Bering Sea Crab Fisherman Excursion

[auntjoy036]

Based on your many rave reviews, I booked the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman excursion for my Noordam cruise this summer. I have never watched Deadliest Catch but am extremely excited about the high probability of seeing eagles.

 

The extraordinary photographs posted by Crew News and at Roger Jett Photography (same person?) greatly influenced my decision. Thank you so much for sharing.

 

Vicki

[JCrewz]

Aunt Joy.....you will love this excursion. It is very well organized. We went on this tour back in 2009 when "The Deadliest Catch" series was much hotter. If I remember right, the tour was on one of the featured boats that capsized from a rogue wave.

 

My tip is to get on the boat early. There is almost theater type seating on two decks. You will want to get on the very front row in front of the demonstration tanks. You will see up close how little space an Octopus needs to get through a hole. They will pull up a pot or two to show you the crab. All very interesting. However, the eagle feeding is the highlight.

 

There is a Native American island they have contracted with which is not governed by US law....they can feed the eagles. The sight is spectacular. They let you move to the edge of the boat to take pictures. That is why you want to be on the front row. You will get to the edge of the boat and be in front of the other tourists. You will have a great view and will be able to get photographs of the eagle talons fully extended grabbing their fish. The people two and three deep will not have as good photo ops.

 

Take a camera with a high speed shutter. We were able to take about 400 shots in the 15 minutes we were there. I don't know where that storage card is at the moment, but we have some pictures that were incredible and some we deleted. The eagles are majestic birds and watching that many in action (we saw about 20 buzzing the area) was one of the highlights of our cruise.....of course, the food will always be number one for some of us.

 

I hope you have a great time. Any questions? I've been on three Alaskan cruises and will be glad to help.

[Victrola]

We have booked this excursion for our June 2015 Alaska cruise. Thanks for the tips and suggestions. Counting the days.

[NewEnglandNANA]

Aunt Joy.....you will love this excursion. It is very well organized. We went on this tour back in 2009 when "The Deadliest Catch" series was much hotter. If I remember right, the tour was on one of the featured boats that capsized from a rogue wave.

 

My tip is to get on the boat early. There is almost theater type seating on two decks. You will want to get on the very front row in front of the demonstration tanks. You will see up close how little space an Octopus needs to get through a hole. They will pull up a pot or two to show you the crab. All very interesting. However, the eagle feeding is the highlight.

 

There is a Native American island they have contracted with which is not governed by US law....they can feed the eagles. The sight is spectacular. They let you move to the edge of the boat to take pictures. That is why you want to be on the front row. You will get to the edge of the boat and be in front of the other tourists. You will have a great view and will be able to get photographs of the eagle talons fully extended grabbing their fish. The people two and three deep will not have as good photo ops.

 

Take a camera with a high speed shutter. We were able to take about 400 shots in the 15 minutes we were there. I don't know where that storage card is at the moment, but we have some pictures that were incredible and some we deleted. The eagles are majestic birds and watching that many in action (we saw about 20 buzzing the area) was one of the highlights of our cruise.....of course, the food will always be number one for some of us.

 

I hope you have a great time. Any questions? I've been on three Alaskan cruises and will be glad to help.

 

Great Information. So glad to hear this is worth the $$ as my DH so wants to do this.

Have you booked directly with them or from the ship excursion?

I have looked at both and the price is only $10pp difference. But I noticed the timing from our ship would be 15 minutes before show starts and The Website for Bering Sea indicates arriving 30 minutes before. Really would love to snag a front row seat!

I just am not sure which would be our best option. I would hate to miss getting back to the ship as we leave at 1:30 pm.

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

Jean

[Freehike]

We did this when we were on the Radiance. You literally walked right off the ship and it was right there in front of you.

 

The eagles make the experience worth it but we were less than impressed with the rest of it. It felt very cheesy and too staged for our taste.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Crew News]

Based on your many rave reviews, I booked the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman excursion for my Noordam cruise this summer. I have never watched Deadliest Catch but am extremely excited about the high probability of seeing eagles.

