Whale watching through cruiseline

[Lessa11]

My DH is still saying he only wants to do excursions thru NCL in case we miss getting back on the ship :mad:

 

I need ammo so that I can stick with the small tour company I booked with (Dolphin Tours). How big and crowded are the whale watching boats in Juneau that NCL will stick you on? It will cost us $57 more (total) to do it thru the ship, and Dolphin Tours starts at the same time as the NCL excursion, so obviously would be back in time.

[CowPrincess]

If NCL uses the same whale watch operator as HAL (Allen Marine) the boats carry about 60 or 80 people, IIRC. You can see pics of their boats here: http://www.allenmarinetours.com/best/vessels/index.html

We have taken the ship excursion several times and have enjoyed it immensely. We will try an independent operator next time, probably, but seriously, it's not like you're in the suburbs of hell using the ship's tour :D

 

Sometimes it isn't worth the fight to "convince" a spouse. I'm sure others will have other opinions, but IMHO peace in the family is more important!

[martinchem]

My wifey prefers cruisship tours, I prefer to wing it.

[martinchem]

My wifey prefers cruise ship tours, I prefer to wing it.

[PennyAgain]

It all depends on your comfort level with going out on your own (or your spouse's). If he is going to be in an 'oh dear' mood all day, book with the cruise line.

[CowPrincess]

Too late to edit my other post, but the boats we've been on all had good viewing, enormous windows, comfortable seating. There were times when people were crowding the windows so not everyone could see from the main area, but there were also open viewing decks to use.

[plenox]

I haven't seen any report here that people missed ship because they were going with independent tour operators

[Lessa11]

If NCL uses the same whale watch operator as HAL (Allen Marine) the boats carry about 60 or 80 people, IIRC. You can see pics of their boats here: http://www.allenmarinetours.com/best/vessels/index.html

We have taken the ship excursion several times and have enjoyed it immensely. We will try an independent operator next time, probably, but seriously, it's not like you're in the suburbs of hell using the ship's tour :D

 

Sometimes it isn't worth the fight to "convince" a spouse. I'm sure others will have other opinions, but IMHO peace in the family is more important!

 

Thanks for the numbers. He doesn't like crowds, so I'm hoping I can get him to change his mind based on the fact that the boat I'm booked on is 20-40 vs. 60-80.

 

My viewpoint is that the person planning the trip (me) gets to make the decisions. So if he wants do all the work, he gets to make the decisions (hahahahahaha like that would ever happen).

[Budget Queen]

Your "miss the ship" is completely unfounded. Bottom line, if you can't "deal" with this fixed idea of your husband's, then, I don't know what a bunch of strangers are going to do???

 

If it's that important to you, then go without him on Dolphin and he can go with the ship tour.

[nan717]

you should check out weatherpermitting.com with Greg as your captain. We went out last week with him and had a great time. He only takes out one group a day and we were a party of four so we had the boat to ourselves. His boat was very stable and he is very knowledgeable. We had no trouble getting back on time. I would highly recommend that you contact him.

Nancy In CT

[tigerdadky]

We took the Orca enterprise tour with Captain Larry, we saw the boat the cruise lines use and your chances of seeing a whale is a lot slimmer. There was about 15 or 20 on our boat and everyone had a great view. Captain Larry went way out of his way to make sure we saw plenty of whales. They also know the cruise ship schedlules and wont make u late.

[Alaska0799]

We took the Orca enterprise tour with Captain Larry, we saw the boat the cruise lines use and your chances of seeing a whale is a lot slimmer. There was about 15 or 20 on our boat and everyone had a great view. Captain Larry went way out of his way to make sure we saw plenty of whales. They also know the cruise ship schedlules and wont make u late.

Although I understand why the perception might be that those on the cruise ship excursions tend to see fewer whales, that's not been our experience on the four Allen Marine cruises we've taken (with Princess and Celebrity--3 in Juneau and 1 in Sitka). We have been completely satisfied and awed by the whale sightings we've had and are looking forward to our next excursion with Allen in Juneau on 7/31. They always seems to work very hard to satisfy their customers. The Marine Mammal Code of Conduct dictates that all boats remain at least 100 yards from marine mammals and that viewing of individual animals be limited to 30 minutes.

 

The captain always takes great care to turn and maneuver the boat so everyone has an opportunity to view the wildlife, so even when the boat has been crowded (which it tends to be in the height of the season), we've never been disappointed. We will take the opportunity to go on a smaller boat on a future cruise but with an elderly mother in a wheelchair this time, we're happy to go with Allen again.

[Markanddonna]

Alaska is the USA, so I am not concerned about going private. NCL tries to scare you into using their excursions, but they never say their folks guarantee they will get you back to the ship on time! I think that is a myth that isn't put on any NCL literature, so I think I am correct. I can guarantee that the captain will leave on time! I never missed a ship and have NEVER gone on a ship excursion.

[Beach4me]

Although I understand why the perception might be that those on the cruise ship excursions tend to see fewer whales, that's not been our experience on the four Allen Marine cruises we've taken (with Princess and Celebrity--3 in Juneau and 1 in Sitka). We have been completely satisfied and awed by the whale sightings we've had and are looking forward to our next excursion with Allen in Juneau on 7/31. They always seems to work very hard to satisfy their customers. The Marine Mammal Code of Conduct dictates that all boats remain at least 100 yards from marine mammals and that viewing of individual animals be limited to 30 minutes.

 

The captain always takes great care to turn and maneuver the boat so everyone has an opportunity to view the wildlife, so even when the boat has been crowded (which it tends to be in the height of the season), we've never been disappointed. We will take the opportunity to go on a smaller boat on a future cruise but with an elderly mother in a wheelchair this time, we're happy to go with Allen again.

 

Glad to read your post. For a number of reasons, I am planning on booking the ship's tours. How many people were on the whale watching boats out of Juneau? And Sitka? (Was your Sitka trip the otter & sealife excursion?)

[Budget Queen]

Glad to read your post. For a number of reasons, I am planning on booking the ship's tours. How many people were on the whale watching boats out of Juneau? And Sitka? (Was your Sitka trip the otter & sealife excursion?)

 

The Allen Marine boats hold about 100. Very nice boats certainly.

 

A factor you need to be aware of out of Sitka, is this tour does not have any guarantees you will see puffins. IF of interest?? Sitka is the only accessable area, Inside Passage for some excellent viewings. Independent is definately superior in Sitka, the boats are out longer, and the route is more flexable. You also can request areas of your interest.

[Alaska0799]

Glad to read your post. For a number of reasons, I am planning on booking the ship's tours. How many people were on the whale watching boats out of Juneau? And Sitka? (Was your Sitka trip the otter & sealife excursion?)

Glad to help. Check out the website (AllenMarineTours) for photos of their vessels.

St. Lazaria Island just outside Sitka Sound you could see nesting puffins! (Allen Marine's route doesn't go that far out.)