Alaska whale-watching...best company for kids?

[444cruiser]

I would like to take my family (me, DH & 7 y/o son) on a whale-watching excursion in Juneau in August. I've heard great things about Harv & Marv, but unfortunately they do not allow children under 13 ~ big disappointment.

 

Can anyone with first-hand experience comment on which other company we should use? The only other one I've really researched is Orca Enterprises, which I guess is the one I will go with unless I hear something different.

 

Thanks in advance!

[cantw8togo]

We went with Orca last year with our DS's then aged 5 & 8. We chose Orca because it was the smallest boat that would take kids without booking the whole boat like Harv and Marv. There weren't a lot of people on board when we went so there was lots of room to move around. They have an upper deck and an outdoor area at the stern of the boat for a change of view as well. If you have some flexibility with your schedule, you may want to ask if one tour will be less crowded than another. It depends on how many other cruise ships are in port that day. We took advantage of Orca's shuttle service to Mendenhall Glacier before our tour which worked out well.

 

The kids really enjoyed the trip and while we did see several humpbacks, we didn't see anything spectacular such as breaching, bubblenetting or spyhopping. It's the luck of the draw. I guess we will just have to go back. ;) They did take us further up the channel to see sealions and bald eagles perched on a buoy which was great to see. They offered snacks which my kids ate as if they hadn't seen food in several days! (They loved the smoked salmon they served) I seem to remember that they served peanut butter and crackers and if you have allergy issues, you will want to discuss this with them.

 

The tour was about 3 hours and by the time the last hour rolled around with no sightings, our kids were amusing themselves by taking too many goofy pictures of themselves with the camera. A lot were deleted but they did take one of the best pictures of Grandma and Aunt S. of the whole trip! Make sure that you have lots of camera memory and fresh batteries. Bring along something to keep your son busy in case it gets a bit slow. You never can tell.

 

I would recommend Orca to someone travelling with kids. They were very knowledgable and patient with the kids and it was nice that the ship wasn't huge.

[cruisincarly]

I didn't go with kids, but I did go with Orca Enterprises with my husband, and LOVED it. We saw a ton of whales -- humpbacks and orcas -- some pretty close up. And Captain Larry is knowledgeable, friendly and likes to answer questions. I can imagine he'd be great with kids. The boat is small enough that everyone can see all the time. Definitely recommend it!

[lovesublime]

Try Allen Marine. We did whale watching with them and our 12 y/o neice accompanied us. She had a great time. I know some people prefer the small operations like Orca and Harv and Marv, but Allen Marine does a fantastic job. They are a family located in Sitka who custom build their own catamarans specifically for these types of tours. Yes, they carry more people than the others, but we never felt crowded. The boats are modern and very comfortable. Everyone has a good view. We took the evening excursion and they served a full dinner buffet spread which was included. We had rooast beef, shrimp, crab cakes, fruit, pastries, rolls, salad, various chips, crackers, spreads, dips, cake, cookies, coffee etc. There is a bar onboard to purchase soft or alcohol drinks. Their boats are big enough for everyone to get up and and walk around as well.

 

You'll also have a naturalist who will point out things and give a good narration. It is usually a college student. Check them out:

 

http://www.allenmarine.com/

[jonny99]

The info re Harv & Marv's not accommodating younger children is no longer entirely accurate. On request, and only on Tuesdays, they are now offering a family cruise option that accommodates younger kids. The tour leaves around 2:30pm and returns around 6:30 or 7:00pm, including a short stop at Mendenhall Glacier on the way back. We are booked on a trip with them in August with our two younger kids. So if you happen to be scheduled to be in Juneau on a Tuesday, they may be an option. Just give them a call or send them an email.

[Purpleprincess4]

The info re Harv & Marv's not accommodating younger children is no longer entirely accurate. On request, and only on Tuesdays, they are now offering a family cruise option that accommodates younger kids. The tour leaves around 2:30pm and returns around 6:30 or 7:00pm, including a short stop at Mendenhall Glacier on the way back. We are booked on a trip with them in August with our two younger kids. So if you happen to be scheduled to be in Juneau on a Tuesday, they may be an option. Just give them a call or send them an email.

