Book two tours in case of cancellation?

[misha227]

My mom and I are cruising on HAL in August. We've already booked an "ocean raft adventure" in Sitka which we're very much looking forward to. I'm sure we'll be able to see many forms of wildlife, but whales may or may not be forthcoming on that trip. It occurs late in our itinerary.

 

We were considering also booking a whale watch in Juneau with Harv & Marv. We're sure to see whales then.

 

One reason I'm considering booking two tours is in case one gets cancelled due to weather--I would hate to go all the way to Alaska and not get to do whale watching if our one tour gets cancelled. I figure if we get to go on two tours, fine! At least we have a backup.

 

What is your advice? Does anyone know how frequently cancellations occur? The Sitka excursion we've already booked is on a small sea raft so is probably more likely than most to get cancelled. Thanks in advance!

[geoherb]

If seeing whales is high on your list of things to see, then booking the specific excursion in Juneau in addition to the excursion you already have booked seems like the thing to do. We haven't done either of those excursions, but I've read mostly positive reviews about Harv and Marv.

 

We got lucky on our first cruise to Alaska. We were taking the ferry from Skagway to Haines to do an independent kayaking excursion at Chilkoot Lake. On the way, a large whale surfaced next to the ferry. The captain had to cut the engines because it was so close. It eventually moved away, but we got a great view of it for several minutes.

 

I've also seen plenty of whales from cruise ships on our three cruises to Alaska. We saw more on our first cruise, primarily because we spent so much time on the open decks with our binoculars looking for them.