Juneau whale watching

[Pryzeless]

We are a party of 9 (6 adults and 3 kids the youngest being 3) going in July on RCL and we would like to try whale watching and the Mendenhall Glacier. I have looked into the recommended on this board for private tours but each one seems to have a maximum of 6 people or about 50 people. We were looking for a smaller boat if anyone has a recommendation. I would love to do something more adventurous if anyone has ideas that a 3 year old can do.  (Other that flight seeing or dog sledding as we are trying that at another port). Thanks

[Coral]

Harv and Marv does 18 guests on a boat.

[Pryzeless]

53 minutes ago, Coral said:

Harv and Marv does 18 guests on a boat.

thanks. I will check it out. 

[martincath]

Unfortunately H&M only take kids when you book the whole boat - and they don't discount much for a full buyout (IIRC ~10%) or reduce fares for kids, so you'd have to drop a ton of cash to book one of their larger boats. If you can afford to buy out 18 seats though, you'll have plenty of rail space for everyone!!!

 

I'd instead consider doing this through the cruiseline - as Gastineau Guiding work exclusively with cruiselines when there are ships in port, and all their boats are 14 or 22 pax. They usually get sold as a 'photosafari' and you can tell it's their tour because of the boat size. Price is basically the same per person with any tour, cruiseline or private.

 

That said, unless you're certain that your kids would all be comfortable on a small boat, with no bells & whistles, and nothing to do except look at the scenery (hopefully plenty of whales too) I'd definitely consider having one adult take them on an alternative trip (or leaving them in the kids club, if all the adults definitely want to whalewatch). It's not just that it might be no fun for them, but on a small boat any acting out will definitely annoy everyone else aboard as there's nowhere to go!

 

[Coral]

Thanks - forgot about the kid thing! 

[Pryzeless]

2 hours ago, martincath said:

Unfortunately H&M only take kids when you book the whole boat - and they don't discount much for a full buyout (IIRC ~10%) or reduce fares for kids, so you'd have to drop a ton of cash to book one of their larger boats. If you can afford to buy out 18 seats though, you'll have plenty of rail space for everyone!!!

 

I'd instead consider doing this through the cruiseline - as Gastineau Guiding work exclusively with cruiselines when there are ships in port, and all their boats are 14 or 22 pax. They usually get sold as a 'photosafari' and you can tell it's their tour because of the boat size. Price is basically the same per person with any tour, cruiseline or private.

 

That said, unless you're certain that your kids would all be comfortable on a small boat, with no bells & whistles, and nothing to do except look at the scenery (hopefully plenty of whales too) I'd definitely consider having one adult take them on an alternative trip (or leaving them in the kids club, if all the adults definitely want to whalewatch). It's not just that it might be no fun for them, but on a small boat any acting out will definitely annoy everyone else aboard as there's nowhere to go!

 

Thank you for your suggestions. My kids are well behaved but I can see the opportunity for boredom. There aren’t that many options for the little one and we thought this could work. Do you have a suggestion on an alternative tour?

[martincath]

19 minutes ago, Pryzeless said:

Thank you for your suggestions. My kids are well behaved but I can see the opportunity for boredom. There aren’t that many options for the little one and we thought this could work. Do you have a suggestion on an alternative tour?

Sorry, we're child-free ourselves and only tend to vacation with littles when we're doing Disney with friends, so I can't offer any personal experiences in cruise ports.

 

From a theoretical standpoint, would you consider bumping the dog-sledding to Juneau? If the other port has more obviously kid-friendly stuff it might be a better fit to do the dogsled in Juneau.

 

Have you checked out your Roll Call to see if there are any other folks with young kids who could bump the numbers up to make a private whale-watch booking viable financially? There may well be others who are in a similar boat, pardon the pun😉

 

[Pryzeless]

The other port is SKAGWAY and we were looking into a private tour to Emerald Lake etc that has a dog sledding stop included. As for the roll call, not many people have joined yet. I am hoping that increases closer to sail date. Thanks for your advice. 

[Coral]

21 minutes ago, Pryzeless said:

The other port is SKAGWAY and we were looking into a private tour to Emerald Lake etc that has a dog sledding stop included. As for the roll call, not many people have joined yet. I am hoping that increases closer to sail date. Thanks for your advice. 

Google Dyea Dave. Definitely specify private tour when you contact him.

 

Here is another option: https://chilkootcharters.com  Not sure if they will do a private tour but worth asking.

 

Several rent cars (and there are self guides available) but I don't know if that would work for you size of group. Avis is the car rental company and they do have vans but they book quickly. Just not sure if a van is big enough.

Edited December 27, 2019 by Coral

[Pryzeless]

Thank you. I will look into those options. 

[mapleleaves]

Every town/port has a web site to help promote tourism and local vendors.  Most of those sites include a Visitor Guide you can download.  You'll find info on sights, activities, restaurants, and a business directory.

 

pg 36 of Juneau's Visitor Guide provides a listing of whale watch vendors.  Given the cost of an individual fare, it makes sense to do a private chartered tour.

 http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/10785063#/10785063/1

[Pryzeless]

This is perfect! You should see my web browser with all the tabs. Thanks 

[mapleleaves]

Most of the sites are listed here:  

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2639556-2019-resources-for-planning-a-visit-to-alaska/