Whales?

I am still debating whether to go on a whale watching tour or not. We are going to Alaska on June 18 on HAL Noordam and are planning on several excursions already (halibut fishing, flightseeing, Kenai Fjords, White Pass and River float). For the three of us, it is getting pretty pricey. I would love to see some great whale action, but I know that I need to keep expectations low. On our whale watching tour in Hawaii, we saw a few spouts, and a mama with her baby (under water, no tail or real fin action). I am wondering if we should skip the whale watching tour altogether and just hope to see some of the ship or on the Kenai Fjords tour?

....and yes, if money was not an issue, I would go on the tour....

Virtually all whale watching tours out of Juneau guarantee whales or you get a total refund.

Truly, if you want some up close and personal* time on a whale watch, Juneau is the place to do it.

*There are legal limits as to how close the boats are allowed to approach the whales.

Virtually all whale watching tours out of Juneau guarantee whales or you get a total refund.

 

Truly, if you want some up close and personal* time on a whale watch, Juneau is the place to do it.

 

*There are legal limits as to how close the boats are allowed to approach the whales.

Thanks. I do realize that, but a few spouts would probably qualify as a whale sighting, right?

With financial consideration, it is understandable if you decide not to go whale watching, having already done before.

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What are the chances of spotting whales while sailing in or out of port in Juneau in August? We have an aft balcony and hope to see some then.

Don

Have gone out of Homer and Seward on plenty of Halibut charters and have seen all kinds of whales,sea lions,porpoises,etc.

I would spend the money on a glacier excursion instead. Alaska may be the only place you can actually stand on one. With whales, you can go on excursions in most parts of the coastal country.

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Oh! Another really cool excursion we did in Alaska was take a prop plane over the arctic circle and tour a town that lives off the land. Like the shows you see on Discovery channel. We had a man take us on a tour of a town with 25 people. He showed us how they live their day to day lives. It was pretty neat.

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What are the chances of spotting whales while sailing in or out of port in Juneau in August? We have an aft balcony and hope to see some then.

 

Don

Actually, really good. We had whales swimming alongside the ship, waving to us with their flippers as they swam on their side. We wondered if they were on the Princess payroll.

If you are going to Glacier Bay, as you enter or leave the Bay, there may be young whales breeching, seemingly everywhere. It is/was wonderful!

Actually, really good. We had whales swimming alongside the ship, waving to us with their flippers as they swam on their side. We wondered if they were on the Princess payroll.

 

If you are going to Glacier Bay, as you enter or leave the Bay, there may be young whales breeching, seemingly everywhere. It is/was wonderful!

Thanks for the reply. Yes we are going to Glacier Bay. Will make sure the camera is charged and plenty of memory.

Don

If you are going to Glacier Bay, as you enter or leave the Bay, there may be young whales breeching, seemingly everywhere. It is/was wonderful!

Several years ago we had many around the ship as we were headed out of Glacier Bay. We just returned and saw none as we went in and out.

We were informed that 1/3 of the core group of whales that go back each year to the area around Pt Adolphus/Glacier Bay did not return in 2016. They have not returned, so far, this year either.