Rum Runners or Harv and Marv... help me decide!

[Drbaw5]

Both would be a private tour leaving at 7 am in September. We have 3 young kids.

Rum Runners will drop us off at The Mendenhall Glacier afterward where Harv and Marv will not. My concern with Rum Runners was with the dog because we do not have a dog and my kids are sometimes uncomfortable around them. I was told that we would be on the larger boat, the buccaneer, with no dog with Captain Troy. Does anyone have personal experience with Capt. Troy?

Harv and Marv also told me I could request a captain... any suggestions there?

Basically I am just trying to decide between the two companies so any pros and cons would be very helpful!

 

[princessebird]

Can't speak to Rum Runners, but we had a delightful time with Harv and Marv last year. We had 11 (so we had a bigger boat) on a private tour. Included in our group was a 4 year old, a 5 year old, and a 7 year old. They had a wonderful time. Captain Jeff was great with the kids, as was the naturalist who was with us. We say a TON of whales (only humpbacks), as well as some other sea mammals. I would book with them again in a heartbeat. They offered to take us to Mendenhall, but we opted not to as we thought the kids would be tired. And we were right. They were exhausted after the adrenaline of the tour. Instead, they took us a bridge where they could get a picture of us with Mendenhall in the background. That worked perfectly for us, and then we were able to get back to the ship and crash.

 

[sharksfinatic17]

Can't speak to Rum Runners, but we had a delightful time with Harv and Marv last year. We had 11 (so we had a bigger boat) on a private tour. Included in our group was a 4 year old, a 5 year old, and a 7 year old. They had a wonderful time. Captain Jeff was great with the kids, as was the naturalist who was with us. We say a TON of whales (only humpbacks), as well as some other sea mammals. I would book with them again in a heartbeat. They offered to take us to Mendenhall, but we opted not to as we thought the kids would be tired. And we were right. They were exhausted after the adrenaline of the tour. Instead, they took us a bridge where they could get a picture of us with Mendenhall in the background. That worked perfectly for us, and then we were able to get back to the ship and crash.

We did a private trip with Harv and Marv. The driver of the van gave us 30 minutes to explore Mendenhall Glacier. It was quick, but it was a bit rainy that day so it worked out.

 

[Ware Bears]

We had a great time on a private trip with Harv & Marv a few years ago, we were with Captain Steve. I would thoroughly recommend both him and them. Have they said why they won't drop you at Mendenhall? They dropped us on the way back, they were willing to wait 30 minutes for us but we wanted to stay longer so we caught the bus back to Juneau.

 

[Drbaw5]

We had a great time on a private trip with Harv & Marv a few years ago, we were with Captain Steve. I would thoroughly recommend both him and them. Have they said why they won't drop you at Mendenhall? They dropped us on the way back, they were willing to wait 30 minutes for us but we wanted to stay longer so we caught the bus back to Juneau.

They say it's "due to changes in permitting and regulations by the US Forest Service." Sounds like it's something they've recently stopped offering.

 

[Drbaw5]

We did a private trip with Harv and Marv. The driver of the van gave us 30 minutes to explore Mendenhall Glacier. It was quick, but it was a bit rainy that day so it worked out.

It sounds like they've only recently stopped offering the Mendenhall Glacier. It says it on there website and I confirmed through email. It's not a deal breaker though.

 

[snoopy5386]

We actually met the dog from Rum Runners last summer while we were waiting for our tour with a different company, he is very friendly and sweet. Definitely do Mendenhall, it is amazing. And allow as much time as possible. We were there 2 hours and it wasn't enough. We hiked out to Nugget Falls as fast as possible and spent maybe 20-30 mins there and then hiked back. No time to visit the visitor's center at all. We did the reverse of what you are doing - we rented a car, drove to Mendenhall, spent time there then drove to the whale watching dock, did a whale watch and then back to the ship. It was a great day. Neither activity is to be missed for sure. We used Juneau Whale Watch and while it wasn't our own tiny boat, it was still a fabulous experience. The naturalists were great - my daughter took a pic of a fluke and they pulled up this guide to all the whales in the area and were searching with her to figure out which one she had seen. All the boats go to the same places, there a ton gathered around the area. We got to see a breach and bubble feeding right in front of our boat. It was amazing.

