Ruby Princess whale watching excursion in Victoria

[bluedevil72]

Can anyone give me any info on this excursion?  I tried the search feature but didn't have any luck.  We dock at 7:00 and I've looked at several independent groups, like Eagle Wing, but the late docking time won't work for anything I've seen.  Thanks in advance for any help.

[Eaglecw]

We've been to Victoria many times and I wouldn't advise a whale watching excursion out of Victoria. By the time you dock and get off the ship you've only got about an hour or an hour and a half before it's dark. The place to go whale watching is Juneau.

[CynCyn]

I went last year.  The boat for the whale watching is steps away from the dock.  It was great fun but no whales! They will get you back on time.

[donswife]

I agree with Eaglecw. The time in Victoria is so short, especially if there is any sort of delay. Also, depending on when you sail, the daylight could be quite limited. If you like to walk, Beacon Hill park is a nice stroll from the cruise dock, and free.

[Thrak]

Juneau for whales. In Victoria I recommend Butchart Gardens if you have time and haven't been there. Spectacular.

 

https://www.butchartgardens.com/

[Cruiserkenn]

I agree that Butchart Gardens is fantastic.  Do it for sure if you haven't been.

 

The Princess whale watching tour has also been good in July.  Late June or July give enough daylight.  I have seen Orcas in Victoria!    Enjoy! 🙂🐬🐳🐋😉

[CATGUY7]

We were on this excursion in late June, and we loved it.  Here are a few photos.  The sunset was beautiful too.  

 

 

[CynCyn]

Another great place to see whales in Juneau is on land! It’s at the Shrine of St. Therese.  We rented a car there and drove.  We were super close to a small pod of orcas-even saw a baby.  We were so close we could hear them breathe!

[bluedevil72]

Thank you to everyone for your replies.  We are going to go whale watching in Juneau.  That's always on the list for Juneau.  We've been to Butchart Gardens a couple of times, and loved it, but thought we might try something else.  I think we may give this excursion a shot.  I hope to see orcas but being on the water at sunset isn't all bad either.  Thanks again.

[Cruiserkenn]

10 hours ago, CATGUY7 said:

We were on this excursion in late June, and we loved it.  Here are a few photos.  The sunset was beautiful too.  

 

 

 

Thanks for the absolutely fabulous pictures!  Wow!

[CATGUY7]

31 minutes ago, Cruiserkenn said:

 

Thanks for the absolutely fabulous pictures!  Wow!

Thank you!

[MsSoCalCruiser]

We went whale watching during the month of May in Juneau and didn’t see one whale.  We went whale watching during the month of September in Victoria and saw several Orcas 🐳🐳🐳

[Gwendy]

Luck of the draw I guess.  My daughter paid a lot to whale watching in Victoria, only saw them from a distance. In Juneau having a late lunch on the ship three pilot whales came up right beside the ship. Another vote for Butchart Gardens, amazing.

[Cruiserkenn]

On May 2, 2019 at 5:34 AM, CATGUY7 said:

We were on this excursion in late June, and we loved it.  Here are a few photos.  The sunset was beautiful too.  

 

 

 

In the fourth picture, the one with the straight up and down fin is the male.  

The song "macho man" comes to mind:) 🐋🐳🐬🙂😉.  Before I get carried away, the orcas live in a matrilineal society, and these boys stay close by their mamas.

All good things to learn on the Victoria whale watching excursion😌

Edited May 3, 2019 by Cruiserkenn

[bluedevil72]

Thanks again.  Your pictures are awesome!

[Cruiserkenn]

Many thanks to CATGUY7 for the great pics!

[peety3]

Timing matters significantly. We've done this twice in Victoria, once in late July (great!) and once in August or September (one of the few times I felt ripped off). If anything, go to see whales and not to get pictures - the late-evening sun is at a lower angle, so you become more dependent on where your boat is relative to the whales and the sun. Silhouettes, back-lit photos, and overly contrasty shots just aren't as fun to look back on as mid-day whale shots IMHO unless you get one great artsy shot.

 

As much as my wife loves whale watches, I suspect she won't choose to do this again (and part of that is us being "spoiled" by living in the Seattle area, so we can easily catch a day trip to see the same whales).

[Cruiserkenn]

21 minutes ago, peety3 said:

Timing matters significantly. We've done this twice in Victoria, once in late July (great!) and once in August or September (one of the few times I felt ripped off). If anything, go to see whales and not to get pictures - the late-evening sun is at a lower angle, so you become more dependent on where your boat is relative to the whales and the sun. Silhouettes, back-lit photos, and overly contrasty shots just aren't as fun to look back on as mid-day whale shots IMHO unless you get one great artsy shot.

 

As much as my wife loves whale watches, I suspect she won't choose to do this again (and part of that is us being "spoiled" by living in the Seattle area, so we can easily catch a day trip to see the same whales).

 

I agree about being spoiled!  Shouldn't that be a movie?  "Spoiled in Seattle" ?

🐳🐋⛴🌈🌊📽🐬🐋🛥🛳⛴