Which Whale Watching tour in Juneau is least likely to cause sea-sickness : )

[zimmerjulie]

Hello,

Some people in my group are interested in Whale watching in Juneau and are trying to compare the sizes of the vessels to see which would be least likely to cause sea-sickness.

 

I am wondering if anyone can give information on the sizes and/or stability of the "Awesome Orca" by Orca Enterprises, the Whale watching by Jet Boat vessel through NCL(18-30 passengers), and the Whale Watching and Wildlife quest water-jet powered catamaran (also through NCL).

 

If you have experienced any of these tours, what would your assessment of the "erp factor"?

 

I realize that this is a subjective question and highly dependent on the individual weather conditions, etc., but would appreciate any insights you might have to offer.

 

Thank you,

Julie

[JohnQ]

The main factor in having a trouble free trip is not the size of the boat but the precautions taken by the passengers IN ADVANCE. If you take bonine, use a patch, or take other medications, you should not be sick. Most of the boats around Juneau will be in the same waters. The Awesome Orca is 42' long I believe, while Allen Marine is more like 100'+. My wife gets sick in the car, on ships, and especially in boats. We took Capt Larry's tour as well as the 6hr Kenai Fjords tour which is considered rougher, and had no problem because me wife was smart enough to take medication ahead of time so she could enjoy the whalewatching! If you were comparing a 15' zodiac boat with a much larger vessel, it could be more of a factor.

[zimmerjulie]

Thanks John,

Is Allen Marine the outfit with whom the cruise line contracts for their Jet Boat whale watching, or another independent provider?

 

Anyone know about the jet-powered catamaran used in the ww and wildlife quest tours (from Auke Bay)?

[JohnQ]

My understanding is that any of the ports which have a wildlife, etc "quest" via the ships are all Allen Marine. Juneau-ite, who reads these boards, is a crew member on some of their boats in Juneau. The Awesome Orca for Capt Larry's is a jet boat, but not available thru ships. I don't recall any other jet boats but not sure.

[juneau-ite]

ZimmerJulie,

For Norwegian Cruise Lines in Juneau, they have a variety of different whale watching tours.

 

In Juneau, if it has "Quest" in its title, it is a tour conducted by Allen Marine Tours, and these tours are conducted on 80 foot highspeed Jet Catamarans. ( www.allenmarine.com )

 

if it is "Whale watching by Jetboat" it is conducted by Dolphin Jetboat tours. These are smaller type mono-hull vessels, and range from 36-42 feet in length. ( www.dolphintours.com )

 

Also available in Juneau, but not offered on the cruise ships is Orca Enterprises (Also known as Captain Larry's) and they utilise 2 boats, either the "Awesome Orca" 42 feet mono-hull jetboat or the smaller "Orca Express.

( www.orcaenterprises.com )

 

The waterways in & near Juneau are fairly protected waterways, with no exposure to 'open ocean swell'... i.e. in no way similar to ocean conditions on whale watching tours in Boston, Calif, or Mexico.

 

In my opinion, 95% of the passengers who go whale watching in Juneau, never have any problems with 'sea sickness' ... but, if you are prone to sea sickness or motion sensitivity, by all means take appropriate steps to insure you will not be affected by this.

 

Hope this helps ...

[Coral]

Juneau-ite -

 

Your input is extremely valuable on this board - please hang out here a little more often!

[juneau-ite]

Whales or internet message board .... whales or internet message board .....

 

It's mostly Whales for me .... but I try to get some info out there

 

I know this did'nt help ...

[sboh]

Juneau-ite,

I've also enjoyed reading this post. Since you have a lot of experience which do you prefer for quality of whale sighting-the larger 80ft. or smaller 40ft. boats? Thanks for your input!

[juneau-ite]

They both offer some unique aspects that I enjoy.

I would recommend picking the one that comes closest to your 'perfect time' to go

or

the one that allows you to stay out with the wildlife the longest.

 

hope this helps ...

[zimmerjulie]

Thank you all very much.

This was exactly the information I was seeking .