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Whale Watching Advice Needed


Hope4MeToo
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Check out Harv and Marv's whale watching in Juneau. I used them several years ago and was so very happy with them. Last year we went 2 different times to Alaska and it was the company I recommended to everyone and they were all very happy with their choice.

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Juneau is definitely the place for whale watching. Although Harv and Marv has great name recognition and hence market share, I'd highly recommend Gastineau Guiding as their boats are a lot more stable and a lot more suited to see the whales with great big windows that lift out of the way.

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We went with Jayleen twice in July of this year and had a wonderful time. We are doing another B2B in May of 2018 and have already booked our two whale watching trips with Jayleen. If you want more comments on Jayleen's Alaska you might also want to check out TripAdvisor.

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Are children suitable for any of the whale watching tours? They'll be 9 and 7. My kids are very well traveled so they will behave -- we just got back from the Baltics and they did amazing after 14+ hours of tours in St. Petersburg.

Edited by pr0pel
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Are children suitable for any of the whale watching tours? They'll be 9 and 7. My kids are very well traveled so they will behave -- we just got back from the Baltics and they did amazing after 14+ hours of tours in St. Petersburg.

 

When I went with Jayleen's Alaska, we had 4 adult passengers and then a boy around 12 and a 6 year old boy. Jayleen and Emily interacted well with all of us. The 6 year old really liked the excursion. We saw both Orcas and Humpbacks.

 

Enjoy the whales!

 

Patti

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Are children suitable for any of the whale watching tours? They'll be 9 and 7. My kids are very well traveled so they will behave -- we just got back from the Baltics and they did amazing after 14+ hours of tours in St. Petersburg.

 

If they are interested in wild life. The kids I have seen on whale watching tours have enjoyed it.

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Are children suitable for any of the whale watching tours? They'll be 9 and 7. My kids are very well traveled so they will behave -- we just got back from the Baltics and they did amazing after 14+ hours of tours in St. Petersburg.

 

FYI, here is the criteria for a H&M tour with children:

 

"Q. Is there a discount for children? (see minimum age policy)

A. Sorry, because of our limited seating capacity, we are unable to offer any discounts. To help keep all of our customers as happy as possible, if you have children under the age of thirteen (13) you will need to book a private tour." The Q&A listing at the H&M website further details their policy on children.

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FYI, here is the criteria for a H&M tour with children:

 

"Q. Is there a discount for children? (see minimum age policy)

 

A. Sorry, because of our limited seating capacity, we are unable to offer any discounts. To help keep all of our customers as happy as possible, if you have children under the age of thirteen (13) you will need to book a private tour." The Q&A listing at the H&M website further details their policy on children.

 

Thankfully - other companies do not have this stipulation. I honestly have not had problems with kids on whale watching trips. Maybe I have been lucky.

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Yeah, I saw H&M does not allow kids so I contacted a few others. I may have a change of plans -- Since we're disembarking in Seward, I might just do the Marine tour there that will include whale watching. In Juneau, I'll probably head up to Mendenhall. Is the whale watching in Seward comparable?

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Thankfully - other companies do not have this stipulation. I honestly have not had problems with kids on whale watching trips. Maybe I have been lucky.

 

I'll add, yes you have been lucky. :) I have experienced a few disruptive kids on my tours. But, I go on at least 20 whale watches per year, so have a larger pool of possibilities than most people. (out of 3 areas).

 

Frankly Alaska is the most expensive whale watching that I do, about triple the cost of my trips out of Gloucester and Hawaii which I do every year. With a 6 pack, and the demand, the vendor can offer this. I'd choose this type of vendor over others for my preferences. But, I'm now chartering way more since I've become picky about where I go, and see. Along with having cpt preferences.

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Thankfully - other companies do not have this stipulation. I honestly have not had problems with kids on whale watching trips. Maybe I have been lucky.

 

We have done a lot of whale watching tours and have only had one bad experience with a child.

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I'll add, yes you have been lucky. :) I have experienced a few disruptive kids on my tours. But, I go on at least 20 whale watches per year, so have a larger pool of possibilities than most people. (out of 3 areas).

 

Frankly Alaska is the most expensive whale watching that I do, about triple the cost of my trips out of Gloucester and Hawaii which I do every year. With a 6 pack, and the demand, the vendor can offer this. I'd choose this type of vendor over others for my preferences. But, I'm now chartering way more since I've become picky about where I go, and see. Along with having cpt preferences.

 

Thanks for reminding me about Gloucester tours. I'm only a few hours from there and if I can save some $, I rather go on other excursions that I can't do locally.

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