 

The extraordinary photographs posted by Crew News and at Roger Jett Photography (same person?) greatly influenced my decision. Thank you so much for sharing.

 

Vicki

 

Same person. My Crew News website will become more of a blog.

 

Although this is a HAL-sponsored excursion, the person meeting you at the HAL dock will be in an orange jacket and just point you to the Aleutian Ballad about 60 yards away. There is no need to wait for your fellow passengers to gather.

 

My DW rides a scooter and there is parking for them on board the boat.

 

As a photographer, I prefer to grab the seats on the front row close to the wheel house. There will be nobody in front of you and you can stand up at the railing for great pictures.

 

The crab fishing is indeed staged for demo purposes since there are no King Crab in Ketchikan waters. Before returning the creatures to the water, you can touch them and take a very close-up picture of them. We learned that each King Crab would wholesale for over $100 each.

 

For those who have watched the TV series, the stories of fishing in the Bering Sea in January, the huge waves, everything covered in ice, and how the TV filming crew adapted to the extremely harsh environment was very interesting.

 

We have taken this excursion three times and have enjoyed it each time.

[gottagoacruzn]

Hi guys, been thinkin of takin this tour, but the cruise won't be til Sept 9, would there be any guarantee of seeing eagles, or suppose the eagles have already decided to fly the coop?

[Crew News]

Hi guys, been thinkin of takin this tour, but the cruise won't be til Sept 9, would there be any guarantee of seeing eagles, or suppose the eagles have already decided to fly the coop?

 

The eagles nest there and many of my photographs of the eagles were taken the last week in September. September is also a major salmon spawning period so the eagles will be present.

[gottagoacruzn]

Will the eagles also be swarming over Creek St at that time? Really wantin to see eagles.

[Crew News]

Will the eagles also be swarming over Creek St at that time? Really wantin to see eagles.

 

As long as the salmon are running in September, you will see eagles in the trees near the water. If you can imagine a vanilla ice cream cone in the tree line, you can spot adult eagles. Probably no eagles on Creek Street but you will see them flying around the port facilities.

 

This photograph was taken in Skagway about 50 feet from our verandah:

 

[gottagoacruzn]

Hey Crew News, thanks for the tip, I haven't ever seen your pictures yet, so could you give me a link to them? If not, that's ok to.

[hcij2015]

Interesting. Will have to look at this closely.

[Budget Queen]

Will the eagles also be swarming over Creek St at that time? Really wantin to see eagles.

 

Eagles are seen all over Alaska, I wouldn't be taking this tour to see them. I have no interest in this "tourist" priority excursion. In my opinion, this boat, has nothing authentic left with all the stadium seating added. I much prefer catching a look at the Time Bandit in Homer, real. My son, who was a Deadliest Catch fan, had a great time, talking with some crew and being invited aboard. :) We were in Homer several days, and they were working on the boat, painting, and were not super busy from appearances. Just pure chance. I believe this was 4 years ago?

[Cheryl H]

Hi guys, been thinkin of takin this tour, but the cruise won't be til Sept 9, would there be any guarantee of seeing eagles, or suppose the eagles have already decided to fly the coop?

 

Hey there fellow cruiser! We are booked on this tour. I'm looking forward to it. If you decide to book, you'll at least know 3 people on the tour.

[Cheryl H]

Eagles are seen all over Alaska, I wouldn't be taking this tour to see them. I have no interest in this "tourist" priority excursion. In my opinion, this boat, has nothing authentic left with all the stadium seating added. I much prefer catching a look at the Time Bandit in Homer, real. My son, who was a Deadliest Catch fan, had a great time, talking with some crew and being invited aboard. :) We were in Homer several days, and they were working on the boat, painting, and were not super busy from appearances. Just pure chance. I believe this was 4 years ago?

 

I follow them on facebook. They posted a video of them loading the Ballard up to go crabbing last month. I believe they are still in the fishing business. It may be considered touristy, but it will be the closest way for our 10 year old to get to see traps baited and dropped and some pulled in to harvest, even if it is just for demonstration purposes in the summertime. That is cool that you got to see the Time Bandit.

