Had an amazing trip and would highly recommend tours with Catch of the Day! Captain Jonny and…read moreCaptain Bill were amazing. Orcas galore, Humpbacks and a comfy boat ride. Crystal does a great job corralling us all onto the boat from the cruise ship terminal and was so helpful answering questions on the phone.

Absolutely recommend doing your whale watching tour with Catch of the Day!…read more They take smaller groups which allows you to get some really great photos and to chat with the knowledgeable crew about the area. We got to follow a humpback right away and also saw some bears on the shore which gave us bragging rights when we got back. Plus they pick you up in a LIMO! What a fun extra touch. I get sea sick very easily on smaller boats and I didn't have any problems on this ride. Thanks so much to the Catch of the Day team for such a memorable experience!

My family and I went whale watching with Hoonah Matata on 7/29 and we had a wonderful experience…read more Captain Jaromy knew just where to go to find a bunch of humpback whales that we're all around us the entire afternoon. The vessel is fast, brand new, and provides a much more nimble and private experience than you get on the larger boat tours my extended family went on. We even got to see a bunch of bald eagles fishing as we watched the whales. If you want an intimate whale watching tour with a knowledgeable and friendly crew, Hoonah Matata is the way to go.

This Glacier Bay National Park Visitor Center is not a standalone building. It's actually situated…read moreon the 2nd Floor of the Glacier Bay Lodge. What confused me about this VC was that... When I was researching coming to Glacier Bay, I knew I was only going to be here on a quick 48 hour getaway. And...since I wasn't staying at The Lodge and only here for the All Day Boat Tour...I wanted to make sure I had enough time to come check out the Visitor Center. It's mentioned on Google and the NPS website that the VC is only open from 11am - 1pm, daily. But...the Gift Shop area inside The Lodge is open from 6am - 10pm daily. And...it's at the Gift Shop where you can purchase park souvenirs. In my head...I was just perplexed as to why the Glacier Bay VC would only be open for 2 hours a day...from 11am - 1pm? I don't get it...and I have visited a lot of National Parks. Well...now after spending my weekend in Glacier Bay, I can reveal what the 11am - 1pm hours were all about... This only means that a Park Ranger will be present at the VC from 11am - 1pm. So...if you're interested in speaking with a ranger or have any questions/concerns, that's the time to come. What I also noticed outside of 11am - 1pm was that... The shelves and on-site displays are locked up too. So, you're not able to read about some of the histories on Glacier Bay. But for me...that was okay. I just wanted to know that I could purchase some keepsakes from my time here and have my Parks Passport stamped. Otherwise...nothing else mattered. A side note... On the Glacier Bay Boat Cruise, there was a Park Ranger onboard for the 8 hour tour, and he had with him a Parks Passport stamp pad. Also, inside the Visitor Center while outside the hours of 11am - 1pm, the stamp pad was left out for the day, which was nice of the NPS to do. And...anytime you wanted to head up to the 2nd floor, there were tons of extra Park Pamphlets to take as well as Park Guide Booklets. Again, a nice gesture. Then...back downstairs on the 1st floor near the entrance was the Glacier Bay Gift Shop. Though, I found the options for purchasing little gifts and knickknacks such as magnets, keychains and postcards to be minimal. I only a bought a few items despite desperately searching for more...there really just wasn't much. And the Gift Shop was small...it was hard to maneuver around when there were a few people shopping at the same time. I do wonder...during 11am - 1pm, if maybe the Park Rangers have more souvenirs to offer guests when they are present? But, overall, the Gift Shop was just okay. Another note I'd like to mention... There was no park film to watch at the VC. But...if you walk down to the Tlingit Hut...(which is located just outside The Lodge to the right hand side), there's a more broad/wide range film to view in terms of histories and backgrounds about Glacier Bay. I stopped by the Tlingit Hut and watched the film which was informative. Overall, this Glacier Bay Visitor Center was fine for being situated on the 2nd Floor inside The GB Lodge. I just wish there was more clarity about the opening hours. You can scare a lot of National Park Enthusiasts out there for only being open 2 hours day from 11am - 1pm, lol. And...the Gift Shop should showcase more options for purchase as well.

The Glacier Bay National Park Visitor Center is on the second floor of this building, where you can…read moreget your National Park passport stamp. Be warned, although you can walk around and look at the exhibits, there is not a ranger staffing the desk after 4 PM, and the National Park stamp is not left out. This is what happened to us. When we got to the hotel, the National Park Visitor Center portion was closed for the day so we were worried about not getting our National Park passport stamp after coming all this way. We walked a trail around the lodge and ended up catching the tail end of a presentation of the park rangers in the Xunaa Shuká Hít Huna tribal house, just past the Snow the Whale skeleton. The presentation began about 7 PM. In the morning, we dropped off our luggage at the front desk and had it tagged with the airline that we were flying back with. This is because checkout is before we'd be back from the official 8 hour boat tour through Glacier Bay with the actual park ranger (and the National Park passport stamp and Junior Ranger program.) After dropping off the luggage, we walked from the lodge down a trail to Bartlett Cove dock to visit Glacier Bay National Park. After the boat tour, it was a mad dash to get to the bus on time, as it leaves for Gustavus at 3:45 PM. All of our luggage was waiting for us on the bus. If you're staying at the lodge for one night and taking the boat tour, you'll need to check out this visitor center after hours, otherwise, you won't have time to see it and make it back to the bus on time.

This was a great tour. There were a variety of birds and other wildlife seen. We saw a lot of…read moreEagles. The guide was knowledgeable about the birds a other wildlife. I recommend this tour.

