Jeneau Whale Watching in Mid Oct

[Hercules67]

My original plan was to go to Mendenhall Glacier Adventure (with canoeing and trekking) but the tour was withdrawn and I am still trying to figure this out (that I feel no chance of making the tour happens).

 

So, my second choice is to whale-watch that cost about USD180/pax. I read that the whales may not be around much in October and so I am still hesitant to book the tour.

 

Any experienced ones can advise pls (as in whether I should pay USD180 and then not seeing a single whale in those 3 hours while at sea)?

 

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by Hercules67

[1025cruise]

I'd wait until you get there and book something on shore. Mid October is not really the best time to be visiting Alaska.

[Hercules67]

50 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

I'd wait until you get there and book something on shore. Mid October is not really the best time to be visiting Alaska.

 

I keep reading about need to book for onshore excursions as soon as possible else maybe fully booked when on shore, and so I am quite 'troubled' with deciding on 'to book or not to book'.

 

 

[Anita Latte]

I don't have experience whale watching in Juneau in October...but I wanted to offer a viewpoint and encouragement because the PP's reply isn't very encouraging...

 

We went whale watching in ISP with the lovely Glacier Winds...we went during the end of June...we didn't see too many whales. We saw a few fins...a few water spouts in the distance...but conditions were not optimal. In fact, conditions were exceedingly choppy and it made finding and seeing the whales problematic. We were rocking and rolling on our smaller boat and cutting through the chop and it was quite bouncy on our smaller 6-person boat. It was rough to hear that the morning tour (we had the afternoon one) had great whale viewing...bubble feeding and everything. By this description...you'd think it was a horrible day...but it wasn't.

 

It's special to get onto a smaller boat in Alaska. Even if you don't see whales. We saw bears on land...and we were IN the inside passage and being able to really admire the scenery in a way that being on the water in a large cruise ship lacks. So while the intent may be whales...the experience is pretty awesome no matter how it goes.

 

HOWEVER...if you read up on whale migration...you'll learn that there can be whales in Juneau from April to November. You'll learn that the southern migration catalyst is the waters cooling in the summer feeding grounds (includes Alaska)...and thus the whales leave where there had been plentiful food to venture to their breeding grounds. SO...it follows that while the waters are warm enough...the whales will continue to feed and fatten up for the lean winter...AND if you've been reading about the record breaking water temperatures occurring in this year 2023 you might figure that you will indeed have the opportunity to see whales. Regardless, it could be a wonderful day...

 

IDK where the boats go...but you can see Mendenhall Glacier from quite a distance. The following photo is DS fishing the western shore of Douglas Island. You could ask where the boat typically goes...it could be quite scenic.

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by Anita Latte

[martincath]

Further to Anita's reply - if Allen Marine are still running tours (the big catamarans sold through the cruiselines), there are whales to be seen as they offer a $100 bill to everyone on a tour which fails to see a whale... and have yet to pay out a penny in compensation! So if your cruiseline is selling tours, there will be whales close enough to Juneau to be seen.

 

NB: the minimum sighting is 'backs and blows' with all providers regardless of what form their guarantee takes, everything else is a bonus.

 

Whales also aren't very democratic... some of them will head southward well before you arrive, others hang out longer. If memory serves you have lots of time around Vancouver - a whalewatch here has a better chance of seeing some whales which already left Alaska (Grays especially are coast-huggers all the way down) as well as those who decided to hang around here eating all summer, plus of course our resident Orca pods, and all for less money due to pricing in CAD... official peak season here is until October, during which local companies offer sighting guarantees (but in the form of 'come back for free until you do see a whale' rather than refunds; if you have enough time to take a repeat trip, a better deal than $100 off!)

[Hercules67]

16 minutes ago, martincath said:

Further to Anita's reply - if Allen Marine are still running tours (the big catamarans sold through the cruiselines), there are whales to be seen as they offer a $100 bill to everyone on a tour which fails to see a whale... and have yet to pay out a penny in compensation! So if your cruiseline is selling tours, there will be whales close enough to Juneau to be seen.

 

NB: the minimum sighting is 'backs and blows' with all providers regardless of what form their guarantee takes, everything else is a bonus.

 

Whales also aren't very democratic... some of them will head southward well before you arrive, others hang out longer. If memory serves you have lots of time around Vancouver - a whalewatch here has a better chance of seeing some whales which already left Alaska (Grays especially are coast-huggers all the way down) as well as those who decided to hang around here eating all summer, plus of course our resident Orca pods, and all for less money due to pricing in CAD... official peak season here is until October, during which local companies offer sighting guarantees (but in the form of 'come back for free until you do see a whale' rather than refunds; if you have enough time to take a repeat trip, a better deal than $100 off!)

 

Hello martincath!

 

Yes, I have quite a bit of time in Vancouver but not aware that can catch whale watching there.

 

Where? Where? Where can I book whale watching in Vancouver? 🤩

 

*Allen Marine not running whale watching tours in October. I am having hard time combing for alternative if I don't want to book via NCL.

Edited August 17, 2023 by Hercules67

[martincath]

8 minutes ago, Hercules67 said:

... Where? Where? Where can I book whale watching in Vancouver? 🤩

In Vancouver proper there are departures from Granville Island with Prince of Whales and Wild Whales (the latter have always operated from here and have the most generously vague timing for trips - so if you want the single best chance of a sighting without needing to make a repeat trip, and don't mind spending up to 7 hours on the water compared to the more typical 3 hours these are the guys to go with).

