Alaska Galore for whale watching?

[jasminelee]

I am looking at various independents for whale watching in Juneau, instead of the Princess excursion. Does anyone have any opinions about Alaska Galore?

thanks for the input.

[wibeachbum]

I have booked Alaska Galore Tours for our upcoming cruise based on the recommendation of a friend who has gone out with them while visiting her son who lives in Juneau.

 

I know they only take six in a group. My friend had a great time but has not been out with another tour to compare it to.

 

The one thing that bothers me is that they need at least four for the group to go out. There are only two in our group so hopefully someone else books and our tour goes out.

 

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has gone with them.

[jasminelee]

Has anyone else used Alaska Galore?

 

thanks for the input

[kathynorth]

I have booked Alaska Galore Tours for our upcoming cruise based on the recommendation of a friend who has gone out with them while visiting her son who lives in Juneau.

 

I know they only take six in a group. My friend had a great time but has not been out with another tour to compare it to.

 

The one thing that bothers me is that they need at least four for the group to go out. There are only two in our group so hopefully someone else books and our tour goes out.

 

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has gone with them.

 

I suggest that you post the specific information about your tour on the roll call for your specific cruise. You may find someone from your cruise who is interested in pairing with you. We did this for a private tour and it worked out great. You can also check to see what other ships are in Juneau on the same day as your ship and also post the info on their roll call forum.

[pfanny37]

I just booked with this company with the Toursaver coupon, and they didn't make us have any more people. They just quoted us a price in the email, and I called them and booked. I noticed that requirement too, but they didn't seem to enforce it.

[wibeachbum]

I suggest that you post the specific information about your tour on the roll call for your specific cruise. You may find someone from your cruise who is interested in pairing with you. We did this for a private tour and it worked out great. You can also check to see what other ships are in Juneau on the same day as your ship and also post the info on their roll call forum.

 

I did post it on our roll call but didn't think of posting it on other ship's roll calls. Good idea! I'll try that.

 

Jody

[wibeachbum]

I just booked with this company with the Toursaver coupon, and they didn't make us have any more people. They just quoted us a price in the email, and I called them and booked. I noticed that requirement too, but they didn't seem to enforce it.

 

I talked to Jamie on the phone. She said that the tour wouldn't go out if there weren't four people. She said she would e-mail me and let me know if they booked another couple and the tour would go.

[retiredmom]

I am also interested in this tour for our Aug. 2011 cruise on the Coral. Also have the Toursaver book as it is 2 for 1. We are on the Coral from Whittier on Aug. 6.

[frugaltravel]

So in essence, if no one else signs up, you can pay two more fares, i.e. one more than if you didn't have the toursaver, and you get a private tour? Actually, that sounds well worth it to me. Or do they need four PAYING passengers, i.e. three more besides the 2 with a Toursaver, who really are only paying one fare?

Edited February 12, 2011 by frugaltravel

[kingpgmr]

Alaska Galore left us hanging with no tour after I had booked with them 6 months in advance. They didn't notify us that our tour was cancelled and I only found out after arriving in Juneau and calling them (when we couldn't find their representative). Fortunately Orca Enterprises saved the day for us and provided us with an awesome experience. Alaska Galore is not reputable (in my estimation).

[frugaltravel]

Alaska Galore left us hanging with no tour after I had booked with them 6 months in advance. They didn't notify us that our tour was cancelled and I only found out after arriving in Juneau and calling them (when we couldn't find their representative). Fortunately Orca Enterprises saved the day for us and provided us with an awesome experience. Alaska Galore is not reputable (in my estimation).

 

Did they say why their tour was canceled and/or when they canceled it? Was their captain sick and they had no one else to pilot the boat? Did you use a Toursaver coupon and/or did they not have the required 4 minimum that people above mentioned (meaning they would cancel at the last minute)?

 

I am not making excuses, and I have no experience with this company, but some more insights would be helpful, especially since in the past this company has gotten good reviews.

