whale-watcher Posted March 13, 2005 #1 Share Posted March 13, 2005 We are considering a 7 day sailing on the Enchantment of the Seas out of Boston on September 11, with stops at Martha's Vineyard, Portland Me, Bar Harbor Me, Saint John NB, and Halifax NS. Has anyone had experience with whale watching from any of these ports? Would we be better off taking a pre-cruise whale watch boat out of Gloucester? Budget Queen has had great things to say about a 3 day small boat whale watching trip, but we have a 6 year old, so that won't work for us. Has anyone had luck spotting whales from the cruise ship on similar routes (we have seen some beautiful breaching Humpbacks from the Coral Princess in Alaska, and even managed to spot a few en route to St Thomas in the Caribbean, and wonder what our chances would be in New England... Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPI_Rick Posted March 13, 2005 #2 Share Posted March 13, 2005 A couple of years ago we spent a week in Maine during August (not a cruise). We took a whale watching tour out of Bar Harbor. We did see whales (two), but only one was up close enough to get a good look at and just for a very short time. So, I can't really give you a good recommendation for Bar Harbor. But I imagine that results vary from day to day and luck plays a large role in how well any particular trip turns out. Even without great whale viewing, it was a pleasant boat ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJNB Posted March 14, 2005 #3 Share Posted March 14, 2005 There are no whale watching tours our of Saint John. The closest is a 45 min drive to the west in Blacks Harbour, NB http://www.whaletaletours.com/main.htm 1 800 214-6906 I would call this company. if you were willing to drive 45 min. and you had the time. you would probably see many whales. the Highways to Blacks Harbour are good. and you would not get lost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltyswife Posted March 19, 2005 #4 Share Posted March 19, 2005 We will be booking this cruise very shortly.....hope to sail away with ya'll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted March 20, 2005 #5 Share Posted March 20, 2005 By far your best options for whale watching is out of Gloucester and Cape Cod. Forget going out of Boston, too much time is needed to get out of the bay. If you have a couple extra days, Cape Ann Whale watching and Yankee Fleet are my top venders I use, they do a great job with their daily tours. Bar Harbor is iffy, rarely do you get a lot of sightings here on the short trips. The above suggestion out of Saint John sounds like a good option too, if you can't invest the time for Gloucester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whale-watcher Posted March 21, 2005 Author #6 Share Posted March 21, 2005 Thanks so much for the advice Budget Queen! We will plan on coming out a few days early. Hope to see you on board, saltyswife! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whale-watcher Posted March 21, 2005 Author #7 Share Posted March 21, 2005 SJNB-- thanks for the link to the whaletours website -- sounds fantastic!. Do you have a car rental company that you would suggest for Saint John? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kannna Posted March 21, 2005 #8 Share Posted March 21, 2005 If you are gonna come to ma early you could take the captain john boat out of plymouth. (http://www.captjohn.com) I went alot when i was younger on field trips and family outings and such whale watching and fishing. they've been around forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJNB Posted March 24, 2005 #9 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Avis Rent-A-Car 4 Water Street Saint John, NB E2L 2A5 Tel: (506) 634-7750 Fax: (506) 634-0466 Web: www.avis.com Budget Rent-A-Car 30 CHIPMAN HILL DRIVE, SAINT JOHN, NB E2L 2A9 Toll Free 1-800-268-8900 Fax: (506) 632-0907 Hertz Rent-A-Car Market Square Location 1 Market Square (Uptown) Tel: (506) 696-2210 Fax: (506) 652-5006 For worldwide reservations and Information:1-800-263-0600 On the web: www.hertz.com These rental companies are all within walking distance of where you will be docking. Avis is the closest, then Hertz, and Budget are about a 5 min further walk. Avis is about 5 Min from the Terminal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arby70 Posted May 10, 2005 #10 Share Posted May 10, 2005 My daughter and I took a whale watching tour out of Bar Harbor in late September a few years back. We saw a mother and baby humpback whale once we were outside of Frenchman's Bay. They got fairly close to the boat too and we were able to watch them for quite a spell. They seemed as curious about us as we were of them. The tour we went on had a refund policy if you didn't see any whales on the tour. I imagine they bring the "plastic" one out in emergencies (hahahaha!!!), but we saw the real deal close up and for a lengthy period of time. They do have rules about staying back from them I think, but if they come up to the boat themselves, you get a real treat. I got a little sea sick, but I would do it all over again.:p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whale-watcher Posted May 11, 2005 Author #11 Share Posted May 11, 2005 Thanks for the feedback -- we will sign up for the bar harbor excursion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnavybanker Posted May 12, 2005 #12 Share Posted May 12, 2005 We are considering a 7 day sailing on the Enchantment of the Seas out of Boston on September 11, with stops at Martha's Vineyard, Portland Me, Bar Harbor Me, Saint John NB, and Halifax NS. Has anyone had experience with whale watching from any of these ports? Would we be better off taking a pre-cruise whale watch boat out of Gloucester? Budget Queen has had great things to say about a 3 day small boat whale watching trip, but we have a 6 year old, so that won't work for us. Has anyone had luck spotting whales from the cruise ship on similar routes (we have seen some beautiful breaching Humpbacks from the Coral Princess in Alaska, and even managed to spot a few en route to St Thomas in the Caribbean, and wonder what our chances would be in New England...Thanks! There are a number of one day whale watching cruises out of Gloucester , also out of Quincy - just south of Boston-- if you have a couple of days to spare, you can get a bout from Boston to Provincetown (on the tip of Cape Cod - about 3 hours across the mouth of Cape Cod Bay ) spend the night in Provincetown (it is a "gay" community, but still worth seeing in its own right) - take a whale watch boat out of Provincetown (they usually guarantee several sightings - as the waters near the tip of the Cape are filled with whales in late summer) - then return to Boston that afternoon. Your chances of spotting whales from a cruise ship in New England waters are not that great, because the whales generally run close to the shore, while the cruise ships stand out to sea. Either way, I hope you have a great cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whale-watcher Posted May 12, 2005 Author #13 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Thanks! -- we will plan on heading out a few days early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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