We make it as easy as possible for cruise ship passengers to enjoy our tours. Our tour buses always meet passengers in the same convenient spot at the base of the Mount Roberts Tramway, which is a short walk or shuttle ride from the dock. If your ship docks early or late, we are happy to reschedule you on a different tour or offer a full refund. We encourage you to contact us as soon as you can if your ship will be arriving late so that we may best accommodate your needs. Please take the following tips into consideration before your whale watching tour with Dolphin Jet Boat Tours:
- Even if the weather is inclement in town, it may be quite different on the tour. Weather changes frequently in Juneau. Be sure to prepare for any type of weather: wind, rain, or shine. Remember, this is an enormous temperate rainforest – rain is the norm here; we don’t cancel for it!
- Downtown Juneau offers abundant shopping and dining opportunities, so there will be plenty to do before and after the tour.
- We pay close attention to the cruise ship schedules so that we may best accommodate you on our tours.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Whatever time best works for your schedule! Whales, like all cetaceans, have unique brains in that they can sleep with one side of their brain while swimming, surfacing for air, and feeding with the other side. This means they’re active 24 hours a day!
-
Whales!!! We offer a money-back guarantee if we’re unable to find you humpback whales. Orca sightings are possible – not guaranteed though! – and bald eagles, Steller sea lions, harbor seals, and Dall’s porpoises are common.
-
Yep! We keep a close eye on ship schedules to ensure you don’t miss your all-aboard call.
-
Our boats are enclosed and climate-controlled for comfort, with large outside decks, a restroom, and comfortable forward-facing seats. The boats have water-propelled jets, so they’re fast! This isn’t a pleasure cruise – we get you out to where the whales are!
-
We make the “which boats go” decision on the day of the tour based on what the water/weather is doing and which captains have a day off! All of our boats have the same indoor/outdoor setup, facilities, refreshments, and naturalist.
-
Smaller boats are better because, honestly, who wants to be on a 150-person boat? Our size and speed let us get out to the whales, enjoy them, and have a great experience, and then get you back to enjoy all the rest that Juneau has to offer!
As far as proximity to the whales goes, we abide very strictly by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the safety and well-being of the whales is our top priority. Because of this, we don’t approach the whales beyond a certain distance, we regulate our speed when near the whales, and we stay with a whale/group of whales for a specific period of time. This is all to ensure that we don’t threaten or harass our best water friends, so they’ll continue to love us and our boats and will keep returning to these waters!
-
Whatever you want! Our tours don’t include a lot of standing around outside in the rain, so most people are fine with something on the bottom, something on the top, and something waterproof over it.
Don’t see the answer to your question? Let us know! Send an email to mail@dolphintours.com (this is the fastest way to get an answer) or call 1-800-719-3422.