Tracy Arm RT Cruise from Juneau

We are trying to decide between the Allen Marine RT cruise and the Adventure Bound one. The big difference is timing.Would we miss anything doing the 7hrs vs 10 hrs?

Do you ever see whales on these as well? We are doing a b2b and the 2nd day we are thinking of doing a whale watching tour, not sure if we should do both.

Thank you!

I haven't gone out with Allen Marine but have done Adventure Bound 4-5 times. I think the boat Allen Marine has is faster.

Have seen whales a couple of times with Adventure Bound and Captain Steve will stop if has the time but these are not his priority. He keeps an eye out for them but is not actively searching. His priority is glacier viewing, and for that the trip is spectacular. IMHO the South Sawyer is one of the most active and bluest glaciers I've visited in many, many trips to Alaska. I usually sail Princess B2B and only the Northbound leg has the time in Juneau needed to do this tour

Here is a link to some photos on one of the Adventure Bound trips, be warned there are a lot :) http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1283269&highlight=blue+album

Is it a priority for you to see whales? IF it is, then book a whale watch. IF you see one, and that is going to be enough, then don't. :) I have frequently seen whales between Tracy Arm and Juneau, also beyond. It is an area that is worthwhle to spend your time out looking.

As for the two different tours, a big issue that has me prefer Adventure bound is the TIME. You are going the SAME distance with both these tours. I want the extended ability for scenic viewing and time to stop at interesting sights. With a faster boat, you are going to miss more of these features. the schedule is tighter.

I have gone with both companies, I do prefer Allen Marine over Adventure Bound, for several reasons, but Adventure Bound wins with the "tour". (personal preference only)

Thank you. I hope you don't mind Budget Queen,I emailed you some more questions.

The best whale watching I have seen has been on my Adventure Bound Tracy Arm trip.

I have gone with Adventure Bound 2x and highly recommend them. The last time, we saw a ton of whales and probably stopped and watched them for 40 minutes or so.

Though, if you want whale watching guarantee do it with a company in Juneau.

We have gone with both companies and prefer Adventure Bound. The Captain/Owner on Adventure Bound made the trip. The Captain we had on Allen Marine wasn't as involved in the trip. He wasn't as friendly and didn't talk to us as much. We learned more with Adventure Bound. Allen Marine also doesn't run daily.

Thank you! We are leaning toward Adventure Bound.Wish there was some way to bring our own food.

Thank you Budget Queen and Doug and everyone!We are doing Adventure Bound. Doug your slide show is incredible! My Grandma did not want to spend 10 hours on a boat until she saw your slide show. What camera did you use?

Thanks for the comments on the photos. Camera is a Canon Digital SLR, not sure which one I had at the time.

Adventure Bound doesn't care if you bring food aboard, the problem is more that you can't take anything off the cruise ship. I always brings some beef jerky, chips, snacks etc. I also bring a couple of bottles of water and a soda or two, but they do sell some things onboard.

Be sure and bring a book or something to keep you occupied, but I love to just sit and watch the scenery go by.

Capt Steve is on the lookout for wildlife and I have seen whales and even bears on the last trip. We stopped alongside the shore near several bears only feet away, that was a nice bonus. He usually stops and circles interesting icebergs and at several waterfalls on the sail up to the Glacier. On the way back unless you run into a bunch of whales he is more concerned about getting back on time but will stop if anything is spotted.

I go every chance I get, was really disappointed this year when they were sold out on the date I was in Juneau.(they had a large group of 20+ that filled most of the boat) I did at least stop by the office and say hello.

To clarify in the slide show what I label the "calving event" is what I believe is called a "shooter". This was a large piece that calved off underwater and then rose to the surface. It turned over several times before stabilizing and that is why it is such an intense blue color. I estimated its size from the other tour boat at around 200" long. Really amazing to see and I think pretty rare to experience

Thank you Everyone!We just booked Adventure Bound!So excited!