Underwhelmed with Whale Watching? Is it similar to Cape Cod?

[Amy5000]

Hi all. I'm responsible for planning my family's trip to Alaska this summer. (Family includes my parents, brother, kids, and husband). I've read great things about whale watching here and thought it would be a great excursion for our family. My mother seemed interested until she heard the price. My Dad's view was basically, "Whale watching is included...we can see whales from the cruise ship. This will be better than a small boat b/c we'll have a higher up view so we will be able to see them better".

 

That said, they were fine with me planning it as long as the Alaska trip comes in under budget. (Which, so far, it has). I guess what is throwing me, is my husband, who has been whale watching once before on Cape Cod, does not seem to relish the experience of Whale Watching. He basically said, why do that in Alaska...we can just do it in Cape Cod or somewhere else on the East Coast.

 

So, my questions are twofold: First, I've heard people say how wonderful whale watching is, but do any naysayers want to speak up and tell me if they or travel companions found it to be an underwhelming experience. Also, is this at all similar to whale watching at Cape Cod?

 

Thanks in advance. Best, Amy

[bonvoyagie]

Well probably not very many folks on this board have been whale watching in Cape Cod - including me.

 

There are a few differences between seeing them from the ship and from a zodiac boat. #1 the small boats can get closer easier - all vessels must maintain 100yds from the animals - but the smaller boats can and do get closer. #2 the whales are in feeding mode so they go where the food is - usually in some of the deeper bays around Juneau and Icy Point Strait as well as in the Kenai area and Prince William Sound. The area around Juneau is called Auke Bay and cruise ships do not pass through or near it on their travels in and out of Juneau.

 

Here is a site where you can read more about the Whales of Alaska http://alaskatrekker.com/whales.htm

 

and one on Cape Cod http://www.capelinks.com/cape-cod/main/entry/common-large-whales-of-new-england/

 

There are also several Orca pods around Victoria and in the areas around the San Juan Islands. - I see where you do not have Orcas in Cape Cod.

 

As for the cruise ship viewing - the whales tend to steer clear of the cruise ship lanes - I also think that it is easier to see the spouts from just above water level - not 10+ decks up on a cruise ship.

 

BTW most exursions in AK are not cheap - here is a like to another site that might also help you in your planning.

http://cruiseportinsider.com/index.html

 

Also not everyone has to do the same excursions - let them pick and choose then you all have something different to share at dinner :)

[rachelfran]

I've done whale watching in cape cod and I can see by the photos I've seen posted here that its not the same ... Photos are much closer with many more whales in groups - which is exciting. My brother was with me whale watching in cape cod and has been in Alaska, too - and definitely considered the experience to be very different.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[B Russo]

We are from Texas and don't see a lot of whales here so we had a great time going whale watching. :D LOL Bill

[cutetrill]

I live near Cape Cod, and I've done a whale watching trip before from there. When we went we saw a gigantic pod of Dolphins, and a bunch of Minke and Humpback Whales. We're heading to Alaska in May and booked the whale watching tour in hopes of seeing Humpbacks, Orca and seals. So while it is the same in the fact that you're on a boat watching various wildlife, the different wildlife make it a unique experience.

[vbmom87]

We have been whale watching in Nova Scotia and in Icy Strait. We were not impressed with our tour in Nova Scotia (saw only backs), but did enjoy the Icy Strait tour. However, we were fortunate to see bubble net feeding in Icy Strait which was simply amazing.

 

From my reading this is not the norm. The norm, from reading this board for years, is to see tails, backs and blows. I have to say, if that is all I saw, yes, I would have been disappointed.

 

We chose whale watching in Icy Strait, because frankly there wasn't much else there that appealed to us. We have been to Juneau twice and each time found enough other activities that interested us more than whale watching.

 

There is no "best" answer for anyone. It is all a matter of what people like to do; people get pleasure from different activities. Can your group split up if some are interested in whale watching and others are not? Time in port is so limited, that I always suggest everyone look at the tours available and choose what suits them best. In our group of five, anywhere from one to five participated in the various tours. We all got what we wanted out of Alaska and it was a great trip for everyone.

 

Good luck with your decision.

