Will We see whales from ship?

[luv2gamble]

We booked other excursions in juneau and skagway so no time for the whale excursion. Only time avail is ketchikan and I dont see any whale excursions there. Will we see them through the passage or any other time? Really want to see them???? Thanks

[CruiserBruce]

Of course, its possible.

[luv2gamble]

Are there any whale excursions in Ketchikan?

[LEtue]

I have often spotted whales from on board but it requires a lot of time on deck. Whale watching tours in Juneau are superior to anything you will see from the ship. It may be worth changing your plans in Juneau :)

[Chenega]

We booked other excursions in juneau and skagway so no time for the whale excursion. Only time avail is ketchikan and I dont see any whale excursions there. Will we see them through the passage or any other time? Really want to see them???? Thanks

 

You often see them as the ship approaches Juneau from the south through Stephens Passage.

[luv2gamble]

I have often spotted whales from on board but it requires a lot of time on deck. Whale watching tours in Juneau are superior to anything you will see from the ship. It may be worth changing your plans in Juneau :)

 

Wow..I hear so many people saying DONT MISS THE WHALES. My friends dream is to take the helicopter and dog sledding and we booked that but we are not there long enough to do both. Any suggestions???

[aarrcc2]

Any chance you could go whale watching and let your friend take their tour? We will be taking our 11th cruise to Alaska this August and although you may see whales at a distance or see them spouting, it is nothing compared to whale watching in a smaller boat. We have gone whale watching on every cruise--we never get tired of it!

[LEtue]

Wow..I hear so many people saying DONT MISS THE WHALES. My friends dream is to take the helicopter and dog sledding and we booked that but we are not there long enough to do both. Any suggestions???

 

Have never done that but I'm sure it will be awesome too. And if that is your friend's dream than that matters :)

 

How about kayaking in Ketchikan. Some trips may offer the possibility of whale sightings?

[m and m's]

Any chance you could go whale watching and let your friend take their tour? We will be taking our 11th cruise to Alaska this August and although you may see whales at a distance or see them spouting, it is nothing compared to whale watching in a smaller boat. We have gone whale watching on every cruise--we never get tired of it!

 

Have you done any whale trips at Icy Strait? If so who did you tour with?

[Eaglecw]

Your chances of seeing whales from the ship are just about slim to none. I’m not saying that we haven’t seen whales, we have seen whales from the ship they were out 200 or 300 yards from the ship, pretty hard to see. So don’t be too disappointed of you don’t see any whales from the ship.

[jazzkitteh]

Are you doing a round trip cruise and coming back via Victoria? Depending on how long you're in port, you can take a whale watching tours from there. It might be an option if you can't rearrange your other tours and you don't see any whales along the way.

 

 

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[fishin' musician]

On our two Alaska cruises (Seattle RT and northbound) we saw many whales, but also spent a lot of time watching for them as opposed to pursuing other onboard activities. On the Seattle trip we had several join us for breakfast the first morning. Last year on the northbound we lost count in Glacier Bay. We saw them throughout both trips. Timing for both was mid-late June which may be relavent. This year is late July, and I'm confident I will again see lots of whales.

Edited May 14, 2014 by fishin' musician

[sherryf]

Yes, as others have said, you can see whales from the ship, but you must invest a lot of time watching for them, and you NEED binoculars. I can't tell you how many times my husband and I stood at the rail with our binoculars watching whales in the distance and had people walk up and ask, "Can you see anything?" Sometimes, if someone friendly stands around with us and chats for a while, I will let them borrow my binoculars for a few minutes to see what they are missing. Even with binoculars, often what you see is only spouts and humps at a great distance. If you are lucky, you catch a glimpse of tail.

 

The best, and closest, whales I've seen from the ship have been coming out of Glacier Bay. Last year, they were close enough to see without binoculars and we got quite a show. But, it still does not compare with our whale watching trip with Orca Enterprises last year, where we saw many whales and even experiences bubble net feeding. One whale suddenly surfaced right next to our boat, and I felt like I could almost reach out and touch it! It was amazing!

 

If you just kinda, sorta want to see some whales, spend some time watching from deck. If it is your dream to see whales, take a whale watching trip!!

[laughing husky]

If you go onto Glacier Bay it is very probably that you will see whales....I have been on 4-5 inside passages.....and I have seen numerous whales, many times close up from the ship.....go to a protected area near the bow, and watch....if you have good eyes, you will see them and most of the ships have naturalists on board that will be pointing them out...

[peety3]

On both of our northbound cruises, we saw whales from our balcony the afternoon after Ketchikan. We saw several off the bow that evening. We also saw some orcas returning from our excursion in Ketchikan.

