one day cruise from valdez

Day Cruises from Valdez

Sea life and glacier cruises.

Day cruises out of Valdez offer the opportunities to visit Columbia Glacier, one of the fastest retreating glaciers in the world. To learn more about Columbia Glacier's retreating Click Here . Another main attractions is Meares Glacier.

Wildlife include; Humpback whales, minke whales, orcas (killer whales), stellar sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, puffins, and more.

Day Cruises are provided by Lulu Belle, and Stan Stephens Cruises.

Columbia Glacier Cruise

Explore the quieter corners of Alaska’s exceptional Prince William Sound.

• Things to Do Valdez
• Columbia Glacier Cruise from Valdez

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Rates & dates, departure times, availability.

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Whether moody and grey, or clear and blue, the scenery around Valdez is stunning. This day cruise takes passengers deep into that beautiful landscape for six hours of glacier and wildlife viewing.

The largest tidewater glacier in southcentral Alaska.

The day tour starts in Port Valdez and slowly cruises into the Valdez Arm of Prince William Sound. The sound is surrounded by the Chugach Mountains and an intricate coastline of fjords, rock beaches, and craggy sea stacks. A trio of barrier islands protect from the more tumultuous water in the Gulf of Alaska. The sound's calm waters are home to a variety of marine wildlife. Passengers often see puffins and cormorants, sea lions and seals, Dall sheep and brown bear, and sometimes even orcas.

Rounding Heather Island, the catamaran soon enters Columbia Bay. Pouring from an elevation of 10,000 feet, the Columbia Glacier is the one of the largest tidewater glaciers in southcentral Alaska. It is also one of the most active glaciers in the world. This makes for exceptional glacier viewing, with guests routinely able to photograph huge chunks of ice breaking away and crashing dramatically into the otherwise still water. After a lunch of chowder and bagels, the tour returns into Valdez.

The Columbia Glacier Cruise is a great choice for guests staying at the Copper River Princess Lodge . Valdez is about 100 miles or two scenic hours away by car.

The tour boat has two levels with heated cabins on each, wrap-around exterior walkways, and viewing decks at the bow and stern. There are also power outlets for recharging cameras and phones. No smoking is allowed on the boat.

The onboard meal includes a hearty bowl of clam chowder, a bagel, cream cheese, and cookies. A vegetarian lunch option is available when requested in advance. Complimentary coffee, hot tea, lemonade, and water are available throughout the cruise.

What to Bring

It is important to dress in layers for this day tour. Bring a rain jacket, hat, and gloves. Wear rubber-soled shoes. Even on a sunny day the air coming off the glacier can be in the 40s. Be sure to bring a camera and binoculars. Seasickness is not generally a problem in the calm water of Prince William Sound, but if concerned, air on the side of caution and take preventatives before departing.

Special Instructions

Check in at the tour office on the west side of the Valdez Small Boat Harbor one hour prior to departure.

Transfers & Meeting Points

For independent travelers, Valdez is best reached by car. The tour operator will provide direction to free parking for self-drivers.

Here are the rates and operating dates for this product. Remember, we have a lowest price guarantee for nearly everything we sell.

Child rates apply to children under the age of 13. Infants under the age of 2 may travel for free but must sit on an adult's lap.

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Departure times and locations are listed below. Click on a link for an interactive map.

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Select a departure below to see current availability. If your desired date is sold out (red) we will do our best to find an alternative, but we may not be able to accommodate your request.

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Quick Facts

• Price $162 + Tax
• Duration 6 Hours
• Departures 10:30 AM, 2:30 PM
• Operating Dates Daily from 5/17/2024 to 9/15/2024
• Activity Level Less Active

What's Included

• 80-mile roundtrip day cruise.
• Hearty meal.
• Complimentary hot and cold drinks.
• Onboard narration.

Guest Feedback

"They were very helpful in accommodating my handicapped wife on and off the boat. The tour was very informative, and they did an excellent job getting us right up in front of the glacier."

~Mark from Texas~

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Book your Alaska Cruise!

Join us this summer for a day cruise through Prince William Sound in Valdez, Alaska. Our destination is the Columbia Glacier, the second-largest tidewater glacier in North America, but we will encounter all of unique sights along the way. Bring your family, friends and camera as you experience an exciting and memorable day aboard the Lu-Lu Belle, "Limousine of Prince William Sound".

For more information about our Alaskan glacier cruises please read Our Cruises page.

Travel agents: please contact our office at 1-800-411-0090 to reserve your client's spots.

