Best excursion I ever had. Saw some whales really close up. Captain took us to the Columbia glacier 1000 feet’s away. On a different day, you may only get 8 miles away, but it was a really calmly day and we were lucky enough to get this close. The Stan Stephens boat turned back much much earlier than us.
This was the highlight of our trip to Alaska! Captain Fred is knowledgeable, kind, and clearly passionate about what he does.The trip itself was unforgettable. We saw sea lions, puffins, humpback whales, harbor seals, bald eagles, and many other birds.The glacier was an incredible journey. We were able to get within .25 miles of the face of Columbia Glacier; travelling slowly through the icebergs. The staff then helped us with photo opportunities, and we were able to simply sit and experience the magnitude of where we were.This is a MUST SEE in Alaska. Dress in layers, as it gets quite chilly, especially near the glacier.
If you are in Valdez, go on a tour with Lu-Lu Belle!!! I took a cruise tour with them in August, and it was a fantastic experience. Not only are the owners absolute gems (such genuine and kind people), but their boat staff was attentive and friendly as well. The boat was built by Captain Fred himself, a comical gentleman who made the boat experience more alive and enjoyable. The ship is well kept throughout the years and clean. We were able to see whales, sea lions, puffins, otters, glacier activity, and more.
Captain Fred was an entertaining tour guide through the Columbia Glacier, impressive sites, and local history (with his own fun spin). Saw whales, mountain goats, sea lions, otters, eagles, and absolutely breathtaking views of icebergs and multiple glaciers. We were lucky enough to see glaciers calving, too! He took his time and made sure we saw everything there was to see. (Do heed the guidance about timing -- do not plan for your tour to end promptly at any given time.) A Valdez must do.
One of the best day cruises Ive ever been on. The captain was very informative, interesting, and hilarious. The food they sold was tasty too. Id definitely recommend taking the Lulu belle tour over the bigger touring companies. He was able to navigate his boat in tighter places other larger ships cant.
Im Jasons wife, what he said is our experience with Megan, Fred and their Lu-Lu Belle to Columbia Glacier. They also provide you a 10% discount for several restaurants in town if you have their tickets. I guess this is the only way for us to help others know their business and that beautiful glacier.
We had a great time on this tour. We had originally booked with another company to do a kayak trip to Columbia Glacier but due to Covid, they had to cancel. After a quick search and a phone call we were booked. The boat was small and cozy but well maintained. The captain was pleasant with plenty of Dad jokes and his deck hands were wonderful to talk too. The freshly made brownies and soup was an excellent touch.
Had such a great time on this cruise! Lots of wild life to see on the ocean.
Just returned from their first cruise of the season to Columbia Glacier.. AMAZING is the word!Captain Fred explained the history of Valdez and the glaciers very well. He took the cruise into some caves to see waterfalls and puffins! We went really close to the glacier and the captain did a very good job navigating between the enormous number of icebergs to get very close to the face of Columbia glacier. We got see some calving too!!!On our way we saw whales, puffins, tons of seals, harbor seals, otters chilling, Dall’s porpoises swimming/racing with the cruise.. it was a serene experience.The food on board was good and cheap. They baked fresh muffins and brownies too!! They also recommend wearing masks and have hand sanitizers available for our safety.By the end of the day, when we were a little tired of the cold - even then Fred was full of energy willing to go the extra mile and show us more wildlife. They definitely planned the tour keeping in mind the tourists for whom this is a once in a lifetime experience.Also, I learned that the captain built this cruise/boat himself.. it’s maintained very well and has a cozy rustic feel to it.
Was the best wildlife cruse trip Ive had. Going back this year if they can bring boat from Washington state to Valdez. I could do this tour every year. Captian and crew were awesome!
This is the mom and pop whale watching and glacier tour . You get great service and dont feel like a a number. Well worth the value.
This was our first toyrist adventure in Valdez 2 weeks ago. What a beautiful way to start our vacation. The boat captain and his crew were gracious, knowledgeable and professional. The views were second to none. The food was just the icing on the cake. We saw sea lions, otter, seals, puffins, sadly no whale. Maybe next time. We will definitely do this trip again. Highly recommend anyone to do this excursion.
