Tours Juneau Whale Watching recommendations

[ladyhoneybee]

Hi Everyone -- I've been searching the forums for some whale watching tours and have found LOTS of info on Harv & Marv's tour, all fantastic reviews from what I am reading.

 

What about some of the other Juneau tours for whale watching? I do love the idea of a small, six passenger boat (being that there are for sure six of us going) not to mention the fresh cookies being delivered to us by kayak :)

 

but... there might be 8 or 10 or 11 of us... and some of the other tours I've been researching ARE a wee bit less expensive and seem to have larger boats (even though that's not my preference, but it might be easier to keep our party together)

 

I'm curious about some of these other companies out there that I'm not reading about. Any feedback on Orca Enterprises? Can anyone tell me how many passengers some of these larger boats carry? Have your guides been informative? Friendly? Lame?

 

Do tell...... :)

[Toyz711]

check out

http://www.orcaenterprises.com/

they have 3 or 4 boats, from 15 passengers to 40 passengers.

usually they have one of the other capts or a naturalists on board.

i had a great trips on capt larry's boat. but with your group, you may get one of the smaller boats to yourself.

[fti]

Do a quick search for "Whale watch" and you will find many threads on Harv and Marv, Orca and Alaskan Marine Adventure to name three. Very similar but then also different. All are priced roughly the same.

[Whitnee1]

Also you pay extra for the cookies on Harv and Marvs. :mad: :mad:

[Toyz711]

after some newbies went this spring and came back to report that whale watching wasn't what they thought it was...it should be noted that no matter who you go with, wildlife sighing are subject to wildlife whims.

sometimes they put on a great show and other times...well, there reasons why most of the photos are of the humpbacks tail.

a few have said that if they knew that humpbacks were not social animals and took long, deep dives out-of-sight, they wouldn't have taken the excurions.

my trip had several that stayed in sight, but needed binoculars for clear viewing. others are lucky enough to see the bubble-net feeding. since the boats have to keep a distance from the whales, close encounters are rare.

if you have kids, check the vendors for kid's discounts, if you call...ask about a group discount.

[ladyhoneybee]

I know the cookies are extra :eek: but I love the idea! Thank you for your suggestions. I appreciate it very much! My children went on an Alaskan cruise about 3 years ago with their father and they did one of these smaller vessel whale watching tours and they were fortunate enough to see a group of humpbacks feeding -- I doubt I'll be as lucky :mad: and I know the sights can surely vary from day to day. I'll just hope for the best I guess and that's all one can do!

Sounds silly to get off of one boat and right onto another, but from what I've been told, it is MUCH more awesome to see the creatures of the sea by way of a smaller boat because you're closer to the water and then you can really appreciate the size of these humpbacks and whatever other whales you might be lucky to see. Regardless of who we book with, I'm sure it will be great no matter what we see or don't see!

[Toyz711]

except for the double decker that allen marine uses for the tours from the cruise ships. the boats used by H&M, alaskan marine or orca aren't that different in size. the purple boat is much wider, but not that much longer.

thank goodness, on the day i went, it has higher sides...we had rough seas and the waves would have come into the boat otherwise. h&m and alaskan marine do fishing charters, also...the rules says that any fishing boat can't take any more then 6 passengers.

ocra enterprises don't do fishing charters, they change the cabin and put in seating. i "think" their smallest boat holds 15, i know one holds 25.

i had to laugh...due to the waves i almost didn't get to see any of the whales...the whales went down and the waves went up. i should have gotten up on the top deck to get a better views, but the ship was rocking so much, didn't trust my balance.

but, yes, compared to the views from the cruise ships, you do get a better view. but take binoculars, since the boats do have to keep their distance. if the whales are around, all the tours see them and most have some type of snacks.

don't be scared by my reports of rough water in auke bay, i was there in mid-sept and a storm blew through. doesn't happen all the time.