Whale Watching Tour time changed

[CanuckinSMA]

Our whale watching tour from Juneau on Aug. 28 has been changed from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. It is approximately 4 hours, getting us back to the ship after 8:30. We'll have to change etc. and wonder if this gives us enough time to do everything and have dinner? Also will it be rougher later in the day? I've never cruised before and my biggest issue is fear of motion sickness!! It's the Whale and Wildlife tour and wonder if there is any alternative whale watching trips you would recommend earlier in the day? Or maybe this is all a good thing as the whales come out later in the day!?!! Thanks.

[cb at sea]

Is this thru the ship? If so, you really don't have to worry about the time. There are other eating venues, if you are late getting back....and yes...it is usually rougher later in the day. A whale watching boat will have MUCH more motion than the ship will.

[suzannecruisecritic]

Our whale watching tour from Juneau on Aug. 28 has been changed from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. It is approximately 4 hours, getting us back to the ship after 8:30. We'll have to change etc. and wonder if this gives us enough time to do everything and have dinner? Also will it be rougher later in the day? I've never cruised before and my biggest issue is fear of motion sickness!! It's the Whale and Wildlife tour and wonder if there is any alternative whale watching trips you would recommend earlier in the day? Or maybe this is all a good thing as the whales come out later in the day!?!! Thanks.

 

 

 

We did the whale watching/mendenhall glacier photo safari tour last week and highly recommend it. We chose it because of the small group size (about 12-16 max). The whale watching on the small boat was really special and the mendenhall glacier trail hike was beautiful and not intense. The guide Cam was a professional photographer who has lived in Alaska for decades and was very engaging and helped everyone take beautiful photos (some fellow guests were using very fancy professional cameras and others were using simple point and shoot cameras and still others were using iPhones). The tour was around 1:30 and the conditions were good. I tend to get seasick so I took a Bonine in advance but did not feel ill at all on the small boat as the water was pretty calm and the boat was stable. Enjoy your trip!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[CanuckinSMA]

Unfortunately it looks like that trip is waitlisted.

[summersigh]

Unfortunately it looks like that trip is waitlisted.

It may be that the day after final payment spots on some excursions will open with folks who backed out before final payment. Check back

[Krazy Kruizers]

Have you checked private companies like Orca Enterprises?

By the time you get back from a 4:30 -- 4 hour tour -- there will not be enough time to change and get to the Open Seating dining room. The Lido will be closed and probably the 9 PM reservations for the Pinnacle may already be filled up and they do expect you to be there on time.

Other option -- room service.

[Mr and Mrs CIQ]

Also can check weather permitting tours.

[J&Dhighdesert]

Have you tried the Icy Straits whale watching tour? The times might be better for you. We have been on both tours. You will see plenty of whales on either tour. We are on this cruise, too.

[CanuckinSMA]

Have you tried the Icy Straits whale watching tour? The times might be better for you. We have been on both tours. You will see plenty of whales on either tour. We are on this cruise, too.

 

Is this out of Juneau..I'm trying to find it on the excursion list??

[RuthC]

Is this out of Juneau..I'm trying to find it on the excursion list??

Icy Strait is a port on the 2-week Alaska cruise. It is not near Juneau.

[cbelc]

I average 1 Bonine per day on a cruise. On the whale watching boat in Icy Strait Point, I took 2 on the boat, making 3 for the day. On the Kenai Fjords tour in Seward I took 2.5 on the boat. I was eating ginger chews like candy (it is candy). I think seabands might have been a good addition. Those small boats are rocky! If you are prone to seasickness and you don't use anything, you'll be miserable and also be using a sick bag.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[J&Dhighdesert]

I might have misspoken. We are on the Amsterdam leaving out of Seattle on that day. I take it that you are probably on another HAL Ship. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[CanuckinSMA]

I average 1 Bonine per day on a cruise. On the whale watching boat in Icy Strait Point, I took 2 on the boat, making 3 for the day. On the Kenai Fjords tour in Seward I took 2.5 on the boat. I was eating ginger chews like candy (it is candy). I think seabands might have been a good addition. Those small boats are rocky! If you are prone to seasickness and you don't use anything, you'll be miserable and also be using a sick bag.

 

I am getting a little freaked out here. I am a little prone to seasickness. They delayed our excursion from 1:30pm to 4:30pm (it's a Holland America Whale Watching/ Wildlife Excursion). First does anyone know how long we'll be on the whale watching boat? And because they changed the times, is that sufficient cause to cancel? I'm just really getting concerned that it's a late in the day trip and now hearing about the rockiness of the boats...shudder, shudder!!!!!

[Alberta Quilter]

I am getting a little freaked out here. I am a little prone to seasickness. They delayed our excursion from 1:30pm to 4:30pm (it's a Holland America Whale Watching/ Wildlife Excursion). First does anyone know how long we'll be on the whale watching boat? And because they changed the times, is that sufficient cause to cancel? I'm just really getting concerned that it's a late in the day trip and now hearing about the rockiness of the boats...shudder, shudder!!!!!

 

Relax. If it's a HAL tour, it's probably with Allen Marine and will likely be on a large catamaran. Does your tour offer a money back guarantee? If do, it's definitely with Allen Marine. I've done similar tours and have been fine. I used only my sea bands. I think, but don't know for sure, that the other poster was referring to much smaller boats for his tours.

 

If you're still concerned, talk to your pharmacist before going on the cruise to get their recommendations for remedies. Mine recommended the sea bands for me. The ship will provide meclizine (for free, ask at the Front Desk or the medical centre), if required. You can also request green apples in your fruit basket in your cabin (green apples have something that helps with nausea). The Yum Yum man after dinner (outside the MDR) will provide you with candied ginger which also helps with nausea. Any ginger will help, not just candied, but you'd probably have to bring it yourself, other than ginger ale.

 

I've done a few whale watching tours and have never had an issue with motion. One was in the evening and it was no rougher than other tours earlier in the day. Of course, no one knows what the weather will be like on your cruise. I predict that you'll be so excited to see whales that you'll forget about the motion; at least, I hope that's what will happen.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[CanuckinSMA]

Thank you Alberta Quilter...feeling much better!! :)

[cbelc]

Catamarans make me SO seasick! I count on using 25 to 50 mg of meclizine on every small boat or catamaran I get on. Otherwise, I can get by on 12.5 mg per day if the ship is steady. You can't bring apples off the ship. I do better if I combine the meclizine with seabands and double ginger candy chews. Seasickness is horrible and it's real. It can ruin a trip. Don't rely on getting meclizine on the ship. Bring your own supply. That being said, whale watching in Icy Strait Point was incredible 2 weeks ago!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[suzannecruisecritic]

Thank you Alberta Quilter...feeling much better!! :)

 

 

I assume the conditions may vary significantly from day to day but I thought it might be helpful for you to see a couple of photos I snapped last week during our whale watching in Juneau that show you the types of whale watching boats that I encountered as well as the condition of the water at around 2-3pm. We booked directly with HAL and the local operator was Gastineau Guiding. I hope the photos attach properly; first time posting photos here.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Alberta Quilter]

Here's a link to Allen Marine's Whale Watching & Wildlife Quest tour: http://allenmarinetours.com/juneau/whale-watching/ and another link to information about their fleet: http://allenmarinetours.com/charters/fleet/

 

In the second link, you can see a picture of the catamaran. The capacity is for 145 people. This is not a small boat by any stretch of the imagination. For someone suffering from motion sickness, I would recommend this tour over any small(er) boat tour.