Truly enjoyed the scenery and the education. Awesome experience!
Even if you only have one day in Valdez, GO ON THIS CRUISE! My wife had been at least twice in years past but 2018 was my first trip and it was an experience of a lifetime.Im pretty sure they told us when we bought the tickets, but dress warm! Even on the sunniest of days it is cold approaching the glacier.I know trips will vary in terms of wildlife, but we saw orcas, otters, puffins, sea lions, porpoise, bald eagles, and some other things which I cant remember. We also saw the glacier calve several times. The captain and crew were super friendly.
This tour is amazing. Our captain was the best I have ever had on any tour. We seen Puffins, Humpbacks, Sea lions, Sea Otters. The Columbia glacier, in which we were right up close. It was a very personal tour on a beautiful boat. 5 stars isnt even enough, should be 10 stars.
Very much worth it. Captain and crew are the best in the cruise tour industry. Very flexible to spend time viewing wildlife and the glacier. Very knowledgeable of Valdez, wildlife, glaciers, and Alaskan history. Would definitely do again if in this area in the future.
Such a great day!! BIG THANK YOU to Captain and crew. There was never any rush to get out there or hurry back. They took their time so we could experience it all. many great stops along the way and amazing glacier experience. The Captain is very skilled and I had absolute trust when we were close to the glacier and tucked inside a cave. Oh and the brownies go fast. Hot out of the oven . Thanks again for a wonderful Alaska experience.
Well worth the price! We were at sea for about 9hrs. We saw whales, sea otters, sea lions, seals, puffins, and Columbia glacier. Awesome trip, captain and crew are first class. Boat was fantastic too.
Fantastic on every level.
Truly a fantastic cruise! They make a point of making sure you see as much wildlife as possible. They are not driven to be back by a specific time. The galley prices were also very reasonable and we were happy to purchase items there while cruising. Very highly recommend this Cruise line!
Oh my gosh! This was the high light of our Alaskan Vacation. The captain owns this beautiful 80 passenger boat and takes so much pride in his boat. He also takes his time to be sure everyone gets to see the wildlife and calving glaciers. We saw a whale and he kept circling around waiting for it to show off again. I give Lu Lu Belle 5 Stars!!
Well worth the time and money. Crew is great. On board shacks are reasonable. Have lots of picture storage on camera, take camera charger with you to recharge camera if needed. They have 110 outlets on boat.
EXCELLENT! Captain Fred and crew go above and beyond to make your experience special. We were on the water 9 hours and saw: porpoises, sea lions, harbor seals, tufted puffins, mountain goats, and the breathtaking Columbia glacier calve. We stayed for an hour to watch the glacier and got to enjoy that beauty 1/4 of a mile from the face of the glacier. This tour will be a must for our visitors.
CPT Fred was fantastic. This was the best thing to do in Valdez by far. I’m so glad we took our family out on the LuLu Belle. He got us so close the whales, sea otters, sea lions, birds and we even seen the Northwestern from Deadliest Catch. We seen the glacier from about 100 feet away it seemed. Go see CPT Fred and go on this tour.
The boat was small and they over sold the ticketa. So in a small boat with 12 to 16 person capacity, we wer with almpst 50 other people.There was no place to seat( we had to seat on the deck) and specially during this endemic, it was very dangerous and unresponsabile.The captain was kind (a little bit noisy) but he tried to show us every thing.The area was great and I suggest to have a tour in this area but not with this company.
Best tour ever! The captain made sure we get close to wildlife! We waited and he made sure we get to see the humpback whale to show off it’s tale! And he navigated flawlessly through those icebergs just so we can get close to the glacier!
This was the best tour we took while on our Alaska vacation. The owners are very personal. Their boat is smaller which allows them to get closer to the glaciers and wild life. Their crew members were just great. I highly recommend this cruise tour.
