Whale watching in Juneau

[mimmy52]

We'll be on a cruisetour in July and want to do whale watching in Juneau. I've seen a lot of recommendations for Harv & Marv and for Orca Enterprises. Some say it's better to have a boat that's larger than those Harv & Marv have because you can see the whales better. Has anyone experienced both? Also, if we did the whale watching shore excursion through Princess, does anyone know how big/crowded those boats are?

[Glaciers]

We’ve done Harv & Marv twice in the smaller boats. It was fine the first trip but the second the water was too rough and we had to transfer to another boat in order to safely make it back to the dock. It was difficult to take photos due to the movement in the small boat. We’re going with Orca this year. Both get excellent reviews and our experience was rare although we won’t be using Harv & Marv again.

 

Allen Marine contacts with the cruise lines to provide whale watch tours and their boats hold up to 150 passengers.

[rockdoctor]

We use Gasteneau Guiding (stepintoalaska.com). Sixteen people max on a boat that is similar to a zodiac. Windows open all around so there is no glass to photograph through. They have sonar and monitor radio so they can find the whales. The guide said "watch for bubble feeding based on sonar" and there it was. Good guides and snacks.

[xlxo]

DCL had me booked on Gasteneau too.

http://www.stepintoalaska.com/tour_shore_excursion_details.cfm?tourid=photosafari

 

My August trip was wet and I was glad to see the tour boat had windows to keep the wetness out. However the windows did flip up for unobscured photos. You can see the boat at rockdoctor's link.

 

After the whale tour, we went to the Glacier. We went through a trail that showed how much the glacier had shrunk over the years. My only comment was wanting more time to explore Nugget falls, but that would have taken an additional hour at the visitor center.

Edited January 13, 2015 by xlxo

[knbcruisers]

I have booked our whale watch on the MV Scania. The boat is limited to 9 people and has great Trip Advisor reviews. If you email them they will send you a detailed explanation of how they run the tour and what the boat is like. I don't have the link right now but you should be able to search MV Scania on Juneau. You might this helpful in your research.

 

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[lesharona]

I have booked our whale watch on the MV Scania. The boat is limited to 9 people and has great Trip Advisor reviews. If you email them they will send you a detailed explanation of how they run the tour and what the boat is like. I don't have the link right now but you should be able to search MV Scania on Juneau. You might this helpful in your research.

 

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We will be there in May and I may change our reservation with the ship tour to this one, this sounds really good! What is the cost?

[mimmy52]

Thanks for all the help. I kept seeing the same recommendations over and over and this gives me some other suggestions.

[knbcruisers]

It is $209 pp but the tour is 3.5 hours not 2 - 2.5 like others. Also there is a no seasick guaranty and that is always a concern for DH

 

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[travgurl]

We will be on the Holland Oosterdam July 26th. We have booked the whale watch in Juneau with Harv and Marv. The reviews are what sold me on that choice. I am hoping it will be a great time. What ship are you on and when are you going? Good luck on your decision.

[mimmy52]

We're on the Grand Princess leaving Vancouver July 18. I'm really looking forward to the trip. I think no matter who we finally decide to whale watch with, it will be a special experience.

[baconlover1]

We will be there in May and I may change our reservation with the ship tour to this one, this sounds really good! What is the cost?

 

We will be on the same cruise and this is who we are booked through for our whale watch. Can't wait!!!!

[alaskawdw12]

In 2012 we went on the whale watch excursion through the ship (we were on the Radiance of the Seas) and it was amazing 😊 Really well organized, great staff and breathtaking views of the whales. Hearing the whales breath was just magical. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I didn't feel it was short or that we needed more time and the boat wasn't crowded, in my opinion.

[5waldos]

We use Gasteneau Guiding (stepintoalaska.com). Sixteen people max on a boat that is similar to a zodiac. Windows open all around so there is no glass to photograph through. They have sonar and monitor radio so they can find the whales. The guide said "watch for bubble feeding based on sonar" and there it was. Good guides and snacks.

 

We have booked through Princess and am assuming that the boat we will be on is also 16 people. Hard to figure from the description on the Princess website- they say in one place that it can hold about 60 people and in another that they have 20 spaces. 16-20 would be acceptable, 60 not. I have written to Gasteneau to get clarification.

[mimmy52]

5waldos, does Princess use Gasteneau? On the day that our ship is in Juneau, there will be three others ships docked there. I wondered if people on the other ships (say 16 from each) would also be on the same whale watch.

 

Thank you, Alaskawdw12. Good to know yours didn't feel crowded.

[5waldos]

According to the Gasteneau web site they do. Also the videos on princess suggest as much. Don't think you can book them directly.

 

 

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Edited January 17, 2015 by 5waldos

[lesharona]

It appears alot of the cruiselines use this one also

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g31020-d1783381-r126255532-Allen_Marine_Tours-Juneau_Alaska.html

[sjmbruce]

We used Harv & Marv in May of 2014. There were three couples including my husband and I, plus the captain. It was a truly intimate experience - there was the small indoor part, an open deck on the back that could fit everyone, and small "hatch" part in the front that could hold two people if they sat. At one point it was me and my husband sitting on the small front part with a mother whale and her smaller child swimming nearby. It felt like it was just us and the two whales gliding through the water.

