Whale watching: larger boat or Zodiak?

[CoyoteVA]

What was the better experience for you in Prince Rupert --

 

(1) Whales & Marine Life Discovery Cruise (larger boat)

or

(2) Whales & Marine Life Encounter By Zodiac

 

What were the factors in your decision? For example for me (1) is cheaper and longer duration, (2) seems more intimate

 

Can Zodiak get closer to the whales or the noise scares them away? Did anyone succeed in booking directly with H20 adventures, which runs Zodiak tours for NCL? The price difference is significant ($149 through NCL vs. $90 directly), but when I mentioned I'm coming on the cruise ship they did not work with me.

 

FWIW, we are going in August on Star

 

Thanks,

 

Laura

[PennyAgain]

I've done Zodiaks in several different countries. The going can be hard and if it is rough you have to hang on. Yes you can have a more natural view of the whales and other sealife, but you will have the same distance away restrictions as the hard hulled boats.

 

For the Zodiaks we were loaned appropriate clothing/gear which I didn't enjoy wearing.

[whale-watcher]

I love being low on the water, and never get seasick, but don't especially enjoy the jarring ride of a zodiac...gives me days of neck and back pain. Plus harder to keep optics dry with all the spray. My kids loved zodiac whale watching however, so YMMV. And as Penny noted, the same distance regulations apply.

[Glaciers]

If you are looking for the best photo opportunities the zodiacs are usually a better option. There's very little to obstruct your photos and you don't have to navigate to other areas of the vessel to get a good shot. It can be a bit bumpy but being in the back helps.

[Budget Queen]

I have not done this in Prince Rupert, and you do not hear much about the whale watching there. I would verify more about the stats of success.

 

But, in Victoria, I am always on a zodiac, definitely my preference with the superb on the water viewing.

[CoyoteVA]

I have not done this in Prince Rupert, and you do not hear much about the whale watching there. I would verify more about the stats of success.

 

But, in Victoria, I am always on a zodiac, definitely my preference with the superb on the water viewing.

Thanks, everybody!

Seems like reviews about whale watching in Prince Rupert are not that favorable, but we have 6 hours to kill. Not much to do in the city , supposedly.

[atlasali]

It has been decades since we were at Prince Rupert. But I remember taking a chairlift to the top of a mountain and hiking around. View to ocean was amazing. We saw deer and there were blueberries ripe for picking. It was nice.

[BIG_Steve]

Looks like you're not going whale watching, but just wanted to add........

 

We went Whale watching in Juneau. The weather was miserable. Raining and cold. It was really-really nice being able to go back into the dry heated cabin from time to time. You might be pretty miserable on a Zodiac in those conditions.

[CoyoteVA]

 

That was my concern too. For now we'll leave that day open, with a possibility of hiking (thanks, Atlasali!) or archaeology tour.

 

L