Whale watching on a port day
Most people who watch whales from Juneau step off a cruise ship that morning and must be back on board by afternoon. The tours are built for that, with meeting points by the docks and lengths of 3 to 5.5 hours. Choosing the departure is the part you have to get right.
Where ships dock and where tours meet
Juneau has five cruise docks, according to Harv & Marv's listing. Most whale tours gather downtown under the cables of the Goldbelt Mount Roberts Tramway, beside the main cruise docks, so from most ships you walk off the gangway and find a sign. Alaska Tales, from ~$177, meets beside its green canopy tent on the dock's water side, by the red tram building, and asks you to arrive 15 minutes early. JWT's driver waits on the south side of the tram in a yellow hi-vis vest. Dolphin uses a blue sign with yellow letters below the cables, and reviewers say it can be hard to find, so look for it before your start time.
AJ Dock is the exception. It lies about a mile (1.6 km) south of the others, and passengers from there need a shuttle to the tram. The ride costs $3 on Viator's Alaska Tales glacier listing, while the GetYourGuide page talks of a day pass for about $5. JWT does not pick up at AJ Dock, so its guests must make their own way to the tram. Juneau Tours & Whale Watch says every dock except AJ is within 10 minutes' walk of its meeting point.
Tours that collect you at the ship
Harv & Marv's, from ~$159, picks you up at your own dock and drops you back there. The company needs your ship's name and asks you to contact it directly with the pickup details. Its listing says it is not responsible for a missed tour if you skip that step. The whale and lighthouse combo at ~$199 also collects you from the pier when you give the ship name. Both are useful if you dock at AJ, or if anyone in your group walks slowly. Our guide for families and slower walkers covers the steps and ramps in detail.
The drive and the length of the day
The boats leave from Auke Bay, mostly from Statter Harbor, a drive of 12 miles (19 km) up the coast. The bus takes about 25 to 30 minutes each way, and on most tours a guide narrates the drive. Count that hour in the tour length rather than adding it on.
- About 3 hours. Dolphin at ~$154 and the Ultimate Juneau Whale Watch at ~$156, both with 2 hours on the water;
- 3.5 hours. Alaska Tales' wildlife cruise and JWT;
- About 4 hours. Harv & Marv's, with 3 hours on the water, and the Lighthouse combo at 4 h 15 min;
- 4.5 hours and longer. The glacier combos, including Dolphin's waterfall version at 5–5.5 hours. Whales and the glacier in one go compares them.
Working back from all-aboard
Begin with the all-aboard time rather than the hour your ship arrives. We suggest leaving a buffer of about 2 hours between the tour's scheduled end and all-aboard. That covers a bus that waits for latecomers, a boat that stays a little longer with a whale, and a crowded walk back along the waterfront. Say all-aboard is 4 pm. A 3.5-hour tour should then start no later than about 10:30 am, and a 4.5-hour glacier combo by 9:30 am.
Check-in times matter too. Juneau Tours & Whale Watch treats the listed tour time as check-in, with the boat leaving 10 to 15 minutes later. JWT asks you to arrive by the start time at the latest, and Alaska Tales wants you there 15 minutes ahead. Harv & Marv's sends departures nearly every half hour, which makes it easy to slot one into a tight day.
The ship's excursion or your own booking
Cruise lines usually promise to get you to the next port only when you booked their own excursion. If a ship's tour runs late, the line generally holds the ship for you or sorts out your onward travel. On a tour you booked yourself, the operator has no deal with your ship, and getting back is your problem. That is the reason for the 2-hour buffer above. The independent tours here usually cost less, and what a whale tour costs compares all nine. Harv & Marv's reviewers who had worried about going it alone mostly report that the day ran without a hitch.
Meet at the tram, back in 3.5 hours
Alaska Tales meets at the main cruise terminal and runs a heated whale boat with toilets, from ~$177. Cancel free until 24 hours before if your port day changes.
Booking details that save trouble
- Give your ship's name. Operators that pick up at the pier need it, and others use it to keep an eye on your schedule;
- Prefer free cancellation. Four of the six main tours, both Alaska Tales trips plus JWT and Dolphin, can be cancelled free until 24 hours before. If the cruise line changes the port order, you can get out;
- Know which tickets are final. Harv & Marv's and the Lighthouse combo are non-refundable on Viator, so book them once your port day is certain;
- Read the low-numbers rule. JWT does not sail with 5 guests or fewer. A refund is little comfort when you have a single day in port.
Dress for wet weather whatever the forecast in the morning. What to wear on the water keeps the list short enough for a day bag.
Staying in Juneau instead
Overnight visitors have more freedom. With a rental car you can drive to Auke Bay yourself, and Alaska Tales says guests with their own car can meet at the harbor, though you should ask first. The Lighthouse tour meets at Statter Harbor, 11520 Auke St, by a covered gray building near the whale tail sculpture. Without a ship to catch, you can also pick a quieter departure and keep a spare day for a second try if the first is rained out. When the whales are in helps you choose the week.