Im from NJ, and spent three days at Valdez. We took the best Columbia Bay kayak with Pangaea adventures, and their guide Emma recommended this Columbia Glacier viewing cruise from Lu-Lu Belle to us. I have to admit this is the best day cruise Ive ever taken. This is a family business, Megan is in charge of the office, as she said she is working for her husband. And Fred is the captain, who took us to that amazing Columbia Glacier. This glacier is of one the most active glaciers in Alaska, and you will see the edge of the glacier calving if you are lucky, we only saw a small calving, but watched a huge calving video from our kayak guide Emmas phone. Captain Fred will take you very close to the Columbia Glacier, and thats the right branch of this Columbia Glacier, and it has three directions of glaciers coming down into the water. Each of those three directions is a huge glacier itself. Do some homework, and search on Google maps satellite you will see how huge this glacier is, and if you only takes one glacier viewing tour in Alaska, it has to be Columbia Glacier. This is the must-have experience in Valdez, and thats why we stayed one more day for it. Captain is the wiki of Alaska, fishing industry, animals, glaciers, yes he is like a dictionary, an encyclopedia. He will stop the boat for sea otters, sea lions, and whales if you are lucky to see whales. Megan is a very nice lady, she introduced a lot to us about their stories/pictures in their office. They have a whales filter, fur of wolf/silver fox/arctic fox and all the pictures with history in their office. I guess even their pretty office deserves a stop-by. BTW, Megan has the best garden in Valdez town.
One of the best experiences I have had thus far. The tour is everything you would want: Stunning views, plenty of sealife including sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, puffin birds, mammoth glacier and calving, great snacks on board, extremely humble crew, inspiring captain Fred and great snacks on board.Totally worth it and probably the best money you will ever spend!!
Fred doesnt do this as a job. Hes addicted to Prince William Sound, and his tour shows his love of it. Scenery. Animals. Glaciers. All of it.If youre going to take a glacier/whale watching/day on the water tour, then Freds your man.We saw sea otter, sea lion, killer whale, puffin, Columbia calving, sheep, goats, salmon fishing, etc. Too much to remember.Its a full day on the water. Remember sunscreen and grab a table inside for the ride home.Go. Go now. Lu-Lu Belle. Thanx Fred.
Not too be missed, the Captain will take you out for as long as it takes to find the sights. And the trip back to the glacierer was surreal. This was the best time spent on the entire Alaska/Western Canada Trip.
Had a great day. Out for 9 hours, spent over an hour 1/4 Mike from the face of the Columbia Glacier, saw several calvings.The entire crew is great. Would definitely go with them again.
Bring on a cruise from Valdez you have two choices, you can take the larger fancier more professional looking outfits boat and Im sure have a nice day. Or, you can take the lulabelle and have a great day!And the other Cruise left at the same time, but on the way out are Skipper stopped and watched otters float and other scenic events. For the time we got to the rocky part we saw the competitors boat already coming back and heading towards the glacier. We were still watching whales come up installing around to see if the whale would come up a third or fourth time.We finally got out to the rocks its either birds and our Skipper took the boats bow all the way into a cave to get us a close-up view. It was awesome and very intimate.Then headed towards the glacier, we had just rounded the island and we saw the other boat heading back in their Cruise was over.The skipper took our boat within a thousand foot show the front of the glacial face. We stayed there over an hour and a half and got to see some of the most massive cavins of the glacier of the season.We finally headed home and got there about 3 hours after the other equally length Cruise.If you are in a Hurry and want the corporate tour dont take the lulabelle. If you want a more custom tour that is more personal and in-your-face definitely take the lulabelle!
Great cruise. Captain and crew were amazing
One of the best tours we have ever been on! Informative, entertaining.....just cant say enough good about it!! If you choose any tour but this one to see the glaciers and wildlife out of Valdez, you will be making a big mistake!
Definitely the best cruise I have ever taken. Fred goes the extra mile to make sure you enjoy your journey. Full of information about the history of Valdez. Even in the drizzle it was worth it.
A big thank you to captain Fred en his lovely crew for this amazing experience. It was truly a day to remember. 😍
Captain Fred and crew are amazing. Rainy day didnt slow us down one bit, defiantly worth the money. You just dont find operations like this anymore.
Enjoyed our ride. lots of wild animals to see and awesome glacier! i would love to do it again!
One of the best experience of my life. Captain Fred and his crew was amazing. This is a must have experience for anyone planning to go to Valdez.
