Sealife while at Sea??

[CruisinLynette]

What are the chances of us being able to see anything while we are at sea or even cruise the glaciers?? We are going Sept 16, 2007.

 

Thanks, Lynette

[Toyz711]

we went sept 17th last year. in glacier bay, we didn't see anything but pretty scenery. leaving the area we saw sea otters, from a distance..a ton of them floating around. someone said they saw a mother humpback and baby..way off in the distance. we saw a couple of very small whales, possibly pilot whales the 1st day out from seattle. my brother-in-law swore he saw a whale breech, but he could tell me if it was ocra or humpback..hmmm? saw a couple of black & while dophins in the morning before victoria. outwise a couple of eagles.

saw whales on capt larry's cruise in juneau. eagles in ketchikan. my binculars were not strong enough to really see anything on shore. the ship moves fairly fast at times. very hard to see wildlife from the ship, unless you are lucky or know where to look.

[MercedMike]

Wildlife viewing is very chancy! In seven cruises to Alaska I think we have actually seen anything from the ship only about four times.

 

One night at dinner, somebody yelled "There's a whale" and we all ran to the window and sure enough a whale was cruising by the ship right outside the dining room windows. Once in Glacier Bay we saw orcas pretty far off but easily visible with binox.

 

Our last cruise we probably saw the most -- whales, seals, and dolphins from our balcony, all far off and barely visible.

 

Of course, if you spend hours sitting at the bow of the ship binoculars, you have a better chance. Just casually glancing now and then is less likely!

 

But if you really want to see wildlife book one of the tours.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[agabbymama]

Not sure how things are now, but in '99 when we cruised the Inside Passage, we saw sea otters right at the dock in Seward. Then when we got to Glacier Bay, there were hundreds of seals on an island. We saw minke whales with the naked eye (didn't have binoculars), and some dolphins were swimming in the wake of the bow. Wonderful sightings in the wild, meant more to me than paying for a tour. That's about it from the ship. We saw moose and Dall sheep while on the bus from Anchorage to Seward. Lots of eagles in Sitka and Ketchikan, but they all look like a white dot when you try to take a photo. Never did get to see any bears, and probably won't this time either, as I won't pay for the excursion.

[Budget Queen]

Most people see nothing. Cruise brochures are GREATLY enhanced. :)

 

I do spend a great deal of time out on a front deck and am always greatly rewarded, but most people are not willing to invest the time. Especially in your timeframe- It's going to be cold out on deck, balcony side viewing cuts your sightings over 50%. If of interest to you- first is to have proper attire- you won't enjoy watching if your're freezing. You do not mention your routing?? If going to Glacier Bay- you should sail up the Hopkins Inlet, likely harbor seals- key is to have a good pair of binoculars- wide angle are necessary. I like 10x50's. If your ship has a naturalist, get friendly, they have cruised all season and know the areas. Lastly- be happy with a 1 minute view for hours of waiting- likely sightings from a ship are distant and brief. I stress the importance of front viewing- you are best to see them coming from ahead and then tracking them, not trying to see them first as they pass by.

[North2Alaska]

Most people see nothing. Cruise brochures are GREATLY enhanced. :)

 

I do spend a great deal of time out on a front deck and am always greatly rewarded, but most people are not willing to invest the time. Especially in your timeframe- It's going to be cold out on deck, balcony side viewing cuts your sightings over 50%. If of interest to you- first is to have proper attire- you won't enjoy watching if your're freezing. You do not mention your routing?? If going to Glacier Bay- you should sail up the Hopkins Inlet, likely harbor seals- key is to have a good pair of binoculars- wide angle are necessary. I like 10x50's. If your ship has a naturalist, get friendly, they have cruised all season and know the areas. Lastly- be happy with a 1 minute view for hours of waiting- likely sightings from a ship are distant and brief. I stress the importance of front viewing- you are best to see them coming from ahead and then tracking them, not trying to see them first as they pass by.

 

 

My wife and I booked a cruise on RCCL Vision of the Sea. We're planning on spending every minute possible on deck. This is our first cruise. Where is the best place to view ocean life? Thanks!

[Budget Queen]

Unfortunately the Vision is lacking in front vieiwng if you aren't at least 5'8". They have nasty full blue windscreens. They do have front viewing from their inside lounge which is good if you are short.

 

If you list your itinerary, I may be able to give you more specific areas to watch for?

[North2Alaska]

Unfortunately the Vision is lacking in front vieiwng if you aren't at least 5'8". They have nasty full blue windscreens. They do have front viewing from their inside lounge which is good if you are short.

 

If you list your itinerary, I may be able to give you more specific areas to watch for?

 

Juneau, Skagway and Prince Rupert

 

We've booked with Capt. Larry and Orca Enterprises in Juneau and Dolly Varden in Skagway. Haven't decide about Prince Rupert, but I heard they have a high concentration of Humpbacks.

 

Thanks for the quick response.

 

Jesse

[North2Alaska]

Juneau, Skagway and Prince Rupert

 

We've booked with Capt. Larry and Orca Enterprises in Juneau and Dolly Varden in Skagway. Haven't decide about Prince Rupert, but I heard they have a high concentration of Humpbacks.

 

Thanks for the quick response.

 

Jesse

 

Tracy Arm Fjord, too

[wolfie11]

If wildlife is a priority, you should seriously consider a small ship like Cruise West or Linblad. I was on a Linblad boat once and we spent over an hour with a pod of killer whales hunting a minke. Both lines have one or more naturalists on board and know where the wildlife is, and will stop for it, unlike the large ships. Sure, they're more expensive, but add up what your cuise will cost plus shore excursions and there's not a huge difference.

[whale-watcher]

I would also suggest bringing a second compact pair of binoculars IN ADDITION to a full sized pair. Some of our best whale sightings (both in Alaska and elsewhere) have occured when we were not actually on deck watching, but we were able to still enjoy them because we were prepared. I agree with Budget Queen about talking with the naturalist. Barbara on the Coral Princess was able give us excellent advice about when we should be on deck watching, and we were never disappointed!

We were also willing to devote a lot of time to wildlife watching, and that sometimes meant skipping shows or dinner in the dining room in order to spend more time scanning the ocean... but we did get to see numerous orcas, minkes, and humpbacks, and interesting behaviours, such as tail slaps, pectoral fin waves, and one magnificent whale that breached repeatedly not far from the ship as we were leaving glacier bay (this is where my avatar photo was taken by a friend of mine).

[North2Alaska]

but we did get to see numerous orcas, minkes, and humpbacks, and interesting behaviours, such as tail slaps, pectoral fin waves, and one magnificent whale that breached repeatedly not far from the ship as we were leaving glacier bay (this is where my avatar photo was taken by a friend of mine).

 

 

Beautiful picture! Did you see all of this on one trip?? I spent two days on a whale watching tour In NY and saw one humpback and thought it was very much worth it. Can't wait for Alaska!

[whale-watcher]

Beautiful picture! Did you see all of this on one trip?? I spent two days on a whale watching tour In NY and saw one humpback and thought it was very much worth it. Can't wait for Alaska!

all of the whale sightings in my posting were from one cruise on the Coral Princess in May of '04, but we have also seen humpbacks from cruise ships in new england and the caribbean. The picture was not taken from a cruise ship.. my friend was in a smaller whale watching boat.