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has anyone done the deadliest catch tour?

jenp123

By jenp123,
in Alaska

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jenp123

jenp123

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Looking for something to do in Ketchikan and came across this tour ... It has great reviews on trip advisor but wondering if anyone here has done it or has any suggestions for some other type of tour. I have gone through the ship offered tours and nothing has caught my eye.

 

Thanks

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krisl

krisl

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Yes I just did this a few weeks ago and LOVED it! The tour was very informative and fun, we got to see fish, crab, shrimp and hold the crab and shrimp.

 

Also if you want to see tons of Bald Eagles up close, this is a great way to do so :)

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Crew News "Live from...." Rare

Crew News

Posted
Posted (edited)
Looking for something to do in Ketchikan and came across this tour ... It has great reviews on trip advisor but wondering if anyone here has done it or has any suggestions for some other type of tour. I have gone through the ship offered tours and nothing has caught my eye.

 

Thanks

 

This is the best excursion in Alaska and most of the crew have been on the TV series. The stories from fishing out of Dutch Harbor in January in heavy seas are fascinating as are the tales of the rookie TV camera folks suffering seasickness. You get to touch most of the sea life that is brought up before it is returned to the water. There are covered bleachers with heat lamps overhead in case the weather is chilly. Since this excursion is so popular, booking early is recommended.

 

Here is some of what you will see:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=1185

 

The Aleutian Ballad stop to feed the eagles is a real test for photographers to capture as many eagles as possible. Here are some eagle pictures (most from this excursion):

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=529

 

We will be repeating this excursion in two weeks.

Edited by Crew News
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sharktums

sharktums

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We've done a ton of excursions all over the world and this was one of the best ever. The only complaints I've read about it is that it's very 'manufactured' but most things are nowadays!

 

Here's some pix and our report from it: http://www.themeparkreview.com/parks/photo.php?pageid=570&linkid=13913&pageno=2

 

Also, I get SUPER seasick and had no issues.

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Crew News "Live from...." Rare

Crew News

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Our friend is concerned that he would get very seasick on this excursion. I know the seas are changeable, but did you find it was very rough out on the ship?

 

Ketchikan is not on the open Pacific ocean and thus waves are mere ripples. It is hard to even feel the boat moving.

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Aquahound

Aquahound

Posted
Posted
Looking for something to do in Ketchikan and came across this tour ... It has great reviews on trip advisor but wondering if anyone here has done it or has any suggestions for some other type of tour. I have gone through the ship offered tours and nothing has caught my eye.

 

Thanks

 

I question the legality of some of the things they do but that aside, it was a fantastic excursion. Yes, it is all staged and the traps are pre-loaded. The only thing that is up to chance is their halibut hooks. But again, being on a real crab boat that was actually on the show is an amazing experience. I had a great time on this tour and it was very informative.

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CowPrincess

CowPrincess

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I question the legality of some of the things they do but that aside, it was a fantastic excursion. Yes, it is all staged and the traps are pre-loaded. The only thing that is up to chance is their halibut hooks. But again, being on a real crab boat that was actually on the show is an amazing experience. I had a great time on this tour and it was very informative.

 

They get away with the things they do (including feeding the eagles) because they do them on native/tribal land and have an agreement with the natives/tribe.

 

I dislike that they feed the eagles to provide photo ops for tourists. Alaska is full of photo ops; there's no need to habituate wild animals to entertain tourists, IMHO.

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slix1

slix1

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I also just went on the Deadliest Catch Tour. I had only seen parts of 2-3 shows but like the reviews. We were there on a dry day but the seats would have some protection from rain and there are heaters in the ceiling that we also didn't need. I didn't mind that all but one trap was preloaded with live crabs. I though they gave a good example of what they had to do hundreds of times. You could imagine that pulling up a trap once was fun and after 18 hours not so fun. I didn't mind that they tossed fish to the eagles. It certainly wasn't any large amount and they said as soon as the salmon came the eagles would be up the creeks. The guys made jokes but were not too corny and actually came across in an easy manor. My family ranged in age from 12 to 72 and all liked it a lot.

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sherryf

sherryf

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They get away with the things they do (including feeding the eagles) because they do them on native/tribal land and have an agreement with the natives/tribe.

