chmusar Posted January 22 #1 Share Posted January 22 (edited) We are doing a northbound cruise from Vancouver to Seward in September , it seems all places we stop offer whale watching as we will only be doing it once any ideas which port would be best , (i understand not guaranteed to see any) 1.Juneau 2.icy strait point 3.sitka 4.skagway 5.seward Cheers from the UK Edited January 22 by chmusar spelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dewaldcruiser Posted January 22 #2 Share Posted January 22 We did a Royal whale watching tour in Juneau recently and we saw 10 or so whales including a couple of calves. The tour had a money back guarantee if you did not see any. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare A&L_Ont Posted January 22 #3 Share Posted January 22 (edited) 38 minutes ago, chmusar said: We are doing a northbound cruise from Vancouver to Seward in September , it seems all places we stop offer whale watching as we will only be doing it once any ideas which port would be best , (i understand not guaranteed to see any) 1.Juneau 2.icy strait point 3.sitka 4.skagway 5.seward Cheers from the UK On two different cruises we went whale watching in Juneau and Icy Strait. In Juneau we took a bus 15-30 minutes from the cruise port, to where we then got on a 2 level boat for the excursion. We saw many whales. In Icy Strait we got off the ship and immediately onto a boat a couple steps away. We also saw many whales and some bears on the beach. The boat we were on held 20-30 people compared to the one in Juneau which held 50. In Icy Strait our tour was combined with the zip line at a discounted price. You can do the whale watching on its own. When we went both tours had some refund if you did not see whales. Edited January 22 by A&L_Ont 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare martincath Posted January 22 #4 Share Posted January 22 Juneau or ISP are hands-down your best options - pick whichever of the two you don't have other plans for in port - as both of these will have guaranteed sightings. If you book a big cruiseline excursion, they'll hand you a crisp $100 bill after the trip if there are no whales sighted - smaller companies might give you free rides instead. But it really doesn't matter as nobody has claimed a guarantee offer since whalewatching trips began!!! Since you're northbound, you also have Vancouver trips available precruise - while not quite 100% (most companies claim 95%+, and all offer free trips for life until you do see some), we are by far the most likely port to see Orca from on a whalewatch in September. These days the local companies don't specifically target the local Orca pods, to avoid disturbing them constantly, but you still have a good chance of seeing them as well as the visiting Grays & Humpbacks as September sees our local Coho & Chum salmon runs begin (if you're planning next year rather than this, also Pinks which return in odd-numbered years here) as those are the main food source for our Southern Resident pods. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseguy1016 Posted January 22 #5 Share Posted January 22 (edited) What are you plans after the cruise? Will you be spending any time in Seward? We've been to Alaska twice (5 years apart) and did a tour with Kenai Fjords Tours both times. We did the same tour twice because it was so good the first time. The tour was the 6 hour Kenai Fjords National Parks Tour. We saw A LOT of whales and also got to see glaciers and other gorgeous views within Kenai Fjords National Park. This is about 5 humpback whales munching on a school of herring. Edited January 22 by cruiseguy1016 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chmusar Posted January 22 Author #6 Share Posted January 22 11 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said: On two different cruises we went whale watching in Juneau and Icy Strait. In Juneau we took a bus 15-30 minutes from the cruise port, to where we then got on a 2 level boat for the excursion. We saw many whales. In Icy Strait we got off the ship and immediately onto a boat a couple steps away. We also saw many whales and some bears on the beach. The boat we were on held 20-30 people compared to the one in Juneau which held 50. In Icy Strait our tour was combined with the zip line at a discounted price. You can do the whale watching on its own. When we went both tours had some refund if you did not see whales. thanks for the info did you use the cruise companies tour or independently Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chmusar Posted January 22 Author #7 Share Posted January 22 1 minute ago, cruiseguy1016 said: What are you plans after the cruise? Will you be spending any time in Seward? We've been to Alaska twice (5 years apart) and did a tour with Kenai Fjords Tours both times. We did the same tour twice because it was so good the first time. The tour was the 6 hour Kenai Fjords National Parks Tour. We saw A LOT of whales and also got to see glaciers and other gorgeous views within Kenai Fjords National Park. thanks we are doing a B2B Seward to Vancouver so your suggestion is a possibility Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare fac429 Posted January 22 #8 Share Posted January 22 Haven't been to Icy Point Strait, but can confirm that Juneau is a great place to go whale watching. We saw several whales this past summer, including calves (amongst other wildlife). I highly recommend a tour that combines the whale watching with Mendenhall Glacier, and if you do that tour you should take the easy "hike" (on flat land on a mostly paved path) out to Nugget Falls. It's quite impressive! I can't remember if we're allowed to mention specific tour companies on here, but if you're looking to WATCH WHALES in JUNEAU you should be able to easily find the company we used (booked separate from the cruise line). