pittmom2 Posted March 21, 2014 #1 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Hello All, After researching your recommendations for whale watching in Juneau, I looked into Harv and Marv tours. They do not allow children under 13 unless they are part of a group for their 6 passenger boats. I have an 11 and 8 year old, we are a family of 4 and I do not want to pay for 2 empty seats. I know I can join a roll call and try to set up a group, but who does Holland American use for the whale watching tours in Juneau? btw, we are cruising in June, 2014. Harv and Marv recommend 2 other companies that do openly accept children (and charge a lower fee for children). Alaska Galore Tours ( http://www.alaskagalore.com ) and Alaska Whale Watching (http://www.akwhalewatching.com ). Do any of you have experience with these companies and would you recommend? Thank you so much for your insight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinfool Posted March 21, 2014 #2 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I know I can join a roll call and try to set up a group, but who does Holland American use for the whale watching tours in Juneau? Thank you so much for your insight! Wild guess based on our Princess excursion is Allen Marine. 100 Passenger capacity, rest rooms, snack bar(pay) and binoculars included. http://www.allenmarinetours.com/sightseeing/juneau/tours/whale-watching/index.html We had a great time, saw tons (no joke..lol) of whales, seals, sea lions, dall porpoises, bald eagles, moose (on shore from the boat). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveOKC Posted March 21, 2014 #3 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Wild guess based on our Princess excursion is Allen Marine. 100 Passenger capacity, rest rooms, snack bar(pay) and binoculars included. http://www.allenmarinetours.com/sightseeing/juneau/tours/whale-watching/index.html We had a great time, saw tons (no joke..lol) of whales, seals, sea lions, dall porpoises, bald eagles, moose (on shore from the boat). Last Sept I am pretty sure we used Allen Marine of HAL. We saw the same things as previous poster, but also - a group of 4 deer swimming across the channel! Quite unusual they told us. We watched them for quite awhile, until they made it to land. DaveOKC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UPGrandma Posted March 21, 2014 #4 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Hello All, After researching your recommendations for whale watching in Juneau, I looked into Harv and Marv tours. They do not allow children under 13 unless they are part of a group for their 6 passenger boats. I have an 11 and 8 year old, we are a family of 4 and I do not want to pay for 2 empty seats. I know I can join a roll call and try to set up a group, but who does Holland American use for the whale watching tours in Juneau? btw, we are cruising in June, 2014. Harv and Marv recommend 2 other companies that do openly accept children (and charge a lower fee for children). Alaska Galore Tours ( http://www.alaskagalore.com ) and Alaska Whale Watching (http://www.akwhalewatching.com ). Do any of you have experience with these companies and would you recommend? Thank you so much for your insight! Do I understand that if children are involved, you must book with 6 in your party? Asking for clarification as we booked a party of 2 adults for Aug with no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted March 21, 2014 #5 Share Posted March 21, 2014 You may want to look into Orca Enterprises. They do tours also and accept children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollanjake Posted March 22, 2014 #6 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Do I understand that if children are involved, you must book with 6 in your party? Asking for clarification as we booked a party of 2 adults for Aug with no problem. Yes, Harv and Marv will not take children unless you book a private(all 6 seats). I am traveling with a 9yoDD and we are booked with Orca enterprises for July. Laura Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frugaltravel Posted March 22, 2014 #7 Share Posted March 22, 2014 The last I looked, if you pay for 5 seats it is almost the same price as 6 individuals on the boat, so with a group of 4, you are really only paying for 1 extra seat and get a private tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBKL Posted March 23, 2014 #8 Share Posted March 23, 2014 We used Harv and Marvs last year and it was great. Only five of us and we had not problem seeing or taking pictures. The smaller boats like ours seem to be able to get closer. There was plenty of room to move around and get the best views. In Victoria we were on a larger boat with a lot of people for an Orca whale watching trip. Often we couldn't see past other people and have too many pictures of the back of other people's heads. It wasn't as good an experience as we had with Harv and Marv in Juneau. Plus they stopped going to and from the boat at Mendenhall. Well worth the money to take a smaller boat in my opinion. Especially with two children who may not get any view on a larger boat with a lot of people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piglet33 Posted March 24, 2014 #9 Share Posted March 24, 2014 We're booked with Adventures in Alaska with Captains Jack and Alan. I also looked into Harv and Marv, but since I have an 11 year old, that was out. That's ok, I've heard lots of good things about Adventures in Alaska, and so far have been very impressed with the communication from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted March 24, 2014 #10 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Yes the cruise ship contractor is Allen Marine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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