2024 Prices: (tickets bought online include current fuel surcharge)

• 7+ hour tour: $176 (includes $15 fuel surcharge and all applicable taxes)
• Chapel of the Sea : Free
• Harbor Cruise: $4000 (3 hours)
• AM or PM Cruise: $7000
• All-Day Cruise: $9000 (12 hour max)
• Please call 1-800-411-0090 if you are interested in a private cruise.

Here's how it works:

• Choose the day you would like to have your cruise.
• Enter the number in your party and click "BUY" and continue the checkout process.
• You'll receive an email receipt and your boarding passes will be waiting for you at our office at 240 Kobuk Drive in Valdez .
• If you are booking a tour less than two days in advance, please call 1-800-411-0090 to guarantee a reservation!
• Please check-in at the office the morning of your trip or earlier to receive your boarding passes.
• Boarding begins 10:30am.

Refund Policy:

If you need to cancel a tour, you must call the Lu-Lu Belle at 1-800-411-0090 as soon as possible. Tours cannot be canceled via email. If the tour is canceled at least 14 days before your scheduled cruise date you will receive a full refund minus a 20% booking fee. Any tour that is canceled within 14 days from your scheduled cruise date will not receive a refund.

Book your Alaska's Columbia Glacier, Whale, and Wildlife Cruise online today!

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Deadman Lake Campground and Lakeview Campground (Two Incredible Free Campgrounds in Alaska)

Best Things to do in Valdez, Alaska and why it’s my favorite town in Alaska.

A Day out on the Lu-Lu Belle – The Best Valdez Glacier Cruise

• By [email protected] in Scenery , Unique Experiences , Wildlife

One of my best day trips ever was a Columbia Glacier tour with Lu-Lu Belle Glacier Wildlife Cruises out of the port town of Valdez, Alaska.  The tours are promised to be 7 or more hours, and our tour clocked in at over 9 hours!   For many tourists, this is the best Valdez glacier cruise, or maybe even the best wildlife and glacier cruise in the state of Alaska.

The Lu-Lu Belle

The Lu-Lu Belle is a beautiful custom-made wooden ship with only 40 passengers.  There’s lots of room to sprawl out – on the front, back, inside or on the upper deck or even in the comfortable and very warm Captain’s wheelhouse.  The boat is available for private booking but most days is used for a Valdez Glacier Cruise to Columbia Glacier.

A Foggy Start

The morning was quite cloudy and foggy and I was hoping the fog would lift by our relatively late Valdez glacier cruise 11 am departure time.  But to my dismay, we sailed out of port with clouds and fog all around us and only occasional peeks at the various peaks around us.  The captain saw a group of Sea Otters sleeping in the distance and approached them, commenting “I better be careful, it’s foggy and I might be getting too close to the oil terminal”.

Hunted by the Coast Guard

Well, a few minutes later, a Coast Guard boat approached us with flashing lights going.  It seems that in the fog we drifted into the imaginary line that surrounds the Oil Pipeline Terminal in Valdez (this is the pipeline that starts in Prudhoe Bay.  The oil is stored in huge drums in Valdez and then loaded onto tanker ships).  We were let off with a warning but it added some excitement to our trip!

There are a couple beautiful waterfalls on the way from Valdez to Columbia Glacier.  We had nice views despite the fog.  But not much later, the clouds and fog began to lift…

Water Spout

Captain Fred told us to look for the white markings of a puffin as he inched us further and further into a cove.  But it was a trick!  Inside this cove was a natural waterspout.  He had us looking high when we should have been looking low.  His boat maneuvering skills are excellent.

Wildlife Galore

We saw so many Sea Otters and Stellar Sea Lions on this Columbia Glacier tour!  Sea Otters are such amazing creatures and so cute!  Fun fact: a group of Sea Otters is called a “raft” of Sea Otters.  We saw a few puffins, but not as many as I saw on my wildlife cruise from Seward. 

See Local Fishing Practices

We pulled over to a fishing boat to watch them pull in their net full of salmon (look carefully at this photo to see the fish). They utilize a method that uses a larger ship and a dinghy that expands the net. A pole is used to keep the fish from escaping the net. The captain thanked the fishing boat guys by giving them a ziploc bag of fresh brownies.

Dall’s Porpoise

They occasionally encounter Humpback whales or Orcas in the Prince William Sound, but we didn’t see either of these.  We did, however, see a group of Dall’s Porpoises.  As we approached, I was lucky to be standing on the bow of the ship, because one of the porpoises swam along with the front of the ship.

