Morning or afternoon whale watch in Maui

Are the seas rougher in the afternoon for the whale watch excursion in Maui or does it not matter? Trying to decide between the morning or afternoon...leaning toward the afternoon so that we don't have to worry about getting back to our ship (Princess excursion). I'm also a little scared about the whales going under the boat and lifting it....does this ever happen??? Thanx.

The seas tend to be calmer in the morning and 'kick up' more as the day progresses, so a morning tour is usually recommended.

Do you have to find your own transportation back to the ship? Where does the whale watch go out of, and is your ship in Lahaina or Kahului? Can you post a link to the tour details?

There are regulations about how close a tour boat can go to the whales (I think it's 100 yards) - of course, the whales don't always follow that rule;), but the tour boat operators will be extremely cautious - the last thing they want to do is jeopardize the passengers or the whales.

p.s. I just did a quick google search, and I think this is the tour that you're considering. Your ship is in Lahaina and it sounds like the tour leaves from the same pier that you'll be tendered into - so it makes it very easy for getting back to your ship whether you do a morning or afternoon tour.

Most likely your excursion will be on a boat larger than the whales. They won't bother you.

If you want a different experience, go on the small 30 pax rigid hulled inflatables. Then you can actually see the whales go under the boat. The smaller the boat, the more likely the whales will come close to investigate. As Susan pointed out the boats have limits on approaching whales. But the whales don't have any limits approaching the boats. I will tell you whales have very bad breath.

But lift up a boat....no.

The morning is calmer....in the afternoons, winds kick up, and wind makes for rougher seas.

I intend to do BOTH the AM & PM whale watch when I go in Feb. 2015!

My 1st whale watching (about 30 yrs. ago) in Maui was on a catamaran w/some 15-20 passengers. A whale did swim under us -- very exciting! We could see it thru the mesh "floor". But the whale seemed totally uninterested in the boat.

Can hardly wait to go again -- it's been several years!:)

The seas tend to be calmer in the morning and 'kick up' more as the day progresses, so a morning tour is usually recommended.

 

Do you have to find your own transportation back to the ship? Where does the whale watch go out of, and is your ship in Lahaina or Kahului? Can you post a link to the tour details?

 

There are regulations about how close a tour boat can go to the whales (I think it's 100 yards) - of course, the whales don't always follow that rule;), but the tour boat operators will be extremely cautious - the last thing they want to do is jeopardize the passengers or the whales.

 

p.s. I just did a quick google search, and I think this is the tour that you're considering. Your ship is in Lahaina and it sounds like the tour leaves from the same pier that you'll be tendered into - so it makes it very easy for getting back to your ship whether you do a morning or afternoon tour.

We did a snorkeling excursion booked through Princess and we were told to meet in the Princess Theater by a specific time, everyone in your group together. A crew member then escorts everyone taking the excursion to the front of the tender line and you all go together. At the pier, you'll be led to where your boat is. I'm sure it's the same for the whale watching excursion.

We did this in December 2005 and at one point, the boat stopped and the guide explained that there were whales there and the boat is required to stay a certain distance away. We got to watch the male whales competing for the female whale's attention. Pretty interesting. After the snorkeling part (and lunch), we still had a couple of hours before needing to be back on board, so we did a little shopping in Lahaina.

Our third time doing this same cruise (we love how Princess does Hawaii:)), we were in Maui on Christmas Day 2012, and when we returned to the ship in the late afternoon, my hubby spotted a whole group of whales cavorting near our ship.

Can't wait. Thanx all.

We've taken a whale watch around 10-11 am many times and have never felt the water was rough. The best tour operators do fill up in advance, especially on cruise ship days. The Ultimate Whale Watch goes out of Lahaina harbor -- just a few steps from where the tender will bring you in. It is the absolute best whale watch ever - a very small boat - maybe 18 passengers and yes, the whales are a lot bigger than that!

Peak time for whales is January-February.

Our Princess ship, the Grand P. arrives at Maui on April 1 and I am wondering if it might be to late in the season to see a lot of Whales. I have a Princess tour booked for noon but not sure if I should keep it. Hate to spend over $100.00 for 2 people and only see a whale or two. Any advise is appreciated,thanks

A little reading on the board would reveal that yes, you are late in the season, but, yes, you will see some whales. We whale watched on Mar 27 last year, saw a couple, but the venders were saying they had about a week left of valid whale watching.

We recently experienced a WONDERFUL 2-hour whale-watching experience with this company. Did the 11:00 AM trip, and it was a little-bit choppy heading out to where we did our watching. The 18-person zodiac was comfortable, and well prepared, and the 2 gal tour guides (sorry..forget their names :( ) did an awesome job. I would suggest sticking with one of the AM departure times, with whomever you choose to go with, and also suggest trying the smaller options of transportation. MUCH more personable, and YES... you can get up and close to the whales. We were able to see them about 20 feet away from the Zodiac. :)

Edit: Up and close meaning... a chance the whales will come up near your boat... The tour operators are not allowed to approach any whales within 100 Meters.

In January 2010 we took an excursion out of Lahaina with Captain Steve, I think it was just after lunch. We had a great time and saw lots of whales, one even cruise right by the boat.

I took a picture of this one breaching (picture is cropped as the whale was out there a ways). Water was calm that afternoon.