I went on a whale watching tour in Kensington fjords, Alaska. Saw nothing, spent big. Just here to say it might be better to do a multi day trip or have other focus in addition. Whales don’t perform on command.

We did an August whale watch out of Provincetown MA (on Cape Cod). I had high expectations going in and they were more than exceeded. Huge pods of humpbacks were bubble net feeding literally feet from the boat (the boat kept a responsible distance but the whales kept surprising us). It was so very cool.

We actually randomly took a day trip to New Jersey to do whale watching and it was neat! The boat ride was lovely and we could see juvenile whales and the NYC skyline 🏙️ simultaneously.

San Juan Islands. It was breathtaking. Not just a lot of whales but so much other sea life.

I did it in New England. I hate being out on boats and large bodies of water. Despite this, it was really cool, and I'm so glad I didn't let my fears stop me. It was a great experience.

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s fine and fun to do if you happen to be near it but I wouldn’t build a whole trip around it because of weather and whales sometimes not being there

I agree with this. I went twice off Cape Cod. First time was good. Second time was AMAZING! Never know what you will see.

Just went in Canada. Pretty cool. Saw whales, sea lions, porpoise and pelicans. I would not plan a whole trip to do it though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the time of year and what whales you want to see.

Some people on here did some very fancy glamping in Mexico (Baja California) to vacation around gray whale baby season.

I was happy with a summer boat ride near Gloucester, MA where we saw a couple of humpback. Took the same kind of cruise out of Bar Harbor, ME and saw some farther away.

From Seattle you can go to Victoria Island, Canada. There are orca tours there. Those were fun and we got pretty close to the whales. It's regulated but honestly it's a bit of a nuisance for them. I don't think I would repeat that. I don't think it was gray whale season when I was in Seattle. They go back and forth from Alaska to Baja California.

I liked the big cruise boats to see the bigger whales. I think I'd look at the Boston or Maine offerings first.

Any problems with banditos or cartel mafia?

Not around Cabo, no. Cabo is basically southern Arizona with a beach.

I've only done it once at Cape Cod, but we went in August and it was great! Saw many whales, several different kinds--really great experience. You probably know this, but it's typically a longer excursion than when you do something like a dolphin cruise--it took about 3 hours. I would do some research on times of year, because I don't know if that makes a difference, but August at Cape Cod was great.

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the time of year and what whales you want to see.

Some people on here did some very fancy glamping in Mexico (Baja California) to vacation around gray whale baby season.

I was happy with a summer boat ride near Gloucester, MA where we saw a couple of humpback. Took the same kind of cruise out of Bar Harbor, ME and saw some farther away.

From Seattle you can go to Victoria Island, Canada. There are orca tours there. Those were fun and we got pretty close to the whales. It's regulated but honestly it's a bit of a nuisance for them. I don't think I would repeat that. I don't think it was gray whale season when I was in Seattle. They go back and forth from Alaska to Baja California.

I liked the big cruise boats to see the bigger whales. I think I'd look at the Boston or Maine offerings first.

Any problems with banditos or cartel mafia?

It depends on the time of year and what whales you want to see.

Some people on here did some very fancy glamping in Mexico (Baja California) to vacation around gray whale baby season.

I was happy with a summer boat ride near Gloucester, MA where we saw a couple of humpback. Took the same kind of cruise out of Bar Harbor, ME and saw some farther away.

From Seattle you can go to Victoria Island, Canada. There are orca tours there. Those were fun and we got pretty close to the whales. It's regulated but honestly it's a bit of a nuisance for them. I don't think I would repeat that. I don't think it was gray whale season when I was in Seattle. They go back and forth from Alaska to Baja California.

I liked the big cruise boats to see the bigger whales. I think I'd look at the Boston or Maine offerings first.

Canada

The best luck I had was off of the coast on Cape Cod.

I think it’s fine and fun to do if you happen to be near it but I wouldn’t build a whole trip around it because of weather and whales sometimes not being there

Hello, We are considering going whale watching.

How rewarding did you find it? Where is the best place, near Seattle or New England? Thx