Juneau Whale Watching Reviews
“What was the best excursion on your cruise? Whale Watching with Alaska Fjordlines!”
Reviewed August 14, 2014 on TripAdvisor
We traveled with a group of 18 on the Holland America Oosterdam in July 2014. It was a family cruise with my siblings, spouses, relatives and friends. While planning our activities we knew we wanted to go whale watching in Juenau. I stumbled across the Alaska Fjordline website while looking for vendors to price out the activity. I called and emailed Alison and got very professional courteous service. What a great decision….as the family group organizer I was worried that everything would go as planned.
When we arrived in Juneau, I got in touch with Alison for last minute instructions the morning of our whale watching. She gave me the bus number and what time they would be there to pick us up. The bus arrived early and we were off to Auke Harbor to meet the Fjordline. We met Captain Glen and deck hand daughter Libby at the pier. In no time flat we were off for our whale watching.
The Fjordline catamaran is exactly what is advertised. 65′ high speed catamaran! Clean, roomy, fast, comfortable and safe. We had a few family members that didn’t like being outside but the 360 degree views from the inside didn’t stop them from seeing the whales and the beautiful Alaska scenery. Many of us choose to spend the entire trip on the deck loved every minute of the tour. With 18 of us on a 48 passenger catamaran we had tons of room to lay back and enjoy the tours. One comment said about a private charter was that we could just leave our valuables anywhere on the boat and roam around with out worries.
We saw lots of wild life as a majestic Bald Eagle was watching over us as we left the harbor. We were entertained by a bunch of Seals at one of the buoys. Of course the Humpback whales didn’t disappoint us. We passed by several whales but also heard that Humpbacks were bubble net feeding on the other side of the island….Glen speed us over and sure enough you could see 5 or 6 other boats in the area watching the whales. When we first arrived we saw the spouts in the distance….shortly after Glen announced that they were coming right at us. Right in front of our boat they all dove down. In a few minutes we witnessed our first explosion of 12 or more whales come up from the bottom of the ocean…mouths wide open capturing the herring for food. We witness this happen 6-7 times. What an experience for everyone on board.
Everyone went back to the cruise ship with a great experience, tons of close up pictures and an experience one that they will never forget. Now that we are home, people ask us what was the highlight of the trip…everyone will say…Whale Watching!
If you are traveling in a group …. I would highly recommend Alaska Fjordline’s for your private excursions in Segway, Haines and Juneau. Thanks again Glen, Alison and Libby!
Dear Alison, Glen, Anna, and Gary:
We returned last last evening from our Alaska adventure. I didn’t want a day to pass without sending you a note. We were thrilled with our whale watching tour! Alison and Glen, if your other children are as wonderful as Anna, you surely are a blessed family. Anna was a jewel! She was so happy and helpful and delightful. We wish we could have brought her home with us! Glen, we know you spent more time with us than you had planned, but finding the pod of orca whales in addition to seeing the humpback whales was truly a wonderful experience.
I visited Juneau with a group on a cruise last June. We wanted to see the city, visit the Mendenhall Glacier and go whale watching. After much research I made a booking with Alaska Fjordlines who organised the whole excursion including a two hour charter on their own boat – the Fjordland. This turned out to be the highlight of our visit to Alaska. The boat was very comfortable with plenty of space inside and out. Perhaps the best feature was the two lady crew. They seemed as excited as we were to get up close to the whales and we stayed out far longer than planned. Quite a contrast to some other packed boats working to a tight schedule. I shall be back in Juneau again this summer and will definitely be booking Alaska Fjordlines for our group. Read full review at Trip Advisor…
Beautiful beyond belief! Tremendous wildlife-we lost count of the many whale sightings…so many porpoises too! They even swam with the boat! Wow!
— Charley & Dell Hammond, Tucson, AZ
Awesome trip, we saw numerous whales. We will be back!
