Whale watching - independent guides better than cruise excursions?

[shofer]

We are just back on 5/27 and booked a tour through Harv and Marv. We had a private tour for two as no one else had booked that time. It was great. Captain Sean was an expert on whale behavior and we saw half a dozen at least since it was still early in the season.

 

Sue

[edmusic]

Juneau is the best place to view whales (all the boats go to Auke Bay). We have found the non-ship sponsored excursions are better (way less people) and cheaper (no 30% commission tacked on to kick back to the ship). Don't let the ship scare you with the leaving-without-you tactic if you don't make it back in time. All the companies offering excursions are very aware of when you need to be back by. Their livelihood is dependent on good reviews and feedback on TripAdvisor and Yelp, etc. And, the ship WILL leave without you on a ship excursion if you are very late. The difference being they will pay for you to reach the next port rather you being responsible for the fare.

 

You can either pre-book your excursion ahead of time online after researching companies (recommended) or you can wing it and shop excursion companies once you get off the ship in the port. We've done both and have never had a problem. When time came to book our whale watching adventure, I tried all the biggies - Harv & Marv, Orca Adventures, etc., and they were all booked. With a bit of research I found Juneau Whale Watching Co. and booked with them ahead of time online. It was a fantastic experience and I'd highly recommend them. One big difference - there were only 22 of us on their boat with plenty of room at the bow or stern to view the whales while the ships boats had 60 to 80 people on them crammed like sardines. The booking and any subsequent questions I had were answered quickly and professionally via e-mail. Once we got off ship, we met with them at one of their kiosks at the dock where they were selling trips for folks who hadn't pre-booked any. We added the stop over at Mendenhall Glacier on the way back and were glad we did. Here's a couple of videos of our experience with Juneau Whale Watching.

 

 

 

And some photos:

First shot shows the ship sponsored triple deck boat in the background; second photo is Juneau Whale Adventure.

[Markanddonna]

Hi,

 

We just finished a trip on the Westerdam and wanted to hike Mendenhall Glacier this time so we didn't book a whale watch, but went with Harv and Marv three years ago. My impressions back then was that going with one of the smaller operators like them is the best way to go but you have to book way ahead. We had a truly glorious time with them. We saw a super pod- two groups coming together and lots of action.

 

Some tablemates (first time cruisers) booked the ship excursion and my prediction about their experience played out (I didn't give them my prediction because the ship excursion was THEIR choice and really their only option- why ruin their experience). They told me that one of them saw one whale and the other was always on the wrong side when one was sighted and it was too crowded to move around. She didn't see any whales.

 

We saw more whales off the ship this time mostly because we used the map from "The Alaska Cruise Handbook" and they noted likely places to see whales. Heavy book but the map is worth taking.

[mamkmm2]

Juneau is the best place to view whales (all the boats go to Auke Bay). We have found the non-ship sponsored excursions are better (way less people) and cheaper (no 30% commission tacked on to kick back to the ship). Don't let the ship scare you with the leaving-without-you tactic if you don't make it back in time. All the companies offering excursions are very aware of when you need to be back by. Their livelihood is dependent on good reviews and feedback on TripAdvisor and Yelp, etc. And, the ship WILL leave without you on a ship excursion if you are very late. The difference being they will pay for you to reach the next port rather you being responsible for the fare.

 

You can either pre-book your excursion ahead of time online after researching companies (recommended) or you can wing it and shop excursion companies once you get off the ship in the port. We've done both and have never had a problem. When time came to book our whale watching adventure, I tried all the biggies - Harv & Marv, Orca Adventures, etc., and they were all booked. With a bit of research I found Juneau Whale Watching Co. and booked with them ahead of time online. It was a fantastic experience and I'd highly recommend them. One big difference - there were only 22 of us on their boat with plenty of room at the bow or stern to view the whales while the ships boats had 60 to 80 people on them crammed like sardines. The booking and any subsequent questions I had were answered quickly and professionally via e-mail. Once we got off ship, we met with them at one of their kiosks at the dock where they were selling trips for folks who hadn't pre-booked any. We added the stop over at Mendenhall Glacier on the way back and were glad we did. Here's a couple of videos of our experience with Juneau Whale Watching.

 

 

 

And some photos:

First shot shows the ship sponsored triple deck boat in the background; second photo is Juneau Whale Adventure.

 

I'd like to add my recommendation to Juneau Whale Watch. All of their staff are year round residents and many of them also have years of experience in the fishing industry of the area. They are a family business and any employees that aren't family still seem to work together as if they were. The sister of the owner answered my call off season on the first ring and was very helpful answering all of my questions. Great bunch of people in my experience and boy do they know their stuff. Here is one of the pics we got on our excursion with them.

[Sandi3667]

We signed up for one from HAL, anyone been on this one? We are going last week of June. How large is the boat? Is this a good choice?

 

I just typed a long reply, and my computer ate it. Ugh.

 

We did the HAL tours in Juneau & Sitka, and really enjoyed them. Sitka was especially nice, as we were running late returning, and with it being a tender port, they brought us straight to the ship from the excursion boat, rather than going to town, getting off the excursion boat, then boarding a tender to return to Oosterdam.

 

One pic shows the three-level Allen Marine vessel. We only had 2-level boats, and felt we had plenty of room. We went up to the upper level, where there's a small, covered seating area behind the wheelhouse. We'd go sit down for a small break in between whale sightings toward the end of the excursion. At the beginning, we stayed out on the rail, so when we got to the whales, we had good viewing already. Even if we had to move to the other side of the boat, we didn't feel crowded (not like the bow on Glacier Bay day). Towards the end of the Juneau trip, as we were returning to port, we did go down to the main level for a seat. At that point, we felt more crowded. Next time, we'll likely do an independent tour in Juneau, just to be closer to the waterline, but we were all very happy with the HAL excursions.