In addition to running more than two hours over schedule the captain talked nonstop passing a lot of incorrect or extemporaneous information. He clearly hates millennials, does not believe in climate change and thinks the government of Valdez is corrupt. The scenery of Prince William Sound was incredible or else this would be a 1 star review. I do not recommend this tour. Call Stan Stephens for your tour needs in Valdez. Not enough indoor seating for inclement weather. His crew was fantastic. I dont know how they put up with Freds verbal diarrhea day after day .
Wish I could give these folks 10 stars
A very enjoyable all day trip
Tour was wonderful and captain was great. He narrated the entire trip and took his time to allow us to see some great wildlife.
Best boat tour ever! Sea Otters, Sea Lions, Puffers, Whales and the Columbia Glacier plus a very impressive running narrative by Captain Fred. Tremendous.
We had a great experience and loved the wildlife and glaciers we saw
Highly recommend lu-lu belle! we first wanted to go with stan stephens but as their service was horrible, we decided to give lu-lu belle a chance and we are happy that we made that decision. the staff is super friendlyl, the captain gives a lot of information on wildlife and the history of valdez and stops as soon as there are animals. we had tons of time to take great photos. i would do the tour again anytime!
Best tour in Alaska... possibly on the planet 🤩👍
Loved the views, personal touch and food!
The trip was amazing!
Major awesome trip!!! Were coming back!!!
Oversold, no seats for passengers.
The head guy is amazing
Amazing
Awesome!!!
Super nice trip. The perfect end to our 3 week trip through Alaska and Canada. The ship is great and the crew is super nice. The captain gave a lot of interesting information during the trip. He also took enough time so that we could see everything clearly and take good photos.The nice thing about this ship is that it is smaller than the competition and therefore the trip was much more familiar and personal for us. About 40 people fit on the ship, and they had a seat at all times on the ship. The trip took longer than planned, but this was already mentioned when booking, as some animals cannot be seen immediately, but have to be on the lookout for a while. I thought that was good because - as I said above - a lot of time is taken for the tourists.What I didnt like is that the local people wanted to spoil the tour for us. Other boats were shouting that we paid too much, which is objectively not true. Apart from that, it is simply not appropriate for such a small city to make others bad just because you probably do. is friends with the competition. Everyone should collect their own experiences and evaluate them accordingly. The captain has obviously been doing these tours since the 70s and has an immense wealth of experience.We thought the tour was great and would recommend it to everyone! :) Everything was perfect. It was also a little cheaper than the competition. : P
A very good trip, Fred the captain is there with body and soul, continuously tells a lot of interesting things and anecdotes. You can actually see wild animals and come close to the glacier. What Amir particularly liked was the beautiful ship on a max. 40 people fit. You sit very privately in cozy and wood-emphasized boxes.
A big 5 stars !!! This cruise was highly recommended to me and I did not regret it ... quite the contrary !! The captain and his crew are unparalleled kindness and generosity ... they have only one goal, which is to impress us. Everything we have seen is unbelievable, and for a very competitive price. I highly recommend it !!
The second largest glacier into the sea in Alaska-Columbia Glacier. This glacier is rapidly retreating, and a lot of ice floes are produced every day. In summer, many tourists are attracted to try kayaking.The United States bought Alaska cheaply from Maozi and changed almost all Russian place names, but left the Spanish name Valdez.Because this is the place where the Spanish explorer Salvador Fidalgo discovered and named it.
A wonderful cruise that is worth 100% the landscapes are really beautiful, if the day and luck accompany you can see a lot of wildlife. The views upon reaching the Columbia Glacier are breathtaking, one of the most impressive landscapes I have ever seen. It takes about an hour to admire the glacier so everyone has time to take photos and relax.Lulu belle is a smaller boat than the others and that allows her to get closer to the glacier.They sell good food and at a good price. Feature clam chowder was very good! I definitely recommend it!
The captain does not feel like going home, to see all the animals that he meets along the way and reaches the foot of the Colombia glacier, dragging the icebergs that he encounters along the way if necessary. He also tells you about his life for 7 hours, he does not stop talking or in the shower