Edited June 27, 2011 by frugaltravel

[kingpgmr]

Did they say why their tour was canceled and/or when they canceled it? Was their captain sick and they had no one else to pilot the boat? Did you use a Toursaver coupon and/or did they not have the required 4 minimum that people above mentioned (meaning they would cancel at the last minute)?

 

I am not making excuses, and I have no experience with this company, but some more insights would be helpful, especially since in the past this company has gotten good reviews.

 

They said that all of their boats were inoperable that day. To give some more information, I booked a 2:30 pm tour with them back in December using a toursaver coupon. A week before the tour they emailed and asked if we could switch to 11:30 am and we agreed. The day of the tour we couldn't find their representative at first. We called their office and were told the tour was now at 4pm (switched yet again). A few minutes later we found their representative and he told us that the tour was cancelled as all of their boats were inoperable.

 

I understand that things happen, but the combination of the tour time being switch several times at the last minute with the tour finally just being cancelled left a bad taste in our mouths. If the boats are in that bad of shape, are they safe to venture out in the first place? Also, the communication on the day of the tour was bad.

 

In comparison we found Orca Enterprises to be a top notch and well run business. They even offered us a $20 per person discount as they could tell I was frustrated when I approached their booth to inquire about a tour.

[Budget Queen]

I don't recall, many reviews about this company, and actually I just did a board search and only a few posts came up, with only one person, actually taking the tour- the rest had "booked" the tour.

 

The further details- do suggest a very poorly run company, that somehow has all malfunctioning boats, but reschedules tours?

 

It is fortunate this poster, was organized, able to cut their losses and was able to book another tour.

Edited June 27, 2011 by Budget Queen

[bracket_mom]

I booked with Orca Enterprises for a late July tour...very quick response to my phone inquiry back in February. I also called Alaska Galore (the same day) and never received a call back.

 

I decided it wasn't worth trying to use a coupon if I couldn't depend on the company.

[wibeachbum]

We did a whale watching tour with Alaska Galore Tours earlier this season. The boat was nice. Very clean. We had five passengers and the captain. I booked and paid for DH and myself in January. I e-mailed Jamie a week before our cruise and she confirmed that our tour had the required number of passenger and that we would go.

 

I e-mailed Jamie at Alaska Galore and requested to be dropped at Mendenhall Glacier after our Whale Watching tour. Jamie was on vacation and forwarded my e-mail to someone that was covering for her. She gave me contact info for a taxi company to transport us from Mendenhall back to Juneau. I arrange transportation back to Juneau with the taxi company online but did not get confirmation from them. I called them before we left on the cruise and they said that it was a little early to make a reservation. They told me to call them when we got there.

 

The woman covering for Jamie did not notify the bus driver that we were to be taken to Mendenhall and the bus driver refused to take us there because she said that we did not prearrange it. I then got a call from the taxi company. They were waiting for us at the Glacier. It was a big mix up for everyone.

[GweninTX]

We are booked with Alaska Galore for our cruise in August. I am subscribing to this thread to decide if we need to change whale watching tours!

[Alaska0799]

We've just returned from RT Seattle cruise on Sapphire Princess. Whale watching with Harv and Marv (with Captain Steve) was possibly the best we've had in our five whale watching trips out of Auke Bay in Juneau. We've always enjoyed the Allen Marine excursions (booked through Princess) and their larger boats are best for those who desire a smooth ride, snack bar and more comfy restroom facilities. But Harv and Marv's two small boats (6 passengers) and one recently added larger boat (12 passengers) result in a more intimate wildlife experience. They lived up to their stellar reputation--absolutely topnotch operation and personnel from the first phone call till we disembarked the boat after the trip.