[RobMA]

I've been whale watching off the coast of MA and from Icy Stait Point. On the MA trip about 2 years ago we were late getting back to shore because when it was time to head back to shore, the boat ended up in the middle of 3 or 4 pods of Humpback whales that were bubble net feeding and the captain felt that he couldn't safely move the boat away from that area. He even made an announcement about how rare an event like this was and to never expect it again. In Icy Strait, we went with TECKK on a small boat to a nearby bay, and for an hour watched 3 Humpback whales swimming and feeding, back and forth, across the bay. Very cool to observe the whales just going about their business swimming and feeding. All trips are different because you are relying on wild animals to provide the experience. I think that the question to answer is how much you like whale watching, remembering that most of the time you are just going to see their backs and flukes (tails) as they swim, and that the breeching and bubble net feeding are entirely dependent upon the whales.

[Northern Aurora]

I just want to point out that every member of the family doesn't have to do every excursion. If part of the extended family group wishes to do a whale watching excursion they should do so and those who don't wish to spend the money should do something else.

 

And I also think that your father is off base -- while you will likely see some whales from the cruise ship, it is a very different experience than seeing them close up and at water level.

[WalleyeLJ]

My Dad's view was basically, "Whale watching is included...we can see whales from the cruise ship. This will be better than a small boat b/c we'll have a higher up view so we will be able to see them better".

 

I guess what is throwing me, is my husband, who has been whale watching once before on Cape Cod, does not seem to relish the experience of Whale Watching. He basically said, why do that in Alaska...we can just do it in Cape Cod or somewhere else on the East Coast.

 

So, my questions are twofold: First, I've heard people say how wonderful whale watching is, but do any naysayers want to speak up and tell me if they or travel companions found it to be an underwhelming experience. Also, is this at all similar to whale watching at Cape Cod?

 

Thanks in advance. Best, Amy

 

Amy,

 

First off I'll say like some others have said that different things appeal to differently people differently. So, with that out of the way...

 

I grew up on Cape Cod and went whale watching few times there. We've been whale watching three times in Juneau, plus on several fishing and water taxi trips in Alaska we've seen whales a number of times. Comparing whale watching in Cape Cod and Alaska to me is like saying that once you've been to Myrtle Beach, the experience is the same as a beach in St. Thomas, Brazil, Australia or Thailand. Or that seeing a baseball in Fenway Park or Wrigley Field is that same as seeing a game in the Astrodome.

 

 

Off Cape Cod, when we saw whales, if was usually far enough offshore that you couldn't see shore - lots of wide open water, a boat or two, and on occasion whales - sometimes very close, usually viewed by most people from the second or third deck of the big tour boats because the higher you were, the easier is was to spot/see whales that were off in the distance. Blue water, blue or grey skies, no much else around.

 

To address your Dad's comments on seeing whales from the ship... We've seen whales several times on each cruise from the cruise ship itself. While always exciting, it usually consists of seeing the mist from the spout hanging in the air off in the distance, where you end up seeing the roll of the back or flash of the tail from a quarter to a mile or more away depending on conditions. A number of people here on the Alaska board have been disappointed and said they never even saw a single whale from the cruise ship.

 

 

As a photographer I spend hours out on deck whale watching, and I have yet to get a single photo worth keeping, not to mention sharing with others, using DSLRs and pro lenses. While you CAN see a whale close to the cruise ship itself, it's really not very common. The best chance for that might be if your ship anchors in Icy Strait Point, where on both our stops there, whales have showed and played right in the bay where the ship is. Even then, they are pretty small and a decent distance away.

 

Since we find whales fascinating, in Alaska we have elected to go on small boat (less than 30 feet) whale watching tours, and out water taxi and fishing trips have all been on small boats as well (Ketchikan, Seward/Kenai Fjords). It's a completely different experience from big boat whale watching, which is uasually done on boats that carry 150 to 200+ passengers - in general much like the boats that go out of Cape Cod, Plymouth and Boston. When a whale comes close to one of the big boats, you are often looking down on the whales. In the small boats - you are right at water level - so when you have the fortune for them to come close, you and the whales are side by side. Our first trip we had an adult female surface about 75 feet from the boat and bugle as she exhaled. I cannot explain the feeling of hearing that 50 foot whale breathing from that close. Even on a bigger boat it would have been very exciting. An even better story about the small boat in Alaska versus big boat in MA...

