What a whale tour costs
A whale watching trip from Juneau costs ~$154 at the low end and ~$274 with a crab meal thrown in, per person. The ticket is most of the bill but not all of it. A tip goes on top, and sometimes a shuttle fare. Below are the nine tours we cover with what each price buys, plus the two you cannot cancel.
Nine tours in one table
We compare six tours on the home page and mention three more in these guides. The table gives each at its regular "from" price per person in US dollars, with its length, the time spent on the boat where the listing states it, and the cancellation terms. Prices move a little with dates and offers, and the booking step shows what you pay for your day.
| Tour | From | Length | On the water | In the price | Cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Tales wildlife cruise | ~$177 | 3.5 h | Not stated | Narrated bus, naturalist, snacks, bottled water | Free until 24 h before; reserve now, pay later |
| Juneau Whale Tours (JWT) | ~$209 | 3.5 h | 2.25 h | Bus, bottled water; bring your own food | Free until 24 h before |
| Harv & Marv's | ~$159 | About 4 h | 3 h | Pickup at your ship, snacks, soft drinks, water | Non-refundable; weather brings a new time or a refund |
| Dolphin Jet Boat Tours | ~$154 | 3 h | 2 h | Bus, binoculars, coffee, hot chocolate, snack bag | Free until 24 h before |
| Alaska Tales whales and glacier | ~$230 | 4.5 h | 2 h | Bus, 45 minutes at Mendenhall Glacier, naturalist | Free until 24 h before |
| Whale watching and lighthouse | ~$199 | 4 h 15 min | About 3 h with the island | Pier pickup, Sentinel Island landing, fudge, caribou sausage sticks, binoculars | Non-refundable |
| Dolphin glacier waterfall and whales | ~$199 | 5–5.5 h | 2 h | 2 h 15 min at the glacier area with time for Nugget Falls | Free until 24 h before |
| Ultimate Juneau Whale Watch | ~$156 | 3 h | 2 h | Water, trail-mix bars, a glacier photo stop from the boat | Free until 24 h before |
| Whale watch and Tracy's Crab Shack meal | ~$274 | 4.5 h | Not stated | Whale trip plus a crab shack meal, drinks extra | Free until 24 h before |
Two things stand out. Seven of the nine let you cancel without charge until the day before, and the two that do not are both sold only on Viator. And none of the prices includes a tip.
What an hour on the water costs
Dividing the price by the hours on the boat is a rough test, yet it shows where your money goes. Harv & Marv's comes out cheapest per hour by a distance, with ~$159 buying three hours afloat. The Lighthouse combo follows at ~$199 for about three hours, though some of that time goes to the island landing. Dolphin at ~$154 gives you two hours, as does the ~$156 trip from Juneau Tours & Whale Watch, which works out to a little more per hour than Harv & Marv's.
JWT sits at the top of the whale-only trips, with ~$209 for 2.25 hours. You pay that premium for a group of 20, and our boat-size guide weighs whether the rail space justifies it. The glacier combos look dear by this measure. At ~$230 and ~$199 they buy the same two hours afloat as Dolphin's whale trip. The rest pays for the bus to Mendenhall Glacier and time on its trails. Alaska Tales gives no figure for its time afloat. Most reviewers do not complain, though one group lost a good share of it to shuttle stops.
What you pay on top
- Tips for the crew. Tipping the captain and naturalist is customary on every tour here. Harv & Marv's and Juneau Tours & Whale Watch state outright that gratuities are not included, and the others build none into the price either. Carry some cash;
- The AJ Dock shuttle. If your ship ties up at AJ Dock, about a mile (1.6 km) south of the main docks, you need a ride to the tram meeting point. Viator's listing for the Alaska Tales glacier combo puts that shuttle at $3, while GetYourGuide mentions an all-day pass of about $5;
- Food. JWT provides bottled water and asks you to bring your own snacks. The crab shack combo includes the meal but not the drinks, and one reviewer found the staff unsure how to redeem the voucher at first;
- Glacier extras. The combos cover the bus to Mendenhall. Our glacier guide explains how much time you get there.
One tour, two prices
The same trip can cost a different amount depending on the site you book it on. The Alaska Tales whale and glacier combo is ~$230 on GetYourGuide and about $20 more on Viator. The Alaska Tales wildlife cruise, our pick, costs ~$177 on both. Open both listings before you pay. Offers come and go on each site.
At the other end of the scale, the whale watch with a Tracy's Crab Shack meal at ~$274 costs more than any tour here, but it replaces a downtown lunch. It runs 4.5 hours, ends at the dock beside the restaurant, and leaves drinks off the bill. Set it against ~$156 for the same company's whale trip alone plus whatever you would spend on crab legs anyway.
The lowest ticket on the water
Dolphin Jet Boat Tours spends two hours on a heated jet boat with binoculars to borrow, from ~$154. Cancel free until 24 hours before.
Refunds and whale guarantees
Harv & Marv's and the Lighthouse combo are sold as non-refundable on Viator, where the sale is final. If the weather stops a Harv & Marv's trip, the company offers another time or a full refund. The Lighthouse tour can be cancelled by the supplier for weather or low numbers, or merged into a regular whale trip. Both have excellent reviews, but if your cruise line changes the port schedule, you lose the ticket.
Several listings promise whales. Alaska Tales lists a "100% guarantee" on Viator, Harv & Marv's calls its sighting guaranteed, and Dolphin's glacier trip says on GetYourGuide that you see a whale or get your money back. Juneau Tours & Whale Watch guarantees sightings from May 15 to September 15. None of the listings spells out what the guarantee pays out. Ask before you book whether it means a refund or a seat on another trip. When the whales are in explains why that date window matters.
Through the ship or on your own
Cruise lines sell their own whale excursions in Juneau. The ship's version usually costs more, and in return the line promises to look after you if the tour runs late. Book independently and the price drops, but the timing becomes your responsibility. Plenty of first-timers book on their own without trouble, and our port-day guide explains how to leave enough margin.
A family of four, priced
Our prices are adult "from" fares, so check the booking step for children's rates. At the adult price, four seats on Dolphin's trip at ~$154 each come to the lowest total here. Four seats on the Alaska Tales cruise at ~$177 add roughly $90 for the group, and the heated boat with toilets often justifies that with young kids. Four on JWT at ~$209 cost about $220 more than Dolphin. Add a tip for each person, plus $3 apiece for the shuttle if you dock at AJ, and bring snacks for JWT. Our guide for families covers lap infants and strollers.