<p>We will be cruising the inside passage of Alaska in mid to late September. Any suggestions on how to see whales–which port would be best? We are longest in Juneau and Skagway. Thanks for any thoughts on this.</p>
<p>Am considering just booking after our boat docks but haven’t decided. We have reserved a car for both of these ports as well.</p>
<p>I don’t know about that time of year, but we saw dozens of Orcas right from our cruise ship during late June, near the Misty Fjords, probably somewhere near Prince Rupert. We were on a very large cruise ship, and the captain stopped for about an hour. The whales were on both sides of the ship & were frolicking about, leaping out of the water, frequently in pairs or small groups in unison. I was quite sure they were aware of our presence and enjoying the opportunity to show off. </p>
<p>I don’t know how common it is to see that from a cruise ship. </p>
<p>But there might be fewer whales around in September – [Best</a> Time To See Whales In Alaska](<a href=“http://www.whale-watching-alaska.com/besttimetoseewhales.php]Best”>Best Time To See Whales In Alaska) – so you might be arriving too late in the year for the best opportunities.</p>
<p>The two lines that are often recommended on Cruise Critic are Harv and Marv ([Harv</a> and Marv’s Alaska Whale Watching](<a href=“http://www.harvandmarvs.com/]Harv”>http://www.harvandmarvs.com/)) and Orca Enterprises ([Juneau</a> Alaska Whale Watching | Orca Enterprises](<a href=“http://www.orcaenterprises.com/]Juneau”>http://www.orcaenterprises.com/)). Both have excellent reviews on both Cruise Critic and TripAdvisor.</p>
<p>From what I’ve read, whale watching is usually best out of Juneau.</p>
<p>We’re doing Orca in mid-August.</p>
<p>I took a cruise not too long ago to Alaska. We went whale watching in Juneau. It was almost funny to see all the ships dashing towards an area whenever they see a blow. The boats do try to keep a respectable distance away, but a humpback mother and a calve came up right beside us…</p>
<p>If you are up early, you can go out to your balcony and try your luck there. I saw another mother and calve swam by. It was about 3:50 in the morning.</p>
<p>On the way to Whittier, I saw a school of orca in the early afternoon. Between now and November, it is not hard to see whales in Alaska. The boat captain said it is almost guaranteed; she can only remember once where they did not see any whale.</p>
<p>A lot of the cruises employ on board naturalists and they can tell you which ports are having the most frequent whale sightings. Even the crew can give you the heads up. Then you can book a trip when you come into the best port.</p>