[Crew News]

Hey Crew News, thanks for the tip, I haven't ever seen your pictures yet, so could you give me a link to them? If not, that's ok to.

 

Here is a link to our Crab Fishing excursions sans eagles:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/location/alaska-2/ketchikan/ketchikan-crab-fishing/

 

Here is a link to the eagles of Alaska:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty/wildlife/eagles/

[gottagoacruzn]

Here is a link to our Crab Fishing excursions sans eagles:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/location/alaska-2/ketchikan/ketchikan-crab-fishing/

 

Here is a link to the eagles of Alaska:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty/wildlife/eagles/

 

Hi, thanks for the info.

[kickboxrca]

I was on the Crab tour two summers ago - when I knew I was going to Alaska, I started to binge watch the Deadliest Catch. Yes, the tour itself is kitschy - but kitschy incredible. They want to show you what the pots look like and what the crab look like, and you can't in the calm waters outside of Ketchikan.

 

That said, what's so great about the experience is that it's REAL crab fishermen and their families working the boat. The passion they have for their craft is obvious, and they are exactly like what they are like on the show. We're wearing toques and heavy jackets, and they're in short sleeves and flip flops. You ask them what it's like out there, and they have real stories to tell you.

 

During the tour, they want you to get what you want out of the tour, so that's why they take the time for pictures of you and the crab, and visit the eagles - not because they want to do it, but because they know that the visitors love it. They are just trying to make us happy, and they enjoy their work.

 

At the end of the tour, they are happy to take pictures with every single one of the people on the boat - not on their camera and charging $$ for the pictures, but with our cameras, no charge. They don't have high priced snacks for sale, either.

 

I loved all of the excursions I took in Alaska - the Skagway train, and whale watching in Juneau - but these fishermen were the ones I felt loved their jobs, and loved showing us what they did. We're off to Alaska again this summer, and I can't wait to visit them again :)

[caseykees]

Forgive me for asking a dumb question, but this tour sounds interesting and the hubster loves Deadliest Catch. Does this go out into open water where there may be rough seas?

[Crew News]

Forgive me for asking a dumb question, but this tour sounds interesting and the hubster loves Deadliest Catch. Does this go out into open water where there may be rough seas?

 

No. It stays in the vicinity of Ketchikan in very calm waters.

 

The stories of rookie film-crew folks being tossed around in the Bering Sea were hilarious.

Edited March 30, 2015 by Crew News

[caseykees]

Thanks Crew! Looks like we'll be checking this one out hopefully if they still are having it in 2016!!

Kathy

[bambilin]

My boys will be 9 and 11 when we sail in August 2016 on the Pearl. They cannot wait to do this tour!!

[Crew News]

My boys will be 9 and 11 when we sail in August 2016 on the Pearl. They cannot wait to do this tour!!

 

If you can access the TV series, "Deadliest Catch," let your boys watch and they will be fully prepared for the excursion.

 

The excursion allows all to touch the creatures that they bring up in the crab pots (several species of crab, starfish, shrimp, etc. as well as pose for pictures with the creatures. The creatures are then returned to the Alaskan waters.

[bambilin]

Thanks Crew News, they have been watching it for a couple of years already, that is why they are looking so forward to it! The big one also loves Coast Guard Alaska, LOL.

[Tricialy]

I can't say enough about this tour - it might be our favorite excursion EVER! We went in June, 2012 and will be doing it again this summer. The staff is great. I was especially impressed with the time they spent getting people who were in wheel chairs safely on the boat - they were really caring.

 

Thy captain and his crew (family) were very friendly and they did a great job explaining the Alaskan fishing system, quotas, etc. The captain (at least in 2012) leased his quota to one of the captains on the show Deadliest Catch.

 

Also, we had a "guest" on the trip - a minor captain from the show - Captain Derreck who took over after Phil Harris passed away.

 

We saw tons of eagles - more than people we talked to who had taken the "eagle" tours.