Your pick... Marv and Harv or Capt. Larry?

[Toyz711]

for anyone just getting into this converstion:

it's mentioned (in another post) about 60 - 70 people on a whale tour. for that type of crowd you would need to book through the cruislines. one offered is a double-decker with about 100 people on it. (but i know someone who loved their tour on it)

 

ocra enterprises (capt Larry) has a new boat (new last year) that is purple. it's the biggest they have and holds (i think) 30 people. when i was on it, we had 15..mucho,mucho room. the purple boat was made from capt larry's special design..a quiet engine to not bother the whales. this company is nothing if not totally involved in whale research / protection. last year they were running 2 other boats that are a little smaller. i know the purple boat has a wide back deck for viewing, a another viewing area over the cabin, plus open area inside with where they serve the snacks.. it's wheelchair accessable with wide doors and flat floors. you meet at the office, right across from where the big ships dock, then take you to auke bay to their boats..about 30 min drive? snack were smoked salmon/cracker/fruit drinks.

 

Harv & marv is run by 2 families. i think eileen has her phone on her hip and is wired into her PC. she answered my emails in less then 2 hours, last year. they have 2 boats..6 passenagers MAX. according to their website (and talking to eileen last year), they don't go out with less then 3 (unless you pay). i didn't want to wait to see if we could find a 3rd. they pick you up at the docks and take you to auke bay. don't forget about all the reviews of the COOKIES!

 

turned out for the best, the weather was iffy. i was surprised our boat went out that day. i would post my videos, but they would make you sea sick. you could say the water was more then a little "choppy" that day. we only saw 1 little boat out and it didn't stay out long. the double decker was out and another private boat. not too many were out that day, but it was late in the season and it was raining/sleeting that day.

 

you can hear the boats on the radio, they all report what they see. when that happens you can see all the boats running over to look.:eek: no matter who you go with, there is a good chance you will see whales.

[CanCanCase]

for anyone just getting into this converstion:

it's mentioned (in another post) about 60 - 70 people on a whale tour. for that type of crowd you would need to book through the cruislines. one offered is a double-decker with about 100 people on it. (but i know someone who loved their tour on it)

 

ocra enterprises (capt Larry) has a new boat (new last year) that is purple. it's the biggest they have and holds (i think) 30 people. when i was on it, we had 15..mucho,mucho room. ...

 

I read the comment about 60-70 a while ago and the number did seem a little high from my point of view. The medium sized jet boat tours (Orca and Dolphin) both carry between 12 and 50 passengers.

 

Orca Enterprises was actually operating 4 boats at the end of last season (2006). The Odyssea showed up in Juneau during the 2005 season, and wow! that is one impressive tour boat! ADA compliant is quite an accomplishment on a boat, and while it's not technically the "fastest" tour boat in Juneau, the Odyssea can maintain the legal maximum speed over much rougher waters than some of the smaller boats. I've been quite impressed several times near Pt. Couverden when I was halibut fishing on the Can Can to see the big purple boat come all that way to get a good whale show. Larry can keep passengers comfortable aboard the Odyssea in rougher weather than the Awesome Orca can handle.

 

Last year Orca also bought another independant boat in town, the Noble Lady. Capt. Shawn told me they were re-painting her (purple, of course!) and would re-name the vessel something "orca-ish" when they thought of it.

 

Oh, and relating to engine noise: nobody at NOAA, National Marine Fisheries, University of Alaska, or MERSEA has any studies or data to show how far engine noise travels under water and how that affects the whales. Engine noise affects passenger comfort more than anything.

 

I guess the bottom line that I'm hearing repeated many times is to book the tour that fits your budget, your time schedule, and your preferred size of vessel. A whale watching tour in Juneau almost always runs between 2 and 3.5 hours on the water, almost always costs between $85 and $150 per person, and will almost always be an amazing experience, never to be forgotten.

 

Happy Travels!

