Ocean wildlife and Orca exploration- Victoria excursion

[Kohara]

I can't find any reviews for this excursion that are even remotely recent. Anyone been? Experience?

[trophy_23]

Is this offered through a cruise line? I think if you want to do a whale watch you can feel comfortable with most of the big companies in Victoria. Prince of Whales, Eagle Wing, BC Whales, etc

[Putterdude]

I am not at all familiar with that excursion but the Victoria whale excursion operators are all very aware of the movement of pods of Orcas and other species of whales in the area so if it is ship sponsored then it is likely just fine

[martincath]

Googling that tour name brings up NCL, Disney and Princess tours; some reviews from last summer; and pictures of a vessel which confirms they use Orca Spirit Adventures as the provider (makes sense, they have several large boats which cruiselines always prefer).

 

Go check Tripadvisor for many reviews of the service, but be aware that the cruise excursion is NOT the same as the regular one. It will be the same boats & staff so in theory the quality of the experience should be the same - but unless you're on one of the rare long stopovers at Victoria, the tour will likely be shorter than normal so they can ensure you are back in time to board your cruise ship before departing (more likely 2.5-3 hours than the normal 3+, often 4hrs that is the norm for independent tours).

 

Additionally, you won't get the guarantee that's normally offered - free repeat tours until you see at least one whale on your tour - which you get booking direct with this or basically any of the Victoria tour companies. Lastly, your cruise line will pad the price for this slightly-inferior tour quite significantly - instead of C$105+tax (5%) for adults, expect to pay at least US$125.

 

Of course, if you are on one of the short stops in Victoria odds are low that you can actually take an independent tour, so it will likely be a cruise line offering or nothing - but if you have enough time to arrange a tour yourself, it would definitely be what I'd recommend (especially one using the fast & stable Zodiac vessels - the faster you move, the better your chances of getting to the Orcas as they can be pretty far away from Victoria).

Edited July 8, 2015 by martincath
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