How to Make a Reservation
Note: These instructions are only for multi-day trip reservations. Please refer to One Day Kayak Adventures for reservation information for both guided and unguided day trips in Bartlett Cove.
Our office is closed during the winter and we begin taking reservations January 1st of each year for the summer season. Advanced reservations are recommended; frequently during the summer months, the camper transport vessel as well as the kayak rentals are full. If you are renting kayaks from us, we require that you make your camper transport reservations through us. For your trip deposit, we require pre-payment of your camper drop off and pick up reservations and a 50% deposit on your kayak rental, along with any air taxi or lodge room reservations that we make. We can generally change the dates without penalty if we have sufficient notice. If you plan on kayaking without camper vessel transportation, you may reserve your kayak with a 50% deposit of the total kayak rental cost.
To Make a Glacier Bay Kayak Trip Reservation Our clients have told us these are the easiest steps– and the right sequence!– for arranging all the details for their Glacier Bay kayak trip.
1. Call Glacier Bay Sea Kayaks at (907) 697-2257 or e-mail us to determine kayak availability. During the winter when our office is closed, please be sure to email us. Specify the dates, the number and type of kayak you wish to reserve. See Equipment & Rates. We can pencil in a reservation for you which guarantees your kayak(s) for 10 days while you make all of your final travel arrangements.
2. Make your airline reservations to Juneau. Decide on your airplane or AMHS ferry itinerary to and from Gustavus. See Getting Here. We can make your Alaska Seaplanes air taxi reservations as part of your overall reservation with us. Please see the air taxi departure times in the drop down box on the reservation form for the scheduled flight times between Juneau and Gustavus. You may email us for current scheduled departure times and fares for flights between Haines and Gustavus or Skagway and Gustavus.
3. Go to the Kayak Trip Reservation Form. Fill it out completely with the names of everyone in your party, your drop off/pick up dates, and any flight or Glacier Bay Lodge room reservations you would like us to make.
4. To confirm your kayak reservation, we ask for payment for the camper transport, air taxi, and lodge room reservations along with a 50% deposit on your total kayak rental. This will serve as your trip deposit with the remaining kayak rental and any raingear or boot rental due when we meet you. If you wish to pay by personal check, print off the reservation form and send it to us with payment for your reservations. We can also take credit card information by phone. If you’re making this reservation in our off-season between January 1-March 15, we will secure all your reservations and contact you when our office re-opens March 15th for credit card payment information. We do not take payment information on the reservation form for security reasons. Following receipt of your deposit payment, you will receive by e-mail a friendly confirmation letter with a receipt, outline of your itinerary, and other helpful information. Please specify if you wish your confirmation sent by U.S. Postal Service.
5. If we are making air taxi flight reservations for you, we will email your flight voucher(s) to their office so that your check-in will be anticipated and prepaid. We will hold your camper/kayak transportation voucher here for your arrival.
6. If you plan on kayaking without a camper transport drop-off/pick-up, follow the same steps as above, except we ask for a 50% deposit of the total kayak rental cost for your deposit along with prepayment for any air taxi or lodge room reservations that you’d like us to make. You may pay the final amount due on the kayak rental and any raingear or boot rental when we meet you in Bartlett Cove.
Rental Policy
Glacier Bay Sea Kayaks provides well-maintained and clean equipment for rent. During your rental session, our staff will inspect the condition of the kayak with you to ensure it has no damage. Upon your return, our staff will again inspect the condition of the kayak with you for any chips, scrapes, holes or other damage. We expect the renter to return equipment in clean condition and good repair. Replacement costs will be charged to the renter’s credit card on file if an item has to be replaced because of loss or irreparable damage to the rented equipment. Repairs to the fiberglass kayaks will be charged at a rate of $30 per hour.
Cancellation Policy
Reservations canceled 30 or more days in advance are subject to a 10% cancellation penalty. Deposits and payments for any reservations canceled less than 30 days in advance are non-refundable.
No refunds will be made for early returns. Please understand we are making a commitment that we will reserve a kayak for you for the entire length of your trip. During our short, busy summer season, we often need to redirect customers to available dates or turn away business in order to fulfill this commitment. If you do return a day or two early, you might consider keeping your kayak for a Bartlett Cove day paddle or Beardslees overnight.
Trip Insurance – We encourage you to purchase trip insurance to cover your camper transport tickets, kayak rental deposit and any other travel costs in case you need to cancel.