Are Seas rough on whale watch boats in ISP

We are wondering-- are the whale watch cruises on the small (6 person) boats rough?

We are veteran cruisers and do not usually have issues on the cruise ships.We have never gotten sick or had to take meds and there have been a few times the seas were very rough.

Most reviews we have read talk about the terrible weather while on the whale watches. (we expect that) DH is worried that it will be too rough on the small boats.

In Juneau 2 weeks ago the sea was like glass - not a ripple on it (we were in a 12 passenger boat). You experience may vary:D.

I have only been whale watching in ISP once, and the waters were quite smooth. No worries about sea sickness that day. I do not recall reading about rough waters in ISP, but I suppose anything is possible on a given day. The Kenai Fjords Tours out of Seward are known for rough seas as they traverse the open ocean. The day I was out was very rough with 7-8 foot waves. Many were seasick that day. :eek: On our Sitka boat trip one of the passengers was seasick. The boat owner gave her some motioneaze and she got better quite quickly. He claimed that this is the only thing he has found that stops motionsickness in its tracks and he has had very good luck with it for his passengers. If you have concerns for yourself, you might want to check it out and ask your doctor if s/he thinks it would be a good choice for you, if needed.

http://www.motioneaze.com/

vbmom--Thanks. I have never heard of that product. I will try to get some. :)

As I said, we have never had to use anything before. We just worried about the small boats in all that rain.

I did the whale watch and it was fine.

Mary

When two weeks ago with F.I.S.H.E.S (5 people) and it was great. My daughter is prone to seasickness and she was fine.

OK--I just signed up with "Icy Strait Whale Watching." DH and I can not wait. It is getting very close for us now.:)

That was the last tour to get set.

The area around Icy Point Strait and Hoonah are well protected from the ocean - unlike Sitka which is on the windward side of it's island. Still, storms and wind will whip up the water and that is very unpredictible. A good tour operator will not go out - or at least warn you if on that day you will encounter such swells.

vbmom--Thanks. I have never heard of that product. I will try to get some. :)

 

As I said, we have never had to use anything before. We just worried about the small boats in all that rain.

Like I said, I do not have any experience with the product, but I thought if the tour operator recommended it, it might be worth something. I will get some the next time we cruise or go boating. Both my DH and I have had trouble with motion sickness many years ago on a ferry going across Lake Michigan. I had never been any kind of motion sick in my life before. It was not pleasant.

Myself, I use Bonine every night when I cruise and then if I still feel queasy, I take ginger root capsules. I have done very well on the cruises and small boat tours I have been on following this regimin.

I think if you have not had a problem on cruiseships, you should be fine. Whatever you decide to have on hand for motion sickness, clear it with your doctor first. A poster on here says that ginger root should not be mixed with blood thinners. So, always best to ask your doctor first.

Enjoy your whale watch. I did not think I would enjoy whale watching all that much, as we had done it on the east coast and it was just a so-so experience. However, we really couldn't find much else in ISP that interested us. The whale watch was amazing. The day we went, the whales were bubble net feeding and it was SO awesome!!!!!!!! Enjoy your experience!!!!

OK--I just signed up with "Icy Strait Whale Watching." DH and I can not wait. It is getting very close for us now.:)

 

That was the last tour to get set.

Dragon, did you book with Capt Colleen on the 10am? That's the one that we are on!!

Just went on the MotionEaze website and ordered a bottle just to be safe. I wear the SeaBands and have always found them helpful.

Dragon, did you book with Capt Colleen on the 10am? That's the one that we are on!!

 

Yes--I did. I was going to post on our Radiance roll call. However, I got a message that the excursion was pending until the credit card goes through. [i thought that was a little odd since most vendors do it right away.] I guess it is a small operation and the operator only does the paperwork/reservations every few days. :eek:

DH and I are glad we are on the boat with 2 CC couples.

Hi,

The only difference between Juneau-originating whale watch tours and Hoonah-operated is :: PointAdolphus/IcyStrait ( Hoonah tours) is in a near straight line with the western entrance to the Gulf of Alaska at Cross Sound, thus more subject to ''open waters'' effects....whereas the Juneau-operated tours navigate the South end of Lynn Canal and the north end of Stephens Passage, both well sheltered.

Did a whale watching tour out of Auke Bay ( Juneau) 5 weeks ago: sea state was ''still''. 2 days prior, we were anchored at IcyStrait Point, and while the sea state was calm, the currents were strong.