Approaching the Glacier – Icebergs Ahead!

There were icebergs everywhere as we crept up the fjord/valley towards the Columbia Glacier.  Some were the size of a loaf of bread, but others were the size of cars and larger (and consider 90% of an iceberg is below the surface). Lots of the flatter icebergs were inhabited by Sea Otters. Once the boat got too close, they jumped in the water. The captain would regularly announce the water depth and how close we were to the glacier – we seemed close but he was still announcing 3 or 4 miles away.

The Columbia Glacier

The Columbia Glacier is a tidewater type of glacier and is one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world.  Therefore, a high activity of calving, or having chunks fall off into the sea.   We heard several cracks and saw some new icebergs being formed. 

How Long will the Columbia Glacier Continue to Reach the Sea?

Captain Fred indicated where the Columbia Glacier reached when he first took tourists to the Columbia Glacier and it has retreated by MILES.  Looking at the Columbia Glacier today, you can see the mountains and valley behind, it may not be that many more years before Columbia no longer reaches the sea and is considered a hanging glacier.

Should You Book the Lu-Lu Belle in Advance?

If you want to guarantee a spot, you should book in advance.  When I arrived into Valdez, they only had room on the tour the next day, with the next four days after that being totally booked.   If Lu-Lu Belle is full, you can try at the larger Stan Stevens tours, an alternative Valdez Glacier Cruise which does up to two tours daily to the Columbia or Meares Glaciers on larger boats.

Lu-Lu Belle Review

Wow!  What can I say?  The Lu-Lu Belle was a true highlight on my trip to Alaska .  Captain Fred has been doing the trips for 20 years and clearly loves his job and loves giving the passengers a good time.   While Lu Lu Belle doesn’t provide lunch on their tour, they do have a reasonably priced snack bar with chili, nachos, hot dogs, popcorn, fresh baked muffins and brownies, and more.  I couldn’t pass up having a hot coffee for $1.25 after visiting the glacier.   At $145 for a 9 hour tour, this is one of the best valued wildlife and glacier tours in the state of Alaska. As a bonus, for free the crew will take your picture at the glacier and they have Santa Hats and “Merry Christmas” signs if you want to use your photo as your Christmas card.

Where to stay in Valdez

This post contains affiliate links.  This website earns a small commission for items purchased through these links with no additional cost to you. 

Most people camp in Valdez, there are several RV campgrounds and boondocking sights around.  But there are also a couple of nice hotels around town, I especially like near the harbor. ( Check Rates and Availability ).

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• Alaska , Big Fish , Birding , Birds , Cruising , Glacier , Glaciers , Icebergs , Sea Otters , USA , Valdez

• Dylan on August 2, 2021 at 4:49 pm

Wow, this was very interesting to read. Have you ever considered submitting articles to magazines?

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Valdez Day Cruises, Kayaking Day Trips & Outdoor Adventures

Home » Tours » City-Based Day Tours » Valdez

Valdez is a picturesque community located on Prince William Sound in Southcentral, Alaska . It is well known for its fishing heritage and as one of Alaska’s few ice-free ports. The surrounding coastal mountains have been compared to those of the Swiss Alps.

The original town of Valdez, founded in 1898, was created via a scam to lure prospectors off the Klondike Gold Rush trail. Steamship companies promoted the Valdez Glacier Trail as a better route than Skagway for miners to reach the Klondike gold fields and the Copper River fields in interior Alaska. With steep glacier trails, many miners died attempting the crossing, and Valdez only flourished after the construction of the Richardson Highway in 1899. The highway connected Valdez and Fairbanks and permanently established the town as the first overland supply station in the interior of Alaska.

Since its gold rush days, Valdez has evolved into an important shipping center because it is the most northerly year-round, ice-free port in the western hemisphere. Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was completed in 1977, and Valdez was chosen as the terminus for the 800-mile pipeline out of Prudhoe Bay. During the construction phase of the pipeline, Valdez’s population surged to 10,000. When it was completed, and the oil started flowing, the people settled to their current level of about 4,000 year-round residents.

