Seward: My Best Wildlife Day

We docked in Resurrection Bay with snow-capped mountains all around and bald eagles circling the mast. The air smelled of salt, glacier silt, and coffee from the harbor cafés. Seward is small, walkable, and proud.

We did the 6-hour Kenai Fjords tour with Major Marine and it was the single best wildlife day of my life. Within 30 minutes we had orcas — a transient pod hunting Dall's porpoise. Then humpbacks lunge-feeding, puffins flying like confused bumblebees, stellar sea lions by the hundreds on Chiswell Islands, and harbor seals on ice. The captain nosed right up to Aialik Glacier and cut engines while it calved repeatedly — turquoise chunks exploding into the water. Had glacier margaritas (with 10,000-year-old ice chipped off a berg).

Back in town we visited the Alaska SeaLife Center — touched sea stars, watched puffins dive in the aviary, saw the resident Steller sea lion do flips for fish. Dinner was halibut cheeks at Ray's — buttery, sweet, better than lobster.

The pros: world-class wildlife viewing and charming small-town vibe.

The cons: weather can cause cancellations, and it's a long day if combining the full cruise with a transfer to Anchorage.