 

On our trip on 6/22, we first observed a humpback cow with her calf who was rolling and fin slapping then proceeded to breach and chin-slap repeatedly. Absolutely breathtaking! Then we moved to another location near where two adults and one calf were feeding, along with several groups of sea lions who were feeding and frolicking. The whales moved so close to us (approx 10 yards) we could not only hear (loudly) their exhalations but their inhalations as well! The sea lions were actually jumping over the calf's tail. Before we left that spot, while still surrounded by whales and sea lions, a virtual HERD of Dall's porpoises overran us. All this with two bald eagles calling to each other from the nearby shoreline and surrounded by the Chilkat Mountains and peaks of the Juneau ice field on a gorgeous sunny afternoon. Those impressions will stay with us for a long, long time!

[knmezzo15]

We were extremely excited for our whale watching and glacier flight. We booked it about 4 months before our Alaskan cruise. The day of, we located the very sweet representative Jackie that got us onto the bus and then took us to each cruise ship to pick up the additional passengers. When we arrived at the marina, we went immediately onto the boat for the whale watching excursion. Be advised, there is not any time to use the restroom or stop in the little store. We had an amazing time on the whale watching journey. We ended up seeing a group of about 6-8 humpback whales and we were able to sit with them for approximately 45 minutes to an hour. After we left them, we pretty much drove back the long ways to the marina. We didn't stay out as long as promised.

 

Afterwards we all got onto the bus and they took us to the Mendenhall glacier. We didn't ask for this portion of the trip, they just advised our travel agent they were going to take us for a bit. When we got there, 5 of the people on the bus were going to the airfield and everyone else was going back to the cruise boats. Unfortunately not everyone stuck to the timetable laid out by the driver so we were late getting to the airfield. When we got to the airfield it was 5:40 and our flight was supposed to be at 5:30. We figured since it was the company's decision to randomly take us to the glacier and it was the driver's fault the group didn't get back on, it shouldn't be held against US that we were late. We also figured we'd just leave as soon as we all arrived. After sitting around for 25 minutes, we finally got up and started asking questions. Unfortunately no one had any answers and no one really seemed to care. We talked to about 4 different airline people and they said we were scheduled for the 6:30 flight, even though my printed confirmation email said 5:30.

 

At this time we started calling Alaska Galore Tours, we left multiple messages on the three different numbers we had for them and never heard a peep from them. We later learned they called our travel agent the next day but made the excuse that it was just windy so the flights were delayed and we were late because we were at the glacier. Still no apology received. The plane finally lands at 6:30 and they of course have to refuel it and get it ready. We finally get out to the plane and I almost immediately tried to return to the terminal. The plane was incredibly old. It had duct tape in the portion of the bag holder up front, the window glass was scratched and cracked in the back and the leg space was laughable. The other big issue was that the headphones don't plug in so every time the pilot tried to speak we couldn't hear him over the noise. It would have been nice to hear which glaciers we were flying over. When we got into the plane, my seat belt didn't work. The pilot also had to clean off dried blood from the door handle as someone apparently cut themselves on a sharp piece of metal on the trip before us. With the wind, we felt extremely uncomfortable up there. First off it made me feel somewhat sick but we all felt a degree of danger because the pilot really had to control the plane during the wind gusts.

 

Overall we did make it back to the cruise ship before it left but we missed dinner with the rest of our family. My biggest issue was that no one seemed to care that we were stuck sitting at an airport for over an hour and that we were going to be late getting back to dinner. I would highly recommend doing the whale watching, it was the only reason they didn't get a terrible rating. I think you'd have a much more enjoyable experience if you just try to do one venture with this company, if at all. They were extremely disorganized and couldn't get everyone from one location to the next in time. Do your research, there are a ton of companies that do these types of excursions so you're most likely better suited somewhere else.

[Matty Ice]

I tried to book with Alaska Galore in April 2014 for our August 2014 Alaskan cruise. I emailed them the date I wanted to book and told them I had a coupon from the Alaska Tour Saver book. I was told it was "early in the season to book", but they would let me know when a tour was available. Finally, this week, just 9 days before our cruise I emailed them again for an update. I was told they were still waiting for 2 people, but I was "on the list". We had already made alternative plans since I had not heard from them, I just wanted to see what they would say. I was very disappointed with the lack of communication and felt like since I had a coupon they didn't want my business.

