txwildflower2002 Posted October 24, 2006 #1 Share Posted October 24, 2006 All DH cares about is watching whales. We do have a balcony cabin. Will we see them from the ship? If not which is the best excursion to take from which port? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fti Posted October 24, 2006 #2 Share Posted October 24, 2006 You may see some from the ship, but usually not very close up. Plus, it is best to be in the front of the ship where you can move from side to side quickly. Do you stop in Juneau? There are excellent whale watching tours from there. Orca Enterprises and Harv's and Marv's seem to be recommended over and over again on this board. Usually a 3-4 hour trip including transfers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toyz711 Posted October 24, 2006 #3 Share Posted October 24, 2006 i missed the ones from the ship, there were a couple of humpbacks spotted as we came out of Glacier Bay. i was looking, but missed them. did have fun watching some of the sea otters. saw 2 (that we have not IDed yet) from our balcony....a day north of seattle. (not ocra, not big enough for humpbacks....?) it's hard to get a real good look from the 10th deck..you are far away. best sightings are on a excursion with the folks that know where they are. we did a trip with capt larry at orca enterprises out of juneau. loved it..i still talk about it and it's been a month. we saw 2 full breeches, lots of tail flips, got to watch the sea lions bother the heck out of 2 humpbacks. either orca or harv & marv will give your a trip to talk about. both have been in the area for a long, long time. both are out of juneau. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghouck2532 Posted October 25, 2006 #4 Share Posted October 25, 2006 In Sitka, Esther G Sea Taxi http://www.puffinsandwhales.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbali Posted October 25, 2006 #5 Share Posted October 25, 2006 If you go to Icy Strait Point, go with F.I.S.H.E.S. It's a small boat but you can get up pretty close to the whales. We used Orca Enterprise in Juneau, also. Seeing whales was the number one thing I wanted to see in Alaska so we booked the two private tours ans saw whales both times. Enjoy your cruise!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseIsGood Posted October 25, 2006 #6 Share Posted October 25, 2006 The problem is, what are you going to see of a whale? Humpbacks are notorious for showing just that humped back. Maybe a little tail on the way down. I was lucky enough to see bubble-net feedings all three times I was there, and all three times were on the evening whale watching through the ship. I don't know why, but the naturalists on board the third time said they hadn't seen any bubble-net feeding at all that year (I was there mid-May), and when we did, you should have heard the squealing and screaming. From the naturalists on board! Bubble-net feeding is when they hook up (they have a tendency to feed solo) and the lead female goes down and blows bubbles, driving all of the fish upwards, and a cooperative group surges out of the water with their mouths open. http://www.alaskapassages.com/bubblnet.htm The lead female calls out orders (not whale song of Hawaii breeding season but definitely eerie) so the ship will put a microphone (other name) in the water and let you listen. The third time, some really loud boat was nearby (possibly Capt. Larry) and would not shut off their motors as ours did, so we couldn't hear the whales. We just heard horrible boat noise. I don't know if it's just because they're more prone to it in the evenings or if they just love me. :D But that is the sight to see. The backs and tails of individulals aren't that impressive. If you're lucky enough to be with a group that's doing this, do NOT bring a camera. You will lose them, rarely photograph them, and won't have the experience of actually seeing them. It happens so quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted October 25, 2006 #7 Share Posted October 25, 2006 For clarification- most people see no wildlife from the ship. It requires a great deal of time invested at the front of the ship- not so you can go side to side, but so you can track from way ahead. By time they are at the ship, you will be lucky to get a 30 second view. It is a big benefit to have a ship naturalist so to point out the areas. I know them and use the bridge for information on when you get there- often have to "make friends" with the bridge staff, but usually they are good about giving me the information I want. :) It has also helped me being platium and gold members. Binoculars are necessary- wide angle is a must for the field of view- which is vast and 10 power. My preferece is 10x50's. I am out most all the sailing time, most often the only one. :) As for humpbacks- I've seen bubble net several times- definately NOT specific to the evening. But as already mentioned - all you can ever expect on a whale watch is blows, backs and tails- never anything more. I am more than happy with that and have been on probably over 200 whale watches. Never tire of this behavior. Anything else is a bonus. As a side- I am finally going to get to Hawaii in Jan. for humpbacks. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adonisr Posted October 25, 2006 #8 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Is one port better than the other? I'd like to do the whale watching tour, but I'd also like to do the helicopter ride to the glacier. The cruise I'm considering stops in Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan. It looks like Juneau is the only stop offering the glacier tour, but both Juneau and Sitka offer whale tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted October 25, 2006 #9 Share Posted October 25, 2006 To comment on the whale watch potential, if you want close up extended viewing, tours are necessary. As already mentioned, I am out on deck constantly, way more than the average Alaska cruiser. I've been greatly rewarded with wildlife sightings, BUT you will also always see me on whale watch tours, with my LONG time vender. :) Juneau is a top area, Sitka can be too. Superior are the independents, since they have a little "flexability" if you tell them when booking, you are after whales. In Sitka, you have the sea otters, only place for tours of them on the Inside Passage, puffins- again- you need the boat to go to St. Lazaria Island- they all don't. Communicate fully with a Sitka Vender to get the areas your priorities are at. :) You also can cobook a glacier helicopter landing and a whale watch in Juneau, making the best use of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LHP Posted October 25, 2006 #10 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Hey Budget Queen!! I see you are still here sharing with us. I just sent some folks you way last week. Just a note to say THANKS for all the wealth of information you give. Alaska is a very specific destination and MANY folks would have missed out on a lot without your assistance!