 

I am not sure what is meant by the above comments. I am scheduled with Hand M with my 4 children. on July 19th.

[rjm11]

Harv and Marv have always (on any day of the week) agreed to take children IF it was a "private" charter, meaning that your party had 5 or 6 people in it so you're the only ones on the boat (their boats hold 6 people). We are booked with them in August with our two children, ages 4 and 3, and three adults. Cost was about $700 total, which was similar to 5 people paying the price for the cruiseline whale watch. We decided this was a better option, because with the private charter we have the ship to ourselves and don't have to worry about the kids bothering anyone, and if they hate it, we can turn back earlier.

 

On their website, H&M had mentioned that they were planning on offering a "family option" that DIDN'T involve a private charter.... that must be the whole Tuesday thing the previous poster was describing.

[jonny99]

In follow-up to my prior post, rjm11 is correct. But the original poster only has a group of 3, so would not be filling a charter on their own (unless, I suppose, they wanted to pay to reserve the whole boat). Our situation is similar. The new trip option I mentioned is on a 12-passenger vessel and does not require you to book the entire vessel in order to take younger kids.

[rjm11]

In follow-up to my prior post, rjm11 is correct. But the original poster only has a group of 3, so would not be filling a charter on their own (unless, I suppose, they wanted to pay to reserve the whole boat). Our situation is similar. The new trip option I mentioned is on a 12-passenger vessel and does not require you to book the entire vessel in order to take younger kids.

 

I think that's great that they are trying this... I'm curious to see what families think once they've tried it. I think my kids would love to be with a couple other families on the whale watch.... always nice to have other kids around to interact with. Like I said, we are already booked on the private charter, but I would think this is a good alternative too for those with kids wanting to go with Harv and Marv.

[jonny99]

I think that's great that they are trying this... I'm curious to see what families think once they've tried it. I think my kids would love to be with a couple other families on the whale watch.... always nice to have other kids around to interact with. Like I said, we are already booked on the private charter, but I would think this is a good alternative too for those with kids wanting to go with Harv and Marv.

 

We had a great time on ours. However, our kids were the only kids on our trip. The remainder of the spaces (and we had the max 12 on our trip) were filled by adults apparently because the other trips being offered that day were already full.

[karatemom2]

We had a great trip with Orca Enterprises a couple of years ago and there were other kids onboard who seemed to be having fun. I know my two loved it. I thought they did a nice job with the younger set.

 

I would agree after reading the Harv and Marv website disclaimer that they don't seem especially kid friendly. We are a family of four and it would be way too expensive for us to have to charter a boat just for our family. I had looked at them as an option, but quickly ruled them out due to their no kids under 13 policy unless booking a private tour. It's nice they have added an option for families, but it still appears pretty limited.

[jam82]

We took our 3 year old on Allen Marine. I thought taking him on a bigger boat would be better in case I needed to walk him around. In the end it didn't really matter because he sat in his seat the whole time listening to the naturalist and looking at all the wild life. I think he enjoyed it more than I did. The naturalist was great.

[444cruiser]

Hey,

I originally posted - just following up....we are back from our trip and ended up going with Orca Enterprises. It was a lot of fun and one of the highlights of our trip. There were about 5-6 other kids on the boat. Captain Larry was great and I would definitely go with Orca again.

Teresa

[CP3o]

Hey,

I originally posted - just following up....we are back from our trip and ended up going with Orca Enterprises. It was a lot of fun and one of the highlights of our trip. There were about 5-6 other kids on the boat. Captain Larry was great and I would definitely go with Orca again.

Teresa

 

Thanks for the update. What time of day did you go out and was it full with 24 pax? Some reports I've read said it feels crowded with 24 (the max they put on the boat but I guess not the max it can hold).

 

I'm wondering about fighting for rail space to see or needing to stand the whole time.

 

How were the seas?

[CP3o]

We had a great time on ours. However, our kids were the only kids on our trip. The remainder of the spaces (and we had the max 12 on our trip) were filled by adults apparently because the other trips being offered that day were already full.

 

Did it feel at all crowded with 12 on that ship? Was it easy for the kids to sit down when they wanted and still see out? Enough rail space for everyone? Thanks.