Whale Watching boat in Juneau. Which one?

[Alaska0799]

In our experience with numerous captains since our first AK cruise in 1999 (19 whale watching trips out of Juneau), Captain Steve (Olmstead), owner of Alaska Humpback Adventures, has consistently ranked #1 in every way.  He started many years ago with the original Harv & Marv (actually part of the Beedle family) then launched his own whale watching operation a number of years ago.  Jayleen (another excellent captain) is his niece.

 

Captain Steve's knowledge, warmth and enthusiasm for the marine mammals and other wildlife in the waters around Juneau have made each of our trips with him unforgettable.  More than once, he's located humpbacks bubble-net feeding in the area before any other boats have found them.  Since his boat has a hydrophone, we've been able to hear the whales signaling seconds before they surfaced, which often enabled us to capture the bubble-netting behavior on camera!

 

Highly recommended for anyone looking for a small-boat (6 passengers) whale watching experience.  Round-trip transportation to the Marina is included in the fare.  Browse the website at  www.alaskahumpbackadventures.com or call 907.419.5881.

[PACD_JG]

I hardly ever see Gastineau Guiding mentioned, but I thoroughly enjoyed their excursion.  14 pax on a 28 pax boat.  I left a 5-star review on TripAdvisor...and if you look at the website they average 5 stars.

[Kathscof]

On 7/7/2022 at 7:47 AM, itsanita said:

We are leaning towards  Juneau Whale Watch tours for a couple of reasons.  We are a larger group, 12, and they include Mendenhall Glacier.   Has anyone had experience with them this year?  

We went on May 29, it was a good, medium sized spacious boat, easy to do both in the tour.  All of the whale watching boats went to the same place, so the viewing was the same, and it was efficient to get to the glacier as well.  We had enough time to do some shopping and eating in town as well when we got back to town from the glacier.  

 

I think the large group group will work well with them, as the boat only holds about double that.  

 

 

[onlylee]

On 7/1/2022 at 2:45 AM, YVRteacher said:

We did the evening whale watching excursion through NCL using Allen Marine last month and it was an absolutely fabulous, magical experience.  The meal was outstanding as were the crew.

So happy to hear this!! We are booked for this one in August. Can you tell me a little about food? My husband is a type 1 diabetic and just need to know if we need to load up on snacks or if what’s available will work. 

[Crew News]

5 minutes ago, onlylee said:

So happy to hear this!! We are booked for this one in August. Can you tell me a little about food? My husband is a type 1 diabetic and just need to know if we need to load up on snacks or if what’s available will work. 

Allen Marine has lots of comforts to include snack bar, bathrooms, nice seats, large windows, and lots of room on decks for photographers.

[sharichka]

We loved our tour with Alaska Humpback Adventures in 2018.  We are looking forward to booking with them again for our 2023 cruise.  I highly recommend!

[3rdGenCunarder]

On 7/10/2022 at 11:27 AM, PACD_JG said:

I hardly ever see Gastineau Guiding mentioned, but I thoroughly enjoyed their excursion.  14 pax on a 28 pax boat.  I left a 5-star review on TripAdvisor...and if you look at the website they average 5 stars.

 

I love Gastineau! I've gone with them twice. Their boats are just the right size. I don't want to be on a big double-decker.

 

I think they're often contracted with the cruise lines. The last time I went with them, I had to book through the ship. The ship's description sounded like their tour, so I called them. They confirmed that their tour that day had to be booked through the ship, so that's what I did.

Edited September 13, 2022 by 3rdGenCunarder

[Crew News]

4 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I love Gastineau! I've gone with them twice. Their boats are just the right size. I don't want to be on a big double-decker.

 

I think they're often contracted with the cruise lines. The last time I went with them, I had to book through the ship. The ship's description sounded like their tour, so I called them. They confirmed that their tour that day had to be booked through the ship, so that's what I did.

Four excursions with them.  Comfortable and lots of viewing/photo opportunities with little competition for space.