Spur of the moment excursion possibility?

[mom02]

In your experience, how likely would a group of 4 be able to find someone reputable at the last minute for a kayaking or whale watching excursion in Juneau? Do you think we will be able to find someone at the dock once we arrive?

[I_Luv_To_Travel]

A couple of things to think about.

When are you cruising ? Is it a peak month? How many ships and their capacity will be in Juneau the same day?

[TheCalicoCat]

I doubt it, that seem to be too specialized

[Coral]

You can usually get whale watching at the pier in Juneau. I have never sought kayaking so I don't know.

 

You can often add an excursion with the ship a day before also. I have added excursions with the ship the day of a few times.

[mapleleaves]

You don't know what you're getting when you make a last minute decision at the dock. Excursions are costly so I'd rather go with someone tried and true.

You might luck out and get a wonderful vendor, someone who's just starting out in the business and wants to make a great impression during their first season. OTOH, you might end up with some local yocal who wants to make a few bucks but the boat's engine is faulty and it breaks down on the way back.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Depends on how busy, how many ships, etc. Our experience was that we weren't sure if we wanted to go whale watching on our last Alaska cruise and decided the night before that we did. When we docked I sat on the balcony and called Orca Enterprises and asked about availability. No problem at all getting on a tour. That said, if it's something you really want to do I wouldn't chance not having it booked beforehand.

[mom02]

Thanks for the replies! Whale watching and/or kayaking is not on the "must do" list, so we're happy to play it by ear. But I think we'll go armed with a few names of companies that we're interested in and give them a call to see if they have any spots open or last minute cancellations if we do decide we want to give it a try.