-Case

[Toyz711]

how right you are:D

(i hate miss information...can you tell)

i knew about capt scotty, saw reviews about his tours last year.

met capt shaun (sp?) on our tour, he was the official "spotter".

at least with "purple" you always know who's boat it is?:rolleyes:

[CanCanCase]

how right you are:D

(i hate miss information...can you tell)

i knew about capt scotty, saw reviews about his tours last year.

met capt shaun (sp?) on our tour, he was the official "spotter".

at least with "purple" you always know who's boat it is?:rolleyes:

My wife asked if she could paint our new (personal) boat purple, and I told her, "no...I didn't want everyone thinking I was driving the new Orca Enterprises boat!" For some reason, she didn't understand the joke.

 

-Case

[Toyz711]

gee, i get it:confused:

go with pink with purple polks dots or big smiley faces?

i had heard it was purple, i didn't realize just how PURPLE is was.

the day we were in the bay, i was glad to be on it. that morning may have been calmer, but a bad weather blew in that afternoon, it was very CHOPPY. the whales went one directions and my camera was going the other. i had a lot of OOPS in some of my videos. oh, well...all was good.

[Toyz711]

great i spent all night thinking what color to do your boat. what color would the fish like? salmon color?

whales were in my dreams, too. lots and lots of breeching humpbacks.

[mindydaile]

I'm trying to plan a whale watching excursion for our cruise in July and I'm definitely interested in doing an indepent operator whale watching tour.

 

I saw a post stating Captain Larry has handicapped accessable boats - do Harv and Marv as well?

 

My 82 year old grandmother will be going with us and uses a walker. She is interested in going with us and I thought a smaller boat might be better for her with less crowd jostling to see the whales, but I also want her to be able to get on the boat!

 

Any suggestions?

[Toyz711]

just a suggestion, you may want to buy a folding wheelchair for her. my FIL uses a cane..does well most of the time. he fought the wheelchair, said he would not use it. but his daughter got it any way, at a yard sale.

when we hit rough water one night, he used the wheelchair and was glad of it. didn't want him falling due to rough seas. plus the ramps, getting on and off the ships, can be a little slick and steep.

where you board for the whales watching, if the water is low the ramp there can be very steep.

according to my FIL, the ships were bigger then he thought and he would have never been able to get from his room to the main dining room. they would have had to carry him up the ramp to even get on the ship.

 

i am sure H & M will work with you. with either capt larry or H & M, she can stay seated and see most of what is going on.

[CanCanCase]

great i spent all night thinking what color to do your boat. what color would the fish like? salmon color?

whales were in my dreams, too. lots and lots of breeching humpbacks.

I think I'll just leave it unpainted for now. Paint adds weight, and weight costs speed and requires the use of more fuel. I won't play the "we don't want paint chipping off into the oceans" environmental card as some would do, but for a climate with so much rain, a bare finish might just be a better way to go!

 

Just for purposes of staying "on topic" in this thread, I'll also mention that Harv & Marv's boats are NOT ADA accessible (no wheelchair lifts, etc.) but the smaller boat might be a nice idea... give Eileen a call and I'm sure she can give you some ideas about limited mobility.

 

-Case

[jspirit]

This is the company I understand that Carnival uses for the whale watching tour. I know that there are up to 150 people on the vessel, but then again, it is a much larger boat. Do they still give a good tour? Being that it is our first cruise to Alaska, I think I just would feel more comfortable booking through the cruiseline this time, unless someone tells me that it is far inferior to tha smaller tours. Are you able to hear the naturalist speaking? Is there room to view the wildlife, or will we have to look between other passenger's heads?

PLEASE>>> opinions???

[Toyz711]

i don't know anything about allen marine..i will let case come in on that. i was just wondering why you would feel more comfortable booking through the cruiseline. all the local companies mentioned know your ship's schedule better then you do. they know when your you ship docks and when the ship leaves. when i called, they asked which ship and then told me when it gets in and how long it takes to dock.

i had some new friends on the double decker, their tour was as long as mine, but they went to see the harbor seals or sea lions on the beach and some other stuff. where we stayed just with the humpbacks. (saw sea lions 3 feet from the boat playing around and entertaining us) they did enjoy their trip, but they weren't as interested in humpbacks as i was.