 

[Orsino]

We had a great time on a private trip with Harv & Marv a few years ago, we were with Captain Steve. I would thoroughly recommend both him and them. Have they said why they won't drop you at Mendenhall? They dropped us on the way back, they were willing to wait 30 minutes for us but we wanted to stay longer so we caught the bus back to Juneau.

We also had Captain Steve on our Harv and Marv Whale Watch. He was very good. I believe he switches between AK and HI so he does whale watches year-round. There were only 6 guests on the boat, which was wonderful for crowd-free viewing. Harv and Marv took us to Mendenhall. The Mendenhall stop was part of the trip plan (30 minutes). We also wanted more than 30 minutes so we stayed and took at taxi back to the ship. It really makes sense to see Mendenhall since you are pretty much there already.

 

[vegs1]

Absolutely loved Harv and Marv's tour. We saw so many whales and they even put an underwater mic in the water so we could hear them. Would also highly recommend the glacier. My daughter, who was 7 at the time really enjoyed both. Have fun no matter what you choose.

 

[Drbaw5]

Absolutely loved Harv and Marv's tour. We saw so many whales and they even put an underwater mic in the water so we could hear them. Would also highly recommend the glacier. My daughter, who was 7 at the time really enjoyed both. Have fun no matter what you choose.

Do you remember who your captain was?

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

We used Rum Runners this part August and were 150% satisfied We had Capt. Derek who I believe who had been out for awhile and he was amazing. We did not have a dog on the boat with us and I'm pretty sure we were on the Buccaneer as there were 6 of us total since we split it with another family of three. Feel free to chime in @anricat

I did not book with Harv and Marv due to the age limit as my DS was 12 last summer and I believe that required a "private booking" which was a lot more than Rum Runners.

Again, no hesitation to ever use Rum Runners for us if we go back and we had a great time and saw whales breaching, bubble net feeding, and tons of whales - it was simply amazing!

Heather

 

[vegs1]

Do you remember who your captain was?

I believe it was Harv but can't be sure. It was either Harv or Marv. He was amazing anyway. Exceptional experience. We managed to see Humpback whales bubble net feeding. Spectacular! If you've never seen this, google it.

 

[anricat]

We were really happy with Rum Runners. I just checked and @IBelieveInTheMagic was correct, we were on The Buccaneer. Derek was excellent. He was professional, courteous and seemed to genuinely enjoy his job. I asked him if it ever gets less awe-inspiring and he said "NO WAY." He said he had the best job in the world. That, to me, right there, makes a huge difference when picking a tour company. Just thinking about our day makes me tear up a little. It was absolutely one of my favorite parts of the trip. I would book with Rum Runners again in a heartbeat.

 

[Drbaw5]

We were really happy with Rum Runners. I just checked and @IBelieveInTheMagic was correct, we were on The Buccaneer. Derek was excellent. He was professional, courteous and seemed to genuinely enjoy his job. I asked him if it ever gets less awe-inspiring and he said "NO WAY." He said he had the best job in the world. That, to me, right there, makes a huge difference when picking a tour company. Just thinking about our day makes me tear up a little. It was absolutely one of my favorite parts of the trip. I would book with Rum Runners again in a heartbeat.

Thanks for all your responses. They have been very helpful along with your trip report!

 

[Kate0716]

For those who booked Rum runners did you tip your captain? If yes, how much is recommended?

 

[carrielouhoo]

We were really happy with Rum Runners. I just checked and @IBelieveInTheMagic was correct, we were on The Buccaneer. Derek was excellent. He was professional, courteous and seemed to genuinely enjoy his job. I asked him if it ever gets less awe-inspiring and he said "NO WAY." He said he had the best job in the world. That, to me, right there, makes a huge difference when picking a tour company. Just thinking about our day makes me tear up a little. It was absolutely one of my favorite parts of the trip. I would book with Rum Runners again in a heartbeat.

Do you recall what tour you did with Rum Runners? I see they have two options, a shorter more basic tour, and a longer "captain's choice".

 

[anricat]

Do you recall what tour you did with Rum Runners? I see they have two options, a shorter more basic tour, and a longer "captain's choice".

We did the shorter one. On one hand, I felt like it was the right length once we were back, but in the moment when we were watching all the incredible whales and he said it was time to go back, my mind said "Wait? What? Already? We just got here!"