Whales in Juneau vs Tofino

[mdod]

We will be sailing on the NCL Pearl May 18th and then going to Tofino for 3 days after the cruise. I have booked a whale watching tour with Capt Larry while we're in Juneau on May 20th but we are only in Juneau for 6 hours so we won't be able to do anything else.

 

After the cruise we are heading to Tofino for 3 days. We want to take the Hot Springs tour and they often see whales during that tour so we were thinking about giving up our $50 deposit on the Capt Larry tour and heading for the glacier instead.

 

I have sent an email to the Tofino tour company but I was just wondering if anyone here had experience with both tours or knew about the difference in whale siting experince in Juneau vs. Tofino. We have seen whales before and we've seen glaciers on the Icefields Parkway in the Canadian Rockies.

 

Captain Larry said we'd go by the glacier on the way but I'm not sure what kind of view we'd get. I'm afraid we may have sea overload since we'll be on a cruise, the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman Tour, 2 ferries, sea kayaking and the hot springs tour in Tofino.

[Yukon]

The hot springs tour at Tofino is wonderful, though the hot springs can get VERY crowded. Our whale watching at Juneau (3 times) has been better than Tofino, where the whales have a lot more ocean to choose their route through. I can never get enough of cruising that incredible coast, though - the more trips the better.

[ute_fan]

We will be sailing on the NCL Pearl May 18th and then going to Tofino for 3 days after the cruise. Have a wonderful cruise! We went last year on the Pearl and thoroughly enjoyed it! I have booked a whale watching tour with Capt Larry while we're in Juneau on May 20th but we are only in Juneau for 6 hours so we won't be able to do anything else.

 

 

Captain Larry said we'd go by the glacier on the way but I'm not sure what kind of view we'd get. I'm afraid we may have sea overload since we'll be on a cruise, the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman Tour, 2 ferries, sea kayaking and the hot springs tour in Tofino.

I'm not too sure I could get "sea overload" in Alaska, but I suppose it's possible. The whale watching in Juneau is one of the two excursions I'd definitely plan on repeating on every future Alaska trip.

 

The view of Mendenhall from our trip with Harv & Marv last year was pretty good. Unless you're interested in a lot of hiking at Mendenhall, I think the views from the whale watching boat would be adequate. You can also arrange to have them drop you off at Mendenhall and then catching the shuttle back to Juneau -- there are quite a few threads talking about the specifics.

 

Here's an example of our view of Mendenhall from Harv & Marv's boat:

 

[Yukon]

The view of Mendenhall from our trip with Harv & Marv last year was pretty good. Unless you're interested in a lot of hiking at Mendenhall, I think the views from the whale watching boat would be adequate.

 

The view from out in Auke Bay hardly matches what you see from the glacier viewpoints - ie http://www.youralaskacruise.com/reviews/2007/4474-mendenhall_glacier-photo_point.html

[ute_fan]

No, it's not as good. I didn't mean to imply that it was, just that you can get a view from Auke Bay. We've been to the visitor center at Mendenhall twice (not nearly as much as you have :) , I'm sure), but I just think the whale viewing is more impressive than the glacier viewing at Mendenhall.

[CowPrincess]

We've whale watched in both Tofino and Juneau. The difference I found that sticks with me most, is that the Alaska whale watch seemed MUCH more respectful of the whales.

 

In Tofino, we had a great young captain who was respectful of the whales, keeping a decent distance from them, but all other boats were IMHO almost harassing the whales. When a new whale was discovered, ALL the boats were in radio contact, and all arrived at the same time. It looked like rush hour on a freeway. Our captain just said "No way am I doing this, sorry folks" (everyone on board applauded him). But others were just angling around trying to get closer. UGH.

 

We actually have had better viewings in Juneau. Seen more whales and a wider variety of wildlife -- sea otters, seals, bears on shore. Interestingly, we are going to Alaska and Tofino this year, and will whale watch in Juneau, but NO WAY ON EARTH will my husband or I go on another whale watch in Tofino.

[Yukon]

Another consideration may be that at Juneau you're in sheltered waters - in Tofino it's open ocean (we had huge swells on our last Tofino trip).

[mdod]

Thanks for all the feedback. Sounds like we'll stay with the Juneau whale watch and not lose my $50 deposit. We generally do quiet a bit of hiking so that was the interest in Mendenhall but I presume we'll be back.

 

I'm sure we'll have a good time but this is going to be quite a change from our normal travel style. I've never been interested in cruising because I hate crowds, I hate shopping, I'm very informal and I like the freedom to come and go as I please. Typically, if we're in an area cruises go, we try to avoid them like the plague, showing up before they get there or after they leave. But I was looking for a last minute travel and this cruise popped up. Since Alaska is one of the few places where a cruise is supposed to be an advantage and I wouldn't have to worry about getting lodging, I decided we'd take the plunge and try it. That will, hopefully, help me decide how much I want to cruising I want to do when I come back for my dream trip to Alaska :D

 

BTW, I read a post somewhere here or on Fodors that discussed a scenic route from Seattle to Vancouver. Several people had commented that it was a good route but I can't find that post. By chance does anyone here know the post I'm talking about?