We’re Ready to Dive into the 2021 Season!
We are thrilled to announce Gastineau Guiding’s return to service for an abbreviated 2021 summer season!
While the past two years have felt like an obligatory hibernation, we are ready to emerge with more energy and appreciation for each other, the experiences our team provides to visitors, and the industry that allows us to share our home with adventurers from near and far.
In anticipation of this long-awaited reopening, we have made a few improvements and changes to our standard operating procedures, aimed at keeping our staff and our guests safe. The majority of these changes are shaped by our recent achievement of the GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation (via the Global Biorisk Advisory Council). This accreditation means that our facility has:
+ Established and maintained a cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention program minimizing the risks associated with infectious agents like the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)
+ The proper cleaning protocols, disinfection techniques, and work practices in place to combat biohazards and infectious disease
+ Highly informed cleaning professionals who are trained for outbreak and infectious disease preparation and response.
In addition to this gold standard accreditation, we will of course also be adhering to all guidelines put forward by our cruise line partners and the CDC. While these guidelines are still being actively hashed out between those two entities, we know that our staff will be fully vaccinated (barring reasonable & documented medical exemption), and that all staff & guests will be asked to mask up while onboard closed-window transportation (limited bus rides & transiting to/from whales). We anticipate adapting specific masking policies for each specific cruise line, based on their own vaccination requirements. Regardless of cruise lines, our GBAC-certified cleaning procedures of our buses, boats & facilities will stay the same. All in all, we’re sure happy that the majority of our tours have always and will continue to take place almost entirely outdoors!
Over the past two years, our resilience as a small business and a family owned and operated company has certainly been tested. We cannot say enough how amazing it feels to be getting back to work. Our essential company goal has always been to provide safety, service & a sense of wonder to each of our guests; we are confident that with these new protocols in place, our guests will be able to focus more on WHY they came to Alaska – and not how long it took them to get here.
See you on the water!