 

Biggest advice: prioritize attending any/all talks given by a naturalist, as they will tell you when the best whale viewing opportunities will be. Ours last time also went to the bow on the promenade and helped narrate/coordinate whale spotting. She suggested that we'd see whales into/out of Glacier Bay, but I don't think we saw much of anything.

[azevedan]

We did a cruise in early May a few years ago. We walked around the deck (on the jogging path) every night after dinner, and we saw TONS (literally! :p) of whales, on all sides of the ship, including tailfin dives. Without binoculars. Yes, they were in the distance, but they were easy to see. Also saw otters and sea lions. You can see plenty of whales if you're outside and looking. As a benefit, you get your exercise.

We heard a woman complaining while waiting to disembark that she hadn't seen any whales. Guess they weren't in the casino or lounges.

Edited May 14, 2014 by azevedan

[knorrisb07]

we saw about 50 whales from the ship. Make sure you have your binoculars ready while out on the deck or doing something else. They can show up any time.

[aarrcc2]

Have you done any whale trips at Icy Strait? If so who did you tour with?

 

Yes, we went with F.I.S.H.E.S. and although the crew was great and we enjoyed our day, our whale watching experiences have been more successful in Auke Bay at Juneau. Many folks have reported excellent whale watching in the waters near Icy Strait--just wasn't our lucky day. Seeing whales close up certainly does contain a "luck" element.

 

Our best excursion at Icy Strait was with Keith at Teckk Outfitters. Keith is a Hoonah native and took us bear watching. We saw five bears at close, although safe, range including a Mom and cub and Keith has a great awareness of the danger the bears in the area can provide. He stopped along the highway near Hoonah to caution several people from the ship that were casually walking along, that they really shouldn't be walking there.

[mskaufman]

I have often spotted whales from on board but it requires a lot of time on deck. Whale watching tours in Juneau are superior to anything you will see from the ship. It may be worth changing your plans in Juneau :)

 

We saw plenty of whales from the ship. However, they were not exactly up close and personal. It does require time on deck to spot them. The higher the deck the further away you will actually be from the whales.

[PandRBarry]

Have you done any whale trips at Icy Strait? If so who did you tour with?

 

We used Hoonah Travel Adventures and they were fantastic. We saw many whales, very close and all around the boat. Also saw orcas not too far away. Good size little boat - brand new - there was a family of 4 and me and my husband. I was floored by how close we were to the many whales we saw. Highly recommend this outfit

[luv2gamble]

We used Hoonah Travel Adventures and they were fantastic. We saw many whales, very close and all around the boat. Also saw orcas not too far away. Good size little boat - brand new - there was a family of 4 and me and my husband. I was floored by how close we were to the many whales we saw. Highly recommend this outfit

 

WOW, that sounds great! Is this available in Ketchikan?

[PandRBarry]

WOW, that sounds great! Is this available in Ketchikan?

Hoonah Travel Adventures is located in Hoonah/Icy Strait. Someone asked about whale watching in Icy Strait. It was great but not in Ketchikan.

[Dawn1004]

We did a cruise in early May a few years ago. We walked around the deck (on the jogging path) every night after dinner, and we saw TONS (literally! :p) of whales, on all sides of the ship, including tailfin dives. Without binoculars. Yes, they were in the distance, but they were easy to see. Also saw otters and sea lions. You can see plenty of whales if you're outside and looking. As a benefit, you get your exercise.

We heard a woman complaining while waiting to disembark that she hadn't seen any whales. Guess they weren't in the casino or lounges.

 

Was this by any chance on NCL Pearl in May 2012?

 

We woke up one morning and son went out onto balcony and said WOw, mum look at this, and I wandered out and there heaps and heaps of hump backs right next to the ships, and they along side of us for ages, so there must be a lot in the pod - it was amazing.

 

We also saw a whale from a distance jumping up out of the water and thrashing down it was amazing, but that one was from a distance (naked eye but a way off).

 

We also saw an orca and a younger one glide past us, that was amazing too, the wildlife and scenery in Alaska is just awesome, I don't think I ever sropped smiling and being awestruck on that cruise (looking forward to next April/May when we return).

 

We also didn't do a whale watch tour, but intend to this time around, if you can add a whale tour do so.

[Cindy 800]

We were on the April 28 cruise and I would highly recommend the Bering Sea excursion in Ketchikan. Call them directly, it is family owned and operated and an incredibly wonderful crew. We had a great time, saw 40+ eagles at one time, lots of crabs, big shrimp and other sea creatures including a 30 lb octypus! These are very nice people that run a great 'crab boat.' The seating is covered with heaters, real clean and warm bathrooms, etc. It was great!