Whale Watching in Bar Harbor??

[Jake's Mom]

Has anyone gone Whale Watching in Bar Harbor?

 

I am sailing on the Explorer of the Seas the first week of July and was really looking forward to going on a Whale watching excursion.

 

I had seen it listed on the main excursion section of the RCCL website, but it was not listed on the available excursion for my particular sail date.

 

When I contacted the RCCL excursion dept, they didn't really offer an explanation of why it was not offered for my particular sail date.

 

Does any one know if July is a good month for Whale watching. If it is, I would like to arrange a tour on my own and would appreciate any suggestions on tour operators.

 

Thanks!

[Two if by Sea]

Don't have personal experience in Bar Harbor, but in general the summer months are great for Whale Watching in New England. If you do a Google search for Bar Harbor Whale Watching you'll find a private company.

[firefighterjake]

Has anyone gone Whale Watching in Bar Harbor?

 

I am sailing on the Explorer of the Seas the first week of July and was really looking forward to going on a Whale watching excursion.

 

I had seen it listed on the main excursion section of the RCCL website' date=' but it was not listed on the available excursion for my particular sail date.

 

When I contacted the RCCL excursion dept, they didn't really offer an explanation of why it was not offered for my particular sail date.

 

Does any one know if July is a good month for Whale watching. If it is, I would like to arrange a tour on my own and would appreciate any suggestions on tour operators.

 

Thanks![/quote']

 

I've gone on a whale watching cruise in Bar Harbor . . . but not with a cruise . . . but then again I only live 1 1/2 hours away. :) ;)

 

I went with this company.

 

http://www.barharborwhales.com/default.php

 

The Friendship V catamaran that I went on was fairly large compared to similar whale watching companies in the area, but this company's dual claim to fame is that they get to the whale watching areas quickly and rarely disappoint with no shows.

 

I think I went in June, but you should find that July will be a fine time to go as well since a number of whale species are feeding during that time in the Gulf of Maine.

 

I honestly enjoyed this cruise and seeing the whales come up was quite impressive . . . but on our trip we never did see any of the tail splashings or jumps that one would hope to see . . . saw a lot of whale backs.

 

If you're in town and have time make sure to stop by the Chocolate Emporirum as well . . . if you're like me you'll stock up on some of your favorite fudge (mint chocolate for me and penuchi for my wife) or you can be brave and try their lobster ice cream . . . and yes, it actually has bits of lobster in it.

[richbum]

Bar Harbor is great for whale watching. Here is a website for tours in the area.

I also agree with firefighterjake...Ben & Bills Chocolate Emporium is a must do. All of their candy and ice cream is home made...and really good.

 

http://www.barharborwhales.com/default.php

 

Have a great trip!:D

[alpal1993]

I am on the July 31 cruise and I have already booked my hale watching on Odyssey.It is from 10-3 and cost is reasonable www,info@odysseywhalewatch.com

[Jan_In_Maine]

Love Ben & Bills!! Had quite a few scoops of ice cream there last month. April school vacation was a wonderful week weather wise in Maine ... and there were a lot of people in BH for the week.

 

Jake - question ... did you take a southern carribean cruise out of SJ? If so, did you fly out of Bangor? I've booked a cruise in 2009 for the southern route and am now debating on airports. Jan

[Melissa5920]

Never have taken a cruise to Bar Harbor but I have been about 6 -8 times as my husbands family has a house up there.. I have been on the friendship V twice and it was a nice tour. the naturalist on board was from the local college near by and I believe she was studying whales, very informative!! Be careful with the guarantee of seeing a whale though. If you see over something like 30 dolphins it nulls the guarantee, weird policy all the companies seem to go by in bar harbor.

 

Bill and Ben's is amazing!!! try the chocolate dipped blueberries or the fudge, excellent!!!

There also is a great Christmas tree ornament place a few door up the hill, great place for personalized gifts!

[Jake's Mom]

Thanks for all of the great info guys!

 

We're definitely going to make a trip to Ben and Bill. The ice cream selection looks awesome.

 

And we're going to look for the Christmas shop, we always get an ornament from each port we visit. Soon we'll have to get an extra Christmas tree just for the cruise ornaments.

 

36 days and counting!!

[tutuwahineLV]

I'm comtemplating going the end of september....is that too late to see any whales??

Thanks

[CruisnGram]

I'm comtemplating going the end of september....is that too late to see any whales??

Thanks

 

We are sailing Sept 21st and have booked a whale watch out of Halifax. I've been assured that we will still see whales that time of year. Hope so! :D

[tutuwahineLV]

Thanks for the input CrusinG. The Dawn on the 21 is the cruise we're thinking about booking. Haven't decided 100% yet, but really leaning towards it. You don't think there will be any issues or problems with it being so close to that ship leaving the fleet?? (thats my main hesitation):confused:

[CruisnGram]

Thanks for the input CrusinG. The Dawn on the 21 is the cruise we're thinking about booking. Haven't decided 100% yet, but really leaning towards it. You don't think there will be any issues or problems with it being so close to that ship leaving the fleet?? (thats my main hesitation):confused:

 

The Dawn isn't leaving the fleet. She was built in 2002 and is only 6 years old, so not leaving anytime soon. You must have her confused with the Majesty who was built in 1992, has been sold, and will be leaving the fleet next year.

[tutuwahineLV]

I've confused her with the Dream..... lol. The Dream out of Bos is what we're looking at, and her last cruise is the end of Oct.

 

(sorry, senior moment.:o )

[CruisnGram]

I've confused her with the Dream..... lol. The Dream out of Bos is what we're looking at, and her last cruise is the end of Oct.

 

(sorry, senior moment.:o )

 

No problem, I have the same issues these days. Only problem is that it's sometimes a senior hour or a senior day instead of just a moment! :D

 

Where are you located? Would it be that big of a deal to drive to NY and take the Dawn instead of the Dream? I'm not that familiar with driving in that area as I'm from Maryland. But, 2 years ago we did a road trip of New England and I don't remember NY being that far from Boston. Maybe 3 or 4 hours max. If you came in the day before, it wouldn't be a bad drive at all, depending on how far you are from Boston. That way, you wouldn't have concerns over the age of the ship.

[tutuwahineLV]

I'm in Las Vegas. It's not the age of the ship that concerns me, its that she's leaving less than a month after our sailing. I guess my concerns are more of service and quality ......are the employees going to disgruntled, that sort of thing.

We're looking at that sailing for the itenerary.... halifax, st johns, sydney and bar harbor. I'm not that interested in the iten's that are usa heavy....

 

D

[Kay240]

I don't remember which ship we were on, but it was within the last two years. They were getting the ship ready to go to a new owner and the only difference we noticed was the NEW CARPET being installed... Of course, every situation is different...