Harv and Marv's Whale Watching June 23

[Hasletlady]

There have been several good reports on this Juneau tour and I just had to add another comment because we enjoyed this excursion so much. We booked back in February after reading several reviews on this board. For beginner cruisers I can honestly say these boards will steer you in the right direction. This was our second cruise and I have to say thanks to everyone that gives out great tips. We went whale watching with Pete or Harv this year I believe, and he was such a neat addition to the cruise. So informative and I teased him that I read on the boards he always finds whales, so the pressure was on, but of course he found whales and we got some great pictures, have not had time to download yet. And the cookies are just amazing! There were six of us on board with Pete, we took pictures of sea lions, eagles, whales and then Eileen's dad, who drove the van, dropped us off at Mendenhall Glacier and actually came back later and picked us up and took us into town because he was going back anyway. He also gave some good info on where to eat. He suggested the Hanger and the Twisted Fish. Went to the Hanger and had a really good burger.

[dancingfish]

We were with Harv and Marv the week before and I will say it again this is THE BEST trip you can possibly take while in ALASKA-- This is family fun-- a family business (Dad dropped us off at Mendenhall as well and picked us up 2 hours later!) And SO DARN INFORMATIVE!!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

So glad that you enjoyed that excursion - it is a great one!!!

[wickedwitch1]

So glad to hear that you enjoyed your excursion with them! We are going to Alaska at the end of August and I booked them for my DH, DS, DD and I in Juneau. I have heard many good things about them too. They mentioned that they would pick us up from the glacier as we are taking the 3pm excursion. Did you take a bus to the glacier from town?

[plenox]

I also heard another operator called Charter-Alaska from this forum. How does that compare to Harv and Marv? I already gave up on the larger boats and really want to go out with some smaller operators since everyone is raving about service provided at personal level.

[Hasletlady]

The van picked us up at 10 am right in front of the ship, drove us to Auke Bay for the tour. After the tour the van took us to Mendenhall Glacier, picked us up again about an hour and half later and took us back to the pier. We could have taken the shuttle back to the pier for about six dollars pp I believe. Eileen's dad, so sorry I cannot remember his name, was very nice and told a lot of history about Juneau. Very interesting.

[heyitsmejudy]

Eileen's dad, so sorry I cannot remember his name, was very nice and told a lot of history about Juneau. Very interesting.

 

Sandy. And you're right, he's an excursion all by himself!

[Hasletlady]

Thanks Judy. Sorry, don't know anything about Charter-Alaska.

[lovely12no]

Hello All. We'll be aboard Infinity 9/16 and would like to know if you could share Marv & Harv's website info. I can't seem to find it although I know it's here somewhere! :O)

Thanks for the help!

Susan

[ute_fan]

Here you go: http://www.harvandmarvs.com/

[jabber]

Was this Harv & Marv's Tour #1? I'm not sure which tour to book for next summer. I'm wondering if you see more than whales with their basic #1 tour.

[ute_fan]

We took the basic #1 tour in May. I'm sure the marine life you see might be different from time to time, but we saw humpback whales, seals, sea lions and otters. We also saw several kinds of birds and numerous bald eagles. As far as non-wildlife, the trip included a stop at Mendenhall Glacier and views of Point Retreat lighthouse.

 

One nice thing about Harv & Marv's tour is that they will customize it for you. About the first thing Jay did after we boarded was asked us if we were more interested in seeing whales or a variety. We said to focus on whales, but as you can see, we saw lots more too!

[jabber]

Thanks Ute Fan

[lovely12no]

Thank you !

[ute_fan]

You're both welcome!

[GATOR MOM]

Thx for all the info & great reports...I will be sailing up there next May...used Capt Larry this year & will try to use Harv & Marv next year....can you compare the 2 ? I know Harv & Marv are a smaller operation...I just hope I can book it...they seem to be very popular. :)

[Griff4AU]

Spectacular. That’s really all I can say.

Easily the best excursion of our cruise and the highpoint of our trip.

We did the excursion #2, which is slightly longer, and it was absolutely worth it. We (along with everyone else) found the group of humpbacks feeding together, and were able to stay longer than just about any other boat. In fact, if you look at the July 19th photos on their site, you’ll see my profile about 2/3 down (I was on Pete’s boat, where Jay is the photo bug).

I can’t really compare H&M vs. Orca / Capt Larry. Orca uses bigger, faster (and definitely noisier) boats. We personally enjoyed the smaller boat of Harv & Marv. Pete is simply a good guy. He absolutely refused to ‘bad mouth’ any other operator. The other guest on our boat said something along the lines of “I hear such and such about So and So”, and Pete refused to ‘go there’. In fact, he was quite complimentary of the other operators. Many actually called each other when the big group of whales was spotted.

 

Personally, I prefer to do business with good people, and Pete, Eileen and Sandy are ‘good people’. Unfortunately I did not get to meet Jay.

I absolutely would not do the Princess led excursions as it looked like everyone was pressed up against the railing or glass to get photos. The smaller, more personal, boats are the way to go.

I simply can not recommend Harv and Marv’s enough.

[llane003]

i agree with everything said about them. we went with jay on june 1st. we saw alot of humpbacks and such, but there was a report of orcas further down. so as the larger boats were focusing on the 2 or 3 humpbacks in one area, we rushed over to view the orcas. i must saw it was amazing. 6-8 of them. the small boat is the way to go. i agree that the harv and marv experience really was the best excursion on our trip.

[jeauix]

We went with Marv and Harv (Jay was our captain) last summer 2006. We had a spectacular trip with Jay and he really catered to our wishes. We saw two different groups of whales bubble feeding and many others along the way even though they were following guidelines on closeness to whales and other groups were not. We plan to go again next summer! Can't wait!

[cruise junky joan]

We are going out next june. how far in advance can you make reservations?

[CALMOM]

We took the basic #1 tour in May. I'm sure the marine life you see might be different from time to time, but we saw humpback whales, seals, sea lions and otters. We also saw several kinds of birds and numerous bald eagles. As far as non-wildlife, the trip included a stop at Mendenhall Glacier and views of Point Retreat lighthouse.

 

One nice thing about Harv & Marv's tour is that they will customize it for you. About the first thing Jay did after we boarded was asked us if we were more interested in seeing whales or a variety. We said to focus on whales, but as you can see, we saw lots more too!

 

WOW, what amazing pictures, thank you for sharing. It looks like the whales are pretty close to the shore line. What camera did you use to take these pictures and did you use a telephoto and if so, what strength? Where did you see those bears, was it through an excursion and if so, which one? You looked like you had the perfect trip and saw everything I hope to see in September. Thanks again.

[CALMOM]

We are going out next june. how far in advance can you make reservations?

 

A.S.A.P., they fill up really quick, I made mine 9 mos. in advance.

[Italy52]

We are going out next june. how far in advance can you make reservations?

 

 

We will be in Juneau on June 1, 2008 and have already made our reservations with Harv & Marv.

[patnlcc]

We have just returned from a cruise to Alaska. I won't repeat what everyone else has said. Just go with Harv and Marv. They are fantastic and will give you a trip to remember

Pat and Bill in Scotland

[jeauix]

The website has 2008 rates on it already. You can e-mail them for Elaine for specifics.