur on any given trip. Instead most of the time what you get is a choreographed trip of Oo's and Ah's of non-target species to fill the time. All knowing WHs and Ws are nowhere to be found. To me that's being dishonest.
Lezlie_M, May 2026
While you can never guarantee whale sightings, our captain went above and beyond to get us a quick glimpse of a humpback though he refused to resurface after some 10 - 15 minutes. She was very knowledgeable and provided interesting facts of the area. The crew was friendly and to include free water and coffee is rather unusual but nice.
Kim_D, May 2026
Wonderful staff at check in. Knowledgeable and accommodating captain & crew! Saw harbor seals, mountain goats, eagles, otters and a whale as well as breathtaking scenery!
Chris_R, Jun 2025
That they did not cancel and give a refund when other Seward companies cancelled and gave refunds. The poor weather was not major marine's fault. Their fault was in not canceling the trip..
Paige_J, Jun 2025
We had such a great experience! All of the staff on board were so nice and helpful! We saw so much wildlife, but even if we didn't, the views were absolutely incredible on the boat! The views would have been worth the experience alone.
Macey_H, Jun 2025
We had a wonderful time onboard the Orca Quest. There was complementary coffee and tea which was a great plus for how cold it was. We were about to see about 4 orcas and even ID one of them and the pod. On top of that we saw sea otters, bald eagles (and their babies), as well as seals and many dolls porpoise dolphins. Of course lots of birds and puffins as well. I really enjoyed the hydrophone when we could listen to the orcas communicating. Overall a great experience and we learned a lot!
Jeanne_P, May 2025
This was an amazing experience! We saw dozens of orcas, a humpback whale, mountain sheep, puffins, harbor seals, stellar sea lions, and more. The scenery was stunningly beautiful. Captain Tammy and the whole crew were excellent. Extremely friendly and knowledgeable. The narration was perfect! This ship goes out into open waters, out from the relative calm of Resurrection Bay (you see a lot in Resurrection Bay, as well), to get to the spots where orcas are known to hang out, so be prepared for waves/movement of the boat. We stood outside on deck in the fresh air most of the time and had no problems, but they sell Bonine/Dramamine on board if you tend to get seasick. Bar onboard sells drinks/snacks for reasonable prices ($2 for soda, $3 for hot cocoa, etc.). Dress warmly in layers (warm hat and gloves, too). Bring binoculars. Highly recommend!!
elizabeth_k, May 2025
This boat cruise was amazing!! We got to see orcas/otters/bald eagle/ puffins. The ride was pretty chilly so if you plan to go out on the deck I do recommend a coat and a hat maybe even a face covering to make the wind not so bad. Our three teenagers loved the ride and enjoyed the hot cocoa from inside the boat. The captain was very informative about all of the animals and the crew members were very pleasant and happy to take family photos of us when we asked. We were amazed at how clear the sky’s were and how beautiful all the mountains and scenery was. This trip was definitely one for the books!!
Izabela_H, May 2025
This is a must do if you’re in the Seward area. The catamaran was spacious and very comfortable and the crew was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. While exploring the Kensington Fjords National Park you’re surrounded by exquisite landscapes and amazing wildlife. Resurrection Bay is just breathtaking. It does get pretty rough on the open water so do yourself a big favor and take something for motion sickness before you leave the dock.
Mariah_S, May 2025
We saw so much wildlife!! Orcas, humpback whales, puffins, etc.
What a beautiful experience. Definitely worth it :)
Gabriela_E, May 2025
So scenic and wonderfully unique :) so thankful for the opportunity to see such beautiful scenery! The staff was also very friendly and the train very clean :D
Anju_M, May 2025
It was good but, I was hoping to see more whales and other animals. I did not like the boat was travelling in high speed.
Steven_F, Jan 2025
We loved this tour. We saw so many orcas and had a great time. My husband did get a little seasick. So don’t forget to take your Dramamine before you get on the boat.
Rick_S, Jul 2024
Wonderful time! Boat was clean all the staff were friendly and very knowledgeable. We saw lots of orcas and even some bald eagles and stellar seals.
Tara_S, Jun 2024
This was amazing and we got to see 2 pods of Orcas with their babies, seals, Otters, Bald Eagles it was really amazing but bring a coat.
Sandeep_C, Jun 2024
The crew were very friendly. Bit delayed as joining passengers from the rail came a bit late as train was delayed. The wildlife we saw that included seals puffin and bald eagle were great. We even saw a small humpback whale from a distance. Bit disappointed that we did not see any Orcas
Liane_D, Jun 2024
Boat was clean. We all got assigned tables which made for a stress free boarding experience. They offered complimentary binoculars. Great day. Little rough seas. Saw eagles and goats. And they did find an Orca Pod of Mom, baby and a male. And put a mile down in the water so you could hear them. Really enjoyed this experience. Would recommend it and would do again.
Catherine_N, Jun 2024
Great trip. Friendly and informed staff. Saw a lot of pods of orcas and humpbacks. Beautiful scenery. Best experience.
John_R, Jun 2024
Weather was very wet but it didn't stop us enjoying the tour. The only disappointment was the lack of Orca sightings, though we did see humpbacks.
Meagan_M, Jun 2024
AMAZING!!!! We did three whale watches during our trip and this was our favorite! We know that wild animals are unpredictable, but our crew was sweet, enthusiastic, and engaging and that’s what made this trip special! We did luck out and saw orcas! We also so a baby humpback breaching and having the time of his life! But it really was the crew who put the tour over the top! One of the guys even spent time talking to us about whale identification! We just really appreciated the kindness and passion shown by the team! Thank you for an unforgettable experience!
Shanae_J, May 2024
We saw literally everything that we could've possibly seen, with the exception of Puffins (which we learned it's a bit too early in the season for them). The crew was fantastic, and the captain knew just where to go to get us all the sights.
From $165.93
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