Whale watching tours

[colleensportster]

Hi. We are first time cruisers and going to Alaska with Celebrity in September. I’m trying to find my way around everything. I really want to do a whale watching tour. Any advice would be gratefully received. Should we stick to the cruise line tours or will independent operators be safe & reliable? 
Thanks, Colleen

[CruiserBruce]

Independents are quite reliable and recommended here almost daily.

[rjm11]

can you say more about your safety concerns? Are they covid safety? boating safety? Getting back in time safety? I chose independent private tours so that I would limit my covid exposure- and many of the independent tours have really really specified policies about having you back to the ship in time- their livelihood depends on it so they basically have to make sure it is NEVER an issue. I'm using Harv and Marv in Juneau and Glacier Wind in Icy Strait. I have done a tour with Harv and Marv in the past and can't say enough good things about that experience- my first trip with Glacier Wind will hopefully be in 2 weeks.

[JT1962]

I have used Glacier Winds & Hoonah Travel Adventures in Icy Strait Point and Juneau Whale Watch in Juneau with excellent results. Their boats are much smaller than the average ship excursions, with plenty of space on deck for viewing without others standing in front of you.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Some companies have contracts with cruise lines and won't let you book directly on days they have a tour through the cruise line. So they're semi-independent. Google is your travel friend--search "whale watch Juneau" and see what comes up. I haven't gone with Have and Marv, but I've heard nothing but good reviews about them. I like Gastineau Guiding. Their boats are small and they keep the group size manageable. Check out photos of the various companies--avoid the double-decker boats that are crammed with people all trying to get a spot where they can see whales. 

 

If one of your cruise line tours looks good, do a search for the exact name of the tour and you'll have a good chance of finding the company's website and check them out.

 

If you're going to Icy Straight Point, Hoonah Travel Adventures has the same (or similar) one-level boats that Gastineau uses. 

 

[colleensportster]

20 hours ago, rjm11 said:

can you say more about your safety concerns? Are they covid safety? boating safety? Getting back in time safety? I chose independent private tours so that I would limit my covid exposure- and many of the independent tours have really really specified policies about having you back to the ship in time- their livelihood depends on it so they basically have to make sure it is NEVER an issue. I'm using Harv and Marv in Juneau and Glacier Wind in Icy Strait. I have done a tour with Harv and Marv in the past and can't say enough good things about that experience- my first trip with Glacier Wind will hopefully be in 2 weeks.

Thank you. My main concerns are around being met, returned in time for the ship, and the safety of the boat.

Harv & Marv seem to be popular

[3rdGenCunarder]

Being around met?

 

All the boats are inspected by the coast guard. I've never seen anything that looks unreliable.

[rjm11]

Since this is Alaska, (ie USA) I don't think you have to worry about boating safety and reliability. There are really strict guidelines for boating tours in the US, in terms of equipment, safety gear, training of the captains, etc. The same is not necessarily true for Mexico or areas of the Caribbean, but in Alaska you can feel assured!

 

This is from Harv and Marv's website, but I've seen similar things on lots of independent tours- again, their whole business depends on this never happening.

 

What happens if we miss our cruise ship because the boat breaks down?

• First, we have never had anybody miss their cruise ship. We guarantee we will get you back to your cruise ship before it departs.

  If we fail:

  1. You will receive a full refund for the whale watching tour.

  2. Each passenger on board will receive $100.

  3. We will pay the boat or plane fare to get you to your next port of call.

  4. If needed, we will provide food and lodging.

Edited May 20, 2022 by rjm11

[compozer]

Do you pay a deposit for the Harv and Marv's tour or do you have to pay in full?

[donaldsc]

2 hours ago, compozer said:

Do you pay a deposit for the Harv and Marv's tour or do you have to pay in full?

 

Suggest you go to their WEB site to get your answer.  Or else call them.

 

DON

[compozer]

Suggest you go to their WEB site to get your answer.  Or else call them.

 

I did but have received different answers

[quack2]

In my experience, whale watching from an excursion booked through cruise line will be on a larger boat filled to capacity and little ability to maneuver for photos since everyone has the same idea.

 

Whale watching with Harv and Marv or Glacier Wind, will be on a small boat with just a few other passengers.  If photography is your thing, go with the small boat, independent companies.

[llkoolj40]

We've used Harv and Marv on 4 separate occasions and had a great experience each time. 

[KKB]

On 5/29/2022 at 10:09 PM, llkoolj40 said:

We've used Harv and Marv on 4 separate occasions and had a great experience each time. 

Edited June 1, 2022 by KKB

[KreinKrunker]

Another vote for Harv & Marv.  We've used their services the last four trips.

[luv2cruise668]

We just back from our Alaska cruise on Radiance last week.  We used Harv & Marv in Juneau and Glacier Winds in Icy Straight.  They were both AMAZING!  I highly recommend both companies.  They were both smaller boats with seating capacities of about 16 but neither tour was full so there was plenty of room in the open areas to take pictures without crowding anyone.  

[sjs203]

1 hour ago, luv2cruise668 said:

We just back from our Alaska cruise on Radiance last week.  We used Harv & Marv in Juneau and Glacier Winds in Icy Straight.  They were both AMAZING!  I highly recommend both companies.  They were both smaller boats with seating capacities of about 16 but neither tour was full so there was plenty of room in the open areas to take pictures without crowding anyone.  

I've just booked Harv and Marv for August. Can't wait for out turn 🙂 

[Elaine5715]

This was our Harv and Marv boat.  A total of 6 guests

[dhanakorn]

Another vote for Harv and Marv. Just went on the whale watching tour with them last week. There’re quite a lot of people on that day so they deployed 3 boats. I went with Captain Mickey on the Chilkat. She’s great with a lot patience — sometimes you need to wait for whales to go up to the water surface. Saw 4-5 humpback whales today, in addition to orcas, sea lions, and bald eagles. Wonderful experience, highly recommended. 

 

[quack2]

Any thoughts on your preferred camera lens for whale watching?

[Glaciers]

43 minutes ago, quack2 said:

Any thoughts on your preferred camera lens for whale watching?

Usually you want to go as long as you can. I use one that is 60-600mm although anything 300-400mm works well. When I first started I used a 200mm and did ok but the photos needed a good crop.  For the first time last month, the captain shut the engines off after a Coast Guard boat sped through the area where the humpback was that we were watching. The whale headed for us and dove 20-30 yards from the boat before diving. Good experience.

 

We’ve used Harv n Marv twice and had a good experience and a poor one. We’ve used Juneau Whale Watch now 4 times and find them a better experience. The past two trips we had about 25 passengers and there was plenty of room for viewing at the rail.

[quack2]

I have a 100-400 and a 150-600.  Probably will bring both on the boat with two bodies.