Whales?

Hi, we are planning to do Into the Midnight Sun this summer and wonder if there might be a chance to see some whales. The itinerary includes Bergen, Geiranger, Molde, Tromso, Honningsvag, Lofoten, then cruising the Norwegian Sea to Scotland and England.

We are very excited and looking forward to our first ocean cruise! Appreciate any insight from those who have traveled this route. thanks!

Bergen - it almost always rains. Gerainger is very pretty and has a wonderful chocolate restaurant at the bottom of the hill. Wouldn't guarantee whales - it's a matter of chance really.

I don't remember that we saw any whales on our trip two years ago--and really you can see much, much more from a small boat where you are right on the water, than you can from 3 or more decks up on a cruise ship. (If you ever make it to the Boston area in the summer, whale watching cruises leave from Boston, Gloucester, Plymouth and Cape Cod multiple times per day; my preference is the boats leaving out of Plymouth).

For tips, there are a couple of threads here on Midnight Sun and also check the roll calls from 2016 (on the Sea) and 2017 (Star, Sea and Sky each did the itinerary).

The best place we've found so far for whale watching is Iceland, and believe me we'd go right back there in a heartbeat.

Probably the best place for whale sightings is the West Coast of N America, as they migrate from Hawaii to Alaska every summer & back for winter.

In BC we have a resident pod in Southern Georgia Strait and in Alaska during the summer they are abundant. They can also be seen just off the coast during their migration, in May a few years ago, we saw them daily at Brookings Oregon, while sitting in our RV/caravan in a campground at the beach.

Thanks to everyone who responded. Iceland and Alaska are on our list too! Thanks!

We did this same cruise last July (201) and loved every moment. We were BLESSED with fabulous weather and only had a couple of ports where we had rain. I am an avid whale watcher and kept my eyes out but we did not see any. We have much better luck here on on the California coast frankly! Nevertheless, you will love The Midnight Sun cruise. It was our first Viking experience are we are now hooked. Have a great time!

Andi

Some of the best whale watches that we have been on have been Icy Strait Point in Alaska. Also a place called Auke Bay that can be reached from Juneau Alaska. The most recent was in Cabo San Lucas the end of February to early March. The humpback from Alaska and Pacific Northwest migrate there to mate. I have never seen so many humpbacks breaching in one area before.