Browsing 5 Day Tours in Valdez

Columbia Glacier Cruise

Length: 6 hours

Starting at: $167 / pp

This Valdez day tour with a glacier and wildlife cruise through Prince William Sound features a visit to Columbia Glacier. On board, you can view Prince Williams Sound’s diverse wildlife, including sea lions, sea otters, and whales. Learn... Browse itinerary

Duck Flats Kayaking Tour from Valdez

Length: 3 hours

Starting at: $89 / pp

On this guided Alaska kayaking tour from Valdez, you will kayak into the calm protected waters of the Valdez “duck flats.” This kayaking day trip will follow a chain of small islands recognized for their nesting birds and... Browse itinerary

Shoup Glacier Kayaking Tour

Length: 8 hours

Starting at: $244 / pp

This Valdez kayaking tour to Shoup Glacier offers an intimate experience at one of Prince William Sounds’ many calving tidewater glaciers. This day trip is perfect for both beginner and experienced kayakers. Climb aboard a motor boat for... Browse itinerary

Columbia Glacier Kayaking Tour

Length: 10 hours

Starting at: $349 / pp

On this Valdez day tour, search for wildlife such as whales, sea otters, and sea lions as you cruise for two hours to the Columbia Glacier by water taxi. This is Alaska’s second-largest tidewater glacier. Since the early... Browse itinerary

Meares Glacier Cruise from Valdez

Length: 7.5 hours

Starting at: $190 / pp

This Valdez day tour takes you on a 110-mile glacier cruise through the majestic waters of Prince William Sound to Meares Glacier. On board, you can spot and photograph Prince William Sound wildlife, including sea otters, harbor seals,... Browse itinerary

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Valdez, Alaska – Our Community

Welcome to valdez and prince william sound..

Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Cruises (SSC) respectfully acknowledges that we live, work, and operate on the traditional land of the Alaska Native Alutiiq/Sugpiaq peoples. It is because of their stewardship that we are able to share the wonders of Prince William Sound today. We encourage our guests to take time to learn about the history of our region’s Alaska Native people and their living culture.

Valdez – our home since 1971

The Stephens family and coworkers have enjoyed working with and in the community of Valdez since 1971. We love our home and take great pride in being able to employ residents of Valdez. When you visit Valdez, consider making time to enjoy our teams’ favorite things to see, do, eat, and drink in town.

Here are a few suggestions:

We live in a rainforest! Captain Amanda likes to remind folks that the rain is only a problem if you are not prepared. Pack some rain gear or get out the umbrella and plan to enjoy our home. Amanda likes to hike our many trails, and her favorites are the Dock Point Trail, Meals Hill Trail, and Homestead Trail. Find maps to our local trails here .

After a fantastic day on the water, what better way to wrap up the day then with a cold brew from one of our local craft brewers. As a home brewer, Captain Alan enjoys sampling custom brews and flavors at Valdez Brewing or Growler Bay Brewing .

Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery is recommended by Captain Chris as a place everyone should visit at least once while they are in Valdez. While visiting the hatchery you can walk the paths and learn about our local salmon fisheries and have a chance to see seals, sea lions, sea otters, and bears that enjoy feasting on the returning salmon.

Captain Caleb starts his day of at one of our local coffee shops before coming to get the boat ready. A Rogues Garden is a favorite stop for a fresh cup, bagel, or pastry. However, if he needs something closer to the harbor you may find him at The Coffee Co., Klondike Coffee, or Sacred Grounds.

Selah , our Marketing and Reservations Manager, encourages travelers to dine at one Valdez’s many locally owned eating establishments. While there are many delicious options, Selah enjoys the local fish and sushi served at Fu Kung , a quick bite at The Potato , The Nat Shack , or any of our seasonal food trucks, and she loves planning her evenings around the live music and theater at Magpies on the Fly . Menus for the restaurants, food trucks, and coffee shops can be found in our office and on board each boat.

Valdez has many shorter scenic drives that you enjoy before or after a cruise. Our founder Mary Helen loves to venture out the road to Keystone Canyon to see beautiful waterfalls, Thompson Pass to take in the vistas of the Chugach Mountains, Dayville road to look for bears, and to Valdez Glacier Lake to see icebergs.

Scupper and Hitch , our company dogs, know how many of our Valdez travelers like to bring their four-legged friends along for the journey, and want to make the following suggestions so their furry friends stay healthy. Valdez is full of dog friendly paths such as the bike trail and harbor walks, back country routes such as Mineral Creek Trail, Wagon Trail, and John Hunter Solomon Lake Trail, and one of their favorite places to visits and sniff other dogs is the Shana Anderson Dog Park. Find maps to our local trails here .

Detailed Information on Our Community

VALDEZ CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU

The official site for travel information for the City of Valdez. 

