My daughter and I headed out of Juneau on an Alaska Tales mini bus for a ride out to a marina where…read morewe would be getting on a boat and head out to a whale watch. The other people on the bus and our bus driver were all great. We all played a "Name that movie soundtrack" game out to the marina and back which was SUPER fun. Once we got on the boat, the staff were all friendly and great and once everyone was comfortably seated on board we headed out. Now the Alaskan coast line was INCREDIBLE and coming from Maine, I fully understand that you cannot predict whale activity. We were out on the water for about two hours and there were a few tail sightings, which were disappointing to me, but I completely accepted with a shrug. The interesting part though, was that everyone else on the boat was FREAKING OUT with happiness over those few tail sightings. They were running to the side of the boat and stretching over with their binoculars, they were laughing and smiling and basking in the Alaskan sun. Clearly the problem was mine! What's wrong with me?

Excellent experience! Our guides Larry, Gwen, and Morgan were very knowledgeable and shared their…read moreexperiences and insights. We all learned a great deal about whales, and all of our questions were answered. Larry took us to a spot where we observed three whales. We all got great pictures! Highly recommend this excellent tour.

We had exceptional service from our crew. From the woman with the great smile who sold us our…read moretickets, to Jason our driver, to Gavin/Lena/Dustin, and then to Mike our driver back, we couldn't have asked for a better group. Additionally, the boat was great! It was warm and clean. The windows were awesome. We felt safe the entire time with Dustin expertly navigating the waters. I highly recommend booking with this company.

Wow! What a great day with Captain Ben, Carrie and Gavin!…read moreClean boat and tons of whales!! Great bathrooms on deck Family owned company, they don't contract with cruise ships.

What a fun time! The captain knew where to find these creatures. We saw at least 12 gorgeous…read moreanimals. Cold rainy day but the inside seating was comfortable and the windows are perfect huge size for sightings. The naturalist guide was clearly in love with her job. She was as excited as we were at each siting. We came across a family of sea lions napping on a buoy. So cute to see the baby poke his head out from under mom. Worth the money for sure. Even though we had seen more whales off the coast of VA, these were Alaska whales!

Hannah was a great guide. Her information about the whales was very informative. Captain John did…read morea great job getting us on the whales. We really enjoyed this excursion!

Obtained services via ship…read more Superb hike around Mendenhall Glacier. Laura led superb event on the East Glacier Trail. Kept a solid pace- not too slow or fast. Left ample time to view the glacier from some other vantage points. Made water and light snacks available to the group.

Signed up for a guided whale watching tour and nature walk to Mendenhall Glacier thru our cruise…read moreship. We were excited for the excursion but had no clue what was in store for us. We started the day with our guide- Chloe at the port, then was driven by Lucas to a nearby river where we had views of salmon swimming upstream on a salmon run back to where the salmon were to lay their eggs where they too were born then pass on. We stopped for a few minutes since we had extra time until we were to drive to where our boat was. We arrived at Statter Harbor where public bathrooms were available before we embarked on our adventure on "The Observer" with captain Leslie. There was a boat toilet on board but didn't want to miss any wildlife- so be sure to use the public bathrooms before you board your whale watching cruise! While maneuvering to see Humpback whales we were educated about humpbacks- structure, behaviors, etc.... very interesting tidbits from Chloe. It didn't take long before we spotted spouts of breath erupted from the waters. We were in awe. Next we saw bubble net feeding which is not something seen by most humpbacks- they tend to be solitary creatures so seeing a "pack" of ~12 humpbacks in the water surrounding fish with their bubbles- then stunning them in order to capture and eat them...was amazing. Little did we know that was only the prelude to the actual show! Not long after the first encounter with bubble net feeding did we see more spouts then another bubble net feeding... THEN they started making their way calmly TOWARDS O U R B O A T !!!! Stunned and amazed I just kept repeating "oh my god!!" Eventually they approached SO closely that THREE of the humpbacks dove UNDER OUR BOAT!!! Tears rolled off my face from the sheer delight of being graced by such sentient, graceful beings... it was the most amazing wildlife encounter I've ever had. If we had been positioned inside the boat with the open windows we would have had their blow holes tossing air/snot right at us! One of the passengers said she was hit by these breaths of joy. Experiencing this changes you- you feel more connected to your surroundings and at peace and are more steadfast in helping these creatures live their lives peacefully. It only further emboldened me to help protect wildlife and its habitat. We only had 12 passengers along with Chloe and Leslie on the boat so it was an intimate experience and never felt like we couldn't get a good look at the action. We left the waters after seeing some seals atop of buoy... feeling at peace and amazed. Next we got back on the bus and headed to hike at Mendenhall glacier where Chloe talked about the forest and the receding glacier with historical information. We saw Mendenhall glacier in July 2003- and 22 years later there's so much LESS to see. It's easy to see the impact of warmer climates and Earth's rising temperatures have had on the glaciers. As majestic as it was it was sad to know in less than 25 years these suppliers of food and sustenance to aquatic life will likely be melted thus drastically affecting the wildlife that intentionally seek out these glacial waters seasonally. We were provided a set of two snacks- granola bar and chocolate and nut trail mixture along with cups of water. Gastineau Guiding walks the walk and talks the talk. Chloe mentioned they used thousand of bottles of water for guests every year and needed to make changes. They source the large bottle of water from a local company that presupposes them for every tour and the cups are composted locally. Even better is if you bring a reusable water bottles like our family does daily!! The drive back to the cruise ship had us all feeling grateful and souls at peace. Make sure you take the excursion from this company. They are doing right by Mother Nature by educating visitors about Alaskan aquatic wildlife, whilst providing an experience of a lifetime. We realize we were graced by these whales with an incredible show that most don't experience- and I don't take that for granted. Thanks Chloe and Gastineau Guiding for an experience we will never forget