 

i like supporting the locals as much as possible. it's sad enough how the cruise lines have undercut the local businesses with the jewelry stores in every port.

[CanCanCase]

Allen Marine is actually a local company too... They've been building boats in their yard over in Sitka for years. I like their tours, personally, and never hesitate sending folks to them when I can't accomodate a tour.

As previously stated, they'll carry up to about 150 passengers on the large double-decker catamarans. You can hear the naturalist just fine on their P/A system... I've listened to it from the Can Can when we were near one of their boats looking at a gang of feeding humpbacks. It's amazing how far sound travels over the water! ;)

A larger boat does mean competing with folks for space at the rail, but they're usually very good about moving the boat around so everyone gets a chance to see.

I certainly never hesitate to recommend Allen Marine Tours, it just depends what sort of tour you're looking for. Oh, if you also want to see Mendenhall Glacier or the Hatchery, be sure you book a combination tour on the ship. As others have stated, plenty of time can be wasted bussing out to Auke Bay for your whale watch, then bussing back into town, then going on a Mendenhall tour, then all the way back into town, etc... Most of the smaller companies can easily get you dropped off (and picked up!) at any other excursions along the way.

 

-Case

[jspirit]

If anyone has booked with Capt. Larry, how much extra does he charge to drop you off at Mendenhall? Then, how much is a taxi back to the ship if the shuttle isn't running or is too full?

[Toyz711]

last year the shuttle was $6 one way. i have heard that if you tell capt larry before hand and someone else is going, there will arrange for one of their busses to take you up there. it was too dark when i was there, but others that did it earlier in the season did it.

[Toyz711]

i was going to add, some of my family went to mendenhall and loved it. saw a small black bear from the bus. you can see mendenhall from the bay they use for whale watching. also, a couple of the more "sight seeing" whale watch tours pause for pictures. as we were coming back to the harbor, we got a good view of mendenhall. don't know how far away it really is, but not that far. (from the harbor the boats leave from, not the cruise ship docks.)

[JohnQ]

Hi all you whalewatchers,

Haven't been on the board for a while since we are getting ready for a SF-Mex Riv cruise in two weeks, but---------quite a thread on Orca and the small guy!! I can remember several years ago when Orca was the preferred because they were independent and small with Capt Larry and his 20+ years of whalewatching. I don't remember seeing any posts on here about Harv and Marv until last year, so don't know if they branched from fishing to whalewatching or always did both.

 

But as Case, Cathy, and Frank have stated, I don't think you could go wrong with either. I'm glad to see this thread has remained civil and i commend all of you for that. We have gone with Capt Larry and Orca twice and we had great experience both times. Capt Larry, Carol and all the crew took good care of us, especially in 2004 when the Summit was experiencing some of her thruster problems, changed our port times and then still showed up late. We called Orca when we found out about change when boarding ship at Seward. Orca moved our tour around to get us on in the afternoon. Then when we actually arrived about 2 hrs later than scheduled, they had moved everyone else around and added a late tour about 4pm for all Summit guests. It was a drizzly day and we had to boogy way the heck out to get back to the whales that Capt Larry had just left. We got soaked from head to toe with rainsuit, including all camera gear. Most stayed inside. We also went to see sea lions and saw at least 6 or 7 whales.

 

We will be back in Sept on the Dawn and will be going whalewatching again, problably with Capt Larry and his new boat. I like the idea that many of the naturalists such as from Princess and Celebrity, go out with Capt Larry when they go. I got to talk with them on both tours and made it more interesting.

 

So choose whichever you wish. You will have a good time. Good luck. Will be back on here more after Mexico!!!

[CanCanCase]

... I can remember several years ago when Orca was the preferred because they were independent and small with Capt Larry and his 20+ years of whalewatching. I don't remember seeing any posts on here about Harv and Marv until last year, so don't know if they branched from fishing to whalewatching or always did both....

 

Welcome back JohnQ!

Isn't history fun? I can remember back a bit farther... when Orca Enterprises didn't even exist. I remember whale watching from a boat custom built for whale watching, captained by Harv... or was it Marv? ;-) I find it insanely cool that Orca Enterprises bought that very same boat from the second or third owner last year.

