Juneau Whale excursion recommendations

[spankswife]

Please recommend your Juneau Whale excursion. Debating doing just whales or whales and Mendenhall glacier combo. We would like the best chance to see the most whales. Kids would really like to see orcas. There are a handful of options and I can’t decide, or figure out the difference between a few of them. Thanks!

 

[happycamper47]

We've always done the combo with good results on 3 different trips, various months. May, June and July

 

[Calantha]

Please recommend your Juneau Whale excursion. Debating doing just whales or whales and Mendenhall glacier combo. We would like the best chance to see the most whales. Kids would really like to see orcas. There are a handful of options and I can’t decide, or figure out the difference between a few of them. Thanks!

We did the photography tour with whale watching and the glacier. It was great. We saw plenty of whales, but also got to learn about the glacier, etc. I would recommend a joint tour based on my experience.

 

[spankswife]

Thanks! What kind of whales did you see?

On the photography tour, is that if you are an avid photographer? Or is it more like a photography lesson?

 

[dcassetta]

Please recommend your Juneau Whale excursion. Debating doing just whales or whales and Mendenhall glacier combo. We would like the best chance to see the most whales. Kids would really like to see orcas. There are a handful of options and I can’t decide, or figure out the difference between a few of them. Thanks!

I would guess most, if not all of the whale watching tour captains communicate with each other. So I’m not sure that it matters who you go with as far as seeing whales. It might matter though if you enjoy the experience with a happy and friendly crew. Look to see if they offer a refund if you don’t see a whale. Although, in Juneau in summer, I think it’s very unlikely that you won’t see whales. In particular, it’s going to be humpbacks. Orcas are possible in Juneau, but not likely. You’re much more likely to see orcas further south closer to Vancouver and Seattle because of the southern resident pod that lives there.

We have gone out twice with Captain Alan and had a great experience both times. They are currently only showing private charters on their website, but I don’t know if that might change for this coming season. https://adventuresinalaskacharters.com/

 

[yowcruiser]

It looks as if there are many different options... but in reality, when it comes to the actual whale watching portion, there are only 2 or 3 (option #3 is a very private tour for 8 people on a luxury yacht). If you carefully read the description of all other tours that have a whale component, you will see two different descriptions - one of which offers a refund in case of no whale sighting. Both appear to more or less go to the same spot but embarkation/debarkation is in a different spot and the vessel looks slightly different

 

[KGmomoftwins]

Rum runners charter you can read my tr to get details.

 

[auntlynne]

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.

 

[anricat]

Another vote for Rum Runners. See my report and amazing pics in my Trip Report (link in signature). I would sign up with them again in a heartbeat.

 

[MK2thcleaner]

We saw a single orca on our whales and glacier tour in Sept 2022. When we return, I will try to book outside of the cruise line on a smaller boat. We had loads of people on a big boat and it was hard to get a view running from side to side when we'd spot something. Also, I'd rather have more time than an hour at Mendenhall. We trekked back to nugget falls, which they say is 1hr round trip. I'm not a very fast walker, so I was paranoid the entire time that we'd miss our bus. We barely had enough time to snap a few pics then head back, so no real time in the visitor center or other areas. I'd do nugget falls again in a heartbeat, I just want more time to enjoy and worry less.

I don't want to sound like it's all doom and gloom. I loved our experiences, but those are the things I will try to tweak in the future.

 

[soniam]

I saw recommendations for Harv & Marv’s for whale watching, so that’s what we are doing. Haven’t been yet though.

 

[auntlynne]

I saw recommendations for Harv & Marv’s for whale watching, so that’s what we are doing. Haven’t been yet though.

Harv & Marv has been mentioned (positively) for years!

 

[auntlynne]

Here’s an update on Mendenhall Glacier from Oct 2022.


Here was my photo from the beach in Sep 2021:




“For the last two decades, the glacier has “pretty consistently” seen over 160 feet of retreat per year, Hekkers said. From 1999 to 2022, the glacier’s terminus retreated a total of nearly 4,600 feet. “ (from the article at KTOO).

 

[Calantha]

Thanks! What kind of whales did you see?

On the photography tour, is that if you are an avid photographer? Or is it more like a photography lesson?

I think someone already replied, but it was a mostly tips and tricks. I was mid-range with my group. There were 2 ladies with some serious gear, and then a family with iPhones. I have a mirrorless Canon that I use for travel. The best was that it was a small group. The company is here: https://www.stepintoalaska.com. You can't book independent (or at least you couldn't in 2022).

We saw the humpback whales. Here's the pic I always post when anyone asks:

 

[Pens Fan]

I'll throw in another recommendation for Rum Runners. We had the most amazing day with Captain Chris. We saw so many whales and my husband and son caught a ton of salmon which we had shipped home. We had done one through the DCL several years prior and while it was fun, Rum Runners was so much better!

 

[tj48103]

Please recommend your Juneau Whale excursion. Debating doing just whales or whales and Mendenhall glacier combo. We would like the best chance to see the most whales. Kids would really like to see orcas. There are a handful of options and I can’t decide, or figure out the difference between a few of them. Thanks!

We used Rum Runner. Had a great time saw lots of whales and he gave us a ride to Mendenhall glacier after.