 

Our first trip out of Juneau we were told that while humpbacks were seen every day, Ocras were spotted on average about once a week, since even the resident populations have large ranges and are always on the move. Well, 5 minutes later - Orcas spotted! We headed that way and saw first one, then two...then another pod with 5 or 6, and then another pod with 8 or 9. Orcas everywhere! However, they we still a hudred to several hundred yeards away at different points. I'm in the bow of the 26 foot boat were were in with the one other couple on the trip, trying to get photos. My wife was standing in the back deck area of the boat right back near the engines. All of a sudden I hear this tremendous "whoosh" and hear Bev gasp. I turn my attention from the whales off the left front of the bow and look back to Bev, just in time to see a female Orca and her youngster finish exhaling and roll back below the surafce of the water - less than 10 feet from where Bev was standing. As she turned to face me, her jaw had literally dropped and she was speechless - with the biggest smile she may ever have. Apprently while we were all focused on the pod off in the distnace, this female and calf had slid offshore and out towards the open water, and I guess decided to check us out on the way. We also saw a young humpback breach repeatedly at the end of the trip. All I can say is we will never cruise Alaska and not go whale watching at least once.

 

The other thing about Alaska whale watching is that unlike the often relatively blank scenic canvas of North Atlantic whale watching, almost all the whales we've seen in Alaska have had the distinct advantage of being fairly near to near shore, having towering fir trees, and snow topped mountains and glaciers as backdrops to the viewing. You also get the chance to see Bald Eagles, Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, Dall Porpoise, Mountain Goats and all sorts of seabirds (depending on where you go). It makes for a much richer experience in my opinion than Cape Cod whale watching. Belwo are a few of the phots I've grabbed on those small boat trips..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've got a long trip review in process form our trip last July which has a number of additional photos of both the whales and the whale watching boat sizes and options available in Juneau. There are similar options out of Icy Strait Point. Certainly you can go and not have the fortune we've had on our trips, but hopefully the photos show how different the experience can be compared to Cape Cod. My next whale watching goal is to travel to Hawaii when the humpbacks are there for breeding season - getting the Hawaiian islands as backdrops would be another great memory and photo opportunity!

[rachelfran]

Wonderful post!

[vbmom87]

I forget to address seeing whales from the ship. It is a totally different experience from seeing whales from a small boat excursion. On the cruise ship, they are, indeed, in the far off distance. They may be enough to satisfy some, but others want to see them closer up.

[Amy5000]

Thank you all for the feedback, comparisons and reviews! My husband has turned the corner and is totally up for whale watching! My kids were already into the idea. L.J. your photos are amazing but I had to remind my DH that we mights not see magnificant breaching whales like those photos.

 

For those of you reminding me that our party does not have to stay together...I appreciate and understand that and there are other days when I've planned excursions for my parents that are up there alley, while I'll probably do some low key hiking with the kids. That said, if the grandchildren go, of course, grandma and grandpa who live far away are going to want to experience it with grandchildren. My bro will come along for the ride.

 

Anyway, we've decided to take the plunge and give it a go! Perhaps we'll cut some costs elsewhere on the trip.

 

Thanks all. Amy

[Amy5000]

Well, I whale watch out of Glouchester every year and unlike some posters reporting on few trips- my whale watch numbers are way over 100. Last few years, I've done 8-10 runs out each trip. So I've seen a LOT of behaviors. A significant factor, I can go out on about 5 trips cost wise to 1 Alaska whale watch. I say so what, :) I am always on an Alaska whale watch and have high numbers out of there as well.

 

The are different humpbacks. Atlantic humpback diet are sand lances (eel's), where Pacific are Krill. They both consume other stuff too. Atlantic Humpbacks have white pectoril fins, which really show up in the neon green water, allowing excellent underwater viewing. Pacific's are black.

 

Behaviors are the SAME, and you have just as much chance of in either location. The norm is still backs, blows and tails. Juneau whale watch reports seem to favor the thought that it is so much more likely to see bubble net feeding, breeches etc. It is not. Those single reports of the raved about trips are a single event. You don't get any reports about "regular" trips, which there are plenty of. I have been on them, out of Alaska.

