Ketchikan - small vs large whale tour

[cusematt4]

Hi all - I am debating doing a Princess-offered whale watching tour (boat size 48 max) + a salmon bake after vs an 8 person tour with Harv and Marvs. Does anyone have any experience with both of these?  Is it significantly better to do a more intimate tour with a company and on a boat such as with Harv and Marv?

 

Thanks!

[SightCRR]

Go to youtube and watch one of each. Look for new personal ones not the ad ones. 

[Suzanne123]

You probably mean Juneau, not Ketchikan.  Anyway, it depends on whether you want to include a salmon bake. 😊 I’ve done 20+ whale watches in Juneau from the old 6 passenger Harv and Marv ( They called it the “Harvendam” back then ) to the evening whale watch with 100 passenger Allen Marine including a buffet. I think Allen Marine runs the Orca Point salmon bake.

https://allenmarinetours.com

 

You can save a few bucks using Juneau Whale Watch or one of the kiosks where you dock in Juneau. Their boats are perfectly fine.  Not too big or too small. You might get a trail bar or some Oreos, but no salmon bake.😊
https://www.juneauwhalewatch.com

 

My favorite, and we’re doing it again in May, is the Gastineau Guiding Mendenhall glacier and whale watch photo safari through the cruise ship.

https://www.stepintoalaska.com/excursions/whale-watching-mendenhall-glacier-photo-safari/

You are going to see whales no matter which boat you choose.  As soon as one captain sees a whale, he’s on the radio to other boats, and it’s not rare to have six or more boats of all sizes converging on the same area. 
It’s always exciting walking down that ramp to your boat in Auke Bay.

Hope you see lots of whales. 😊

 

 

 

 

 

[SKindel510]

@Suzanne123 does the Gastineau Guiding Mendenhall glacier and whale watch photo safarI also go to Nugget Falls?

[Suzanne123]

Once we made it to Nugget Falls. Another time we went to the left and walked down to the beaver dam, but the last two times we walked on the mountain above  the glacier to see how it has receded and ended up at the visitor’s center.