Dolphin, Sam and Dale were amazing as Captain, and crew! Nicest and most comfortable! We saw 10…read morewhales over the few hours we were out on the water. Dale the Naturalist was so knowledgable and funny! So many pics and videos and such wonderful clear skies! We stopped by one of the bouys that had seals and a quick stop to capture Mendenhall glacier as... well worth it!

We had an incredible time whale watching this morning with Salar!…read more Our group of six had our own boat and I was really really hoping to see Orcas. Salar was up front that only about 10% of tours see Orcas and typically they're just passing through if you do. I know we got lucky but he was able to make happen for us! The boat was clean, as well as the restrooms in the marina beforehand. There were even snacks and drinks on board, as well as some educational resources about the whales living in this area. Overall I cannot recommend enough!

OMG, not cheap, but beyond worth it…read more Where to start. We booked this with PCL as an excursion while in Alaska. Tamara was our shuttle driver to & from the pier. Friendly, outgoing, w/ lots of knowledge of the area. She made the ride to & from the Yacht seem like it was shorter than it was. Jen (our captain) & Katie (naturalist) were wonderful. These ladies know how to make a trip enjoyable. Was almost like family outing. Although the whale spotting started off slow, it really picked up in the 2nd half. I had the best time, even though on this adventure I was the only Man. 2 Ladies, 1 Lady and her Daughter, and then my Wife and I. Would do this tour again in a heartbeat, and if I could request these two bonus points for sure. The boat has own restroom, drinks provided, and a couple charcuterie boards made for an enjoyable time on water. Highly recommend, and a hidden gem for sure. Enjoyed it so much I am still talking about it to all my coworkers. You have to do this...

What a wonderful adventure! We loved every moment of this tour. Intimate, personal and the ladies…read moredid such a wonderful job telling us all sort of facts. No doubt they are all passionate about their job! Would definitely do again!

This company is a joke! They take your money, schedule you on a tour and then either don't show up…read moreor can't take you. We missed the chance to see whales on a once in lifetime trip to Alaska. Cory Mann tried to pretend he was just an employee instead of the owner. Don't waste your time or money dealing with this company. Check out other reviews nonlinear before booking.

From the owner: Cashmere scarves, American Indian Clothing, Tlingit - Native American Art | WhaleWatching and sport…read morefishing tours.

First, I am hoping I am reviewing the Correct tour. We were on the St Marie with Captain Marco and…read morecrew Cob, Chani and Emma. We booked this tour through the Carnival Spirit and highly recommend. This was an amazing tour. The boat is large and very nice inside and out. The whales were everywhere, and it almost got to the point of oh there is another one. The Naturalist Emma was very knowledgeable and gave us much more information than I expected.

Great tour. Saw too many whales to count. Sometimes four at a time. Crew was very respectful to…read morewildlife and whales. Very knowledgeable staff. This is one of the few tours that did not try to sell us a bunch of stuff: hats, DVD's, etc. They were much more concerned with teaching us about the whales. Highly recommend.

Be very careful of this company. We agreed with the seller a 9 people group package for city and…read moreglacier for $472.5 including taxes. I gave him $450 cash and let him charge the rest but he over charged my card! This is dishonest. And one of our group got covid and we informed them we only have 8 instead of 9. We are still charged 9 people rates.

This whale watching tour far exceeded our expectations! Two young men, Mark and Lucas, lead the…read moretour. First impressions are deceiving. These were not some kids just looking for a summer job. Mark and Lucas were extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. They explained the habits and other information of the humpback whales. They were funny and engaging. We saw a group of about 8-10 whales. Mark and Lucas explained their behaviors and what to look for. Even on the trip back to the dock when they could have called it a day they continued to share information and answer questions. It melted our hearts when a little girl of about 4 came up to ask Mark a question. He knelt down on one knee and listened to her. Then he stood up and praised her for the great question and answered it. All 6 of us in our group could not say enough great things about this experience. Well done, guys!

Julia and Kendall were amazing! Our boat driver did an amazing job finding the whales and giving…read moreus a close, but safe experience! We love kayaking and this experience was out of this world! Just incredible. We saw humpbacks and orcas! Highly recommend this company!

Great place definitely a must do when your in the area . Or just make a point yo go to Alaska and…read moreexperience it first gand