 

Hey Budget Queen. I thanks for sharing that. But I'm also guessing that even if you don't get to see bubble net feeding and breaching, you've felt the whale watching trips have been worthwhile?

 

TIA, Amy

[Budget Queen]

Well, I whale watch out of Glouchester every year and unlike some posters reporting on few trips- my whale watch numbers are way over 100. Last few years, I've done 8-10 runs out each trip. So I've seen a LOT of behaviors. A significant factor, I can go out on about 5 trips cost wise to 1 Alaska whale watch. I say so what, :) I am always on an Alaska whale watch and have high numbers out of there as well.

 

The are different humpbacks. Atlantic humpback diet are sand lances (eel's), where Pacific are Krill. They both consume other stuff too. Atlantic Humpbacks have white pectoril fins, which really show up in the neon green water, allowing excellent underwater viewing. Pacific's are black.

 

Behaviors are the SAME, and you have just as much chance of in either location. The norm is still backs, blows and tails. Juneau whale watch reports seem to favor the thought that it is so much more likely to see bubble net feeding, breeches etc. It is not. Those single reports of the raved about trips are a single event. You don't get any reports about "regular" trips, which there are plenty of. I have been on them, out of Alaska.

[Budget Queen]

Hey Budget Queen. I thanks for sharing that. But I'm also guessing that even if you don't get to see bubble net feeding and breaching, you've felt the whale watching trips have been worthwhile?

 

TIA, Amy

 

I am an avid whale watcher, have the funds to enjoy all the trips I want, out of Ma, Alaska and Hawaii- every year- so certainly- they are all "worthwhile" to me. Probably not for some others. Just "depends".

[Budget Queen]

We have been whale watching in Nova Scotia and in Icy Strait. We were not impressed with our tour in Nova Scotia (saw only backs), but did enjoy the Icy Strait tour. However, we were fortunate to see bubble net feeding in Icy Strait which was simply amazing.

 

From my reading this is not the norm. The norm, from reading this board for years, is to see tails, backs and blows. I have to say, if that is all I saw, yes, I would have been disappointed.

 

.

 

Your "problem" out of Nova Scotia- which is a poor comparism, is it is NOT a concentrated feeding area like, Stellwagon Bank or Jefferies Ledge. Also the concentration is more fin whales which are difficult for many people to see, due to them not fluking and being much faster than humpbacks. Same for "whale watching" out of Maine, New Brunswick etc. same thing, 1 whale is about average to see.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Our whale watch at Icy Strait is one of the highlights of our trip. We di not get to see the spectacular breaches that LJ did. But, We saw lots of heads fins and tails. They moved all around us. At one point a sea lion swam straight for our boat. [we went on a small 6 pax boat] Yes, it is pricey--but, it is a signature AK experience.

[sue402001]

You & your family will love seeing the whales in Alaska. In my opinion Cape Cod didn't even compare to what I saw in Alaska.

[vbmom87]

Thank you all for the feedback, comparisons and reviews! My husband has turned the corner and is totally up for whale watching! My kids were already into the idea. L.J. your photos are amazing but I had to remind my DH that we mights not see magnificant breaching whales like those photos.

 

For those of you reminding me that our party does not have to stay together...I appreciate and understand that and there are other days when I've planned excursions for my parents that are up there alley, while I'll probably do some low key hiking with the kids. That said, if the grandchildren go, of course, grandma and grandpa who live far away are going to want to experience it with grandchildren. My bro will come along for the ride.

 

Anyway, we've decided to take the plunge and give it a go! Perhaps we'll cut some costs elsewhere on the trip.

 

Thanks all. Amy

 

 

Enjoy your whale watch!!! I hope it is an amazing day for you.

[alaska_planner]

my daughter is too busy to spend any time on the boards right now, but i thought it might interest you to hear what she said about viewing whales from her cruise ship (radiance of the seas) and from her two whale watching excursions (one in icy strait point and one in juneau)...

 

she said that she didn't see any whales from the cruise ship itself - and that was even when she was sitting right next to people who were able to see them....she said they were just too far away ..