 

I dislike that they feed the eagles to provide photo ops for tourists. Alaska is full of photo ops; there's no need to habituate wild animals to entertain tourists, IMHO.

 

I completely agree. I didn't have much interest in the tour to begin with, but the eagle feeding makes it unlikely that I would ever take this tour.

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Ashland

Ashland

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I completely agree. I didn't have much interest in the tour to begin with, but the eagle feeding makes it unlikely that I would ever take this tour.

Sorry you feel this way..perhaps you should try it..you may feel differently once you actually see it for yourself....At least then you would have first hand knowledge. JMHO :)

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Alberta Quilter

Alberta Quilter

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We did this tour about a month ago. It was great. There are references to the show but they didn't dwell on it. We have never seen more than 5 minutes of the show. We didn't feel that they emphasized the show. It was all quite educational. Yes the traps are pre loaded. It would be a shame if they pulled a pot and the were no crabs in it to show.

 

As for the eagle feeding, yeah, the eagles were definitely waiting for us to show. At least, that's how it appeared. It was pretty cool, though, to see them swooping down. Make sure to take videos there. I don't think still pictures give you the perspective. It's like a scene from The Birds!

 

As for bad weather and seas, we had rain, wind and some swells. It wasn't bad, and I am prone to motion sickness. They provide rain slickers which help protect from the wind. We were fine; I don't think they even had the heaters on that morning.

 

HAL offered the tour but it was slightly cheaper if booking directly from the tour operator.

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CowPrincess

CowPrincess

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I completely agree. I didn't have much interest in the tour to begin with, but the eagle feeding makes it unlikely that I would ever take this tour.

 

It really bothered me.... reminded me of the days when feeding marshmallows to bears in national parks was accepted :(

 

Sorry you feel this way..perhaps you should try it..you may feel differently once you actually see it for yourself....At least then you would have first hand knowledge. JMHO :)

 

I have first-hand knowledge and won't go back.

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sherryf

sherryf

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Sorry you feel this way..perhaps you should try it..you may feel differently once you actually see it for yourself....At least then you would have first hand knowledge. JMHO :)

 

If I don't approve of them feeding wild animals, how will seeing it first hand change that? It's likely to just make me more angry. :rolleyes:

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Ashland

Ashland

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If I don't approve of them feeding wild animals, how will seeing it first hand change that? It's likely to just make me more angry. :rolleyes:

They feed wild animals in many situations so I'm assuming you avoid them all....Sorry but I find it best to recommend or not recommend only something that I have first hand personal knowledge of when discussing excursions. ;)

 

BTW...any thoughts on bird feeders :)

Edited by Ashland
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Freehike

Freehike

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I'm in the minority because we didn't care for it. It wasn't a complete waste of money, but I would never do it again.

 

The dialogue was very cheesy and scripted. The pots they pull up are all pre-loaded with crabs, fish..etc. there's no surprise to anything.

 

If you're a fan of the show, it would be exciting I suppose. I just don't care for something so fake and scripted.

 

The only part that was mildly interesting for us was the eagles.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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Hibiscus118

Hibiscus118

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We just did this tour last week and loved it. Loved hearing some of the stories the guys had about being out on the Bering Sea. Also loved the eagles. I've been to east coast beaches enough to see people throwing French fries and bread at the sea gulls that the fish throwing didn't bother me.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

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brazilgirl "Live from...." Rare

brazilgirl

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We just went ( on June 26th).

 

It was entertaining . The kids enjoyed it. But overall , it felt " canned ". I far preferred our 6 person tour in Sitka where we saw things more naturally. Some photos

 

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Eagle

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Octopus

 

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Baiting demoa3yjaje6.jpg

 

Fishe9e9ypeg.jpg

 

Our kiddos and some crabs

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flcruiser69

flcruiser69

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We were on it. My daughter lost the top half of her finger due to a man slamming the bathroom door on her. The staff was wonderful with this emergency.

 

My children enjoyed the excursion even with the mishap that occurred at the end.

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Freehike

Freehike

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We were on it. My daughter lost the top half of her finger due to a man slamming the bathroom door on her. The staff was wonderful with this emergency.

 

My children enjoyed the excursion even with the mishap that occurred at the end.

 

Ouch. Hope she's OK.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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