Four whale watches in Alaska - and I have not seen an orca.
I did the photography tour. It is not for photography pros. It is to give pointers on photography. But the biggest benefit is a small boat, low to the water level with big windows (that are open when appropriate /with a viewing platform. And only about a dozen guests.
I personally enjoy visiting Mendenhall glacier. You are able to walk around in a nice area, with views of a glacier and waterfall. It won’t be as spectacular as being in the Wonder and staring at a glacier really close to you. But it is an experience that coming generations will not have - it is receding. On the photography tour, we saw the markers along the trail that showed how far the glacier extended over the last century. But mainly, just a peaceful visit and a nice walk in a lovely setting.
Our ship looked like this - (both boats were watching this whale).
A view from near (or at?) the Mendenhall Visitor’s Center. The trail to those waterfalls (Nugget Trail) is about 1 mile RT.
As a photography tour, we walked the Trail of Time to get tips like finding this winding path as a more interesting image.
If your boat doesn’t see a whale, probably no one will see one. But you may only see one. And that’s why they make the guarantee of a whale sighting. I have not heard of anyone having zero whales sighted. It is not a high-action activity. Fishing may be more exciting.
I have visited Mendenhall five times. Skipped whale watching on one AK cruise. Will probably do both next time I cruise there. They are my chosen repeat activities. Helicopter, floatplane, train were a one-and-done. Would also repeat ZipRider in Icy Strait Point.