Lu-Lu Belle Glacier Wildlife Cruises - Valdez, Alaska

Nick Rains

Had a great time on the Lu-Lu Belle! We got nice and close while checking out the wildlife, which was really exciting and made for some amazing photos. The boat was nice, well-maintained, and very clean. The crew was great: the captain was nice, informative, and really tried hard to get us the best views; his crew were friendly and worked really hard, and they said they really enjoy working with the captain. Oh, and the chowders were delicious. They REALLY helped warm us up after our trip to the glacier. Speaking of warming up * bring plenty of warm layers of clothing * I didn’t think I would need warm clothes since it was July in Alaska, but when you get to the glacier, it will probably be close to freezing. And you never know when all rainstorm will roll in (like happened to us ?). All in all, this was an amazing experience, and I will gladly do it again when I come back. Thank you, Captain Fred and the Lu-Lu Belle crew!

Lauri Weisbecker

Captain Fred kept us entertained the whole trip. He was very knowledgeable about the areas history, wildlife and geology, plus he’s got a good sense of humor. We had a few whale sightings, sea otters, sea lions (sooo many!), puffins and eagles and other birds. The glacier views from the boat are beautiful and offer a different perspective. His crew whipped up fresh coffee, blueberry muffins and brownies and even had a creamy salmon soup in bread bowls which were delicious. Plus a lot of other food choices. His boat is a work of art and you feel like a special guest. It was our favorite day spent in Valdez.

Wendy Tveit

So we made the error of booking this trip too far in advance, but we were given advice to book it early because the seats fill quickly. The weather was going to be rainy and cloudy but the cancelation has to be 14 days prior to the trip date, so we went anyway. We called and they said that Capt. Fred goes out, rain or shine. So the boat had only four booth seats and then a few benches in the back area. Luckily we were able to sit at the bench that we could face forward while sailing, as the tables filled up quickly. Not too many seats inside for bad weather. The entire trip, we really couldn’t see anything except maybe a couple of sea otters and we were able to see the West Columbia Glacier, but no other wildlife or scenery due to the low clouds and rain. During our sail, we had to endure Capt. Fred’s incessant political rambling and stories with a condescending tone. He talked THE ENTIRE TIME about the politics of oil production and the made up effects of climate change, ETC... It was a very long 7 hours. Our tour was called “Glacier Wildlife Cruise”, not a political rally. I was in a group of 4 and we couldn’t wait to get off of that boat.
On a positive note, the two young ladies, that were doing all of the work, were really pleasant, helpful and friendly. The chowder, blueberry muffins and the fresh baked brownies were wonderful and made the cabin smell amazing.

Gary Mace

Outstanding cruise. Capt Fred really got us close to the glacier and to wildlife. Only reason for one star loss was not enough comfortable seating for everyone. We were lucky to be front of line so snagged good seats. Many folks had to sit out in cold and did not look to be having a great time.

Staff was all friendly. Clam Chowder bread bowl was delicious.

I would definitely do again but would be certain to be in line to board early. If I had to sit out in that cold... doubt my review would be so good. 🙂

Fabian Gomez

If I could give Captain Fred and the Lu-Lu Belle crew 20 stars, I would. He has over 46 years of Captaining experience and in that time has accumulated so much knowledge and is quick to share all that he’s learned.

We were unable to get to the Columbia Glacier (unsafe conditions), which was extremely disappointing. However, we did get to see the “Chicken glacier,” also known as Columbia Glacier “West,” which is the alternative (Coined by Captain Fred in jest!: when a captain “chickens out” while on his way to the Columbia, and instead takes the ship to an alternative glacier). Safety first!

The chowder on board was excellent 10/10. Plenty of seating. Beautiful, well kept ship. Clean restrooms (x2). Delicious brownies and cookies.

We were able to see whales, porpoises, stellar sea lion and bald eagles. The search for puffins was a lot of fun…especially when we finally spotted them.

We even got to captain the ship for a couple of minutes!! You won’t regret booking this tour

Ann Wasson

Last minute decision to take this tour. So glad we did. Fred and his staff were absolutely amazing. We saw whales, sea lions, harbor seals, mountain goats, otters otters and more otters and eagles. Not too mention the glaciers!!! Stunning views. The boat was very nice, comfortable, very very clean!!!! Wonderful day. I would recommend this tour to everyone.

Alison O'Connor

Great day trip with Captain Fred! He is very knowledgeable about the area and its history. He shares the stories of Valdez is a fun and friendly way. We began the trip searching for wildlife and found some sea otters, sea lions and a variety of birds. Fred is able to navigate his boat into some very narrow coves on Glacier island to help spot wildlife. We then headed to Columbia glacier. We got 1/4 mile from the front of the Columbia glacier after Fred expertly navigated us through the ice-filled waters. The ship is clean and well maintained, and the staff is very friendly. Would highly recommend to anyone in the area!

Bob

Fantastic day out.. one of the best we’ve had. Capt Fred knows so much and tells you all about it. If you’re not interested you can easily tune out although I’m not sure why you’d want to.

The crew were brilliant, taking photos and the really good and very reasonable priced.

Liked the fact that as it was a smaller boat we weren’t over crowded and there was always space to take photos

Would certainly recommend