Whale Watching from Deck - Maui

We are going on the Star at the end of March to Hawaii and want to see whales with our 4 year old.

I have heard that at that time of year you can see them right from the deck or even your balcony.

Can multiple people confirm this? Are the whales close enough for a toddler to see from the Star decks? Does anyone have pics taken from the cruise ship they can share?

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We are going on the Star at the end of March to Hawaii and want to see whales with our 4 year old.

 

I have heard that at that time of year you can see them right from the deck or even your balcony.

 

Can multiple people confirm this? Are the whales close enough for a toddler to see from the Star decks? Does anyone have pics taken from the cruise ship they can share?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We saw dozens of whales from the deck of the Sapphire on our cruise last year when moored off of Maui. Of course, they are at varying distances from the ship, but I would think a 4 year old should be able to see them once you point them out.

We've done 4 cruises to Hawaii and have never seen them from the ship. You may want to book a whale watching excursion....

March is a great time to see the whales. You can see them from the beach, on a ferry from Maui to Lanai, so I am sure you will be able to see them from the ship. Take binoculars!

We saw whales in late April off Maui. March would be even better

We were in Maui in late February and happened to be on a whale watching excursion when the Star was docked off Lahaina. Some of the whales breached very close to the Star. If you stare at the ocean long enough, you will see the "puff" and you should see a tail, fluke, or even a breach. You just need to be patient, but there should be plenty around when you are there.

I've never seen whales from the ship in Hawaii & with nearly all of the sailing between ports at night you probably will not see them either. As 'lovmyrotti' said I seriously doubt that a 4 year old will have the patience to watch for a whales "puff" & maybe one breaking the surface. I've spent many hours on Maui beaches with binoculars waiting to see whale activity which is usually well offshore. Anything is 'possible' however I wouldn't say that it's 'probable' to get a close view of whales from the shore.

I've sailed during the winter along the southern tip of Baja California near Cabo San Lucas and seen many whales on the horizon. However when they got closer to the ship they would dive and we wouldn't see them again. :(

Viewing whales closer would be much more likely on one of the numerous boat tours such as those available from the Pacific Whale Foundation. However just like all types of wildlife viewing some get lucky and some do not. ;)

We are going on the Star at the end of March to Hawaii and want to see whales with our 4 year old.

 

I have heard that at that time of year you can see them right from the deck or even your balcony.

 

Can multiple people confirm this? Are the whales close enough for a toddler to see from the Star decks? Does anyone have pics taken from the cruise ship they can share?

If you want him/her to have the time of his life, take them on the PCL Whale Watching Tour! The excursion vessel is extremely stable and safe. They absolutely give you the most fantastic shot of whale watching!

Last October we were on a coastal and seen plenty of whales. Look for the blow holes. Take binoculars. You can show her you tube videos of blow holes and she will know what to look for. I love doing it. It is fun.

We were in Maui in March of 2013 on Celebrity Century. We saw lots of whales from the deck. In fact, at the early seating for supper, they had a hard time keeping people in their seats as the whales were breaching 100 yds from the ship. We did a whale watching tour from Kona the next day and didn't see as many whales as we did from the ship in Lahaina.

We've seen lots of them on our Hawaiian cruises. One tip when you're in Maui--if you see several whale watching boats in one area there will be whales very nearby. Watch for the spouts, too. For a 4 year old your best bet would be a whale watching excursion since I doubt if he/she would have the patience to sit and watch for spouts.

For whale watching excursions, there are rules to how close the whale watching boats are allowed to get. Of course if a whale swims by, it is

natural. Usually at a very great distance, we see the whale blow, and then the fluke. I have never seen a whale jump up from the water.

When a whale is spotted, everyone runs to that side of boat to see it. For a small child, I wouldn't recommend it.

Just my opinion.

Sea World better for little kids.

For whale watching excursions, there are rules to how close the whale watching boats are allowed to get. Of course if a whale swims by, it is natural.

You are correct but when we stopped they just seemed to circle us.

Usually at a very great distance, we see the whale blow, and then the fluke. I have never seen a whale jump up from the water.

When a whale is spotted, everyone runs to that side of boat to see it. For a small child, I wouldn't recommend it.

