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Best Alaskan port to see whales and wildlife

Sonatina1990

By Sonatina1990,
in Alaska

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Sonatina1990

Sonatina1990

Posted
Posted

This will be our first Alaskan cruise on the Ruby Princess this July. Ports of call are Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. Does anyone have advice on which port of call would be the best take an excursion on to see whales and wildlife?

 

Do I need to do thru Princess or can I do it on my own like when cruising the Mexican riviera?

 

Don't want to miss out on the town by doing an excursion.

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xlxo

xlxo

Posted
Posted (edited)

What I saw at each port....

 

Juneau

  • whale watching with some Eagles
  • bears at Mendenhall
  • King Crab at Tracy's shack

Ketchikan

  • jumping salmon on my August visits
  • Lumberjack show can get kinda wild

Skagway

  • black flies around Liarsville
  • sled dogs on my Yukon excursion
  • Red Onion offers some unique wildlife

 

I hear July is peak season for mosquitos... I didn't find any in those ports on my August visits.

Edited by xlxo
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TheCalicoCat

TheCalicoCat

Posted
Posted (edited)
This will be our first Alaskan cruise on the Ruby Princess this July. Ports of call are Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. Does anyone have advice on which port of call would be the best take an excursion on to see whales and wildlife?

 

Do I need to do thru Princess or can I do it on my own like when cruising the Mexican riviera?

 

Don't want to miss out on the town by doing an excursion.

 

I don't think that you have to worry about missing out on the town. At least we saw what we needed to see in the time that we were there.

 

Some animal sightings are "seasonal" or at least more likely to be see at one time rather than another.

Bears for example - will be see mostly during the salmon spawning. (We did not see any bears in June.)

 

You can go private - lots of suggestions will be posted here.:)

Edited by TheCalicoCat
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DougH

DougH

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Juneau is usually the choice for whale watching. The most popular independents seem to be Orca Enterprise and Harv & Marv.

 

All ports have lots of independent tours available. To see bears can get expensive as it usually involves a flight to another area, and these can book up early.

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Chenega

Chenega

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Posted (edited)

In SE Alaska, Juneau is your best choice. I've also had great trips with Orca Enterprises.

If you are in Southcentral Alaska, Seward is your best bet with a day trip into Kenai Fjords National Park. Be sure the trip goes into the park itself and not just Resurrection Bay.

Edited by Chenega
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familycruzer

familycruzer

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Posted

Is it worth it to stop at Mendenhall Glacier?

 

I am comparing Harv and Marv and Orca Enterprises.

 

HM no longer goes to the glacier with their tours but I was going to use them because of the small boats (6) passengers. They cost $165

 

Orca is $152 with a glacier stop. Can anyone tell me how big their boats are?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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Budget Queen

Budget Queen

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Posted
Is it worth it to stop at Mendenhall Glacier?

 

I am comparing Harv and Marv and Orca Enterprises.

 

HM no longer goes to the glacier with their tours but I was going to use them because of the small boats (6) passengers. They cost $165

 

Orca is $152 with a glacier stop. Can anyone tell me how big their boats are?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

The last time I was in a 6 pack, I chartered, my preference. They do bounce around a lot more than larger boats. :)

 

The Orca Odysea was built for whale watching. They do take larger numbers of people. there is table seating with all "glass" side viewing with sliding windows. They have a roomy back open deck, and a 360 upper deck open when the boat is stopped, which needs rotations if more than the max people want up there. I rarely see this.

 

Are you interested in seeing/going to Mendenhall? If not, sure, skip it. "Worth" is completely up to individuals. May or may not be.

 

It appears, you may want to take H&M?

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familycruzer

familycruzer

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I am not partial to either one if I can take a tour and not feel like a sardine with no chance of a view. I know the glacier is subjective of being worth it, but I wont be back any time soon. Can you get close enough to it to get a good view?

 

 

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Budget Queen

Budget Queen

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I am not partial to either one if I can take a tour and not feel like a sardine with no chance of a view. I know the glacier is subjective of being worth it, but I wont be back any time soon. Can you get close enough to it to get a good view?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

The closest point you can get to Mendenhall, from the visitor center side is up to the waterfalls at the end of Nugget Falls trail. An hour walk. The view is expansive. :)

 

What is your "sardine" reference about?

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Alaskanb

Alaskanb

Posted
Posted
Is it worth it to stop at Mendenhall Glacier?

 

I am comparing Harv and Marv and Orca Enterprises.

 

HM no longer goes to the glacier with their tours but I was going to use them because of the small boats (6) passengers. They cost $165

 

Orca is $152 with a glacier stop. Can anyone tell me how big their boats are?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We will be on a H+M whale watch in June and they do a 15 minute stop at Mendenhall for a photo-op. If it's not pouring down --as it was when we were last there--we will stay and take a shuttle back to the ship. http://www.juneautours.com/shuttle-mendenhall-glacier/

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familycruzer

familycruzer

Posted
Posted
We will be on a H+M whale watch in June and they do a 15 minute stop at Mendenhall for a photo-op. If it's not pouring down --as it was when we were last there--we will stay and take a shuttle back to the ship. http://www.juneautours.com/shuttle-mendenhall-glacier/

 

 

Double check on that.. This is the reply I got about a glacier stop.

ImageUploadedByForums1452909017.320558.jpg.88af7d2aee45587bdf22532be1b5335b.jpg

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Budget Queen

Budget Queen

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Posted
We will be on a H+M whale watch in June and they do a 15 minute stop at Mendenhall for a photo-op. If it's not pouring down --as it was when we were last there--we will stay and take a shuttle back to the ship. http://www.juneautours.com/shuttle-mendenhall-glacier/

 

There are changes with Mendenhall admission this season. So you need to verify this. I doubt, H&M are going to absorb those charges for a 15 min. stop.

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Alaskanb

Alaskanb

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So that's why Orca is charging an extra fee if you want to stop. Makes sense now. If I decide not to do Glacier I will go with HM if I want to see glacier I will use Orca.

Thanks for the info --they were still stopping there on Jan 2. I've sent an e-mail and will let you know the details.

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Alaskanb

Alaskanb

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This is what is on their updated website:

Q. If we would like to go to the Mendenhall Glacier, how do we get there?

A. Depending on our transportation schedule for that day, we offer a stop either before or after (at our discretion) your whale watching tour for $7 per guest. If you chose this option, we will take you to the Mendenhall Glacier for approximately 1 hour. Our driver will return to take you back to your pick up location.

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familycruzer

familycruzer

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Posted
This is what is on their updated website:

Q. If we would like to go to the Mendenhall Glacier, how do we get there?

A. Depending on our transportation schedule for that day, we offer a stop either before or after (at our discretion) your whale watching tour for $7 per guest. If you chose this option, we will take you to the Mendenhall Glacier for approximately 1 hour. Our driver will return to take you back to your pick up location.

 

 

Can you post on your return how it worked out for you?

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