Whales in late May?

[stephmcvail]

We are going on HAL May 24th Northbound and keep getting different pieces of info on whale watching. Will we be able to see any from the ship and without having to pay for an excursion?

 

stephmcvail

[TomAndJane]

You have a very good chance of seeing whales from your ship. If you are going to Glacier Bay from Skagway, about two hours before you are suppose to enter Glacier Bay (i.e. Glacier Bay from 7 - 4),make sure you are up on deck around 4:15 and start watching. Last year we saw humpback bubblenet attacks and coming out of the water eating. As Budget Queen always says "Spend a lot of time in a forward looking area with binoculars". One place people don't always look is Snow Pass. It is about 1 1/2 to 2 hours north of Ketchikan. Just expect to spend a lot of time for a few seconds of excitement and it is well worth it.

 

O.K. now that I have said you will see whales from the ship, every one that has taken a whale watching tour will tell you that is the way (and it is) to get up close and get great pictures!!!!!!!!!

[LEtue]

Yes, you should see whales! I have sailed the same week as you twice and both trips we saw whales from the balcony, buffet areas, and the dining room :D Your chances increase if you spend time up on deck in the forward area of the ship as mentioned....

 

Don't leave your cabin without your binoculars and have a great cruise!!!!

[stephmcvail]

Thanks so much for answering so quickly! Will these sitings be on our cruising days? My mom might want to spend some time on the boat at each port after seeing the town. Will we see anything while in port?

[LEtue]

I can't say that I saw any once in port but did see some when sailing in and out of Juneau and in the waters surrounding the entrance to Glacier Bay (where a mother and calf were swimming at the surface - close to the ship). :D

 

Friends spotting orcas when were were in open waters but I kept missing them.....

 

You should see lots of harbor seals and sea otters too!

[cmsulli73]

I just sailed last week and one of the speakers on the ship said we would not see any Orcas, well he was very wrong, we saw a ton of them from the ship. I have attached a picture of 2 that I saw right after sunrise on our first morning.

[wrp96]

We didn't see any whales from our ship (sailed the last week in May last year), except far off in the distance. We saw other wildlife but not a ton.

 

If you absolutely want to see whales, then you should take a whale watching tour.

[Budget Queen]

I have a LOT of experience with whale watching from cruiseships. BUT you will also most always see me on whale watches, which are grossly superior. I do know the areas, which are posted above, and look like recomendations of previous posts of mine?? Snow Pass, also, is NOT always transisted. To get routing information, you may want to consult the bridge via the purser, which I always do. Having a ship naturalist is a big plus.

 

You can NOT count on sightings despite the above reports, plenty of people never see any from the cruiseships. It is VERY rare to have sighting in port.

 

Necessary is a good pair of wide angle binoculars, proper attire, and time.

[whale-watcher]

Try to speak with the ship's naturalist early in the cruise, and find out exactly where and when you are most likely to have success. Last year we had the biggest concentrations near the mouth of Glacier Bay and near snow passage, but also had scattered sightings in other areas as well.

 

We carry binoculars with us at all times (even taking high quality compact pairs to dinner), and like BQ, spend LOTS of time scanning for whales (and birds)...not just in Alaska, but on any cruise we take.

 

Remember, if you are not in the initial group that spots the whale in the first place, your odds of actually seeing it from a cruise ship (the ship will not change course or wait around for the animal to resurface) are rather low...so plan your time accordingly.

 

We too always book small boat whale and wildlife watching excursions every chance we get...and the sightings have always been better than the brief chance encounters we have had from the ship; but to increase our chances of observing interesting behaviours or less frequently seen pelagic species, we sill spend lots of time watching from the ship as well.

[daniel21]

I am taking a whale watching tour with Alaska Trophy Fishing and Whale Watching on the 30th @5pm. There are 2 other couples from our ship also going. We are on Carnival Spirit. If your one of the couples welcome aboard.

[Buddy01]

We are going on HAL May 24th Northbound and keep getting different pieces of info on whale watching. Will we be able to see any from the ship and without having to pay for an excursion?

 

stephmcvail

 

My DH and I will be on the Statendam May 24th northbound. There are several of us here on CC that have found out we are on the same cruise.

Are you going on this cruise? Just yourself or family? If so, welcome!!

 

My hubby and I are doing the Orca Enterprise walewatching in Juneau. Can't wait!!

 

Lynne:)

[TomAndJane]

I, and look like recomendations of previous posts of mine?? Snow Pass, also, is NOT always transisted. quote]

 

I don't know what you meant by this but I was speaking about what I have experienced on the three cruises I have been on not just copying advice you had given others.

[stephmcvail]

My DH and I will be on the Statendam May 24th northbound. There are several of us here on CC that have found out we are on the same cruise.

Are you going on this cruise? Just yourself or family? If so, welcome!!

 

My hubby and I are doing the Orca Enterprise walewatching in Juneau. Can't wait!!

 

Lynne:)

 

It is my mom (65) and I (40) on this trip. What time are you going with Orca? Are they easy to find on the internet since it isn't a HAL excursion? I have seen their name in other posts so my mom is interested in using them. I'm so excited I can hardly sleep!

 

stephmcvail

[TomAndJane]

It is my mom (65) and I (40) on this trip. What time are you going with Orca? Are they easy to find on the internet since it isn't a HAL excursion? I have seen their name in other posts so my mom is interested in using them. I'm so excited I can hardly sleep!

 

stephmcvail

www.orcaenterprises.com

[stephmcvail]

www.orcaenterprises.com

 

Thanks for the link! Am going there now!