[Budget Queen]

We were extremely excited for our whale watching and glacier flight. We booked it about 4 months before our Alaskan cruise. The day of, we located the very sweet representative Jackie that got us onto the bus and then took us to each cruise ship to pick up the additional passengers. When we arrived at the marina, we went immediately onto the boat for the whale watching excursion. Be advised, there is not any time to use the restroom or stop in the little store. We had an amazing time on the whale watching journey. We ended up seeing a group of about 6-8 humpback whales and we were able to sit with them for approximately 45 minutes to an hour. After we left them, we pretty much drove back the long ways to the marina. We didn't stay out as long as promised.

 

Afterwards we all got onto the bus and they took us to the Mendenhall glacier. We didn't ask for this portion of the trip, they just advised our travel agent they were going to take us for a bit. When we got there, 5 of the people on the bus were going to the airfield and everyone else was going back to the cruise boats. Unfortunately not everyone stuck to the timetable laid out by the driver so we were late getting to the airfield. When we got to the airfield it was 5:40 and our flight was supposed to be at 5:30. We figured since it was the company's decision to randomly take us to the glacier and it was the driver's fault the group didn't get back on, it shouldn't be held against US that we were late. We also figured we'd just leave as soon as we all arrived. After sitting around for 25 minutes, we finally got up and started asking questions. Unfortunately no one had any answers and no one really seemed to care. We talked to about 4 different airline people and they said we were scheduled for the 6:30 flight, even though my printed confirmation email said 5:30.

 

At this time we started calling Alaska Galore Tours, we left multiple messages on the three different numbers we had for them and never heard a peep from them. We later learned they called our travel agent the next day but made the excuse that it was just windy so the flights were delayed and we were late because we were at the glacier. Still no apology received. The plane finally lands at 6:30 and they of course have to refuel it and get it ready. We finally get out to the plane and I almost immediately tried to return to the terminal. The plane was incredibly old. It had duct tape in the portion of the bag holder up front, the window glass was scratched and cracked in the back and the leg space was laughable. The other big issue was that the headphones don't plug in so every time the pilot tried to speak we couldn't hear him over the noise. It would have been nice to hear which glaciers we were flying over. When we got into the plane, my seat belt didn't work. The pilot also had to clean off dried blood from the door handle as someone apparently cut themselves on a sharp piece of metal on the trip before us. With the wind, we felt extremely uncomfortable up there. First off it made me feel somewhat sick but we all felt a degree of danger because the pilot really had to control the plane during the wind gusts.

 

Overall we did make it back to the cruise ship before it left but we missed dinner with the rest of our family. My biggest issue was that no one seemed to care that we were stuck sitting at an airport for over an hour and that we were going to be late getting back to dinner. I would highly recommend doing the whale watching, it was the only reason they didn't get a terrible rating. I think you'd have a much more enjoyable experience if you just try to do one venture with this company, if at all. They were extremely disorganized and couldn't get everyone from one location to the next in time. Do your research, there are a ton of companies that do these types of excursions so you're most likely better suited somewhere else.

 

First Alaska Galore is not the flight vendor. Do you know who you flew with? Flights can be delayed for a variety of reasons. Many of these "issues" you complain about are standard practice. Delays most certainly can happen due to wind conditions. The tour prior to your is delayed. Your driver took you to Mendenhall to use up some time- you complain about not leaving there sooner, then complain about having to wait, and the flight not being immediate for you. It doesn't sound like you have any experience flying small planes? They can have a lot of movement, are noisy, and it's a given tight seating. You are complaining about duck tape? It wasn't holding the plane together was it? Finally your complaint about the "old" planes? those "old" planes are superbly maintained and are workhorses. I'll fly in a beaver any day over a new plane. My husband says those engines talk to you. :) (A&P mechanic)

 

You make no mention of the flight seeing, but that you missed your dinner.