But, and this is the big thing: odds are noticeably better for sightings out of IcyStrait, which is more or less on the " main whale highway ".

Enjoy

Cheers

Hi :)

I'm proned to sea sickness. I don't take Bonine because it knocks me out and I hate feeling like that. I took a ginger pill 3 times a day, but what really saved me on the water In Alaska last week were the bracelets (I don't remember what they're called...I bought them onboard the ship). They were a life savor for me!

About the whale watches - I did 2 whale watches, one in Juneau and one in ISP. Let me tell you, the water in Juneau was so shaky I almost didn't get I the boat...and I was on the ship whale watching excursion, so it's a boat that can carry 150 ppl. That boat what rockin!! And in ISP it was a very stormy day (that night even the cruise ship was going wild, and ppl even got sea sick on the big and beautiful Radiance!). But I was completely fine, all thanks to the bracelets.

BTW, it's not true that the whale watching is better out of ISP...it's all the luck of the draw. I was fortunate enough to be on two amazing whale watches that even got the crew going crazy (8 humpback whales bubble net feeding in Juneau and a pod of 6 orcas including 2 babies in ISP + 1 humpback whale lunge feeding).

It's amazing and totally worth it. A deam come true :) Have fun!!!!!!

Bonine/meclyzine does not make you drowzy if you take the 24 hour non-drowzy kind.

Bonine/meclyzine does not make you drowzy if you take the 24 hour non-drowzy kind.

Sorry, this isn't true. Medicine effects different people differently. On a previous cruise, I took the 24 hour non drowsy Bonine and was so knocked out I just wanted to sleep all day and could barely do anything. So I didn't want to take it again, and decided to go for the ginger and bracelets this time. My husband took the 24 hour non drowsy Bonine the night before the cruise a couple of weeks ago, so it would be in his system. The same thing happened to him. And it wasn't psychological, because I didn't tell him it had that affect on me do as not to freak him out...he was totally zonked...falling asleep all over the place and just feeling generally weird.

So it can't be said that Bonine doesn't cause drowsiness, because it did for us on 2 separate occasions.

Sorry, this isn't true. Medicine effects different people differently. On a previous cruise, I took the 24 hour non drowsy Bonine and was so knocked out I just wanted to sleep all day and could barely do anything. So I didn't want to take it again, and decided to go for the ginger and bracelets this time. My husband took the 24 hour non drowsy Bonine the night before the cruise a couple of weeks ago, so it would be in his system. The same thing happened to him. And it wasn't psychological, because I didn't tell him it had that affect on me do as not to freak him out...he was totally zonked...falling asleep all over the place and just feeling generally weird.

So it can't be said that Bonine doesn't cause drowsiness, because it did for us on 2 separate occasions.

I guess you are right about it affecting people differently. I've taken it ever since it's been available and it's never made me drowzy but then I don't drink alcohol with it except maybe one glass of wine in the evening.

The ginger tablets and the bracelets do not work at all for either me or my husband. I have severe motion sickness - even get sick seeing an auto moving out of the corner of my eye or backing the car out of the driveway.

BTW, it's not true that the whale watching is better out of ISP...it's all the luck of the draw. I was fortunate enough to be on two amazing whale watches that even got the crew going crazy (8 humpback whales bubble net feeding in Juneau and a pod of 6 orcas including 2 babies in ISP + 1 humpback whale lunge feeding). It's amazing and totally worth it. A deam come true :) Have fun!!!!!!

I don't believe anyone meant to imply that the whale watching was better in ISP. It is just that if a cruiser is stopping in both ISP and Juneau, there are far more other things to occupy your time in Juneau besides whale watching than there are things to do in ISP. Although I enjoyed Hoonah, because it is a true Alaska port town, many on my cruise thought it was a wasted port. After our whale watch in ISP we thoroughly enjoyed walking through the neighborhoods and through the town to get a feel for what life is like in Hoonah. Others just didn't seem to care and were looking for something action packed to do. Had our cruise ship offered the flight over Glacier Bay, I probably would have opted for that tour, but since they didn't, we went with the whale watch and were fortunate to have a great experience. We choose a bear tour, the shrine, and Mendenhall in Juneau. I sure hope to go back and do more of what we missed on the last two trips.

