Evening whale watching - Juneau

[rmmm]

I am sailing on HAL in two weeks and was interested in doing the Evening whale watching excursion. Has anyone done this? Would you recommend it? Thanks.

[NAW2]

I just returned from our cruise on the Statendam. We did the evening whale watching and Mendenhall Glacier tour with Dolphin Jet Boat tours. We were picked up by Mt Robert's Tram and taken by bus to the boat. The boat held 18 people. Capt. Ed was the boat driver and Alyssa was his assistant. We saw humpback whales including a mom with her calf, and seals. It was a wonderful experience and I have some awesome pictures of whales breeching and of their tails. After the boat trip we were taken by bus to Mendenhall Glacier. We only had 1 hr at the glacier. I would have liked more time in order to hike to the falls. Afterwards, we were dropped off right in front of the ship.

I would book again with them in a heartbeat for the whale watching. I would go to Mendenhall Glacier on my own so I could spend more time there.

[Suzanne123]

We took the evening whale watch through HAL several years ago. It was a very nice trip that included a buffet dinner. We saw lots of whales and I think the vendor at the time was Allen Marine. I wouldn't hesitate to do that excursion again. Have fun!

[beatriz22]

...to do the whale watching and are there alot of vendors for this as well as other things you can find right off the ship which I assume might cost less then thru the cruise ship?

[Suzanne123]

This was not a small boat, but because the trip was in the evening we had perhaps 30 or 40 people on board. That said, we had no trouble at all getting views of the action.

 

We're been on whale watches with HAL, Harv & Marv, and the Juneau Photography tour. They were all nice, and I am convinced that the number of whales you actually see depends a great deal on luck. We saw lots of whales on the evening watch and two even swam right under the boat. You could almost touch them.

With H&M, we had fun bouncing over the waves in search of whales, but after three hours only saw a couple spouts and flukes off in the distance even with binoculars.

We had the best luck of all with the photography tour and that was only because the captain asked if we wanted to stop looking for whales and at least get some pictures of sea lions. Two minutes after he decided to change course, we came upon a mother and baby. We stayed for a half hour and never made it to that bouy where the sea lions hang out. (Please don't blame our photography guide for my pitiful pictures. Dave was wonderful and DD has some great shots. I really just came along for the ride. :))

[Budget Queen]

The whales are "there" 24/7, so it really doesn't matter, what time you go out. I've been on a few nighttime/overnight trips out of Ma. And even in moonlight, you can see them, and if nearby, certainly can hear them.

 

Key here is, time. Some "evening" trips are shorter- longer, is better- since longer means more whale watching opportunities.

[Shewuf]

We were on the Island Princess last week and took the evening whale watching cruise. It was delightful. They had a fantastic buffet dinner on board, and the crew were very friendly. We saw our first whale very quickly and hardly had time to eat! I would definitely do it again, given the chance. :)

[all is good]

Just a few weeks ago we took the whale tour with Dolphin Tours in Juneau (which i highly, highly recommend) its a great mids size boat. We saw a lot of whales and have great whale tale pictures. While we were out I did ask our captain what was the difference between the day whale trip and the evening whale trip ... he looked at me with a very puzzled look and he said it doesnt get dark until really late (10-11pm depending)! I laughed and realized that was a slightly stupid question - ha! :rolleyes:

[Disneyworld]

Just a few weeks ago we took the whale tour with Dolphin Tours in Juneau (which i highly, highly recommend) its a great mids size boat. We saw a lot of whales and have great whale tale pictures. While we were out I did ask our captain what was the difference between the day whale trip and the evening whale trip ... he looked at me with a very puzzled look and he said it doesnt get dark until really late (10-11pm depending)! I laughed and realized that was a slightly stupid question - ha! :rolleyes:

I don't remember where since I have been doing so much research, but I remember reading somewhere that whales are not as active as evening sets in, this may or may not be true, but I know I did read it, so actually I was wondering if they are less active in the evening myself.

[Budget Queen]

I don't remember where since I have been doing so much research, but I remember reading somewhere that whales are not as active as evening sets in, this may or may not be true, but I know I did read it, so actually I was wondering if they are less active in the evening myself.

 

Sorry, this is not true. I've been out on overnight trips, plenty of "activity". They don't go to "bed" at 9pm. :) To help you, read up on their behaviors- they "log", shut off half their brains at a time, they are conscious breathers, not like us- automatic.

 

They are in Alaska, to eat, one endless buffet, around the clock. They loose about 1/3 their weight once they leave to migrate.

[Tepid Cruiser]

It was a slow day & Orca wasn't offering an evening tour, so we nabbed the last 2 seats on Dolphin Tours' 5:30 trip right at the last minute. The boat seats 18 people, and you can view from the front & back of the boat. We really lucked out; it's baby season, so lots of active calves providing lots of great pics. We even saw orcas, with one jumping right along side our boat; they say the orcas aren't seen as often, so even the captain was giddy about seeing them.

 

The boat is really nice and the staff genuinely seem to be into it & having FUN; the busdriver was giving a narrated tour & even took a couple of scenic detours. Our captain had a really fun personality, and the young naturalist was happy to answer questions.

 

The tour was $110, and you can hop their white bus in the parking lot where all the excursion stands are set-up.

 

Wildlife viewing is always a wild card, but all the boats have radios, and our captain was sharing our good spots with another boat, so if one boat sees something, others will follow . . .

[PennyAgain]

...to do the whale watching and are there alot of vendors for this as well as other things you can find right off the ship which I assume might cost less then thru the cruise ship?

 

Sometimes you can play "Let's make a deal" on the dock, but you may not get the exact trip other people are bragging about (booked in advance on their own or via the ship).

 

I've had really good deals offered to me when I had no desire at all to spend the money to go out on a boat. Maybe that is a good way to get a good deal. Look like you could care less.

 

However, if one particular trip out is the trip of your dreams, I would book it and early.

 

I've got a lifetime average of seeing whales close up on 50% of my trips to try to see them. My average was lowered with 2 'bust' trips: one off Maui and one out of Vancouver. My Alaska average is much higher.