Emu2302 Posted September 4, 2019 #1 Share Posted September 4, 2019 (edited) We are planning to do a whale watching excursion in Juneau, but would also like to go up to the Mendenhall visitor center as well. I'd prefer to book whale watching with Harv & Marv based on the reviews, but they do not do Mendenhall. Wie wouldn't have time to go to Mendenhall on our own if we booked through Harv & Marv. There is an excursion offered through HAL, but I was curious if anyone knew what operator they use? I am trying to find some reviews and the review system on HAL.com is horrendous. This is the one I'm speaking of: Mendenhall Glacier & Whale Quest Edited September 4, 2019 by Emu2302 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glaciers Posted September 4, 2019 #2 Share Posted September 4, 2019 If the boat holds over 100 people its Allen Marine. If 20 or so it’s probably Gastineau Guiding who gets very good reviews. Smaller boats are usually preferred as appears you’re aware of since you’ve considered Harv and Marv. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emu2302 Posted September 4, 2019 Author #3 Share Posted September 4, 2019 28 minutes ago, Glaciers said: If the boat holds over 100 people its Allen Marine. If 20 or so it’s probably Gastineau Guiding who gets very good reviews. Smaller boats are usually preferred as appears you’re aware of since you’ve considered Harv and Marv. Thank you! A whale watching boat with 100+ people sounds like a nightmare. I wonder if I call HAL to inquire on the size of the boat, if they could/would tell me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glaciers Posted September 4, 2019 #4 Share Posted September 4, 2019 I would think they could tell but who knows. I called about the new Hubbard Glacier excursion as it wasn't showing on the excursion list for our ship. They said it was already sold out. Turned out it wasn't operating yet. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emu2302 Posted September 4, 2019 Author #5 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Just now, Glaciers said: I would think they could tell but who knows. I called about the new Hubbard Glacier excursion as it wasn't showing on the excursion list for our ship. They said it was already sold out. Turned out it wasn't operating yet. Good luck! Thank you! Based on your info and visiting both Allen Marine and Gastineau Guiding websites I was able to determine Allen Marine is the operator for the tour I am looking at (Gastineau Guiding looks to be the operator for the same tour w/Photo Safari). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnterry Posted September 4, 2019 #6 Share Posted September 4, 2019 We went on a whale watching tour in July of this year with Juneau Tours that was a combo whale watching/Mendenhall Glacier tour. It was a very nice boat with great tour guides and there were probably no more than 20 of us. The boat could hold more, but even with more people I would think it would have still been good. Their website is juneautours.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donaldsc Posted September 4, 2019 #7 Share Posted September 4, 2019 2 hours ago, Emu2302 said: Thank you! Based on your info and visiting both Allen Marine and Gastineau Guiding websites I was able to determine Allen Marine is the operator for the tour I am looking at (Gastineau Guiding looks to be the operator for the same tour w/Photo Safari). I did the Photo Safari tour with Gastineau. I think that there were maybe 12 people on the boat. It was a very good excursion. DON Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruise_More_Often Posted September 4, 2019 #8 Share Posted September 4, 2019 13 hours ago, donaldsc said: I did the Photo Safari tour with Gastineau. I think that there were maybe 12 people on the boat. It was a very good excursion. DON We did the Photo Safari with Gastineau also. The excursion did go to Mendenhall Glacier, but it involved a hike into the area, and we had only a short time there for photographs of the Glacier from a distance. You might be able to arrange with them to be left at the Glacier, but you would be responsible for your own transportation back to the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donaldsc Posted September 4, 2019 #9 Share Posted September 4, 2019 4 hours ago, Cruise_More_Often said: We did the Photo Safari with Gastineau also. The excursion did go to Mendenhall Glacier, but it involved a hike into the area, and we had only a short time there for photographs of the Glacier from a distance. You might be able to arrange with them to be left at the Glacier, but you would be responsible for your own transportation back to the ship. That was the one we took except that we did Mendenhall first so we couldn't stay there. The walk was not long bu,t it was not a waste of time and we did it mainly for the whales. DON Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted September 5, 2019 #10 Share Posted September 5, 2019 Allen Marine boats are large but have real restrooms, food and beverages, large windows, less wave motion, naturalists, good seats, and lots of deck area for whale watching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quack2 Posted September 5, 2019 #11 Share Posted September 5, 2019 The downside of the ship excursion that includes Mendenhall, other than cost, is the number of people they cram onto the boat. If you're hoping to get whale photos, you will be challenged on the excursion vessel because of people being in your way. Harv and Marv, or other small boat companies, are much better for getting good photos, assuming the whales are cooperating. On a recent trip, I did Harv and Marv in the morning, had them drop me at the airport on the way back, rented a car at the airport, then drove to Mendenhall Glacier and then on up to the National Shrine of St. Therese's and beyond. Then back to the airport where I dropped the car and took a taxi back to the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruise_More_Often Posted September 5, 2019 #12 Share Posted September 5, 2019 18 hours ago, Crew News said: Allen Marine boats are large but have real restrooms, food and beverages, large windows, less wave motion, naturalists, good seats, and lots of deck area for whale watching. This is one thing I've noticed on the Gastineau Photo Excursions. The boat goes like a bat out of hell to get to the area where the whales are, then comes to a stop. It becomes a real challenge to get a decent photo, even with few people aboard those boats, with the boat bouncing up and down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crew News Posted September 5, 2019 #13 Share Posted September 5, 2019 13 minutes ago, Cruise_More_Often said: This is one thing I've noticed on the Gastineau Photo Excursions. The boat goes like a bat out of hell to get to the area where the whales are, then comes to a stop. It becomes a real challenge to get a decent photo, even with few people aboard those boats, with the boat bouncing up and down. The secret to small boats is to sit as close to the back door as possible and head out the back door as soon as the crew allows it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emu2302 Posted September 8, 2019 Author #14 Share Posted September 8, 2019 Thank you all! I'm leaning towards booking Juneau tours. The shared experiences and tips are really helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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