The small children on ours were in no danger because there were whales all around us. But I see where it could get a little iffy!

Just my opinion.

Sea World better for little kids.

:DJust enjoy Hawaii!

On all three of our Hawaiian cruises, we were in Maui in December. Saw whales (male whales trying to impress a female one, according to our guide) off the coast on our snorkeling excursion on one cruise. On our most recent one, we got back to the ship after our day in Ka'anapli and Lahaina and we saw many, many whales from the aft deck,

I assume with it being Princess you're not going to Kona. On Solstice we had to cut the engines to the Tender because we were surrounded by Dolphins. A kid would have loved that

I didn't mean the kids would be in danger from the whales. I meant the way some of the people tend to push and hog an area viewing. I have seen father's lift kids on their shoulders to see, and on a moving boat with some passengers pushing,not the best for kids.

In Mexico this year, I saw a very dumb Dad place his kid on top of the rail of boat. He had one hand on her. It got me so nervous watching.

Finally someone yelled at him to move her off. I was about to do the same.

In mid-March, we were able to clearly see whales off of our Caribe aft balcony. It was spectacular! We were also able to see some dolphins while eating at Horizon Court. Our viewings were so good that we laughed at the thought of paying for an excursion to see them when we were already right there with them! And like someone said, look for the excursion boats; that's where you'll likely find the whales. Also, bring binoculars! We used them a lot that day. Enjoy!

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Given the differing replies above it is obvious that "your mileage may vary" as they say. You "may" see whales and, then again, you may not. It's certainly not something I would count on. Most of the whales I've "seen" from the ship have actually just been water spouts. Yes, there was a whale there but one couldn't really see the whale itself or could only see a very small bit of the whale.

I definitely wouldn't promote it to a four-year-old as something that "will" happen. (It sure would be cool though if a whale did breach close by and the hid was to see it. 😃)

I didn't mean the kids would be in danger from the whales. I meant the way some of the people tend to push and hog an area viewing. I have seen father's lift kids on their shoulders to see, and on a moving boat with some passengers pushing,not the best for kids.

In Mexico this year, I saw a very dumb Dad place his kid on top of the rail of boat. He had one hand on her. It got me so nervous watching.

Finally someone yelled at him to move her off. I was about to do the same.

Reminds me of what happened on our 2005/06 cruise on the Island Princess. When we stopped in Ensenada (after heading back from Hawaii), one woman was taking her kids off the ship and for some reason didn't put her toddler in the stroller, but was holding her on the gangway. She was apparently (according to witnesses, including one of our tablemates) trying to juggle her kid and her purse and managed to drop the child into the water. Fortunately, the child was saved. It was the talk at dinner that night at probably just about every table as the woman was part of the extended family that was being a nuisance all around the ship for the two week's of the cruise.

Reminds me of what happened on our 2005/06 cruise on the Island Princess. When we stopped in Ensenada (after heading back from Hawaii)' date=' one woman was taking her kids off the ship and for some reason didn't put her toddler in the stroller, but was holding her on the gangway. She was apparently (according to witnesses, including one of our tablemates) trying to juggle her kid and her purse and managed to drop the child into the water. Fortunately, the child was saved. It was the talk at dinner that night at probably just about every table as the woman was part of the extended family that was being a nuisance all around the ship for the two week's of the cruise.[/quote']

But at least she saved her purse. After all, a kid will dry out, but fine leather plus credit cards and maybe a Kindle or iPad . . .

I've seen whales from the ship in Maui, but I wouldn't count on it. I spend a lot of time watching for them.

On our March 1st cruise on POA we did not see but heard there were several whales spotted on our way into Maui. So when we were pulling into Hilo, Kona and Kauai I made sure to be outside on our deck with my cappuccino to see. We saw a lot of babies because they cannot stay under as long as mother can. We also did do the Pacific Whale Foundation excursion through NCL and that was amazing. We had a lot of activity and got a few really nice breach shots. My daughter was able to get a great one on her iphone over multiple shots that we are going to frame. Simply breathtaking.

So in March you should have some great whale viewing from the ship especially while pulling into port.