Juneau whale watching in September

[Seekup]

We'll be in Juneau on September 12. Anyone have experience with a whale watching tour this late in the season? We don't want to bother if it's unlikely to see them.

 

I was thinking I'd like a smaller boat but there are 8 of us so a 6-pack isn't an option. Can y'all recommend operators that have smallish boats?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Crew News]

58 minutes ago, Seekup said:

We'll be in Juneau on September 12. Anyone have experience with a whale watching tour this late in the season? We don't want to bother if it's unlikely to see them.

 

I was thinking I'd like a smaller boat but there are 8 of us so a 6-pack isn't an option. Can y'all recommend operators that have smallish boats?

 

Thanks in advance!

There will be whales in Juneau in September and most tour operators offer $100 refund if whales are not spotted.  Some whales are permanent residents and do not migrate. .  Just note that when whales are spotted, ALL of the excursion boats head for them (professional courtesy among captains) so no excursion company can claim "best whale spotter" status.

 

The only difference in boat size are facilities.  Bigger excursion boats have nice restrooms, snack bars, provided binoculars, and very comfortable seating.  The larger boats do not feel the waves whereas the smaller boats can bounce violently when stopped to photograph whales.

 

 

[Seekup]

52 minutes ago, Crew News said:

There will be whales in Juneau in September and most tour operators offer $100 refund if whales are not spotted.  Some whales are permanent residents and do not migrate. .  Just note that when whales are spotted, ALL of the excursion boats head for them (professional courtesy among captains) so no excursion company can claim "best whale spotter" status.

 

The only difference in boat size are facilities.  Bigger excursion boats have nice restrooms, snack bars, provided binoculars, and very comfortable seating.  The larger boats do not feel the waves whereas the smaller boats can bounce violently when stopped to photograph whales.

 

 

Great info, thank you! Can you recommend an operator that uses boats with 20ish people on it? No worries if not, I'll search and GTS!

 

[Crew News]

7 minutes ago, Seekup said:

Great info, thank you! Can you recommend an operator that uses boats with 20ish people on it? No worries if not, I'll search and GTS!

 

I remember using Gastineau a number of years ago:  Gastineau Guiding

[Coral]

You can look at Harv and Marv's and Jayleen's also.

[mil76]

We're also in Juneau on the 12th (Ovation OTS).  We're using Alaska Tales https://alaska-whalewatching.com/.  We used them last September about a week earlier and we saw lots of whales and it was the highlight of our cruise.  The boat was a bit larger than 20, but we didn't mind since it poured the whole time and we were able to stay inside and keep warm while we were on the move between sightings. 

 

We did the Mendenhall Glacier/Whale watching combo last year but this year we are just doing whale watching since the Mendenhall part last year was a washout and we spent most of the time waiting in the pouring rain for the bus to return.

[GatorMomInNC]

We were in Alaska in September a few years ago and booked a smaller boat, private tour, and it was one of the highlights of any cruise I have ever been on.  They cut the engine and we floated and the whales were right next to us, under us, all around.  It was awesome. 

 

Sorry, forgot to say it was with Harv and Marv. 

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by GatorMomInNC
forgot something

[Rothko1]

On 7/30/2023 at 8:53 AM, GatorMomInNC said:

We were in Alaska in September a few years ago and booked a smaller boat, private tour, and it was one of the highlights of any cruise I have ever been on.  They cut the engine and we floated and the whales were right next to us, under us, all around.  It was awesome. 

 

Sorry, forgot to say it was with Harv and Marv. 

 

 

Sounds awesome!

[lucywestie]

We have only done Alaska cruises in September. Went with Harv & Marv one time. 6 people only on the boat. Was a nice trip but the Captain of the vessel decided not to follow the other boats and wanted to go her own way. All fair and well but we were extremely late to the party when a pod of 3 Humpbacks started breaching and tail slapping, we only caught the tail end of it. We saw an eagle before that. So I wasnt totally impressed. But yes, we saw lots of whales, especially from the ship. I was on deck a lot keeping an eye out. We are heading back for a two week cruise this coming September with Princess.

[donaldsc]

On 7/16/2023 at 10:49 AM, Crew News said:

I remember using Gastineau a number of years ago:  Gastineau Guiding

 

Princess uses Gastineau Guide as one of their operators for their whale tours.  We have done 3 tours w them and all were excellent.  In fact the guide we had this summer w them was one of the best guides we have ever had on any tour anywhere.  The tours we took uses one of their small boats which I thought was better than a large one since everyone could get outside to see the whales.  

 

DON