Best wildlife viewing deck on Koningsdam?

[Sherme]

My first Alaska cruise is next June.  I am booked on a 7 day Inside Passage cruise leaving from Vancouver.  Other than glaciers, I am really interested in seeing as much wildlife as possible.  Since I am booked in an inside cabin, I plan to spend a lot of time on deck.  Where on Koningsdam would be the best spot to view wildlife?  (Deck and location on deck?).  Also, any specific areas during the cruise that I need to pay special attention?

Thank you for any advice!

[Tapi]

26 minutes ago, Sherme said:

Where on Koningsdam would be the best spot to view wildlife?  (Deck and location on deck?).

Crow’s Nest (deck 12) is a wonderful indoor venue to watch the world go by, specially when dealing with inclement weather which isn’t unheard of when sailing in Alaska.

If you have good weather, and you want to be outside for an extended period of time, head one deck down (Sun Deck, 11). You’ll be outside and you’ll be able to easily move from port side to starboard side as the scenery changes from one side of the ship to the other. Sometimes there’s a park ranger or naturalist giving commentary, and if they spot wildlife, they’ll point it out. I do recommend that you bring some good binoculars. Sometimes the bear, bald Eagle, mountain goat or whale that they have spotted will look like a tiny dot unless you have binoculars. But other times they’re up close and that can be magnificent. 
 

Keep a close look on last minute discounts. We were booked in a standard ocean view cabin, but a few days before departure, prices on balcony staterooms dropped. We were able to upgrade free of charge to a balcony stateroom, and HAL even issued onboard credit for the price difference (this was a few years back and through our TA, but I don’t know if they’ll still do it). Even with a balcony, we preferred to go out on deck when transiting places like Glacier Bay. We could see so much more. But it was wonderful to be surprised by whales just a few feet away from the ship right from our balcony. 

 

Edited October 29, 2021 by Tapi

[Sherme]

Thank you for the great information Tapi.  I am researching binoculars at the moment and also want to order a map of the Inside Passage.  

[oaktreerb]

1 hour ago, Sherme said:

Thank you for the great information Tapi.  I am researching binoculars at the moment and also want to order a map of the Inside Passage.  

The Alaska Cruise Handbook, Alaska Cruise Companion, both by Upton are a good resource

Alaska by Cruise Ship by Anne Vipond

These will give you a lot of information for planning your trip and where to expect to see wildlife.  The Upton books  may include a map.

 

[SightCRR]

Study the non HAL deck plans which show more that just the cabins and the first day out spend lots of time exploring the spots to scope out your spots. I can't stand to take photos through glass so I dress really warm with heavy duty rain gear. Understand that any wildlife you see from the ship will have you pretty high off the water and a long ways away for a short time. Choose shore excursions carefully. The crab boat tour in Ketch is great for close ups of sea life and eagles. For eagles look for golf balls in the trees to find them. Also make sure to keep an eye open to where other cruisers are looking.  I've see nice photos of Tracy Arm tour wildlife but basically it leaves no time for Juneau. The Sitka bear place is more like a zoo. I have seen lots of wildlife but almost none from the ship. sightcrr 

[rkacruiser]

17 hours ago, SightCRR said:

The crab boat tour in Ketch is great for close ups of sea life and eagles. For eagles look for golf balls in the trees to find them. Also make sure to keep an eye open to where other cruisers are looking.

 

This is very good advice.  The Ketchikan tour is excellent for that purpose and the white heads of the Eagles do remind one of golf balls.  

[SightCRR]

When scouting for spots think about the  glaciers also. Dk 7 bow has a small deck but door may be locked or you can't access it. Check both port & stbd (P&S). Dk 3 towards bow P& S and you can cut through inside if you need to get to the other side. Dk 3 very stern. As the ship is pulling away from the glaciers the noise from the ship will cause big ice chunks to break free. You then have a front row seat to the action including the stern wake. Be alert for under used spots. One cruise had so few kids they turned Club Hal into reading rooms with quick access to outside. Also the retreats on Baltic cruise were not used so we hung out there quite a bit.  sightcrr

[Sherme]

Thank you all!  SightCRR, I have already booked Tracy Arm - I will be boarding the small boat directly from the cruise ship.  I should still have 6 hours in Juneau before I will need to get back on board the cruise ship.  Still trying to decide what to do in Juneau for the 6 hours. 
In Skagway I will do the Yukon bus and train tour to Carcross and Emerald lake with train ride back to Skagway.  Hoping to see wildlife during Tracy Arm and the Yukon excursion.  Wasn’t going to book anything for Ketchikan.   Was planning to check out totems and Creek Street.  Never thought about fishing tour because I have never been interested in fishing….however, I do see that it probably would give me a great chance to get close to some of the marine wildlife, so I will check that out.  
I will spend 2 nights in Victoria after the cruise and will book a sunset whale watching trip with Eagle Wings there.

