Best port for whale watching?

[verobay]

I'm going on a Celebrity cruise from Vancouver to Seward this May. I definitely want to go whale watching, but there are options to do whale watching in every port! I am wondering if particular ports are known to have better whale watching opportunities than others? Here are the options:

-Ketchikan

-Icy Strait Point

-Juneau

-Skagway

-Seward

Are any of those locations better than others? Thanks!

[shadow8800]

We have been whale watching in Juneau in May of 2015 and had a great day! This year we are trying whale watching on a small boat in Icy Strait Point. From the research I have done it seems like those 2 places are great choices. Now I am reading that ISP may be having less whale activity than it had before. I will be following this thread to see which is better. Happy planning 

[martincath]

Hmmm - Skagway & Ketchikan? Whale watching tours? Check the tour descriptions carefully - I'll wager that even if they mention whales they are titled as something more like a 'wildlife cruise' and no sighting guarantee is offered... Juneau and ISP however both offer 100% sightings, with $100 cash handed to you in the event that you are the first ever boat NOT to see a whale!

 

Seward you also have good options - especially in May, as that's when Orcas are most commonly seen. You can do a specific 'orca watch' with Major Marine - I don't think they guarantee orcas, but the odds are much higher then than any AK port at any other time of year. If you're interested in those, your best bet is actually the port you left off your list... Vancouver! We have resident Orcas in the Salish Sea, and local whalewatch peak season starts in April. All local companies offer a guarantee - but it's a free trip rather than cash back (valid for life so you could use on a future visit, and since you're in Seattle it's pretty easy to pop up for the weekend) as we don't have quite the certainty that Juneau/ISP have with their access to popular baleen whale feeding grounds. Prices are also a LOT cheaper down here, lower number as well as discounted ~1/3rd as it's in CAD...

[quack2]

I agree with the other posters.  Icy Strait and Juneau are your best whale watching ports.  Seward is close behind, and I also like Seward for the varied wildlife you may see on the boat tours of the Kenai.  Humpbacks, orcas, seals, puffins and other wildlife, plus visits to two pretty good glaciers.

[Italy52]

Last May we spent two weeks in Alaska and saw the following whale watching activity: 

 

Juneau -- lots of humpback whales during our 2 excursions with Jayleen's Alaska.

 

Icy Strait -- lots of humpback whales bubble net feeding during our 2 excursions with Glacier Wind.  While bubble net feeding is not the norm, we felt very lucky to witness that activity during both of our trips.

 

Seward -- we took the Orca whale watching tour offered by Major Marine.  We did see some humpbacks but no orca.  Until.....the captain of the vessel got word of an orca sighting.  Although our tour was almost over, the captain quickly got us to the area where the orcas were and we were happy that we were able to see these beautiful creatures. 

[verobay]

Thanks everyone! We booked a whale watch in ISP and are still trying to decide about an orca watch in Seward vs going to Exit Glacier. Decisions!

[Italy52]

8 minutes ago, verobay said:

Thanks everyone! We booked a whale watch in ISP and are still trying to decide about an orca watch in Seward vs going to Exit Glacier. Decisions!

We had two excellent whale watching experiences in ISP last May --- wishing you the same wonderful experience.

[Guindalf]

OK, we're trying to decide which port and tour company too. We'll be on the Eclipse sailing out of Vancouver on August 25th, so we're going to be in ISP on the 27th and Juneau on the 29th.

 

There seems to be as much as a $50 difference between the two (ISP is generally more expensive), so I'd love to know if it's worth paying more for a better experience.

 

We did do a Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Watching tour when were in Juneau in 2009, but have never been to ISP.

 

All  experiences appreciated.

[Italy52]

11 hours ago, Guindalf said:

OK, we're trying to decide which port and tour company too. We'll be on the Eclipse sailing out of Vancouver on August 25th, so we're going to be in ISP on the 27th and Juneau on the 29th.

 

There seems to be as much as a $50 difference between the two (ISP is generally more expensive), so I'd love to know if it's worth paying more for a better experience.

 

We did do a Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Watching tour when were in Juneau in 2009, but have never been to ISP.

 

All  experiences appreciated.

 

For Icy Strait, I recommend Glacier Wind Charters.  We have gone with this small boat company a total of 7 times and have already booked a trip for 2020. Teresa and Shawn are a dynamic team: warm and welcoming and do everything they can to ensure their clients have a wonderful whale watching experience. For additional comments check them out on TripAdvisor.

[Glaciers]

Recommending a whale watch port is kind of like, “If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say it”. Most who have not had good experiences are less likely to post although those that do will rave about it. Our last whale watch out of ISP we saw one back from a distance, that’s it.

 

Glacier Bay and Icy Strait Point humpback numbers have decreased by 40% since their peak in 2013. Initial reports are that those numbers continue to decrease.

 

Juneau may be a better port for humpback whale watch tours although as mentioned, Juneau has so much more to do as well.

Edited April 16, 2019 by Glaciers