Ocean Raft Alaska — Attraction in Alaska

Came for the views, stayed for the badass women running the boat!

If you're in Skagway and looking for something adventurous, scenic, and just the right amount of chilly, book the Ocean Raft Adventure. Our captain, Bevin, and naturalist, Harp, were absolute legends—funny, knowledgeable, and clearly thriving in their natural habitat (aka the middle of a fjord, surrounded by eagles and seals).

They suit you up in gear that makes you feel like you’re headed to space, but it keeps you warm and dry—which is all that matters when you’re flying across the water looking for wildlife. We saw eagles, harbor seals, and some ridiculously beautiful views. Even without a whale appearance, the experience felt magical thanks to the scenery and the company.

Harp answered all my many questions—not just about wildlife and scenery, but also local folklore (yes, I asked). She pointed us to the Red Onion Saloon for a haunted history tour, which turned out to be a whole vibe and definitely worth it. She also recommended Woadie’s for local brews and grub, and we had a fantastic meal there.

Bevin and Harp made us feel like we were tagging along with two awesome locals who genuinely love sharing their world. If I lived in Skagway (which, let’s be honest, I daydreamed about the entire ride), I’d want them in my tribe. Since I don’t, I’ll settle for telling everyone else: book this trip. You...

This tour was the highlight of my cruise! I had originally booked a raft excursion in Sitka, our first port, but it was cancelled at the last minute. I found this excursion as an alternative (virtually the same experience except in Skagway) and couldn't have been happier with the switch! My tour was on 6/5/23.

I was doing the excursion solo (rest of the fam declined to join) so was a bit anxious about that and fitting in the exposure suit (being short and significantly round). Ended up having nothing to worry about - the crew were so friendly to interact with, especially our naturalist Rachel, and the exposure suit fit fine and kept me super warm (I got a tall suit since that was the bigger option but was able to scrunch up and tie the legs with the assistance of a crew member).

The experience itself was exhilarating! I sat in the front row for most of it and then switched to the second row halfway through. Definitely sit in the front for awesome views and a thrilling ride, complete with the captain doing donuts. We saw seals, eagles, glacier falls, and even a whale! Plenty of time was devoted to stopping to view the wildlife, take pics, and learn about the animals we encountered.

If you are in Skagway, do this excursion. You...

A 4.9 rating is great but this excursion should be rated higher. A 5++ is more like it. It was a true highlight of our Alaskan vacation. It was just fun. Like, FUN fun. Like a nature tour and a theme park ride all in one. Capt Bevin and our nature guide, Nicolette were amazing - you can tell they love their jobs and truly made the experience memorable for everyone on the tour. The boat ride was a blast and the orange suits made for awesome family photo ops :) We were able to get extremely close to waterfalls, coves, seals and eagles. Got tons of amazing pics and videos. We have 2 girls, 15 and 18 and this trip was all they could talk about for hours after. They absolutely loved it. My wife gets sea sick easily - she had a patch but sometimes still gets queasy. She said she had a blast from start to finish. Thank you ORA for a bucket list experience that our whole family will remember for the rest of our lives. You guys...