Thank you for all your responses.  

 

[Sherme]

SightCRR, thanks for the tips with regards to finding great viewing spots!  I will definitely check that out!

[SightCRR]

Make sure to check youtube for videos all of your tours. I really urge you to look into the Crab boat tour in Ketch. It really has nothing to do with what most people think of fishing. There are also videos of your ship and some reviews. Don't watch the reviews if you are hungry. Also I wouldn't bother with reviews older than 2018. Fast forward over the parts that don't apply. The one below is from N/A this year and really good on ports and great on Tracy Arm. They are travel vloggers and got the cruise paid for by HAL for full disclosure. Even in Victoria you will never see whales like a Juneau small boat tour if the timing works. I could not get link to video to work so search youtube for "eatsleepcruise" and look for Alaska cruise review was it worth it

 

[quack2]

Don't get your hopes up for seeing lots of wildlife from the ship.  You're going to need to book some specific excursions for that experience.

[SightCRR]

After watching a video Deck 3 may not have viewing at the stern. I think I got my ships mixed which has happened more than once. You will have to check that out yourself. I was pretty sure there was access to line handling station that they don't use underway but I may have that fouled up also. 

[SightCRR]

You didn't ask about Victoria but I will give you a few things off of everyone else's radar to get more info on as to hours etc. 

Robert Bateman Gallery (on inter Harbor), great nature photos. When we were there they had wonderful bird sketches with buttons to push to hear the bird calls. 

Government House Gardens & Cary castle mews (former carriage house). Wonderful free gardens and old dresses on display. We saw deer in the gardens. 

On some peoples radar: Craigdarrock Castle. Old and pretty neat. We took cab up the hill and then cab to Government House and then walked back down the hill to harbor. 

Have fun & Take Care, sightcrr 

[Sherme]

Thanks for your input.  I looked at the description and reviews of Bering Sea Crab Fisherman’s tour and am tempted to book it too.  Before booking Tracy Arm, my plan was to do the whale watching tour with Harv and Marv in Juneau.  After booking Tracy Arm, I decided not to do the whale watching, since Tracy Arm is 6 hours on a small boat and I may not want to get back on another small boat after getting to Juneau.  That’s why I thought I could do the sunset whale watching trip in Victoria instead…. But, if Juneau is truly better, I may need to rethink that. 
Thank you for suggestions for Victoria.  Was planning to do Butchart Gardens and walk Inner Harbor to Fisherman’s wharf.  I will have additional time, so I’ll check out your suggestions too.

Will go and check out “eatsleepcruise” on YouTube.  235 days until my cruise….so excited!

 

[SightCRR]

Here is their whale watch. In Juneau you will see almost entirely humpbacks. In Vic it could be either humpback or orcas. I am not sure that you will see the number of whales in Vic as Juneau but they had surprising numbers of humpback babies this year off Vancouver island.  You are right about small boats all day but there is lots to look at. If you are all prone to seasickness get advise from Dr on what to use and follow directions before you board the boat. They just posted but I am not sure when it was filmed. 

[rkacruiser]

19 hours ago, Sherme said:

 I looked at the description and reviews of Bering Sea Crab Fisherman’s tour and am tempted to book it too.

 

I highly recommend this tour!  One of the best that I have ever taken.  It's educational as well as providing opportunities to see Eagles and to see and actually handle (if you wish) some of the sea life that they bring aboard during the tour.  '

 

19 hours ago, Sherme said:

Was planning to do Butchart Gardens

 

Butchart Gardens is a delight if one likes that kind of thing.  But, if your time there will be very limited, you may need to leave feeling a bit frustrated because there may be parts of the Garden you weren't able to visit.  I don't recommend a tour that will cause you to "rush through" the Garden in an attempt to see as much as one can.  It's difficult to appreciate what one sees when one must do that.  

[Sherme]

Enjoyed the YouTube video, Sight CRR, and have also watched several others.
Thanks rkacruiser - I plan on going to Butchart Gardens without a tour, so I will be able to spend as much time as I want.  I am in Victoria for two nights (1 1/2 days), so I will have time to do some other things in Victoria as well.
Trying to find out as much as I can about cruising the Inside Passage, port stops, Koningsdam, etc through this forum, YouTube, Pinterest, google, etc, is becoming a full-time job…but so much fun!  😀

 

[rkacruiser]

20 hours ago, Sherme said:

I plan on going to Butchart Gardens without a tour, so I will be able to spend as much time as I want.  I am in Victoria for two nights (1 1/2 days), so I will have time to do some other things in Victoria as well.

 

Since you will have some time in Victoria, may I suggest having Tea at some establishment that offers that?  I don't recall the name of the place where I enjoyed that experience--it was a house that had rooms converted into small dining areas that overlooked the waterfront--but, I was glad that I decided to experience that.