Whale watching question.. Where is best?

[sharp_cruiser]

Hello all! I am brand new to this board, brand new to cruising, and brand new to Alaska! But I am trying to do quite a bit of research to plan the perfect trip!

My question here deals with Whale Watching... where is the best place? I see some "guaranteed" tours in Juneau (a cruise port). There are also the Kenai Fjords tours and right now I am debating to add Seward to my land portion or not... Anyone try both? Also, I tend towards sea sickness... which boats or areas might be better for me? Thanks for all your help. Everyone's posts are so imformative for a newbie like me!!! :o

[Chenega]

Hello all! I am brand new to this board, brand new to cruising, and brand new to Alaska! But I am trying to do quite a bit of research to plan the perfect trip!

My question here deals with Whale Watching... where is the best place? I see some "guaranteed" tours in Juneau (a cruise port). There are also the Kenai Fjords tours and right now I am debating to add Seward to my land portion or not... Anyone try both? Also, I tend towards sea sickness... which boats or areas might be better for me? Thanks for all your help. Everyone's posts are so imformative for a newbie like me!!! :o

 

Here's some advice from a local. I've had outstanding whale watching trips out of Juneau and the area around Hoonah/Icy Strait Point and Glacier Bay.

Water is pretty smooth too. There are several tour operators listed on other posts on this board.

 

The Kenai Fjords trips remain my favorite in Alaska but you can be exposed to what some might call rough water when you enter the open region outside of Seward's Resurrection Bay. It usually doesn't last that long and motion sickness meds taken at least one hour before your ship departs usually help as does staying outside vs. sitting inside. The scenery is among the best in Alaska and wildlife sightings are common.

[JohnQ]

We have whalewatched in Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, and Calif and do it on every trip to Alaska. Juneau is considered one of the best spots for humpbacks and you might see orcas. We have done twice and saw whales each time. We also went to Chenega's home of Hoonah the next day after Junuea, and saw more humpback whales there doing more things than we had ever seen. Must have been at least 60-70 whales all around us for 3 hrs.

Heck, I even went down and saw them in the Sacramento River the other day!!!

 

We have also gone on the Kenai Fjords 6hr tour twice and saw humpback and orcas on the late May trip and none on the early Sept trip. It is nice tour, but don't expect that to be whalewatching, even though hopefully it might be. They have a specific route to follow on this tour rather than follow the whales.

 

Going back next month and will probably do all three again.

[SharB]

The Kenai Fjords tour is really beautiful, but I'd think twice if motion sickness meds won't take care of the issue for you. We were staying at a B&B in Seward and the owner suggested (and gave us) candied ginger. When we got out of the bay, the seas got very rough (this was early September) and I kept nibbling on the pieces of ginger whenever my stomach started flip-flopping. One of the people on the boat was the wife of a fisherman and she previously had been out in the Gulf of Alaska with her husband's crew for three months as the chef. Believe it, she was the only one on the boat who got really sick. By the way - we were out for 10 hours, due to an engine failure, and we never saw a whale. We saw plenty of other wildlife and beautiful glaciers, though...

We've had great luck at both Juneau and Sitka for whales and will be back this Sept in Juneau to go out with Capt Larry.

 

Shar

[fti]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

I think Juneau and Icy Strait Point are the prime areas for whale watching in Alaska. Three vendors that are regularly mentioned here are Alaska Marine Adventures, Orca Enterprises and Harv and Marvs. You can't go wrong with any of them from the reviews on this board.

 

If your cruise starts or ends in Seward, I would definitely suggest spending a night or two there - lots to do there (Kenai Fjords boat tour, Sealife Center, Exit Glacier and more).

[sharp_cruiser]

Thanks so much for the info! I am just loving this board now that I found it! I think I will be here every day until we are ready to go! I'll have too many questions, but when I get back hopefully I can pass some knowledge onto the next cruiser!

[Budget Queen]

If you aren't going to Hoonah- then Juneau is your choice for whale watching, with the given- humpbacks. Orcas are only seen, on average of every 5-10 days. If orcas are a priority, consider a boat tour out of Victoria.

 

Definately consider adding Kenai fjords, it's a do not miss, if you are interior Alaska. This is an area of VARIED wildlife, and overall, I have only seen whales on about 50% of my trips. So, it's not a "whale watch".

 

You NEED to strongly consider taking precautions for motion sickness. I've seen plenty of sick passenges on boat tours, and cruise ships sailing Alaska. Consult your health care professional for recommendations.

[nask]

we just got back on Sat. from ncl cruise. We took the Tracy Arm cruise tour through NCL. They has to change to Dawes Glacier but this trip took about 5 hours and they were great at stopping the boat for wildlife and pointing everything out. The boat had an indoor area to watch and outside decks also. We saw lots of whales and seals. It was the best part of our cruise. The water wasn't rough at all. Alaska is just beautiful my husband and I already want to go again.