Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Whales! When and where?

pathi

By pathi,
in Princess Cruises

 Share

Recommended Posts

pathi

pathi

Posted
Posted (edited)

Starting to plan our next cruse, and my wife would really like to see some whales.

 

What is the best time of year, and Cruise itinerary to see whales?

 

It would be cool to see them from the ship and excursions.

 

Thanks

Edited by pathi
Link to comment
Share on other sites
capriccio

capriccio

Posted
Posted

We've seen:

 

  • Humpbacks in Alaska (from the ship and on excursion in Juneau): summer (July 2007 and August 2012)
  • Grey whales and humpbacks in Santa Barbara: May 2012
  • Humpbacks in Maui: January 2011

The absolute best (and all of them were great) was on a Princess excursion in Santa Barbara in May 2012. We had dozens of humpbacks all around but a couple just kept swimming around and under the boat for at least a half an hour, rolling on their sides, sticking their heads up to get a good look at the humans getting a good look at them, and occasionally blowing whale snot all over the folks at the railing :D. It was magical (probably only because I avoided the whale snot :p) and unforgettable!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RDC1

RDC1

Posted
Posted
Starting to plan our next cruse, and my wife would really like to see some whales.

 

What is the best time of year, and Cruise itinerary to see whales?

 

It would be cool to see them from the ship and excursions.

 

Thanks

 

Moorea in late summer. 10 day Tahiti cruise. Under the right conditions you can get into the water with snorkel gear and see them under the water.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
IECalCruiser

IECalCruiser

Posted
Posted

We have seen whales from a distance both times we left Glacier bay. You can also do whale watching tours from port.

 

He saw many whales on a whalewatching tour within sight of Cabo but none from the ship. This was in mid March.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cruisin' Chick

Cruisin' Chick

Posted
Posted

On our first Hawaiian cruise, we were on a boat going off to a snorkeling point off of Lahaina when the boat stopped and the guide pointed out some whales. The male whales were courting a female one(s). It was quite a show. This was in December.

 

A couple of years ago, on our third Hawaiian cruise, and on Christmas day we were anchored off of Lahaina. We got back to the ship and there were several whales hanging out close to the Golden Princess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
OCruisers

OCruisers

Posted
Posted

Many of our "cruise friends" saw whales in January on the Whale Watching excursion offered by Princess in Dominica.

Seems there were lots PLUS a mother & baby whale.

Gosh, everyone wanted to show me their pictures of the baby whale so I almost feel as if I had been on the excursion. :D

LuLu

Link to comment
Share on other sites
richstowe Great Review Rare

richstowe

Posted
Posted
In addition to the places mentioned above, I'd suggest a cruise to New England and Canada. Princess offers a whale-watching excursion in Bar Harbor. In addition, you could book one on your own in Boston.
Saw lots of whales returning to Boston from a Canadian Maritimes cruise.

They were not very close to the ship but there were lots of them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cruiserkenn

Cruiserkenn

Posted
Posted

Great whale watching off Lahaina, Maui in Feb and early March. Up close and personal humpbacks:)

 

Fabulous Orcas off Victoria BC in the summer, again up close and personal.

 

Have also had wonderful experiences off Juneau, Alaska in the summer, and off Santa Barbara in the spring.

 

Enjoy all of these places!

 

Thar she blows! :). :). :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
HRPro

HRPro

Posted
Posted
Thanks folks. :) The Ruby is our favorite ship, so it looks like Alaska next year.

 

Be sure to book a whale watching excursion when you're in Juneau--that's the best place to see whales although you may see some from the ship in Glacier Bay. We loved the small boat experience with Harv and Marv, but we also saw lots of whales on a Princess excursion on a much larger boat. Enjoy, we love Alaska!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RickEk

RickEk

Posted
Posted
Be sure to book a whale watching excursion when you're in Juneau--that's the best place to see whales although you may see some from the ship in Glacier Bay. We loved the small boat experience with Harv and Marv, but we also saw lots of whales on a Princess excursion on a much larger boat. Enjoy, we love Alaska!

 

I vote for Alaska!

 

I also went on an excursion with Harv and Marv and it was fabulous. At one point, we were surrounded by a pod of resident orcas. Amazing.

 

14428461174_6fc87b0a8f_z.jpgStar Princess - Alaska - June 2014 173 by RickEk, on Flickr

 

We also saw some humpbacks...

 

14406568056_aa8cd7d12e_z.jpgStar Princess - Alaska - June 2014 211 by RickEk, on Flickr

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...