Tracy Arm and Whale Watching in Juneau?

[Sherme]

I am booked on an HAL Inside Passage cruise at the end of June.  I have booked the Tracy Arm small boat excursion (transfer to small boat from Koningsdam at Tracy Arm and then meet up with cruise ship in Juneau a few hours later).  I think we will be on the small boat for 5 -6 hours before we get to Juneau.  I will still have at least 6 hours in Juneau after getting there.  I had originally wanted to do a whale watching trip in Juneau….but after booking the Tracy Arm excursion, I decided not to book the whale watching trip, because I thought that after being on a boat for about 6 hours, I may not want to get on another boat an hour or so after getting to Juneau.  I am spending a couple of days in Victoria after the cruise, and I was going to book a sunset whale watching cruise there instead.  After reading repeatedly that Juneau is the place to see whales, I am now second guessing my plan.

1. Has anyone done both Tracy Arm and a whale watching cruise on the same day?  Was it okay, or did you feel it was too much time on small boats?
2. Is it common to see whales during the TracyArm excursion?  I realize that the objective on the Tracy Arm excursion is glaciers and not whales, but I am wondering if going on a separate whale watching trip in Juneau would be worthwhile?

3. Since I am doing the Tracy Arm Excursion on the Juneau port day, and I am hesitant to spend another 4 hours on a boat, would doing the whale watching in Victoria be a good alternative?

Glaciers and seeing wildlife are my biggest priorities.  My other stops are Skagway and Ketchikan.

I appreciate any advice.  Thank you in advance.

[JT1962]

We previously took the small boat from Juneau to Tracy Arm with Adventure Bound and loved it and have booked the small boat from the ship for my May cruise. It is a much better experience than just staying on the ship.
 

We did see whales between Juneau and Tracy Arm, but not large groups like you may see on the actual whale watching tours. The more time you spend on the water, the better chances you have of seeing whales, so a separate whale watching excursion would give you more opportunities. Is there something else you would rather do in Juneau than another boat tour? Only you know how much time you are comfortable being in a smaller boat.

 

I have not taken a whale watching tour from Victoria, but from my research, you are more likely to see Orcas (Killer Whales) there than in Juneau. 

 

 

[Sherme]

Thank you for your response.  Yes, I am really excited to do the Tracy Arm excursion!  I think this excursion gets into Juneau around 3:30 pm, and we only leave port at 10 pm.  I don’t have anything booked for once I am in Juneau, but I was planning to take the shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier and then walk the trail to Nugget Falls. If the weather is great I may also do Mt Roberts.  But now I am wondering if I should do a whale watching tour instead.  

[Coral]

If this is your only trip to Alaska - I would do whale watching also in Juneau if you can.

 

 

 

Edited March 19, 2022 by Coral

[Dancing Shoes]

I agree with Coral.  We did the Tracy Arm excursion on HAL.  I don't really remember seeing any whales.  If that is what you like, you can never go on too many whale watch tours.  When I lived in Hawaii, I had a friend who went out 3-4 times during whale season.  

[Coral]

I have always done Tracy Arm with AdventureBound and I have always seen whales. Though I hear the route they do when you do it from the ship, you are less likely to see whales on that excursion. Though - whales on Tracy Arm excursion is always a bonus, not something to depend on.

 

After saying that - I agree with @Dancing Shoes - one can not see enough whales or wild life in Alaska. Mendenhall is very small in comparison to Tracy Arm. I have never been impressed with Mendenhall. I know people who do 2 whale watching sessions in a day in Juneau when they are there. 

 

Tracy Arm and whales are my 2 favorite things to do in Juneau!

[rostbp]

I am so glad you asked this question and thanks to everyone for your answers. I have been wondering the same thing as we too have Tracy Arm booked on June 27.  There were some good reviews for Juneau Whale Watch.  We were thinking of booking a 4:30 tour or booking the HAL evening dinner whale watch.

[Sherme]

Thank you all for your input.  I am looking at doing a late afternoon whale watching excursion with Harv and Marv.  They have a 5 pm to 9 pm trip, and they confirmed that I will be back on the cruise ship on time.

rostbp - I am also on HAL and doing the June 27th Tracy Arm excursion. 🙂

 

[ChanaC]

Does anyone have information about the Royal Caribbean Tracy Arm tour? We are booked for it, and it also says it's 5 hours. I kind of assumed we would get on the small boat near the beginning of the fjord, then get close to the glacier, then get back on the ship. Our ship is at Tracy Arm/Dawes Glacier from 5:00am-10:00am (the info from RC says the excursion starts at 7:00) then we go to Juneau and get in at 1:00 or 2:00 (depending on what part of the website you are looking at). We have a whale watch and Mendenhall glacier tour scheduled at 2:30. I was hoping that we could get back on the ship after the glacier, maybe change, eat lunch, and just relax a little, then go on the whale watch when we dock. Will we really be on the small boat all the way until we get into Juneau? Unfortunately the RC excursion description doesn't say.

[ChanaC]

^Apologies, should have said the Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier excursion, not Tracy Arm!

[xlxo]

On 3/19/2022 at 7:25 AM, Sherme said:

I am spending a couple of days in Victoria after the cruise, and I was going to book a sunset whale watching cruise there instead

The key difference is Juneau offers the large majestic humpbacks.  You get to see their butts (tail fins) a lot.  Victoria offers the smaller and faster orcas that will occasionally leap out of the water for you.

 

So the question is whether you want to see humpbacks vs orcas.