Best Whale Watching

[seychellesdream]

Hi all,

 

From which port would it be best to take a whale watching tour ? I'm trying to decide what we are going to do where and I'm wondering which is better for whale watching Juneau or Sitka.

 

Also, what would you suggest doing instead at the port that has the least desirable whale watching ? We are in our late 30's/early 40's and traveling with mid-70's parents in fairly good physical condition.

 

Thanks !

[shining gem]

We did a tour out of Juneau to see the whales and had a fantastic day. We booked a ship tour and were on a medium sized boat with not too many people at all. It was foggy till we got out of the port a bit and then we had a beautiful clear day.The whale watching was wonderful and there was hot chocolate and coffee on tap all day. It was a highlight of our trip. There were whales to be seen off our cruise ship as we went along too which was great. The captain was very good about alerting us to a whale when they spotted one. Don't forget the binoculars!

For the other ports we mainly walked about, took a trip on the White Pass train and there are lots of tours available so the oldies don't have to walk too far.

I can't wait to go back for another look! Enjoy!

[Redokie]

We were just in Juneau and Alaska the first week of June 2008.

We went with Orca out of Juneau and saw some whales, but they were far off--they are not allowed to get within 100yds of them we were told.

BUT..our best whale watchiing was in Seward with Renoun tours the Kenai Fjords Natn'l Park Cruise(6 Hr.) We saw Orca and humpback whales real close up- one swam right under our boat and jumped for us!! It was Awesome and the highlight of our trip. We would never have paid for whale watching in Juneau if we would have known this.

 

There is also a 2 for 1 coupon for Renown cruise in the Northern Lights book.

[seychellesdream]

Thanks shining gem and redokie. I did the tour out of Seward/Kenai Fjords 4 years ago and saw tons of whales. It was fabulous ! I was hoping it would be similar out of either of these ports. Hopefully someone will chime in about whale watching in Sitka.

 

Typically we would be doing the zipline, kayaking, hiking type activities, but with the parents in tow it's making it kind of difficult to determine what to do.

 

By the way, in case it makes a difference, we are going in about 3 weeks.

[Blueeyes101817]

A few weeks ago we did whale watching in Juneau--We had great luck! I got so many great pictures!

[GMoney]

Hopefully someone will chime in about whale watching in Sitka.

 

I had very good luck whale watching in Sitka last Sept. We lucked into a small boat (6 people) tour right on the pier, and were able to observe 4-5 humpbacks right in the bay where the cruise ships anchor. I do not recall the tour operator's name - sorry. He made have been affiliated with Allen Marine. I'm also not sure if that's typical for Sitka, but I think it is generally regarded as a good port for whale watching.

[stormkrow8]

My wife and I just got back from an Alaskan cruise/land tour. We also did the Renown tour and saw more humpback whales and Orcas than I can count. And had the orcas swimming directly around and under the boat. We have great pictures. Couldn't get any closer!:)

[232271]

My wife and I just got back from an Alaskan cruise/land tour. We also did the Renown tour and saw more humpback whales and Orcas than I can count. And had the orcas swimming directly around and under the boat. We have great pictures. Couldn't get any closer!:)

 

what was the name of the tour you took? thanks!

[seychellesdream]

what was the name of the tour you took? thanks!

 

Looks like the name of the tour company is Renown Tours. That one is out of Seward, but I won't be going there.

 

Our cruise is going to Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, and Victoria so I'm looking for (hopefully) great whale watching out of one of these ports.

[Budget Queen]

On average, for the best opportunity for whales is Juneau, which you'll see humpbacks on 100% of the trips. Sitka also has a high average for humpbacks, but those trips are varied wildlife and time with whales will be overall, less than out of Juneau.

 

It is NOT a given of whales out of Seward, they are route trips and if they happen to be within range, you see them, but again, looking at averages a portion of trips don't see any. My averages, with over 10 trips is about 50%, with a few being a brief look. One time, probably only had a 2 minute view of the "bad boys", orcas.

 

Victoria, has orcas with sightings from ship excursions in the 70-75% range, again averages. No way to predict what your sightings will be.

[FritzG]

We loved the Princess tour that was whale watching with a salmon bake at Orca Point Lodge. We saw lots of whales, and the lunch was delicious.

[qiangf2]

Now, look back, I found my most memorable whale watching is to look out for whales from cruiseship. We were lucky enough to see a lot of them and some of them are right next to the ship. But you do need to invest a lot of time out in the cold. To me, it is worthy it. I also enjoyed the tour with Orca enterprise tour in Juneau. Good size boat and not too crowded.

[jules71]

F.I.S.H.E.S in Hoonah was the highlight of our whole Alaskan trip!

[tully07]

We took the Princess "Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Quest" tour two weeks ago out of Juneau. Saw lots of humpback whales and orcas. They were swimming all around us. Also saw several whales from the ship - especially in Glacier Bay.

[Mom25]

We took a boat tour with Davey Lubin of the Esther G in Sitka, and we saw lots of humpback and grey whales VERY close up. Davey was GREAT at spotting them from way far off and he was in close contact with other tour boats out when we were to help locate whales. I think the bonus for us was that, not only did we get to see tons of whales, we also saw lots of sea otters, seals, puffins, muirs (sp?), star fish, jellyfish, eagles, as well as a bunch of other animals and beautiful scenery. Davey is also incredibly knowledgable about the area, both the wildlife and the history of the area. We completely enjoyed our tour and I would recommend it to anyone. His website is www.puffinsandwhales.com if you are interested.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Juneau - Harv and Marv's - one word - SPECTACULAR!

[FLAlaska]

Juneau - Harv and Marv's - one word - SPECTACULAR!

 

Agreed! They love what they do and sharing it with others. I recommend them highly!

[seychellesdream]

Thanks everyone ! I don't mind the varied wildlife. In fact, I think my parents might enjoy that even more, so those that mentioned the trips with more than just whales, thanks !

 

The only problem there might be is that my mom gets sea sick. We will be taking dramamine and ginger caps. I know nothing about boats, but a larger boat would be better in terms of stability and less chance of getting sea sick or in this case it doesn't make a difference if already prone to it ?

[GloriaUs]

We just returned from a trip with Orca and Captain Larry on June 9 in Juneau. It was definately the highlight of our trip! Mom and baby were breaching over and over again, right next to our boat! In all the excitement, we didn't get any pictures! If anyone was on that trip we would love to see your pictures!