#4 of 17 top-rated excursions

Ultimate Juneau Whale Watch

Check in under the tram cables downtown, ride to Auke Bay and spend about two hours aboard a jet boat or catamaran with a heated cabin and a naturalist.

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By Greg Peters, editor · Updated October 2026 · Ratings checked October 18, 2026

#4 Top rated · ranked 4 of 17 Juneau excursions

Check in under the tram cables downtown, ride to Auke Bay and spend about two hours aboard a jet boat or catamaran with a heated cabin and a naturalist. On the way back there is a quick roadside photo stop for Mendenhall Glacier when weather allows.

Tour details

OperatorJuneau Tours & Whale Watch

TypeWhales

How longAbout 3 hours (about 2 on the water)

SeasonSummer cruise season; the whale-sighting guarantee runs May 15 to September 15

Good forBudget-minded whale watchers with short port calls; morning check-ins at 8:30, 9:30 or 10:30. Stroller-friendly but not wheelchair accessible.

Rating4.9 / 5 from 1,206 reviewsViator (Viator and Tripadvisor reviews combined), checked October 18, 2026

Check price and availability →

Times and policies from viator.com, tripadvisor.com, juneauwhalewatch.com, checked October 18, 2026. They change; the booking page has the final word.

Runs in all weather, so pack a waterproof jacket. One reviewer said the glacier photo stop was skipped.

Read the reviews

ViatorTraveler ratings and reviews TripadvisorTraveler ratings and reviews

Check prices and dates → Operator website

Map: where this excursion meets

The 3D map shows the walk here from the Cruise Ship Terminal north berth. Expand it to pick your dock and explore.

3D walking map with times →

Map: USGS elevation; streets and buildings © OpenStreetMap contributors.

How we ranked it

On October 18, 2026, we looked up every Juneau excursion on Viator, Tripadvisor and GetYourGuide and noted its star rating and number of reviews. We used the numbers for the specific tour, not an operator's total across everything it sells. Because Tripadvisor reviews also show up in Viator's totals, each tour gets a single Viator or Tripadvisor figure, with GetYourGuide counted on its own. We sorted tours into rating bands first, then put the most-reviewed tours at the top of each band, so a new tour with a few five-star reviews doesn't jump ahead of one with thousands of strong ones. The Goldbelt Tram was closed on the day we checked, so it isn't ranked. Reviews stay on the sites that host them; the links take you there. Operators can't pay to be listed or to move up.

← #3 Crowd-Skipping Small-Group Whale Tour #5 Jet Boat Whale Watching (plus Nugget Falls option) →