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Question about Whale Watching


Poohx2

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Hi,

 

In August we will be cruising the inside passage with stops in Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway. My question is will we see whales from the ship or should we do a whale watching tour? The thing that is keeping me away from the whale watching tours is that the ones I have seen says 2 to 3 hours on sea. Hubby gets motion sickness and I am afraid that is too long for him. Thanks.

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You will not get much of a view of whales from the ship. The waters around Juneau are usually fairly smooth. We did a whale watch with Orca Enterprises in a medium size boat. The tours from the cruise line usually use a larger boat.

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Does hubby use anything for motion sickness that works for him? If yes, he won't have problems on an Orca boat even if the waters are choppier than normal. I've used the patch with no problems on rainy, bouncy days in Auke Bay. That bounciness was atypical though. As mentioned, it's usually pretty calm around there.

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Hubby uses dramamine for his motion sickness but then he usually goes to sleep. He says he doesn't like the way the non drowsy dramamine makes him feel. Thanks for the advice. I am going to talk to him and seewhat he thinks.

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Seeing whales from the cruise ship is hit or miss, also if you see the spouts the ship won't be chasing the whales.

 

Out of Juneau is your best bet, it is so good that many vendors offer a gurantee or discount if you don't see whales. You will be in shelted waters so unless the wind is really blowing the waves are not going to be a huge issue even on smaller boats. But you will be on a small boat so just going out and about will be a bit rocky.

 

Good luck

 

Hi,

 

In August we will be cruising the inside passage with stops in Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway. My question is will we see whales from the ship or should we do a whale watching tour? The thing that is keeping me away from the whale watching tours is that the ones I have seen says 2 to 3 hours on sea. Hubby gets motion sickness and I am afraid that is too long for him. Thanks.

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Hi there - we were in Alaska last year and went Whale Watching with Orca Enterprises in Juneau and had a fabulous time. My husband gets really seasick but was fine and had no problems. We stayed outside most of the time and because we were so busy looking out for whales he didn't have a chance to think about feeling unwell. One other thing though - we also went Whale Watching in ISP in a much smaller boat - 6 people - and the experience was sooo much better and made us wish that we had gone on a smaller boat in Juneau.

I am sure you will have a fabulous time.:)

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It makes no difference what others have experiences with "motion sickness". The cruise has just as much potential as any boat tour, so the only advice is to be prepared with preventions.

 

Consult your health care professional for advice. There are dosing alternatives for the long acting that you probably are not aware of. Key will be to get individual guidelines.

 

If he chooses not to go, and a priority for you, then go yourself.

 

As for viewing whales from a cruiseship, I always have good sightings. But you will also always also see me on the whale watches.

 

IF you choose only to view from the ship, hopefully you are on a ship with an informed ship naturalist. You do need to spend a significant amount of time on a forward viewing deck. Forget your side viewing balcony, you have cut your chances over 50%. A good pair of wide angle binoculars is necessary. AND knowing the areas.

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I remember seeing that Ocra can stop at Mendenhall Glacier for extra charge but can't seem to find it anymore. Anyone had done it before and how much do they charge for the extra stop?

 

Afterward, can I take a tour bus or local bus back to the dock???

 

Thanks.

 

Ling

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I remember seeing that Ocra can stop at Mendenhall Glacier for extra charge but can't seem to find it anymore. Anyone had done it before and how much do they charge for the extra stop?

 

Afterward, can I take a tour bus or local bus back to the dock???

 

Thanks.

 

Ling

 

It wasn't much, I'm thinking around $15.00??? If you do that, they'll arrange with you a time, and come back and pick you up. No need to take a different bus.

 

I think I ended up calling them to get the whole thing nailed down.

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I remember seeing that Ocra can stop at Mendenhall Glacier for extra charge but can't seem to find it anymore. Anyone had done it before and how much do they charge for the extra stop?

 

Afterward, can I take a tour bus or local bus back to the dock???

 

Thanks.

 

Ling

 

This HAS to be arranged at booking, and yes, you can take the commercial shuttle buses in the other direction. By all means, cobook this option, IF you wish to get to Mendenhall glacier, you save at least an hour in time.

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I remember seeing that Ocra can stop at Mendenhall Glacier for extra charge but can't seem to find it anymore. Anyone had done it before and how much do they charge for the extra stop?

 

Afterward, can I take a tour bus or local bus back to the dock???

 

Thanks.

 

Ling

 

When we reached Juneau, we had contracted with Harv and Marv's. They picked us on on a small coach bus. On the way to the dock, the driver stopped for a view of the Mendenhal Glacier, for pictures. After whale watching we boarded the bus again and stopped at the Mendenhal Glacier visitor's parking lot and got to spend about an hour or so just walking around. It was terrific. Back on the bus to the ship.

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I hope you realize that motion sickness can be a problem on the cruise ships and you are on that way longer than 2-3 hours :)

 

Oops....Guess I should have said that we have been on 5 cruises. So I know that it is hit or miss on how rough it is. Some he had motion sickness on...some he hasn't. I have to say he likes cruises but doesn't like how the meds make him feel. I am just trying to avoid any additional motion sickness.

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We cruised Alaska May 2010 and used capt Jack because he had a guarantee of no sea sickness. My wife becomes extremely ill on smaller vessels but had no problem and had a wonderful time on the Scana.

Please Google I believe their website is called adventures in Alaska. The capttain is a retired Coast Gaurd Captain and is very knowledgeable. Bottom line we had a wonderful time.

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