Capt Larry vs. Harv and Marv

[J18ktleo]

any thoughts...opinions...advice?

Both look great, small price difference...can't decide (unless we wait too long and one's unavailable then the decision is made for us!):rolleyes:

[Cruising Caribbean]

any thoughts...opinions...advice?

Both look great, small price difference...can't decide (unless we wait too long and one's unavailable then the decision is made for us!):rolleyes:

 

That's exactly what happened with us. Harv and Marv were booked and they suggested Larry.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Can't personally comment on Capt. Larry, but I've heard wonderful things about him on here. We went with Harv and Marv last June, and WOW, it was THE best excursion ever. We plan on booking with them again on our third cruise back to the Great Land in May of 2010. I would venture that you can't go wrong with either one. There are cheerleaders on this website for both, and I'm sure they accolades are well deserved. Enjoy!:D

[Mattmax]

Cannot say enought about Harv and Marv, just got home and our excursion with them was the absolute highlight of the whole trip for me. Close second to ziplining for my teens and hubby.

[Look2Sea]

Mattmax,

What zipline did you do?

 

Alpine Zipline & Rainforest Eco-Tour

or

Alaska Canope Expedition

[JCrewz]

There are whale watching tours popping up everywhere and they all share information and are watching the same whales. When you see the whales, you will almost always see a few whale watching boats around them.

 

Some of the operations are better marketed and you see the result of that on these boards. Captain Larry is heavily promoted as are Harv and Marv. Some well informed folks have stated that you need to go with experience to insure a good trip, and I simply did not find that to be the case. They all congregate and radio information to each other as if they are members of a fraternity. The things I would look for is boat size and the number of other travelers.

 

Less companions means less competition for prime picture taking spots. No one likes being in a second row or at a bad viewing angle. Of course, price factors in at some point for most of us. I whale watched with Captain Larry back in 2003 and really enjoyed it. I whale watched out of Seattle on the Seattle Clipper and it was awful.

 

This year, we bought the Alaska Toursaver with a 2 for 1 coupon for Alaska Trophy Fishing's Whale Watch. We took the 3 hour option and had a great trip for a total of $148.75 (the price with tax). There were six of us on the boat. It was perfect. We saw around 9, maybe 10 whales and a bunch of seals jumping and twisting playfully in Auke Bay. We saw three bald eagles and made a diligent search for bears on Admiralty Island...no luck though.

 

My point is that you should not be terrified to sail with the new companies. I would let price and the smaller passenger lists guide my decision. If I thought that the quality of your experience would be affected, I wouldn't suggest breaking the Capt. Larry/Harv and Marv monopoly. Any of them will do, but it's even more fun when you get great value.

[Mattmax]

Mattmax,

What zipline did you do?

 

Alpine Zipline & Rainforest Eco-Tour

or

Alaska Canope Expedition

 

The Alaska Canopy Expedition. They raved on and on about it, made friends with all the others on it and loved the guides. This was the only thing on the trip that my 18 year olds loved. :cool:

[pk&Di]

We've gone with Captain Larry and enjoyed the tour a great deal. I'd go with him without hesitation.

[TonyFred]

Went with Orca and Captain Larry a couple of weeks ago and they were great. The boat was the right size...not too big, but big enough to take any rough water smoothly.

One suggestion....dont spend all your time worrying about getting the perfect picture. I had more fun when I laid my camera down and just enjoyed the experience.

It was a wonderful afternoon and the whales were plentiful!

[designsbyjuju]

any thoughts...opinions...advice?

Both look great, small price difference...can't decide (unless we wait too long and one's unavailable then the decision is made for us!):rolleyes:

 

Can't speak for either but last week we used Chris of Rum Runner Charters and it was absolutely AWESOME! I thought it was a very reasonable price and there was just two of us. We got picked up at our cruise ship and he was standing in the parking lot at the docks waiting to greet us. He was so nice, fun, informative and professional. It was really a perfect day.

 

Oh yeah, and we saw a ton of whales up close and TONS of eagles as well!

 

http://www.rumrunnercharters.net/

 

We would use him again ourselves and recommend him in a heartbeat.

[LasVegascruisers]

We were out with Capt Larry last week. He gets our vote!!! We saw a pod of orca's....it was beyond amazing!!!

 

 

[Look2Sea]

Mattmax,

Is the Alaska Canope Expedition (Juneau)

the one with the boat ride and 4 x 4 ride?

 

I am trying to decide on zip line.

There are so many choices (Ketchikan, Juneau, and Icy Strait Point).

 

The Alaska Canope Expedition in Juneau sounds like a good one.

 

Thanks

[FrogLover215]

We went with Orca Enterprises 3 years ago and had a great time. They were a very accommodating company. Our ship had a very disorganized disembarkation in Juneau (it was a nightmare, actually), and it looked like we might not make our tour despite scheduling it for 1 1/2 hours after we were scheduled to dock. We called Orca from the cattle herd onboard as we were trying to break free to advise them that we were still trying to make it. Once we got free, we RAN to the Orca office and were about 5 minutes late, and they waited for us. My mother has mobility issues and told us to run on without her, sacrificing her chance to go on the tour so she wouldn't slow us down. When we told this to the Orca people, they took the shuttle bus to the dock and we located my mom and she was able to go on the tour after all! All this only caused a delay of about 10 minutes, which ended up not making a difference in our departure time as other groups were also late. Anyway, my point is that Orca bent over backwards for us and they will always have my loyalty.

 

Realistically, though, I think all the small operators probably give you a comparable experience.