One thing Jason and I didn’t want to miss in Alaska was a chance to see whales in the wild. We purchased our excursion through Port Promotions for slightly less that other ones we saw available. We paid $128 per person for a three hour total round trip from port adventure.
It was about a half hour drive from the cruise ship port to the jet boat dock where we set out in search of whales. There at the bottom is our jet boat Big Blue.
It seated 36 people, was fully enclosed, and was heated thankfully, because it was cold out there! There was also a bathroom on board. Each seat came with binoculars which I thought was great since Jason and I only purchased one pair between the two of us, and I had a really hard time getting them away from him. They also provided hot chocolate and bagels with salmon spread for a light snack. This was perfect as we had a super packed day of excursions planned and wouldn’t be making it back to the ship for lunch.
We went planning on seeing whales, but were pleasantly surprised to see tons of bald eagles! There were lots of them in the trees, on posts, on the shore everywhere–so cool!
It took about 30 minutes to get from the dock to the perfect spot to see whales as they were feeding. The view along the way was gorgeous. I even caught my first glimpse of a glacier! I’m not sure which one this was.
Our captain stopped the boat, and I climbed outside excited to see a whale. As I looked around, this little guy came up right below me! He seemed kind of curious, looked around, and then went on his way!
And then we began to see whales. They were pretty far at first, but then a couple came fairly close. Now, it’s not like seeing Shamu at Sea World. Mostly what we saw were the several blows of water before they would descend back into the water. We didn’t see any actually come up out of the water though some on a different tour said they did. Our tour guide said it’s rare to see them do that in the wild. She said photographers sit out there for days and days to get those photos.
What beautiful, massive creatures God made! I could have spent all day out there watching for just one more glimpse!
After being in this area for about forty five minutes, our captain took us by this buoy where she said she generally finds sea lions sun bathing. So cute!
We had a great time out on the water. I’m really glad we went. Now, would I do it again? For the price, I would say that’s a one time deal, but definitely worth doing.
Planning a cruise to Alaska? Here’s what we learned! Planning an Alaskan Cruise Vacation.
I’m so jealous. We went on a whale watching tour 2 weeks ago while in L.A. I got deathly sick after we taxied out of the harbor, so I just sat on the bench outside with my eyes closed (begging God for mercy). So, when the rest of the crew was ooh-ing and ahhh-ing over the whales, I couldn’t have cared any less. So, I missed them 🙁
They saw a humpback and something else I’d never heard of that I can’t remember the name of. I did get to see the dolphins before I got sick.
Oh Mari, that’s awful! I’m so sorry you got sick. What a bummer!
Yeah as cool as I think this is, me puking over the side because I can’t ride on a boat would have ruined it for me and everyone else.. Beautiful shots!!
Yeah it was a bummer. I was kind of mad when I got off the boat, but I didn’t care when I was in the midst of it. We had gone on a whale watching tour in Bellingham, WA 2 yrs ago. I got sick on that one, too, but not as bad. I was able to enjoy seeing the orcas. It’s just amazing seeing things in real life that you either only see on TV or at Sea World.
@Mari, you must be incredibly prone to motion sickness!
@Southern Angel, no that would not be fun! I went deep sea fishing when I was a teenager and I think everyone on that boat puked over the edge at one point or another. We were all popping Dramamine!
I read all of your most interesting blog as we are going on the same cruise in just about a week. I enjoyed every word! You gave me some good ideas for my to-do list as well! I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your story! Juli
Oh I’m so glad you found my post helpful!!! Enjoy your time. I so want to do it all again and take the kids with us!