 

I've been on a larger whale watching boat in the San Juan Islands. That was a great experience too. The ability to watch from the second story was a good view, you definitely had more protection from the elements, and choppy water wouldn't have been as much as an issue as I would imagine it would be on the small boat.

[mimmy52]

Thanks, sjmbruce. That helps a lot.

[Cornishpastyman1]

For various reasons we could not commit to a pre-booked whale watching tour. In the event we were well enough to go on and just walked over to one of several kiosks selling such tours and that worked out fine too. We went with Juneau Tours and Whale Watching and took the Whale/Mendenhall combo.

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Obviously it's better for peace of mind if you are able to book a tour of your choosing in advance but not that critical if you can't. All the best - I hope you have nicer weather than we did, but it's still a great experience whatever you get.

[alaska_planner]

For various reasons we could not commit to a pre-booked whale watching tour. In the event we were well enough to go on and just walked over to one of several kiosks selling such tours and that worked out fine too. We went with Juneau Tours and Whale Watching and took the Whale/Mendenhall combo.

 

Obviously it's better for peace of mind if you are able to book a tour of your choosing in advance but not that critical if you can't. All the best - I hope you have nicer weather than we did, but it's still a great experience whatever you get.

 

i would think that planning on a walk up will be affected by how many ships are in port on the day you're there. For example, there will be 5 ships in Juneau on the day we're there. I would think that's quite a lot. If there are a lot of seat of the pants planners, it might not be so easy to snag a tour in port.

Edited January 27, 2015 by alaska_planner

[Budget Queen]

The major ship contractor used by the cruise lines is Allen Marine. These are large boats that are multi level.

 

In the past Gastineau Guiding was the contractor for the combo, bear, fly in salmon bake and whale watch. The regular whale watches were mostly with Allen Marine, with Dolphin contracted for specific whale watches that noted the small boat and a separate booking.

 

For current information, contact the vendors directly and ask.

[dhmom99]

We used Harv & Marv in May of 2014. There were three couples including my husband and I, plus the captain. It was a truly intimate experience - there was the small indoor part, an open deck on the back that could fit everyone, and small "hatch" part in the front that could hold two people if they sat. At one point it was me and my husband sitting on the small front part with a mother whale and her smaller child swimming nearby. It felt like it was just us and the two whales gliding through the water.

 

I've been on a larger whale watching boat in the San Juan Islands. That was a great experience too. The ability to watch from the second story was a good view, you definitely had more protection from the elements, and choppy water wouldn't have been as much as an issue as I would imagine it would be on the small boat.

 

How long is the boat? Did it feel safe out there in a relatively smaller boat (but picture can be deceiving)? Are you required to wear life vest?

 

Sorry for so many questions. I really like the idea of going with a smaller group of friends.

[5waldos]

5waldos, does Princess use Gasteneau? On the day that our ship is in Juneau, there will be three others ships docked there. I wondered if people on the other ships (say 16 from each) would also be on the same whale watch.

 

Thank you, Alaskawdw12. Good to know yours didn't feel crowded.

 

Yes, and no. I had a long chat with the Gasteneau folks last night trying to sort this out. So, as of now, there are 4 whale excursions listed on Princess. Gasteneau does the photography and whale trip. Alan Marine does the others, using the larger boat. Later in the spring another trip is going to become available- the whales and science trip with Gasteneau. The cruise line does make it as difficult as possible to figure out who is doing the excursion but it is clear that this is intentional.

Edited January 27, 2015 by 5waldos

[sjmbruce]

How long is the boat? Did it feel safe out there in a relatively smaller boat (but picture can be deceiving)? Are you required to wear life vest?

 

Sorry for so many questions. I really like the idea of going with a smaller group of friends.

 

The boat is 26' long. The Harv & Marv website has a few good shots of the boat from the side. The front part you can see in my picture can hold two people sitting. The inside has two seats in front (one for the captain), with additional seating on the sides for everyone else. Six people plus the captain is the max capacity. Then there's a small deck on the back that four people can fit on comfortably but all six can squeeze on.

We felt safe, even being outside the cabin while the boat was moving. We were not required to wear a life vest and I didn't feel like we needed to.

Edited January 28, 2015 by sjmbruce
found the measurements

[Quench]

The boat is 26' long. The Harv & Marv website has a few good shots of the boat from the side. The front part you can see in my picture can hold two people sitting. The inside has two seats in front (one for the captain), with additional seating on the sides for everyone else. Six people plus the captain is the max capacity. Then there's a small deck on the back that four people can fit on comfortably but all six can squeeze on.

We felt safe, even being outside the cabin while the boat was moving. We were not required to wear a life vest and I didn't feel like we needed to.

 

 

Is the boat heated?