Booked this tour through my cruise line and I'm so glad I did. I had an amazing day with Amy. She…read moreis extremely knowledgeable about all the birds that are native to Alaska. We saw so many beautiful birds. Her passenger van was extremely clean and she had water & snacks for us. She even has a spotting scope to get a really great view of birds far away. Would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone who loves nature & birds.

Gustavus is small, friendly community of locals, seasonal workers and visitors and we were…read morefortunate to meet proprietor Jana early in our trip to Gustavus - this review is for dinner at the lodge Jana could not have been any sweeter and more accommodating to us. Even though we were staying at a different lodge - she invited us to the Country Inn for dinner and it turned out to be the best meals of our 10 nights in Alaska. Pro-tip - call by 2pm each day to reserve your table and meal We feasted on soups, smoky-grilled pork tenderloin w/ garlic sauce, roasted vegetables and rhubarb pie. Incredible. Thanks Janna for your friendliness and hospitality - great visit!

I feel bad breaking a perfect 5.0. Just to be clear, the hotel and service are absolutely…read moreimpeccable, with everything organized perfectly and running smoothly. I'd stay there again in a heartbeat if I could afford to. That said, for me Yelp is basically restaurant reviews, and the dining was not quite as great as I'd hoped. It had its strengths: salmon cooked perfectly, best bacon I've had in years at breakfast, and impeccable desserts that'd be a 5* review here on their own. But some aspects were lacking--I found the soups to be perhaps oversalted, and the vegetables to be overcooked and mushy, in particular. Don't get me wrong, it's good food especially by national park standards, but it wasn't quite up to the hopes I'd had of an heir to the legendary Gustavus Inn (which, to be fair, I've never been to).

Yes! I love Glacier Bay Lodge! No, I didn't have the opportunity to actually *stay* at Glacier Bay…read moreLodge but I did have the opportunity to dine at the lodge several times during my stay in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Before I go any further, Brian from Utah is the very best waiter and my Dad and I purposefully requested him to be our waiter every time we dined here. I can speak to the Alaskan Ambers, the chicken fingers, the seafood chowder, and the best plates - the smoked salmon platter and the steak dinner. Everything was really tasty and I have no complaints. The service was great and even if there was a wait, or you want to dine near the fireplace, you can get your food in a to go box. Win win. Other notables regarding the lodge - the Visitor Center is on the second floor in addition to several exhibits, a National Park Service bookstore, and a theater that shows scheduled films about the park. I always enjoyed stopped at the lodge on our way to/from the campground. While I'd love to stay at the lodge, it was great having the opportunity to use several of the amenities while staying for *free* in the developed/established NPS campground just a quarter mile down the road.

This is a 3.5 for me. Stayed one night on 7/31/2021. For a lodge in the middle of nowhere, it's…read morefine. This is also the Glacier Bay National Park Visitor Center on the second floor, where you can get your National Park passport stamp. The hotel picks you up from Gustavus airport in an old school bus, and drops you off at the lodge. From the bus, hotel staff come on the bus to tell everyone the facts about the hotel and where to get your luggage. Afterwards they separate you by last name and you get your keys. Much faster than checking in individually at the front desk. You pick up your luggage and go to your room. It smells like the summer camp that I went to. They do have ramps and an elevator for people who are in a wheelchair. Our room (31) was fine. There's no TV and no internet reception in the rooms, so you better like who you're staying with, because the lodge closes at 9 PM. We had to go to the front desk because we didn't have any soap or shampoo, but they're really understaffed after the past year. Room comes with a bed, a table, two chairs and nightstands. There is no mini fridge or microwave so don't bother bringing stuff that would need those two appliances to be edible. There is one restaurant on site that requires reservations, and all diners must be hotel guests. It's a little old, and the walls are a bit thin, but the room was comfortable and I fell asleep immediately. When we got to the hotel, the National Park Visitor Center portion was closed for the day so we were worried about not getting our National Park passport stamp after coming all this way. We walked a trail around the lodge and ended up catching the tail end of a presentation of the park rangers in the traditional house just past the Snow the Whale skeleton. The presentation began about 7 PM. In the morning, we dropped off our luggage at the front desk and had it tagged with the airline that we were flying back with. This is because checkout is before we'd be back from the official 8 hour boat tour through Glacier Bay with the actual park ranger (and the National Park passport stamp and Junior Ranger program.) After dropping off the luggage, we walked from the lodge down a trail to Bartlett Cove dock to visit Glacier Bay National Park. After the boat tour, it was a mad dash to get to the bus on time, as it leaves for Gustavus at 3:45 PM. All of our luggage was waiting for us on the bus. I would strongly discourage bringing anyone under 21 here. There were so many teens and tweens on ipads in the communal sitting area in the lodge. You could tell they were bored and not interested in the beautiful nature, so save your money and let them come when they're adults who can appreciate the scenery.

Who would think in a tiny town of Gustavus you could get such a fine dinner as we just ate. The…read morerestaurant is located in a beautiful wooden lodge. When you enter the general manager and another man told us about the construction of the lodge and the history and where the wood came from. They are so friendly and welcoming. Best welcome we have ever had. They have prime rib steaks and fish. We ordered Black Cod and Prime Ribs. The cod was the best we have ever eaten and the halibut chowder is delicious. Prime rib also hit the spot. It's pretty amazing you can get this kind of dinner in such a remote area. We thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful food and amazing employees. Gustavus is lucky to have you.

Excursions Restaurant inside the inn is a fantastic place to have dinner. Fresh veggies from their…read moregarden. Well prepared, delicious meals. Service was friendly. Cozy atmosphere.

Greg is great! It is clear that he knows the area and cares about the bears. We were lucky enough…read moreto see a mom and her 3 cubs and another adult fishing for Salmon in the evening on 8/27/25. We loved being able to be a part of a smaller tour group too!