Whale Watching Juneau or Icy Strait Point (Hoonah)??

Trying to decide where to go whale watching, Juneau or Icy Strait Point (Hoonah). We will be on Celebrity in 14 days :)!! Also, a boat for 16 or for 40? Please help!!

I went whale watching in ISP in 2007 and loved it. I booked the ships excursion and it was great!:)

Icy Strait. We did whalewatching in both Juneau and Icy Strait recently. It's probably always a crap shoot, but we saw over a dozen humpbacks and 3 orcas while in Icy Strait. We weren't as lucky in Juneau. We booked with Misty Bay Lodge in ICP and couldn't have been more pleased with our experience with them. Capt. Dan piloted the boat and got us up close and personal with the whales. We did a combined fishing and whalewatch with them and the fishing was excellent too. Small 6 passenger boat, very comfortable, with a bathroom and a viewing area on the top level of the boat. It was an amazing day!

What are your other options in each port? Most likely you will have a lot more options in Juneau than in Icy Strait Point (ISP not ICP). So most likely whale watching in ISP will be a better choice.

I have done both and it really is a crapshoot. Both are excellent areas for whale watching and you never know how "good" or "bad" it will be on any given day in either place. Great reviews of Misty Bay Lodge and FISHES for whale watching in ISP. Teckk gets mostly good reviews, but has had a couple of negative reviews pretty much every year (except this year I don't recall seeing any).

We just did whale watching in ISP in July through FISHES. It is a 6 person cruise. The owner told us that there are whales there every day in the summer, guaranteed. It seemed to be a sweet spot that the boats went to and we saw multiple pods of whales. They were all around us. Enjoy!

I also suggest you look at your entire plans, and book a whale watch where it fits your time best. Each area has 100% sightings of humpbacks. No "bad" trips in my opinion. :)

I highly recommend Orca Enterprises out of Juneau and Teckk out of Hoonah.

If we are throwing out recommendations in Juneau too, then I highly recommend Harv & Marvs - only 6 passengers on board, longer time on the water than almost any other company I know of, free stop at Mendenhall, excellent captains. :)

We have done whale watching in both ports - and loved both.

Now we have been to Alaska quite a few times.

There is a lot more to do in Juneau than in Icy Straight (Hoonah). JMO -- I would do the whale watching in Icy Straight.

JMO -- since I use a walker/rollator -- I use a larger boat.

We have done whale watch with Harv and Marv in Juneau and with Misty bay in ISP (Hoonah) and both were excellent, however there is really nothing else to do in iSP. The oonly other thing to really do is Zipline. I would do whale watch in ISP and find something else to do in Juneau where there are more options.

We have been on whale watching excursions, through the cruise lines, in both places.

While you will see whales in both ports, the total experience in Icy Strait Point is much better.

Another great activity in Hoonah, that I have enjoyed is a brown bear watch tour. going independent is superior since they are on the move looking for the bears, the ship tour, has a fixed location. Success is improved having several potential areas.

Here's a pic from Harv and Marv's last week in Juneau

oops

I have done both ports and both large and small. I agree with others that not as much to do in Icy Straight so it's a good choice there. However the pic posted of the eagle reminded me of something. In Icy Straight we booked with the ship, and while we saw lots of whales, they don't seek out any other wildlife. In Juneau we went with Orca Ent and we also saw lots of whales. They however would seek out other wildlife, and being in a smaller boat would get close to shore. They then enticed the eagles to come out over the water and we got tons of great shots. What an experience. I was disappointed the tour in Icy Straight did not do that too. I realize some independent in Icy Straight might, but the ship tour operator did not. Might be something to ask about when booking.

In Juneau we went with Orca Ent and we also saw lots of whales. They however would seek out other wildlife, and being in a smaller boat would get close to shore. They then enticed the eagles to come out over the water and we got tons of great shots. What an experience. I was disappointed the tour in Icy Straight did not do that too. I realize some independent in Icy Straight might, but the ship tour operator did not. Might be something to ask about when booking.

Actually I prefer that tour operators don't artificially influence wildlife behavior. So throwing fish or whatever they did to "entice" the eagles would be a huge negative for me. Let wildlife stay wild and find their own food (or not be "enticed" by any means). I have had plenty of great photos of eagles and other wildlife in totally natural habitats. I prefer that better. Keep wildlife wild.