Has anyone ever seen a whale from the cruise ship?

[cruisinaz]

HI everyone!

I have been on whale watching excursions in Hawaii.. saw some but not great.  I have seen great photos of some from ppl on Alaska excursions.. but what about all the photos we don't see because the whales are too far away??

 

Thus, as I narrow down all the things to do in such a short time.. has anyone ever seen a whale from their balcony??

 

Thanks

[Eaglecw]

Yes, almost every cruise we've taken to Alaska. I was on a Ships tour a few years ago and saw dozens of whales from the bridge. All you have to do is watch for them and you'll see them. I find most people don't watch for the whales.

[Glaciers]

We’ve seen them on each of our trips although usually from quite a distance and usually just flukes and blow. A good pair of binoculars really helps. 

 

We took the ferry from Haines to Bellingham last May and were treated to two sets of bubble net feeding within 100 yards of the vessel. An unusual treat.

 

You may see them from your balcony but you’ll still be missing more than half of what’s available to see if you don’t go to a forward viewing area.

 

If your ship has a naturalist they will know when you will be passing though known whale feeding areas. We had a great naturalist once who had a map of the inside passage and would update it with the approximate times we’d be traveling through these areas.

[Coral]

Yes but they look very small. I would book an excursion.

[Jzx1103]

Last time we went on Alaska cruise,  the Captain would announce it when there's a whale nearby. We saw 4 or 5 total.

[schlogee]

We saw humpbacks and orcas - very cool!

Edited April 17, 2019 by schlogee

[gottagoacruzn]

8 hours ago, cruisinaz said:

HI everyone!

I have been on whale watching excursions in Hawaii.. saw some but not great.  I have seen great photos of some from ppl on Alaska excursions.. but what about all the photos we don't see because the whales are too far away??

 

Thus, as I narrow down all the things to do in such a short time.. has anyone ever seen a whale from their balcony??

 

Thanks

Hi Cruisinaz, twenty some yrs ago on a cruise to Alaska, was wanderin up to the front of the ship when a whale breeched, all I could do was watch, couldn't get the camera to go. Never forgot it.  It happened that the ship was in the inside passage. A couple of yrs ago, in Alaska, was standin on the balcony, the ship was docked in Icy Strait Point, an was watchin all the goings on, could see whales in the distance, when my roommate came in an said, lets go up on deck an see if we could see anything, well we hadn't been standin on the deck for long, when the whales started circlin the ship again, again an... Wow, couldn't believe it. Took pictures, an perhaps next yr will be goin back to Alaska. It was the highlite of the cruise.

[ute_fan]

We've seen them from the cruise ship, but it's nothing like what you see on a smaller boat tour in Juneau.  From the ship you're seeing them 7 or more decks below.  From our tours with Harv & Marv on one of their small 6 passenger boats, you're right there and can hear them blow.  Absolutely no comparison to what you might see on the cruise ship.

 

Edited April 17, 2019 by ute_fan

[Ashland]

Absolutely we have ... humpbacks and an orca just below our balcony cabin !!! We also saw many really close not only from the tender but from the shoreline in Icy Straight Point...amazing !!!!

[TwinMamainMN]

We saw an orca breech but it was far away and very small. On our small private whale watching excursion in ISP, we saw 15 orca (including an orca calf!), 9 humpback whales bubble net feeding, and we were RIGHT THERE. There is nothing like it. I even heard the "call" of the humpbacks just before they came up to eat and we could feel the vibrations in the boat hull. There is nothing like it!

[Heidi13]

Have seen many whales from the ship, but also spent 40 years at sea, so many opportunities. On the ship it is hit or miss and your vantage point, even from the Prom Deck can be rather high.

 

On a whale watching excursion the boats all talk to each other and manoeuvre to provide the best view. On one of our whale watching excursions in Alaska we got close to a group of whales bubble net fishing. That 1 experience was vastly superior to all sightings from the ship.

[hapster85]

Lots of opportunities to see wildlife from the ship while cruising Alaska, and not just in the water. Bring your binoculars. You may spot bears, sheep, moose, elk. And bald eagles are everywhere!

As to the whale watching excursions in Alaska, you won't be disappointed. Our last trip, we went while in Juneau, and they were everywhere. Humpbacks and orcas. Amazing creatures to watch. Happy hunting!

[thinfool]

Everyone here is right!  Many, many whales...some dolphin.  Mostly humpbacks in Alaska.

Worth a comment...as we sailed out of Glacier Bay we saw several young humpies breeching in the afternoon light.  Amazing!

