Juneau glacier trip and whale watching?

[lilli]

We are sailing on the Serenade in 7/08 and are a family of 5--2 teenagers, grandma, and parents--We are planning to do the glacier/dogsled trip in the am, but would like to do whale watching also.

Two questions---is visibility significantly better as it gets later for the helicopter trip, i.e. 0745 vs. 1000? 2nd, if we are back by 1100 from the glacier, do we have time to do a whale watching trip?

Thanks for any info!

[cjnky]

Not sure how long you'll be in port, but you should have time to do both. We co-booked Orca and Coastal helicopters - that way we saved lots of time in transport between the whalewatching and glacier.

[NancyIL]

I believe your ship is in Juneau from 7:00 - 3:00. Auke Bay is about 20-30 minutes from the cruise ship dock, so you would be cutting it very close to go on a whale watch at 11:00. I would suggest doing whale watching in Icy Strait Point.

 

You never can tell what the weather will be like. It rained when we arrived in Juneau at 8:00, cleared up while we were whale watching and at Mendenhall Glacier, then rained again about 2.

[fti]

If you will be in ISP, whale watching is supposed to be great there. Contact FISHES.

 

John

[lilli]

thanks for the responses--we will be there only from 7 to 3, sorry, i failed to mention that important piece of info!

We were planning to do a salmon fishing trip in ISP but have looked at the whale watching too. There is just too much to do and not enough time.

I will look into the booking with Orca and Coastal--that may work!

thanks again to all!

[NancyIL]

thanks for the responses--we will be there only from 7 to 3, sorry, i failed to mention that important piece of info!

We were planning to do a salmon fishing trip in ISP but have looked at the whale watching too. There is just too much to do and not enough time.

I will look into the booking with Orca and Coastal--that may work!

thanks again to all!

 

Unless Orca starts their tours earlier when your ship is in town, their whale-watching trips are from 9:00-12:30 or 11:30-3:00 when you'll be there: http://www.orcaenterprises.com/1-schedule.htm You might be able to do a helicopter glacier excursion with Coastal right after the whale watching ends at noon, but you probably wouldn't have time for dog sledding. You won't know for sure until you ask, but I think you're trying to do too much before the all-aboard at 2:30.

[lilli]

I think you are probably right--it would probably stress me out worrying about making the all aboard!

I will email coastal/orca and see but likely just stick with the glacier/dogsled thing and maybe change to whale watching in ISP

Thanks, lilli

[fti]

thanks for the responses--we will be there only from 7 to 3, sorry, i failed to mention that important piece of info!

We were planning to do a salmon fishing trip in ISP but have looked at the whale watching too. There is just too much to do and not enough time.

I will look into the booking with Orca and Coastal--that may work!

thanks again to all!

 

How long are you in ISP? Is your fishing trip done with an independent vendor? How many are on the boat? One vendor last summer (a small one man operation not mentioned on CC) wanted to combine my whale watch interest with someone else's fishing interest. Honestly I had no interest in that but it might be a perfect fit for you - if you can find a vendor to give you a private tour, they can easily combine both fishing and whale watching since they are in the same area.

 

John

[qiangf2]

It will be tight to try to do both. They advise people to get back on board 30 min before ship leaves port. But I always buffer myself with extra 30min. You certainly don't want to be left behind at the port.

[lilli]

I have talked to one company in ISP that would try to do both--we are in ISP from 10 till 6. I think that may be the way to go. I also thought of trying the glacier thing out of skagway and just doing whale watching in juneau.

Which company had you talked to in ISP?

[Budget Queen]

There is no way to predict any weather in Alaska. I suggest you book a time that is convenient for you for the glacier dog sledding. It is not usually available, but earlier trips may have a possiblity of being rebooked later. But in the past several years, this is rare due to schedules being fully booked.

 

Have back up plans and determine before you go, if you would consider a regular glacier landing instead. Many times you do not have a lot of time to decide, if it is offered to you.