HandC4Me Posted June 28, 2022 #1 Share Posted June 28, 2022 Trying to decide on a whale-watching excursion in ISP next week. I've read some great recommendations for independent tour operators, but I also just noticed that the NCL excursion is right at about the same price point. In the past, we've always used independent operators for tours as we felt we got a much better value. In this case, we do have some Excursion credit dollars to play with, so I'm considering the NCL tour. But of course I don't want to book it if it's known for being shoddy, using an inferior tour operator, etc. There are so many knowledgeable people on this Forum; if anyone can share their input/experience with the NCL tour, I'd really appreciate it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCJack Posted June 29, 2022 #2 Share Posted June 29, 2022 We went with independent, and were on a smaller boat (about 14 people) and that was nice. You arent fighting for space at the rail to get a good view. I recall all excursions docked real close to the ship so there shouldnt be an issue with getting to the ship on time, etc. All of those boat captains talk to each other which is good so you may end up following the same whales as the ship excursion. We had just a fantastic whale watching experience at ISP. Have fun. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT1962 Posted June 29, 2022 #3 Share Posted June 29, 2022 The main advantage to independent vs ship excursions in Alaska tends to be the size of the boat / bus being used on the tour rather than much of a cost saving, as is common in the Caribbean. If you have onboard credit you need to spend or lose, you are probably better to book the ship excursion. Otherwise check out Glacier Winds or Hoonah Adventures. I have used both and would gladly use either again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Italy52 Posted July 7, 2022 #4 Share Posted July 7, 2022 Great independent whale watching company in Icy Strait is Glacier Wind Charters --- outstanding company! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gia2cats Posted July 7, 2022 #5 Share Posted July 7, 2022 We did a 6 person independent tour 4 years ago and doing it again in 2 weeks. Just loved the small boat and personalized service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare tetleytea Posted July 7, 2022 #6 Share Posted July 7, 2022 I'm sailing on Norwegian and I went independent. The price was the same. What swayed me was that I was able to do a B2B tour with the same excursion company and combine a bear wildlife viewing with whale watching. Only this operator offered the two tours back-to-back, and if it were not so, we never would have been able to fit the two tours into the time window we are in port. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giskard Posted July 7, 2022 #7 Share Posted July 7, 2022 Tetleytea - what tour company did you use to do the B2B tours. That sounds like something we might be interested in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surreymum Posted July 7, 2022 #8 Share Posted July 7, 2022 We used only independent operators on our recent cruise. Each one spoke about about how using independents benefitted the community more than those booked through the cruise lines. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare tetleytea Posted July 7, 2022 #9 Share Posted July 7, 2022 12 hours ago, Giskard said: Tetleytea - what tour company did you use to do the B2B tours. That sounds like something we might be interested in Icy Strait Whale Adventures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruz_happy Posted July 16, 2022 #10 Share Posted July 16, 2022 On 7/6/2022 at 7:10 PM, Gia2cats said: We did a 6 person independent tour 4 years ago and doing it again in 2 weeks. Just loved the small boat and personalized service. Which tour company did you use for this? TYIA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ermedchyc29 Posted September 14, 2022 #11 Share Posted September 14, 2022 On 7/7/2022 at 12:22 AM, tetleytea said: I'm sailing on Norwegian and I went independent. The price was the same. What swayed me was that I was able to do a B2B tour with the same excursion company and combine a bear wildlife viewing with whale watching. Only this operator offered the two tours back-to-back, and if it were not so, we never would have been able to fit the two tours into the time window we are in port. May I ask which company you used? I too am looking for a whale watching/bear search excursion in ISP. I've heard some tours just drive you around searching for bears and another has you walk on a boardwalk to viewing platforms. How did the company you used do the bear search as I mentioned above? Thank you for your response! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donaldsc Posted September 15, 2022 #12 Share Posted September 15, 2022 What everyone is ignoring is that all of the ship tours are done by the same operators who are doing the independent tours. One difference is that on a ship tour the operator does not get to keep all of your money as the cruise company takes a cut. More important is you can pick the tour operator if you do independent while on a ship tour you get to do whatever the ship decides to offer you regardless of what you really want. I almost always do independent. DON 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MellyBell Posted September 15, 2022 #13 Share Posted September 15, 2022 We did a back to back whale/bear with Hoonah Travel and had a wonderful time. They are locals who love to share their history and are so proud of their town. When possible we try and do independent tours. What Donaldsc mentioned is correct they do contract out but this way you can choose the company you use and we feel like they give you special attention because all of your money goes to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawk1972 Posted September 16, 2022 #14 Share Posted September 16, 2022 We have done a whale watching tour with Glacier Wind Charters in Hoonah twice, in 2018 and most recently on Sept. 8. Our ship, the Norwegian Sun, was delayed by rough seas the day before by 1 3/4 hours. GWC told us not to worry, met us at the excursion hub in ISP at 4 pm, brought us to the boat (there were 4 of us) and Captain Casey took us on an excellent trip until almost dark. They are a local family business and go above and beyond. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Italy52 Posted September 16, 2022 #15 Share Posted September 16, 2022 43 minutes ago, hawk1972 said: We have done a whale watching tour with Glacier Wind Charters in Hoonah twice, in 2018 and most recently on Sept. 8. Our ship, the Norwegian Sun, was delayed by rough seas the day before by 1 3/4 hours. GWC told us not to worry, met us at the excursion hub in ISP at 4 pm, brought us to the boat (there were 4 of us) and Captain Casey took us on an excellent trip until almost dark. They are a local family business and go above and beyond. Have used Glacier Wind many times. They are a great company to work with and our No. 1 choice whenever we are sailing to ISP. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arubamoose Posted September 17, 2022 #16 Share Posted September 17, 2022 On 9/16/2022 at 11:55 AM, Italy52 said: Have used Glacier Wind many times. They are a great company to work with and our No. 1 choice whenever we are sailing to ISP. I would agree with Glacier Wind. We even had a small whale swim under the boat! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longsx3 Posted September 20, 2022 #17 Share Posted September 20, 2022 On 7/7/2022 at 12:22 AM, tetleytea said: I'm sailing on Norwegian and I went independent. The price was the same. What swayed me was that I was able to do a B2B tour with the same excursion company and combine a bear wildlife viewing with whale watching. Only this operator offered the two tours back-to-back, and if it were not so, we never would have been able to fit the two tours into the time window we are in port. Which company did you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTBCruiser Posted September 26, 2022 #18 Share Posted September 26, 2022 Majority of the time I book independent excursions but took a chance on the NCL excursion. Was a pleasant surprise. Tour operator was very professional, personable and great humor. He made it fun with detailed explanations. Saw many whales up close. Also saw sea lions and otters. Boat was big enough to move around and see the sights without feeling crowded. Plenty of personal space inside and out on viewing decks. Money well spent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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