In one of the narrower sections of the Inside Passage a humpie was swimming alongside....and raise a flipper and waved at us.  I'm pretty sure he/she was on the Princess payroll. <vbg>

[FranknBeans]

Yes lots of times in Hawaii and also on our 1st trip to Alaska.This will be our 2nd cruise to Alaska

We have even seen a dead baby caracas floating mostly eaten in Hawaii as well.

Edited April 18, 2019 by FranknBeans

[rick160158]

On 4/16/2019 at 11:50 AM, cruisinaz said:

HI everyone!

I have been on whale watching excursions in Hawaii.. saw some but not great.  I have seen great photos of some from ppl on Alaska excursions.. but what about all the photos we don't see because the whales are too far away??

 

Thus, as I narrow down all the things to do in such a short time.. has anyone ever seen a whale from their balcony??

 

Thanks

Yup....In Icy Straight....Wasted money on a whale excursion, as the excursion simply circled the cruise ship, as that's where the whales were.

[Italy52]

2 hours ago, rick160158 said:

Yup....In Icy Straight....Wasted money on a whale excursion, as the excursion simply circled the cruise ship, as that's where the whales were.

 

 

If you don't mind me asking, when did you see this type of activity? 

[rick160158]

1 hour ago, Italy52 said:

 

 

If you don't mind me asking, when did you see this type of activity? 

It was in the month of May

[Italy52]

8 minutes ago, rick160158 said:

If the May time frame was for 2018, then I can understand your comment about whale activity near the ship.  We did a B2B cruise in May giving us an opportunity to do two whale watching tours in Icy Strait.  We were extremely lucky that we were able to witness bubble net feeding on both excursions.  We took Glacier Wind Charters and getting up close and personal to the whales was an exciting moment. In our minds, I don't think a view from the ship would have been as memorable.  We have been to Icy Strait a total of 13 times and seeing whales so close to the ship hasn't always happened.  Yes, we have seen a whale near the shore line from time to time and then some out further in the water but nothing in my opinion as thrilling as the up close and personal experience.  I'm sorry that you felt your money was wasted. 

 

[cruisinaz]

Thanks everyone for you thoughts!!!

[Melinda Brasher]

From the decks of cruise ships I've seen lots of whales spouts and flukes from a distance.  If you spend time watching, you'll likely see some.  I've seen a fair number of whale backs and flukes and spouts from a moderate distance.  I've seen a few backs just cresting the water quite close to the ship.  And on one amazing day I saw a humpback breach three times all down the length of the ship, right off the side.  It was amazing.  But that sort of display is very unusual.  Just spend a lot of time watching...and hope.   

[Dani24]

We cruised to Alaska back in 2010 (late July/early August). We saw whales off the ship multiple times. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me at the time, so no pics. But one of the times we were walking along the Promenade and saw one just off the Port side of the ship. It wasn't too far -- less than 100 yards away. The other time there were some on the Starboard side, and pretty close too. I remember hearing people yelling "whales! whales!" as we were walking to the buffet, and everyone suddenly stampeded to the right side of the ship and looked out the deck windows. I swear we felt the ship list a little!

Edited April 19, 2019 by Dani24

[Budget Queen]

I,   Always,   have my binoculars with me on Alaska cruises.    Essential for my priorities.   I suggest a good wide angle pair, as you need the range.    I spend a great deal of time on deck during sailing and always am rewarded.    I also do know specific areas.      But,  you also will always see me,  on tours.  I never miss them,  for me,  it is not the place to skimp.  

 

The reference above about Hoonah,  was due to the short, herring bloom,   and it is NOT usual to have endless activity right outside a ship.   So the tours there,  simply are great choices overall.  

[dustyroad]

My friend and I were very lucky to see a pod of Orca whales from our balcony in the open water going back to Seattle from our Alaska trip.  They stayed with with us for about 1/2 hr then went off in another direction.  It was amazing to see them for so long. Other times maybe one from the dining room window, but mostly on the whale tours in Juneau Alaska.  

[PittsburghNative]

Are there months that are worse than others to spot whales?

[Budget Queen]

On 4/18/2019 at 2:17 PM, rick160158 said:

Yup....In Icy Straight....Wasted money on a whale excursion, as the excursion simply circled the cruise ship, as that's where the whales were.

 

this is not usual and actually occured due to the herring bloom.   This only lasts a short time,  so you were lucky.   I have taken whale watches out of Hoonah,  multiple times and sightings are usually grossly superior on the whale watches.     

 

If your trip was 5-17,   I actually went out twice on whale watches during the bloom  and just superb being right next to the action on the water.