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fti Posted October 25, 2006 #11 Share Posted October 25, 2006 It requires a great deal of time invested at the front of the ship- not so you can go side to side, but so you can track from way ahead. By time they are at the ship, you will be lucky to get a 30 second view. It is a big benefit to have a ship naturalist so to point out the areas. I think being at the front of the ship is a combination of both tracking from ahead and being able to move from side to side. Sometimes when we were on the deck we needed to be on one side of the ship to see some whales, then suddenly the naturalist mentioned how she spotted some whales on the other side. Whales are very unpredictable. You need to be ready whenever they might appear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbisson Posted October 25, 2006 #12 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Yep, seeing whales from the ship can be pretty much hit & miss & as BQ says takes loads of time..... But, there are exceptions. A couple years ago we had to miss a port (skagway) due to weather so the Capt took our ship where he hoped we would see some whales. It took some time,but the wife & I were near the bow of the ship and all at once there was a pod of Grey whales (do Greys come in pods LOL) that came to within probably 30 feet of the ship. And then when we were in Alaska a few weeks ago, one morning we walked to the buffet for a cup of coffee and went to the outdoor seating area. A pod of Orca (I know these are in pods) probably 20 or more strong, came near the stern of the ship and were cruising with us for probably 15 minutes or more. Then they just slowly fell behind. We also saw more humpbacks from this cruise than I ever had before, some much closer than usual. So it can happen, but these are really exceptions to the rule. -Monte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIcruiser99 Posted October 25, 2006 #13 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Is one port better than the other? I'd like to do the whale watching tour, but I'd also like to do the helicopter ride to the glacier. The cruise I'm considering stops in Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan. It looks like Juneau is the only stop offering the glacier tour, but both Juneau and Sitka offer whale tours. I did whale watching with Harv and Marv in the morning and then did a helicopter tour in the afternoon in Juneau. Loved the exerience with Harv and Marv. I would do the whale watching again but not thrilled with the helicopter ride. I was squashing in the back row and did not have the best view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunduo Posted October 25, 2006 #14 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Last year, we saw a few whales from the balcony of the ship. However, probably the most spectacular sight was seeing a perfect line of porpoises/dolphins herding fish toward shore. It was the coolest thing. To get a mental picture, think of a line of geese. Geese fly in a 'V' formation. The porpoises/dolphins were lined up like one leg of the 'V'. They were heading at an angle toward shore. All you could see was their dorsal fins in perfect order. After seeing that, I don't know how anyone could doubt these creatures are intelligent. Later on in the week, we saw a bunch of seagulls going crazy. Apparently, a whale or something was herding fish into a bubbly circle. I think it was a whale bubble feeding but a whale never breeched. The seagulls were feasting. Another time, I was hanging out on the bow of the ship with this British woman who was an expert birder. For some reason, just about every person I have ever met from Britain really know their birds. Anyway, she spotted a rare type of Puffin and added it to her life list. I wouldn't have known it was rare unless she told me. Get a good pair of binoculars, pick a spot, and hang tight. You may not see a whale, but you'll see something that you may not forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbisson Posted October 25, 2006 #15 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Get a good pair of binoculars, pick a spot, and hang tight. You may not see a whale, but you'll see something that you may not forget. Good Advice! Happy sails. -Monte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txwildflower2002 Posted October 26, 2006 Author #16 Share Posted October 26, 2006 Ya'll are great! We have a balcony on the Panarama deck, so guess we would need to be closer to the water? Should I move some decks down? We wanted to canoe the mendenhall glacier in Juneau, so guell we will do whale watching in Sitka. I am not to keen to get on a helicopter either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted October 26, 2006 #17 Share Posted October 26, 2006 Ya'll are great! We have a balcony on the Panarama deck, so guess we would need to be closer to the water? Should I move some decks down? We wanted to canoe the mendenhall glacier in Juneau, so guell we will do whale watching in Sitka. I am not to keen to get on a helicopter either. Frankly, it won't make that much difference, you will still be far away, they rarely are "next" to the ship and if you have a side viewing balcony, you have cut your sightings by over 50% anyway. With the whale priority, take the tours. If your husband