Whale Watching Alaska Day Cruises
It may be a little cold but a whale watching Alaska cruise is well worth braving the elements for because your chances of seeing Humpback and Orca whales are extremely good during the summer months.
And you can do it against the backdrop of some truly spectacular and pristine scenery like dazzling ice fields and glaciers calving huge chunks of ice into the waters of the bay below. Alaska is prime whale country and some of them travel thousands of miles to come and feed in the waters there. Species such as Beluga, Bowhead, Humpback, Grey, Killer (Orcas), Minke and Northern Right whales all inhabit Alaskan waters so it's a whale watchers paradise. Some of the best places to go on whale watching Alaska trips are in the Glacier Bay and Kenai Fjords National Parks and as you would expect, there are a large number of cruise companies offering their services in these areas. The ones below are the top operators in this category as ranked by trip reports and reviews from previous passengers that have made use of their services... - Orca Enterprises
Operating out of Auke Bay which is about 15 minutes north of Juneau, this cruise operator takes passengers along the shorelines of Admiralty Island and into Stephens Passage where you should encounter Humpback Whales and Orcas. Their whale sighting success rate is 99.9% between May 1 and October 15.
The captain, Larry Duplery, is considered to be one of the most experienced professional whale watching captains in Southeast Alaska. Trips have a total duration of about 3½ hours.
- Major Marine Tours
(Whale watching Alaska trip reviews of this operator)
Their half day cruise travels throughout the waters of Resurrection Bay and into Kenai Fjords National Park and Prince William sound where your chance of spotting Orca and/or Humpback Whale are exceptionally good at the right time of year.
They have a National Park Ranger aboard on every trip who is expert at spotting and pointing out wildlife and (s)he will answer questions about the Kenai Fjords National Park and its surroundings.
- Kenai Fjords Tours
(Trip reviews of this operator)
This company has been doing whale watching Alaska trips since 1974 and they provide 12 different itineraries and all of them take place around the Kenai Fjords National Park.
You can take a six hour cruise with them which includes a hot lunch and a visit to their private lodge on Fox Island. They also offer the only scheduled tours to Aialik Glacier and Northwestern Fjord.
These rates exclude transportation to and from the embarkation area and are for half day trips that take between 3½ and six hours to complete. Refreshments and food are available on board but is not included in the cost of the tickets.
The vessels used on the cruises all have heated cabins with multiple viewing decks, fog-free windows and seating is guaranteed.
The average price in USD...
- Adult: Between $49 - $115
- Child (ages 5 - 12): Between $24 - $80
If you want to see humpback whales in Alaska then the best time to go would probably be between the months of June and early September.
If it's Orca you are after then go in the months of June and July to improve your chances but they are around for most of the summer season.
So are Minke and grey whales but they are reasonably scarce so they are not often spotted on whale watching Alaska cruises. Count yourself very lucky if you see one of them.
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