VALDEZ FISH DERBIES

Over $80,000 in cash and prizes awarded annually in our local sport fishing competitions. 

VALDEZ MUSEUM AND HISTORICAL ARCHIVE

Valdez Museum has two facilities that are must-visit destinations when you come to our town. 

MAXINE AND JESSE WHITNEY MUSEUM

This museum is home to the largest private collection of Alaskan art and artifacts.

VALDEZ FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION

Visit the Solomon Gulch Hatchery which annually releases approximately 250 million pink salmon fry, and 1.8 million coho salmon smolt. 

CHUGACH NATIONAL FOREST

Where nature, people, and tradition come together. The Chugach National Forest covers a vast area, over 5 million acres of adventure and rugged beauty.

I've been on over 110 cruises. There's one onboard option I hate and avoid at all costs.

• I've been on 110 cruises . I don't like onboard flexible dining, when you can eat whenever you want.
• Traditional dining is a great way to make new friends and have reliability at sea.
• Flexible dining is nice for some, but it's not foolproof. I hope it doesn't become the only option.

I took my first cruise in 1977 and have since been on more than 110 ships. I'm in my 90s, and I still love traveling this way.

It's great that more young people are getting on board with cruises, which are surging in popularity . But some newer trends puzzle me.

Above all, I can't get behind flexible dining, which also goes by names like "my time dining," "freestyle dining," and "anytime dining." They're all just a way of saying passengers can eat whenever they want and sit in a new spot with different servers every night.

It's a move away from traditional dining on cruises , where travelers select in advance the daily dinner time they'll have for the duration of their cruise. They're assigned the same table and waitstaff for the whole trip.

Flexible dining sounds ideal for anyone who prefers to set their own pace. But I think that it's better in theory than in practice and that it kills some of the magic of old-school cruises .

Eating dinner on a ship whenever you want isn't foolproof

Norweigan Cruise Line is credited with creating this category of onboard eating, which it calls freestyle dining .

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With it, passengers show up to one of its restaurants during operating hours and wait for their party to be led to a table. But though people can eat whenever that doesn't mean they do.

Passengers have routines that carry over onto a ship, and restaurants can get crowded between 6 and 7:30 p.m.

Years ago, my wife and I experienced it firsthand while dining on the Norwegian Wind. After two nights of standing in long lines to try for a 6 p.m. dinner, we started showing up later to try to dodge crowds. I wished we could've just had our desired mealtime locked in, but NCL doesn't do traditional dining.

A few weeks ago, I tried flexible dining again on a different cruise line while sailing with my free-spirited son, who I thought might appreciate the lack of a schedule.

On the first night, at 7 p.m., we found several lines leading into the main dining room. We were asked if we had a reservation. Puzzled, we explained that we didn't need one because we were doing flexible dining.

We were directed to a different line for people without reservations. On the way, we passed the noticeably shorter line for passengers with assigned dining times.

We waited about 20 minutes to be seated. After our meal, we made dinner reservations for the rest of the trip.

Flexible dining can make it difficult to build new connections

While partaking in freestyle dining on the Norwegian Wind, my late wife and I asked to be seated with other people every night so we could see some fresh faces. But that never ended up happening: In our eight days, we ate only with each other.

Though I loved having dinner with my wife, we did so every night at home. At sea, we wanted to expand our world.

I missed sharing tables with strangers, the standard with traditional dining (unless you have a large group). We'd share meaningful conversations with strangers who had become friends.

Flexible dining takes away the chance to build connections like this. You can request to sit with strangers as we did, but it doesn't always happen — and it's unlikely you'd connect with the same people twice.

Without repeat seats and mealtimes, it's also hard to build any real relationship or personal connection with the dining-room staff.

In the older days of traditional dining, servers who'd been paired with our table for the whole trip would tell us stories of living abroad and remember our order preferences and names.

When it was time to tip at the end of the cruise, we parted willingly with the suggested gratuities, often more.

I hope the traditions of more formality in the dining rooms aren't lost for future cruisers

A lot of people love flexible dining for the freedom it can provide on a cruise — but I think that's best saved for breakfast and lunch.

When it comes to dinner, I enjoy the old-school traditions that have made cruises so popular .

Fortunately, major lines like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Princess Cruises that offer some version of flexible dinners still have options for traditional ones.

If given the option on your next cruise, consider keeping your dinners old school with a set time and table. You might just make a new friend, avoid a long wait, and enjoy the reliability of it all.

Watch: Why it costs $1 million a day to run one of the world's biggest cruise ships

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