is real focused, send me your routing and port times, and I can tell you of likely areas- again, realize, you need to invest a great deal of time- essentially hours for a 1 minute view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted October 26, 2006 #18 Share Posted October 26, 2006 Yep, seeing whales from the ship can be pretty much hit & miss & as BQ says takes loads of time..... But, there are exceptions. A couple years ago we had to miss a port (skagway) due to weather so the Capt took our ship where he hoped we would see some whales. It took some time,but the wife & I were near the bow of the ship and all at once there was a pod of Grey whales (do Greys come in pods LOL) that came to within probably 30 feet of the ship. And then when we were in Alaska a few weeks ago, one morning we walked to the buffet for a cup of coffee and went to the outdoor seating area. A pod of Orca (I know these are in pods) probably 20 or more strong, came near the stern of the ship and were cruising with us for probably 15 minutes or more. Then they just slowly fell behind. We also saw more humpbacks from this cruise than I ever had before, some much closer than usual. So it can happen, but these are really exceptions to the rule. -Monte Yes grey whales are found in pods, but temporary groupings. I have never seen them on the inside passage and they are not known to be there. I have seen them in April on whale watches out of Seward as they migrate to the Bering Sea. There is a resident group, that I have seen out of Newport Oregon a few times. They would be difficult to see from a cruise ship as they are small and not as bouyant as humpbacks. They do not require the thrust to dive, so do not arch up and show their tails near as visable. Minke whales are common on the Inside Passage, so you are more likely to see them. They are a sporatic swimmer and are more difficult to track, you have to be right on them usually. Humpbacks are the easiest, can spot them WAY off (again the necessity of binoculars) and they are pretty predictable in direction when they are moving. Orcas also are easy, but don't mix them up with the very similar looking Dalls Porpoises, many times I seen people claim they are orcas. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbisson Posted October 26, 2006 #19 Share Posted October 26, 2006 Orcas also are easy, but don't mix them up with the very similar looking Dalls Porpoises, many times I seen people claim they are orcas. :) Well, the Dalls were a lot bigger than normal. Instead of about 6ft long and a few hundred lbs, they were about 25 ft long and several ton ;) with TALL dorsal fins on the bulls. I judged the Greys due to the large number of barnacles on them (usually don't find nearly that many on Humpback) lack of dorsal fin. AND-the capt said over the PA that they were greys. -Monte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraftyDD Posted October 26, 2006 #20 Share Posted October 26, 2006 We did whale watching in Juneu with Captain Larry of Orca and had a ball. Saw whales bubble-net feeding. Also saw eagles and sea otters. If I knew how to post pictures I would but I am still trying to figure out how to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbisson Posted October 26, 2006 #21 Share Posted October 26, 2006 Saw whales bubble-net feeding. That's an experience I've never had. You're fortunate! -Monte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bella930 Posted October 26, 2006 #22 Share Posted October 26, 2006 I was lucky enough to see whales (don't know what kind but they were big) off the Oregon Coast over Memorial Day weekend a couple of years ago. I was staying at a beachfront condo and they were frolicking (for lack of any better description) right off shore. Everyone else in the house was taking a nap so I had to go wake them up so they would believe me. They stayed for quite a while then headed into deeper water. It was an amazing sight, one that I hope to enjoy again in Alaska. Cindy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julia’s Journey’s Posted October 28, 2006 #23 Share Posted October 28, 2006 We did a B2B in September and saw whales from the ship, we really lucked out on wildlife sighting, day at sea after leaving Vancouver there must have been over 200 poirposes swimming next to the ship, saw a whale breach from skywalkers and tails a couple of time. Did a whale watch with Capt. Larry's in Jeaneu and loved it, what an amazing experience to be up close - would recommend doing a whale watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snausman Posted October 28, 2006 #24 Share Posted October 28, 2006 We did the whale watching with Capt. Larry in Juneau, there was about 18 people on board. We saw over 8 whales breaching(sp) and dozens and dozens of tails. And of course just seeing them surface (hope this is the right terms for everything). At one point another whale watching ship came right up to our boat there must have been over 200 people on it (it was 2 stories high). EVERYONE on our ship was sure glad they were not on it. The next day at breakfast we were talking to our table mates and they went on the cruise line whale watching and they were all upset, they never saw any whales. We thought they were kidding us so we laugh, come to find out they really didn't see any whales. So we shared all of our photos with them so they would have something to show the people back home. Good job Capt. Larry's, and Orca tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseIsGood Posted October 28, 2006 #25 Share Posted October 28, 2006 Yes grey whales are found in pods, but temporary groupings. I have never seen them on the inside passage and they are not known to be there. I have seen them in April on whale watches out of Seward as they migrate to the Bering Sea. There is a resident group, that I have seen out of Newport Oregon a few times. There is a very sad article about grey whales. They're missing. They're not migrating North. No one seems to know where they've gone. Here's one of many articles: http://news.mongabay.com/2006/1023-earthwatch.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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