One more Whale Watching tour question

[deannad]

I'm still trying to decide on a whale watching trip.

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe on Orca & AllentMarine (the ship's vendor) you have to rotate through the outside viewing area to take pictures as they can only hold a few people at a time. I'm sure pictures from the enclosed areas wouldn't be very good.

 

Is that also true for Harv&Marv? I would prefer to have open view the entire time.

[deannad]

Sorry for the typo. The ship vendor is Allen Marine.

[sherryf]

We went with Orca last year and the only thing we had to take turns with was going up on top of the cabin when the boat was stopped. It never seemed crowded at all.

[strega7]

We just got back from our cruise on Wednesday and did a tour with Harv and Marv. I highly recommend them. There was 5 in our group, so we had the boat to ourselves. They mainly have small boats that will seat up to 6, they have one larger boat that will hold 12 or 14 (I think, I could be wrong on that). Anyway, we found them to be fantastic. A few could climb and sit on the bow of the boat while there was a standing area in the back that could have held all five of us if we wanted to be back there. They bus and boats were clean and in top notch condition. We were on their original boat, and it looked brand new. Because we were on a smaller boat, we were able to get to the whales faster, and the whales swam amazingly close to our boat. It was an experience I will never forget, and I highly recommend Harv and Marv.

 

Marci

[JimS4210]

Another vote for Harv & Marv's. We just got home yesterday from our cruise. Did a tour with them last Thursday. There were 8 of us on the 12 seater. It couldn't have been a better experience. We saw tons of whales and it was great to not have to fight the crowds to get the best view and the best photo. It wouldn't have been as enjoyable if we were elbow to elbow with a bunch of people.

 

I highly recommend them. First class all the way!

 

Jim

[starfish216]

Glad to hear that about Harv & Marv we will be cruising in a couple of weeks and I booked Harv & Marv for our party of 7.

[deannad]

I booked them too. Thanks for all the help!

[cruisin0218]

I'm still trying to decide on a whale watching trip.

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe on Orca & AllentMarine (the ship's vendor) you have to rotate through the outside viewing area to take pictures as they can only hold a few people at a time. I'm sure pictures from the enclosed areas wouldn't be very good.

 

Is that also true for Harv&Marv? I would prefer to have open view the entire time.

Orca has 2 outside viewing areas. You can remain as long as you like in the outside area that is located at the rear of the boat on the same level as the cabin. They only ask you to rotate going up to the area on top of the cabin. My husband prefers to photograph from the lower area.

[Budget Queen]

I'm still trying to decide on a whale watching trip.

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe on Orca & AllentMarine (the ship's vendor) you have to rotate through the outside viewing area to take pictures as they can only hold a few people at a time. I'm sure pictures from the enclosed areas wouldn't be very good.

 

Is that also true for Harv&Marv? I would prefer to have open view the entire time.

 

as already noted there are some wrong assumptions. Orca Enterprises' Odysea boat, has a larger open back deck along with an upper deck that holds 12 people. It's rare for all the passengers to want to go up there. Also the side windows inside the cabin open.

[deannad]

Thanks! I misunderstood that from Orca's website. I think we'll enjoy having Harv & Marv's boat to ourselves though, so I'm ok with my decision.

 

I just didn't want to be behind glass trying to take photos. After all, I'm dragging 25# of photography equipment across the country. I'll be upset if I don't get some decent shots!

[Nanookz]

2 weeks ago we went on Orca Enterprises with captain Larry. It was awesome. We had about 25 on board but there was plenty of room for everyone. When we got to whale waters people went on the back deck, upstairs, and stayed on the inside cabin. I was rotating between all the locations and each had their own benefits. The inside windows open up and put you at the waterline view. Captain Larry put us on the whales. We seen 4 bubble net feedings and whales everywhere. At one point we were close enough to touch the whales. Which I found out is illegal, random fact I learned out there. We chose Orca because they had children pricing and we had 2 little ones. Orca doesn't include the trip to mendenhall glacier ether so the price is a little less for adults. I'm sure it is a tossup between companies because everyone sorta follows everyone else to the feeding grounds. There must have been a dozen whale watching boats around us. Below are 2 pics. Don't know if I linked them correctly or not.

 

[Glaciers]

Thanks! I misunderstood that from Orca's website. I think we'll enjoy having Harv & Marv's boat to ourselves though, so I'm ok with my decision.

 

I just didn't want to be behind glass trying to take photos. After all, I'm dragging 25# of photography equipment across the country. I'll be upset if I don't get some decent shots!

 

We’ve used Harv & Marv the last two years. Last year it was rough in the small boat and nearly impossible to take photos as we were being tossed all over. We’ll use Orca this year. I hope your weather is good and you have calm seas. Otherwise, it can be a very disappointing trip for a serious photographer.

[sue1898]

We went whale watching in Juneau with Allen Marine last Wed. July 3 while on our Holland America cruise. This was my 4th whale watching excursion in Alaska and the best by far. I suspect this has more to do with timing that the tour operator but we first saw 6 whales bubblenet feeding and about an hour later another 12 whales doing the same. It was truly amazing!