Whale-watching in Icy Strait Point - NCL vs Independent tour. Pros/Cons?

[HandC4Me]

Trying to decide on a whale-watching excursion in ISP next week. I've read some great recommendations for independent tour operators, but I also just noticed that the NCL excursion is right at about the same price point. In the past, we've always used independent operators for tours as we felt we got a much better value. In this case, we do have some Excursion credit dollars to play with, so I'm considering the NCL tour. But of course I don't want to book it if it's known for being shoddy, using an inferior tour operator, etc.

 

There are so many knowledgeable people on this Forum; if anyone can share their input/experience with the NCL tour, I'd really appreciate it!

[CCJack]

We went with independent, and were on a smaller boat (about 14 people) and that was nice.  You arent fighting for space at the rail to get a good view.   I recall all excursions docked real close to the ship so there shouldnt be an issue with getting to the ship on time, etc.     All of those boat captains talk to each other which is good so you may end up following the same whales as the ship excursion.   We had just a fantastic whale watching experience at ISP.   Have fun.  

[JT1962]

The main advantage to independent vs ship excursions in Alaska tends to be the size of the boat / bus being used on the tour rather than much of a cost saving, as is common in the Caribbean. If you have onboard credit you need to spend  or lose, you are probably better to book the ship excursion. Otherwise check out Glacier Winds or Hoonah Adventures. I have used both and would gladly use either again.

[Italy52]

Great independent whale watching company in Icy Strait is Glacier Wind Charters --- outstanding company!

[Gia2cats]

We did a 6 person independent tour 4 years ago and doing it again in 2 weeks.  Just loved the small boat and personalized service. 

[tetleytea]

I'm sailing on Norwegian and I went independent.   The price was the same.  What swayed me was that I was able to do a B2B tour with the same excursion company and combine a bear wildlife viewing with whale watching.    Only this operator offered the two tours back-to-back, and if it were not so, we never would have been able to fit the two tours into the time window we are in port.

[Giskard]

Tetleytea - what tour company did you use to do the B2B tours. That sounds like something we might be interested in

[surreymum]

We used only independent operators on our recent cruise. Each one spoke about about how using independents benefitted the community more than those booked through the cruise lines. 

[tetleytea]

12 hours ago, Giskard said:

Tetleytea - what tour company did you use to do the B2B tours. That sounds like something we might be interested in

Icy Strait Whale Adventures

[cruz_happy]

On 7/6/2022 at 7:10 PM, Gia2cats said:

We did a 6 person independent tour 4 years ago and doing it again in 2 weeks.  Just loved the small boat and personalized service. 

Which tour company did you use for this?  TYIA.

[ermedchyc29]

On 7/7/2022 at 12:22 AM, tetleytea said:

I'm sailing on Norwegian and I went independent.   The price was the same.  What swayed me was that I was able to do a B2B tour with the same excursion company and combine a bear wildlife viewing with whale watching.    Only this operator offered the two tours back-to-back, and if it were not so, we never would have been able to fit the two tours into the time window we are in port.

May I ask which company you used?  I too am looking for a whale watching/bear search excursion in ISP.  I've heard some tours just drive you around searching for bears and another has you walk on a boardwalk to viewing platforms.  How did the company you used do the bear search as I mentioned above?  Thank you for your response!

[donaldsc]

What everyone is ignoring is that all of the ship tours are done by the same operators who are doing the independent tours.  One difference is that on a ship tour the operator does not get to keep all of your money as the cruise company takes a cut.  More important is you can pick the tour operator if you do independent while on a ship tour you get to do whatever the ship decides to offer you regardless of what you really want.  I almost always do independent.

 

DON

[MellyBell]

We did a back to back whale/bear with Hoonah Travel and had a wonderful time. They are locals who love to share their history and are so proud of their town.  When possible we try and do independent tours.  What Donaldsc mentioned is correct they do contract out but this way you can choose the company you use and we feel like they give you special attention because all of your money goes to them.  

[hawk1972]

We have done a whale watching tour with Glacier Wind Charters in Hoonah twice, in 2018 and most recently on Sept. 8. Our ship, the Norwegian Sun, was delayed by rough seas the day before by 1 3/4 hours. GWC told us not to worry, met us at the excursion hub in ISP at 4 pm, brought us to the boat (there were 4 of us) and Captain Casey took us on an excellent trip until almost dark. They are a local family business and go above and beyond.

[Italy52]

43 minutes ago, hawk1972 said:

We have done a whale watching tour with Glacier Wind Charters in Hoonah twice, in 2018 and most recently on Sept. 8. Our ship, the Norwegian Sun, was delayed by rough seas the day before by 1 3/4 hours. GWC told us not to worry, met us at the excursion hub in ISP at 4 pm, brought us to the boat (there were 4 of us) and Captain Casey took us on an excellent trip until almost dark. They are a local family business and go above and beyond.

Have used Glacier Wind many times.  They are a great company to work with and our No. 1 choice whenever we are sailing to ISP.

[Arubamoose]

On 9/16/2022 at 11:55 AM, Italy52 said:

Have used Glacier Wind many times.  They are a great company to work with and our No. 1 choice whenever we are sailing to ISP.

 

I would agree with Glacier Wind.  We even had a small whale swim under the boat!

[Longsx3]

On 7/7/2022 at 12:22 AM, tetleytea said:

I'm sailing on Norwegian and I went independent.   The price was the same.  What swayed me was that I was able to do a B2B tour with the same excursion company and combine a bear wildlife viewing with whale watching.    Only this operator offered the two tours back-to-back, and if it were not so, we never would have been able to fit the two tours into the time window we are in port.

 

Which company did you use?

[JTBCruiser]

Majority of the time I book independent excursions but took a chance on the NCL excursion. Was a pleasant surprise. Tour operator was very professional, personable and great humor. He made it fun with detailed explanations. Saw many whales up close. Also saw sea lions and otters. Boat was big enough to move around and see the sights without feeling crowded. Plenty of personal space inside and out on viewing decks. Money well spent.