I guess you are right about it affecting people differently. I've taken it ever since it's been available and it's never made me drowzy but then I don't drink alcohol with it except maybe one glass of wine in the evening.

 

The ginger tablets and the bracelets do not work at all for either me or my husband. I have severe motion sickness - even get sick seeing an auto moving out of the corner of my eye or backing the car out of the driveway.

I am one who takes the Bonine, but only at night before bed. Like you, I also was fortunate that it did not make me sleepy the following day. I still found I got queasy at times, but the ginger root capsules always settled me down very quickly. I keep the sea bands on all the time, but still experienced queasiness at times. I just like the added insurance, hoping everything is helping. Having been horribly sea sick once in my life, I do all I can to avoid a repeat performance. So far, so good. I also have the electronic sea bands, but so far have never needed to try those. They get great reviews. I have the old style with replaceable batteries. With the new version, once the battery dies, you toss them. At over $100 per band, this is ridiculous.

I don't believe anyone meant to imply that the whale watching was better in ISP. It is just that if a cruiser is stopping in both ISP and Juneau, there are far more other things to occupy your time in Juneau besides whale watching than there are things to do in ISP. Although I enjoyed Hoonah, because it is a true Alaska port town, many on my cruise thought it was a wasted port. After our whale watch in ISP we thoroughly enjoyed walking through the neighborhoods and through the town to get a feel for what life is like in Hoonah.

This is what we were thinking. We already have a tour of Juneau and to the Mendenhall glacier. Also. there are several buildings [state capitol, etc] I want to see in Juneau. If it is clear we will likely go up Mt Rogers. In ISP there does not seem to be much else to do. It seems we can do the whale watch and still see the rest of ISP?

We chose ISP for whale watching first so that in the unlikely event of it being a bummer day for whale watching we would still have another port, Juneau, to try and hop on another whale watch.

Dragon, our ressie said the exact same thing. Yes, Capt Colleen is small local business. But she has been quick to respond to my emails and phone call and more than helpful when we were comtemplating adding a bear watch for the afternoon (willing to coordinate and drop-off etc.). Being a small business owner ourselves, we know what it's like to try to make a name for yourself. So, we like to give those as much of our business as possible.

So hopefully, she'll prove to be a good choice. If not, we'll make the most it and have Juneau to fall back on.:)

You will love the independent whale watch.

Don't pin me 100% but this might be Colleen's. Talking with the lady in yellow jacket waiting to tender I thought that is who she said she was meeting. The one you can see how close you might get, we had 2 on ours get even closer. Either way give you an idea of size and see the water.

We did Ear Mountain Charters with Eric. Fantastic time and great encounters with the whales, I posted those pics over in the things to do in ISP thread. The water is not rough as you can see from the pictures. Also posted a pic of the cruise tour boat, for a tiny bit more you get personalized attention and a little more time out there, no brainer now that we experienced.

Enjoy your tour. You're going to have a blast.

Got a little foggy for a bit but created a unique experience, couldn't see far out but you could hear all the whales out there all around you. Clear enough to get that boat in the picture of the whale we were watching.

We've always been hesitant to book our own and go off beaten cruise line path. It was so worth it. Once again personalized attention.

It seems we can do the whale watch and still see the rest of ISP?

Absolutely. If you have a whale watch first thing, your vendor will meet you right by the dock and drive you to the small boat dock where you will board your ship. If you want, they will typically drive you back to the ship, or you can stay in town and walk around, have lunch etc. We found it interesting how the residents creatively recycle since it must be very costly to dispose of things. For example, on the front lawn of one house was an old kitchen range that they turned into a flower planter.

If your whale watch is later, you can either take a shuttle to town or walk. If you do not have mobility problems it is an easy walk.

There is the old cannery that has been remodeled and has a museum and shops that is located right where the tenders dock. (Note: when we talked to some fellow cruisers they were sorry they missed the museum. When we went into more detail, they said they had been there, but didn't realize it was a musuem :confused:) There is also a nice stroll you can take along the water. Depending on the time of year, some people will go on a bear search. Some of the whale watch vendors offer a combination whale watch/bear search.

There are definitely things to do in ISP, but you must do your homework. I alway recommend taking an excursion here. Otherwise, you may just end up roaming around aimlessly, walking in a few shops and wondering why the heck your cruise ship stopped here. :rolleyes: Some people totally miss the point that this is a true Alaska port town that is really an interesting place to stop.