Juneau Whale watching

[shipboundagain]

So we are leaving Saturday (woohoo) for our Alaskan cruise on NCL Jewel. We tried contacting Harv and Marv's (based off the CC reviews) for a whale watching trip while we are in Juneau, but they are booked. They recommended Alaska Galore Tours or Adventures in Alaska...and there are still excursions available through NCL.

 

Question - what company would you recommend for whale watching in Juneau, and is it possible one of the excursions (which do not list company name) is actually Harv and Marv's?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

JJ

[RM]

Try Orca Enterprises. Very highly recommended.

[jamminlion]

Definitely try Orca Enterprises. I highly recommend them. We had a fabulous experience with them.

 

Do call them now though. They also book up months in advance, but you might have a chance if you call. Good luck! Have a fun trip.

[LEtue]

Definitely call Orca Enterprises and see if they have any space. Have used them twice and they are great :D

 

http://www.orcaenterprises.com/

[SeaThruU]

No, Harv and Marv's don't do cruise ship sold excursions. Harv and Marv's are excellent. Our family did private whale watching with them on 6/23/13.

[firstalaskatrip]

We used Adventures in Alaska (Scania) last year, and I can't say enough good things about them. Great captain, comfortable boat, incredible whale watch, long time on the water, and fantastic customer service. I would highly recommend them and would definitely take another whale watch with them again in the future.

[photonut4]

I just booked Orca Enterprises this past Friday for July 15th. They still had a few more openings for next week. Try giving them a call.

[CraftyDD]

We went with orca and it was wonderful. Going back next year and will contact them again

[Chenega]

We went with orca and it was wonderful. Going back next year and will contact them again

 

Orca is great. If you get Captain Larry, you're in for a real treat!

[lei_augustanniversary]

Is it possible to book a whale cruise day of? I would rather not do this in the rain. Many thanks!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We used Orca Enterprises and loved them.

Being as you are so close to the cruise -- call them.

[kimmergal]

Just got back Sunday and used ORCA ENTERPTISES too. Loved it! Saw whales breaching 4 times! Captain Larry's boat is great for people in wheel chairs too. There is a top side you can go up to to really see the whales and a back side. Plus the inside is covered to to keep you dry if it rains.

[Budget Queen]

I too, highly recommend Orca Enterprises. :) Have been a customer since 1999. :)

 

You can get walk up space, especially if in port all day. But I suggest, you try and book as soon as you get there.

[tellubob]

Is it possible to book a whale cruise day of? I would rather not do this in the rain. Many thanks!

 

If this is your only time to Alaska, why let some rain keep you from seeing whales? That's why you bring the rain jacket(and we brought rain pants and waterproof shoes). Rain was not going to stop us from our excursions...

[shipboundagain]

Went with Orca Ent. - and they were awesome! We had Josh and Pam - only 12 on our boat and had a wonderful experience! Josh said it was the best Humpback encounter he had ever seen!

Thanks for the recommendation!!

[photonut4]

We must of just had an off day with Orca Ent, because we were not impressed. We were there on Monday July 15th. We only saw a few whales, and they were so far away. I actually saw many more whales closer up from my balcony on the ship. We considered Orca Ent. as more of a scenic boat ride.

[Coral]

We must of just had an off day with Orca Ent, because we were not impressed. We were there on Monday July 15th. We only saw a few whales, and they were so far away. I actually saw many more whales closer up from my balcony on the ship. We considered Orca Ent. as more of a scenic boat ride.

 

Maybe it was an off day with the whales?

[photonut4]

Maybe it was an off day with the whales?

 

 

Maybe. We did see some whales, but they kept the boat soooo far away. I'm sure there are limits on how close you can get, but we seemed to be really far away.

[mom2sage]

We must of just had an off day with Orca Ent, because we were not impressed. We were there on Monday July 15th. We only saw a few whales, and they were so far away. I actually saw many more whales closer up from my balcony on the ship. We considered Orca Ent. as more of a scenic boat ride.

 

I was with a different tour group and had the same issue. We only saw one humpback and it was pretty far away. We did see some orcas, though. I had somehow expected to get close-ups of whale tails like you see in ads, so was a bit disappointed. But, like someone else said, it was an off day for the whales, not the tours fault.

[Coral]

I was with a different tour group and had the same issue. We only saw one humpback and it was pretty far away. We did see some orcas, though. I had somehow expected to get close-ups of whale tails like you see in ads, so was a bit disappointed. But, like someone else said, it was an off day for the whales, not the tours fault.

 

I have heard situations where the morning tour was fabulous and the afternoon was very quiet or vice versa. Whales are unpaid, and unpredictable. I have gone with Orca Enterprises several times. I have had fabulous whale watching experiences and also mediocre ones. Same Captain and everything. It is purely the action of the whales. There is a certain distance that the boat can not approach a whale but if the boat is still and a whale approaches, that is fine.

[PlanoDebbie]

I was with a different tour group and had the same issue. We only saw one humpback and it was pretty far away. We did see some orcas, though. I had somehow expected to get close-ups of whale tails like you see in ads, so was a bit disappointed. But, like someone else said, it was an off day for the whales, not the tours fault.

 

We may have been on the same tour. We did the 8:30 am tour on July 10th. Saw a few Orcas from a distance, but not really anything else. Was kind of disappointed in our tour. The weather was beautiful that day.

[918HK]

Hello!

 

 

We will be at Juneau next month and just booked our late afternoon tour with Wolverine Charters. There will be five of us including a 4-year-old kid and I don't want a big boat. When I was looking few weeks ago (no a good idea:() many of those that are often mentioned here are fully booked:eek:. I did a lot of searching on this board and TripAdvisor to come up with the following if you prefer a smaller boat (6 passengers max).

 

Three Eagles Charters

Hi-Time Charters

Wolverine Charters

Rum Runners

Weather Permitting Alaska LLC

 

They have not been mentioned a lot here but I read positive comments from those who have used them. I was really stress to plan this tour due to the last minutes planning and I was not able to confirm our booking until yesterday. I hope this will help you :).

 

 

 

Wendy

[918HK]

It's very unlikely that your tour booked thru the cruise will be H&M. I am pretty sure they do their own booking. I've read here from other reviews that all of those tours are with Allen Marine. And they use large passenger catamaran which can hold 50~100 people. HTH! :)

 

Wendy

[Saving Up To Be Eccentric]

Day of, I went straight to the kiosk row near the ships and bought a whale watching tour that was in the right cost ballpark. It wound up being a small boat, but none of the "name brands" here. We went out to the same place as over a dozen other boats, some big, some small, with the remark "And here's the secret hideout. Don't tell." Because the humpbacks were bubble net feeding that afternoon, everyone had a great show.

[EliseinAustin]

I went with Alaska Galore and loved my experience. He're a link to my review.