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare A&L_Ont Posted January 22 #9 Share Posted January 22 1 hour ago, chmusar said: thanks for the info did you use the cruise companies tour or independently Your welcome. We booked through the cruise line for both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyIL Posted January 22 #10 Share Posted January 22 I'd choose ISP, as the whale watching there is very good, and there are more things to do in the other ports. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoloAlaska Posted January 22 #11 Share Posted January 22 Juneau or Icy Straight would be my two go to ports for whale watching. We saw whales right beside the ship in while in port in Icy Straight. I ended up booking independently. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwf1018 Posted January 22 #12 Share Posted January 22 We had incredible wildlife at ISP and the pick up and drop off are fast and easy. Plenty of time to take the gondola up and see the sights as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CynBeth6 Posted January 23 #13 Share Posted January 23 4 hours ago, NancyIL said: I'd choose ISP, as the whale watching there is very good, and there are more things to do in the other ports. I agree. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Tree_skier Posted January 23 #14 Share Posted January 23 I did it in Juneau and had an absolute marvelous time and saw so many whales. However, if I were to be on your itinerary I'd probably do it a ISP. ISP has very little to do in port where there are a lot more options in Juneau. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rakes5 Posted January 24 #15 Share Posted January 24 `If you have time before the cruise, last August, we did the Prince of Whales tour, in Vancouver, and we saw a lot of whales. We were lucky, as a baby seemed to want to just hang around our ship, so others stayed right near the boat. The captain had to cut the engines for a while while we just drifted in the middle, until he was sure they had left the area. Many other boats flocked to our area, as we waited. Here is a link to the included pictures they sent us after the trip. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wreckem2013 Posted January 24 #16 Share Posted January 24 (edited) We did back to back on Radiance this past July. Did whale watching in Juneau and Icy Strait. Both have the potential to be phenomenal. We saw a large pod(15+) of hump backs do bubble net feeding Juneau for about a hour. Saw a pod of orcas with young calves in Icy Strait. Edited January 24 by wreckem2013 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PIR8LUVR Posted January 24 #17 Share Posted January 24 We went whale watching in Juneau last summer, also with the company that provides money back if you don't see a whale. We saw so many whales and several up close. It was one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aprilcruisers Posted January 26 #18 Share Posted January 26 We had a wonderful experience with this place https://www.alaskahumpbackadventures.com Saw lots of whales and he just made it a fun trip 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livetravelcruise07 Posted February 1 #19 Share Posted February 1 We did our first Alaska cruise last September and by far the best experience we had with the whales was in Icy Strait Point. I am not kidding when I say everywhere we looked there were whales. It was by far the coolest experience and for it to be our first Alaska cruise it made it that much better! The excursion we took in Icy Strait Point wasn't even a whale watching tour, the whales were literally just following us and feet away from us! The tour guides even said it wasn't common for the whales to do be doing that, especially since it was the end of September, they were just as shocked as we all were. I can only hope you can experience what we experienced!! 🙂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paylady Posted February 1 #20 Share Posted February 1 (edited) If I had to choose just one port for whales, it would be Icy Strait. We’ve done many in Juneau as well but ISP is special when it comes to whales. We used independent operators the three times we’ve been to ISP. As already mentioned, the Kenai Fjord cruises are fabulous when in Seward. There are two tour operators, Major Marine and the other previously mentioned. Edited February 1 by paylady 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chmusar Posted February 8 Author #21 Share Posted February 8 (edited) thanks for all the comments have booked the main ones whale watching in icy point with "Icy Strait Whale Adventures" and Kenai Tour with "Major Marine" can't wait 😀 Edited February 8 by chmusar spelling 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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