Juneau - walk-up whale watching tours

[pseudoswede]

My parents have not done an Alaskan cruise for a while, but they still contend that you can walk off the ship and book an inexpensive whale watching tour with any number of companies at port.

 

Does anyone have any recent experiences to confirm or refute that notion? If so, who did you go with and what was the price?

[Guindalf]

There is a row of excursion desks along the walkway when you get off the ship. We were there last August on the Celebrity Eclipse and booked a float plane trip up over the Juneau Ice Fields, but there were many different excursions available including whale watching.

 

Sorry, I can't give you company names or prices, but I  can confirm they're there!

[Northern Aurora]

I also can confirm that last minute excursions are offered at the various piers in Juneau, but I certainly don't know that they are as inexpensive as the OP's parents remember.    While there always will be shuttles out to Mendenhall Glacier I can't confirm that the walk-up excursion offerings will always include specific tours, such as whale watching.  Someone who really wants to do a specific tour, such as a whale watching day cruise, may want to book ahead.  Folks who are flexible in their interests may be able to wait until they are onshore.

[Suzanne123]

I’ve done the walk-up tours several times with Juneau Whale Watch.

https://www.juneauwhalewatch.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiA7t3yBRADEiwA4GFlIyuJ_3sBCJclH-80qD3MAoj6uzFZNoXF_zNRlrtFeTgJZQymWLVGRxoCATgQAvD_BwE

[pseudoswede]

5 hours ago, Suzanne123 said:

I’ve done the walk-up tours several times with Juneau Whale Watch.

https://www.juneauwhalewatch.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiA7t3yBRADEiwA4GFlIyuJ_3sBCJclH-80qD3MAoj6uzFZNoXF_zNRlrtFeTgJZQymWLVGRxoCATgQAvD_BwE

How much cheaper was it buying on the dock versus booking online? 

[VermeulT]

I don't remember the vendor but when I was in Juneau a few years ago, my ship booked excursion was cancelled due to rough seas.  A vendor at the dock had a different type of boat and offered a whale watching trip for $100.  We had a good time.

I was hoping to book Jayleen's Alaska for this summer's trip but they're already booked. 😞 So we'll consider an offer at the dock for this trip or just go to Mendenhall.

[thegoaliegirl]

I was there in August and while we didn't book one- there were many people selling whale watching tours while we wandered town. Don't remember the prices but there were lots to choose from.

[cruzluvr2]

On 2/28/2020 at 8:29 PM, VermeulT said:

I was hoping to book Jayleen's Alaska for this summer's trip but they're already booked. 😞 So we'll consider an offer at the dock for this trip or just go to Mendenhall.

Our family went with Alaska Humpback Adventures https://www.alaskahumpbackadventures.com/ last September. I think this was our favorite family excursion. We loved the small boat, it holds six, our family of five had a private tour for basically the same price as those larger boats with lots more people. 

[pseudoswede]

I would love to do these smaller tours, but we're an extended family of 9.

[haolenate]

You can also rent a car, drive to Lena Point (park by the NOAA research lab), enjoy a nice 1/2 mile hike on the Lena Point trail, sit on the bench and just watch/wait.

 

You *will* always see something (and I mean wildlife, not just the 20+ whale watching boats.

 

Cost: car + gas.

[CatsinShow]

This is old but maybe it will help people looking...

 

You can often get them for around $80 cash each at least that was the going rate around 4 years ago. There are frequently a couple vendors with signs greeting you when you get off the ship (before you go to the kiosk booths.) Was quoted $80 when I just walked off the ship and around the same at the kiosks. Cannot recall names of vendors. 

 

If you have flexibility and no real preference on size of ship, having a naturalist with you etc. , you could save a bit of $$ (not a ton, but it's still $$$ saved). The going rate booked directly with different companies seems be roughly $115 from what I saw. One went for $95 due to a 20% off promo.

 

If they have a full day in Juneau and again no real vendor preference, you can easily get a whale watching trip with a Mendenhall viewing or stop added to it (some may already include it). 

[crewsin250]

Hi Haolenate is there a rental car company close to the cruise terminal that sounds like a great idea of driving around. We will be there on May 21, 2021 hopefully fingers crossed I am from Mississippi will there still be snow on the roads because I do not have any experience driving on snowy roads.

Thanks Paul