 

on the other hand, on her two whale watching excursions, they were right up nearby the whales and she was so blown away by what she saw that she cried on both excursions...it was that breathtaking for her that it brought her to tears.....

she wouldn't have missed either of them for the world - and if she ever has the opportunity to go to alaska again, she'll by all means do those excursions again...

.

[lucywestie]

I have been whale watching out of Cape Cod about 4 years ago and was whale watching out of Juneau last year.

 

We went with Harv and Marvs and although they offer a more personal experience I thought we saw way more in Cape Cod. The problem I found with our guide on Harv and Marvs was that she decided not to go with the other boats to see the whales, she thought we should go find our own and spot some eagles. We basically wasted an hour motoring around and saw two eagles. When she decided to head to where all the other boats were watching we missed an awful lot of great action. From a long way away we saw one Humpback tail slapping the water, probably no more than 100 feet from all the other boats, we were probably at least a mile away or more. We missed lots of other things as well that we heard other people talking about when we got on board.

 

I believe in Cape Cod we went out of Barnstaple to watch whales. Much bigger boat obviously, probably 100 people on board but it was a hydro foil that got out there nice and fast and we saw masses of whales, very similar time of year to be in Alaska as well [september]. In Barnstaple we paid $40 per person, with Harv and Marvs it was $163 per person. Huge price difference and as much as I love being on the ocean and spotting wildlife..for what we got to see I thought it was way overpriced

 

Also meant to say. If you have patience you can see whales from the ship. I spent an awful lot of time on a viewing area above the Sapphire Princess bridge watching for wildlife and I was rewarded with lots of whale sightings, both close to the ship and in the distance. Also saw seals and Dolphins/Porpoises from there as well. Just a matter of patience and luck. Then again, on the west coast section of our cruise I still spotted whales going past the ship and we were a good few miles away from land. Its all a matter of how much patience you have, just take a good pair of binoculars and give it a shot. You could be surprised

 

Pete

[Budget Queen]

Also saw seals and Dolphins/Porpoises from there as well.

 

Pete

 

Not sure what your actual reference is, but it would not likely be any "seals" you saw from a moving cruise ship. First, they are very skittish- they probably would be LONG gone by time you could see them with any binoculars, they also are small. Harbor seals are most often seen hauled out, where there are several places all along the inside passage to see them. You don't usually see them in the water. All they need is their noses out of water. Harbor seals also are what you see hauled out on the ice in the glacier areas. The only place I have seen harbor seals in the water was in Icy Strait (the waterway, not Hoonah), on a crawling cruiseship, waiting out a Glacier Bay entry.

 

If this reference is for a moving cruise ship, then it more likely was sea lions, that was seen. a very different animal, and much larger than harbor seals.

 

Pacific white sided dolphins are common to see, in large groups. Dalls Porpoises are frequently mistaken for orcas, but easily identified due to no dorsal fin, and extremely fast swimming.

 

 

General information-

Before an Alaska trip, it can greatly enhance your experience, if you consider some research, so, you know what you are looking at and where to look. Can greatly up the success rate of sightings- which is what I go to Alaska for. :)

[sherryf]

she said that she didn't see any whales from the cruise ship itself - and that was even when she was sitting right next to people who were able to see them....she said they were just too far away ..

 

If you do want to see whales from the ship, binoculars are necessary. I can't tell you how many times we've stood on deck watching whales in the distance with our binoculars while people (without binoculars!) stood next to us asking, "Can you see anything?"

 

I've been fortunate enough to see whales close enough to the ship to not need the binoculars, but the vast majority of the time, the binoculars were necessary to see anything.

[Budget Queen]

I only recommend wide angle binoculars. Humpbacks need to be tracked from way ahead. You have to be on them to catch their blow, the water is vast. Wide angle significanly increased the field of view. I also don't consider less than 10 power, which works great for land viewing as well.

[WannabePhotog]

 

 

Sorry to hijack this thread (really wish there was a PM function) but can you tell me what type of camera and lens you used to get this shot? I am going on an Alaskan cruise sometime this year and am worried about taking my DSLR on a small boat like that and it getting soaked. Thanks.

 

Also thanks to everyone for answering the OPs question b/c it helped me as well.