 

Further south in the 'burbs, Steveston makes for a nice day trip if you include a whale-watch - folks less comfortable on small boats might prefer going from here because it means less water travel to get to the places where whales are most commonly seen in this area, and the providers are mostly based here because it saves them fuel (they run shuttle buses from downtown hotels, at an extra cost, but for a solo traveler not a terribly high one). You can ride with Vancouver Whale Watch or Seabreeze from here - and if you take transit or drive you can also spend the rest of the day visiting the fascinating Gulf of Georgia Cannery museum, take in the filmed extremely often Ye Olde village (Once Upon A Time is probably the best-known show from this location), and generally enjoying a nice little seaside spot.

[wolfie11]

1 hour ago, Hercules67 said:

 

I keep reading about need to book for onshore excursions as soon as possible else maybe fully booked when on shore, and so I am quite 'troubled' with deciding on 'to book or not to book'.

 

 

You do realize that the only cruise line that sails in Alaska in October is Norwegian.  There are good reasons no other cruise lines are here.  This is a stormy, rainy month.  Many seasonal businesses and stores will be shut down.  Tour operations for many vendors close in late September and your choices for tours will be limited.  It's not unusual to miss a port because of wind and high seas.  Many businesses just don't see any benefit in staying open for an extra month to cater to three partially-filled ships a week.  
 

If you don't want to book through the cruise lines, you need to research what vendors will still be operating. If you book thru NCL, make sure your shore excursion is actually still running.  I would book whatever you can before you go, but aware that ports and excursions can be canceled at the last minute for bad weather and/or lack of participants.

[Hercules67]

12 minutes ago, wolfie11 said:

You do realize that the only cruise line that sails in Alaska in October is Norwegian.  There are good reasons no other cruise lines are here.  This is a stormy, rainy month.  Many seasonal businesses and stores will be shut down.  Tour operations for many vendors close in late September and your choices for tours will be limited.  It's not unusual to miss a port because of wind and high seas.  Many businesses just don't see any benefit in staying open for an extra month to cater to three partially-filled ships a week.  
 

If you don't want to book through the cruise lines, you need to research what vendors will still be operating. If you book thru NCL, make sure your shore excursion is actually still running.  I would book whatever you can before you go, but aware that ports and excursions can be canceled at the last minute for bad weather and/or lack of participants.

 

Yes, understand the 'risks' I am taking to cruise Alaska in the month of October but I have sort of no choice due to work schedule.

 

Have been working very hard to piece together my cruise on shore excursion plans (now that martincath directing me maybe can whale watch at Vancouver, I have to start another round of reading).

 

 

[wolfie11]

Good luck! I hope you have a wonderful cruise.  Alaska is beautiful any time of the year no matter what the weather!

[eileeshb]

6 hours ago, Hercules67 said:

 

Yes, understand the 'risks' I am taking to cruise Alaska in the month of October but I have sort of no choice due to work schedule.

 

Have been working very hard to piece together my cruise on shore excursion plans (now that martincath directing me maybe can whale watch at Vancouver, I have to start another round of reading).

 

 

I’m in the same position with work meaning October is the only month viable for me.

By a bit of sleuthing the NCL provider for Discover Alaska’s Whales is Gastineau Guiding and the other big whale watching excursion is being done by Allen Marine. I reached out to Gastineau as I was hoping to do their photo safari excursion. Unfortunately due to the fewer hours of daylight they are not doing the photo safari, but they did say the area they go to for the whale watching is very sheltered so they don’t think there’s much chance of that being cancelled due to rough seas. 
I’ve also booked the goldbelt tram ticket so there’s something else to do if the whale watching falls through. 

[SightCRR]

On 8/17/2023 at 4:24 PM, eileeshb said:

I’ve also booked the goldbelt tram ticket so there’s something else to do if the whale watching falls through. 

If you can you should cancel this tram ticket and wait until you get to Juneau to see if you can see the top of the Mt after you check the hours to make sure you know when to go. Lots of openings if the tram is running. Here are some nice webcams of Juneau and ISP and don't forget to check youtube for videos of personal tour and skip the ones that are just ads. TheSnowCloud Juneau area Webcams

Edited August 22, 2023 by SightCRR
add camera links.

[eileeshb]

10 hours ago, SightCRR said:

If you can you should cancel this tram ticket and wait until you get to Juneau to see if you can see the top of the Mt after you check the hours to make sure you know when to go. Lots of openings if the tram is running. Here are some nice webcams of Juneau and ISP and don't forget to check youtube for videos of personal tour and skip the ones that are just ads. TheSnowCloud Juneau area Webcams

Why cancel a ticket that is free? I have the $50 excursion credit per excursion from NCL so the tram ticket didn’t cost me anything. 

[SightCRR]

I thought the $50 was only one per cabin per port not per excursion. I was thinking there is something better for you and hopefully the weather is nice for you. 

[eileeshb]

1 hour ago, SightCRR said:

I thought the $50 was only one per cabin per port not per excursion. I was thinking there is something better for you and hopefully the weather is nice for you. 

They changed the credit, originally it was per port but now it’s per excursion and as I’m a solo I get the credit on every excursion. 

[SightCRR]

New to me info so never mind my comments. Sorry for bad info.