I know Harv & Marv have been whale watching from smaller boats for quite some time now. The fishing is a relatively new thing for that business. We can't really base an opinion of any of these tours on how long a particular business has been around. Someone can have a horrible experience with a business that's been around for 100 or more years, and someone can have a wonderful time with the new guys on the block.

I know a "kid" (he's 32!) who showed up with a shiny new fishing boat 5 years ago. Nobody believed he knew what he was doing because his boat and business were new. He listened patiently to all of the advice given by "old timers" and then proceeded to out-fish everyone in the harbor for 3 years running. Last year, I asked him how a relatively new business person could be doing so well. His response: "I'm not new. I've got 30+ years of experience doing this for fun. My business may be new, but what I've learned over a lifetime is timeless."

The point to all of this discussion is as you said... people will have a wonderful experience with any of these tours. I want to be sure folks understand all of their options, and can make their own decisions. (Am I wrong for believing that people should think for themselves?)

 

-Case

[jspirit]

I emailed him and his mailbox is full. Does anybody know when his office reopens, or if he picks up his emails at all during January?

[CanCanCase]

I emailed him and his mailbox is full. Does anybody know when his office reopens, or if he picks up his emails at all during January?

 

The sign on the door says they're open every day (M-F) in the afternoons. I've always been able to get someone on the phone when I call... usually between 3 and 5pm - Alaska Time.

 

-Case

[Coral]

I emailed him and his mailbox is full. Does anybody know when his office reopens, or if he picks up his emails at all during January?

 

He often goes to visit the whales in Hawaii at this time. Several members of their office went last year. Not sure if the same thing happened this year.

 

I also suggest late afternoons (Alaska time) for calling the office.

 

Obviously in the winter, they are not fully staffed.

[sea_u_onboard]

I called their office last week and made our reservations with Orca Enterprise..Soo someone was in..:)

Did you get the early one on the Odyssey (Cpt Larry)? I know you were talking about it. It's the one we are on. Heard we need to get our butts off that ship as soon as possible as it takes a while. Have to be at the office by 8:45 - ship debarks around 7. Sounds like plenty of time - but some say it was slow getting off and others said they had to reschedule because they didn't get there in time.

--------------------------------------------------

FYI - I booked in November and had GREAT customer service.

[parrs]

Case you are wrong on the hours that Orca is open.:mad:

Orca is open from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm in the winter Mon - Fri. I called to book my tour today for our May trip. We are so looking forward to going with Capt Larry again. I enjoy his tours so much I go every time with him. I even went with him when he drove the boats for dolphin. :):)

[CanCanCase]

Case you are wrong on the hours that Orca is open.:mad:

Orca is open from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm in the winter Mon - Fri. I called to book my tour today for our May trip. We are so looking forward to going with Capt Larry again. I enjoy his tours so much I go every time with him. I even went with him when he drove the boats for dolphin. :):)

 

:mad: <-- what's with that?

I wasn't "wrong on the hours"... I reported what I read on a sign taped to Orca's door. If the sign was wrong, that's okay. Maybe the sign was only temporary for this week. I don't really know. You still got through to them, and I'm happy you'll have a good time.

 

-Case

[Capt. Larry]

I'm trying to plan a whale watching excursion for our cruise in July and I'm definitely interested in doing an indepent operator whale watching tour.

 

I saw a post stating Captain Larry has handicapped accessable boats - do Harv and Marv as well?

 

My 82 year old grandmother will be going with us and uses a walker. She is interested in going with us and I thought a smaller boat might be better for her with less crowd jostling to see the whales, but I also want her to be able to get on the boat!

 

Any suggestions?

 

Regardless of which whale watch you choose, I would recommend the use of a wheel chair to get to the boats at least. There is a fairly long and often quite steep ramp that will need to be traversed from the parking area to the dock level. The incline of the ramp varies with the tide.

Capt. Larry

[sue402001]

Does anyone know if there is enough time to do a helicopter glacier tour before heading out on a whale watching tour while in Juneau? I'll be sailing on the Pearl in June and don't know if we have time to do both or not. Thanks!