— Bob Hudson, Blandford, Mass
We saw many humpbacks and sea lions and seals and eagles and hundreds of sea birds. Gayle was perky and enthusiastic and Leslie was professional and informative. Thank you for the opportunity to experience this trip.
— Lynn Gole, Florida
This was a wonderful day. We saw a lot of wildlife and the boat trip was delightful. The two young ladies on the boat were so helpful.
The cruise was very enjoyable. We really appreciate the comments on points of interest. Both of you do a super job of making it educational as well as very interesting. We would do it again.
— Jim and Kitty Mc Elwain, Springfield NC
It was great that we saw a lot of wildlife, bird, sea lions, whales and dolphins. Thanks for a great time.
— H&J Kikumots, CA
We enjoyed every aspect of the trip, not one boring moment.
— Robert and Joyce Mills, Canada
We have traveled around the world and this was the best cruise we have ever taken. The owner and deckhand were terrific and spent lots of time letting us observe whales breach, sea lions with babies, and lots of bald eagles. We cannot recommend this enough!! Best trip ever!!
— Ron and Brigid Grimmell, Vancouver Washington
It is the greatest trip I have ever been on.
— George Campbell, Texas
We saw more whales than in 2 cruises previously, one from Seward, another from Valdez. Good job of spotting and commenting on animals and surroundings. The scenery through the Inside Passage is spectacular made more so by the captain’s comments.
— Salem Wilson, Richmond VA
We are very happy to have been on this trip. The friendliness of the staff was very appreciated as were the numerous comments on wildlife, history and geography. Stopping or slowing the boat to see sea lions, whales, birds, etc was also very appreciated. On the scale of one to ten, you are a 9.8!
— Roger Mondoux, Quebec Canada
Watching whales has been a dream come true for me. Excellent viewing of wildlife. Captain was informative and considerate of our ability to observe at every chance. Boat is very comfortable.
— Doug & Rita Harkey, Punta Gorda Fl
Lynn Canal was fabulous! Lots of whales/super!!
— Alice and Ed Lynn, LaMirada, CA
It is a pleasure to take a tour with such a professional, enthusiastic and accommodating company.
— S. Chamber
It was great to see so many whales close up. I also appreciated the operator of the boat stopped so we could take pictures. This was a tour we will talk about for years to come.
— Bill and Arlene Albright, Lebanon OR
Lynn Canal excellent! Sea Lion rookeries great as was the whale watching. Pilot Leslie and crew Jim were exceptionally friendly and helpful.
— Dale and Holly Hayes, Jefferson, Ohio
The trip was spectacular, and the wildlife sightings were breathtaking. We saw humpback whales, orca whales, a sea lion rookery, dolphins, harbor seals, eagles, surf scoters, marbled murrelet, and a short eared owl while at sea. All in all it was one of the most memorable days of our entire Alaska trip.
— Larry and Teddy Page, Appleton, WI
Your tour was exceptional and well worth the money.
— Dick Becker, Chesapeake Bay
Enjoyed all the wildlife that we’ve seen along the way. All the eagles, sea lions. otters, lots and lots of humpback whales.
— Beverly Hicks Orangevale, CA
Boat trip was wonderful. Leslie and Lucinda were a fantastic crew. We saw whales! Even witnessed “bubble feeding.”
— Margaret Henze, Racine WI
This was the highlight of our trip to Alaska. Will highly recommend. Really appreciate the stops to see the whales and the extra info provided by captain and 1rs mate.
— Cindy Mihaileff, Fairview Alberta
Super nice crew, clean fast boat, awesome!
— The Peters Family, Arlington Washington
Great sites, great ride, great crew!
— Bill and Barbara Gardner, Murrieta, California
Wonderful whale watching. Dottie has a lovely tail. The eagles are beautiful.
— Chris, Annette, Brian, Laura, Julie Albers, Memphis, TN
The captain’s sense of humor and story telling ability provided a memorable experience.
— Ron and MaryAnn Provancher, Hernando, FL
