FAQ

If you would like to make a reservation please email us or fill out the form on our website – you are also welcome to give us a call. Please be sure to include the name of the cruise ship you will be arriving on (or when your flight arrives & how long you will be in Juneau), the date you will be in Juneau & the number of people in your party. All this information will allow us to tell you are availability efficiently.

Not a problem! When inquiring about a reservation, please tell us what tour you have scheduled already or tours you’re hoping to reserve the same day.   If time allows, we can either pick you up from your finished tour or drop you off there after our whale watching tour; dependent on the location of that tour. Knowing your time in Juneau is limited, we are willing to work within your time frame to make the most of your experience.

Since our boats are only certified to hold six passengers or less there are a couple different options:

1. We can take part of your party members at one time and the other part right after.

2. We now have four separate 6-passenger boats within Jayleen’s Alaska. If a group of more than 6 people would like to tour half of your party could tour on one boat, with the other half on the other boat. This is called a tandem tour and the boats would travel together the whole time, which would allow for some good group photos. The price for a tandem tour costs $1,150.00 per boat.

Due to the very limited spaces available on each of our vessels and the US Coast Guard considering humans of any age (infants to adults) to take up one of the 6 spaces available at any given time on each of our boats, all passengers are the same price.

With that said, there are medium-sized companies in Juneau that probably offer children’s prices and we would be happy to recommend a couple to you.

Yes, we ask for a 20% deposit at the time that you confirm your reservation – or if you are booking more than one year in advance we will ask for the 20% deposit to be paid on January 1^st of the year you will be touring with us.

Payment will be accepted through a custom Square Invoice sent directly to your email. This invoice will also include all the important details for your tour – including information as to where we will be able to meet you for your pickup in downtown Juneau.

You are reserved when you have received the Square Invoice, esigned our liability waiver & paid the 20% deposit.  

If we are full we will send you recommendations for other tour operators in the Juneau area. We encourage you to research them independently to find the best fit for you and your group.  We will also offer you the opportunity to be added to our waitlist – with the understanding that we will reach out to you if anything opens up & there are no guarantees that space will open.

We have seen Humpback Whales on 100% of our tours to date. There is also a chance of seeing Orca Whales (about 15% of tours see these) and Minke Whales (about 1% of tours see these).

We have the potential to see, lots of other wildlife, including: Bald Eagles, Stellar Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, Dalls Porpoise, Harbor Porpoise and many different types of sea birds.

Yes! If the clouds are high enough on the day of your tour (they usually are) we have the chance to see the Herbert Glacier, Eagle Glacier, Nugget Glacier & Mendenhall Glacier. Here is a video of the views we see; footage taken during some of our tours.

You will be on the water for a total of three hours, on our standard & private tour options.

Our tours could travel a 30 to 50 mile radius and within that radius, since the whales are constantly moving passengers might see anywhere from 1 to 20 whales during a tour.

Whales breathe at the surface of the water every ~7-20 minutes all day long – morning, afternoon & evening. From what we have noticed over the last 9 years of operating tours is that there doesn’t seem to be a consistent better or worse time to spot Humpback Whales. However, the activity that they decide to show you during your tour time is completely up to them.

Since Humpback Whales are still endangered, it is federal law that all vessels must stay 100 yards away. We are also not allowed to cut off their movements to make them move closer to the boat. If these laws are broken then the captain risks thousands of dollars in fines—it is in everyone’s best interest, whales included, if these laws are respected.

We expect them to spout (breathe) with 30 seconds between each spout with 3-5 spouts per surface time. After they are done spouting, they will do a terminal dive – meaning they will show a big hump in their back & hopefully show their tail as they dive and disappear under the water for 5-15 minutes while they eat food at about 100ft – 300ft of water. This is their regular behavior in the feeding grounds of Alaska – anything extra; breaching, bubble net feeding or tail lobbing is not required for them to live their lives and is rare to see! If you see this extra behavior you are on a lucky tour!

We don’t. We firmly believe that a respectful wildlife tour should never put pressure on the wildlife. With that being said, we have been able to find & respectfully watch at least 1 whale on all of our tours since we opened in 2015. IF we ever do not see a whale on a tour we intend to give you a full refund for your tour.

Unfortunately, we are unable to allow you to use drones on our tours. There is a permit that is required for any drone use in the Juneau area because of how close the waterways are to the Juneau airport and the corresponding flight patterns.

There are two large steps into our vessels, the largest step is 16” high. There is a two-step Rubbermaid step stool inside the boat and solid handholds to assist. If you would like, watch a video of how we recommend getting into our boats.

There is a ~100 yard walk from the parking area, where you will get out of our courtesy shuttle down to where the boats are parked. You will cross the parking lot and walk down a harbor ramp that is about 30ft long. This ramp can be steep or flat, depending on our 24ft tidal change during your tour. Once you get down to the actual dock it is a treated wood dock that can be slippery at times, you will need to watch your step and be aware of your surroundings. Your captain will be with you the entire time and guide you to and into the boat.

Here is a video of what to expect on the dock.

Yes! It is a marine head—meaning it is very small, but fully functioning.

Yes! All our boats are fully covered with doors to the front bow and back deck that close for protection from the wind and rain. In contrast on warm days the windows and back door can be left open to cool the cabin.
Each boat is equipped with a small cabin heater, but we recommend that you come prepared by dressing in warm layers and bringing a rain jacket. Packing a light pair of gloves & a hat are also a good idea to bring along, just in case.

No they are not. We are sorry if this proves to be an inconvenience, however we chose to do this for the general safety of passengers onboard. It is a federal law that there can be no drugs while on board a commercial vessel.

We are aware of cruise ship port times and will not schedule a tour if the cruise ship departure is less than an hour of when our tour ends.  If, for reasons beyond our power, we are not able to get you to your cruise ship on time, we will make sure you make it to your next port whether we have to fly you or take you there by boat ourselves – on our dime. We will also pay for any necessary lodging & food if we cannot get you there in the same day.  

For the enjoyment of our passengers, we strive to make our tours fun and stress free.  If passengers are too worried that their ship will leave without them then this creates a stressful environment for passengers as well as the captain—so we avoid those feelings as much as possible!

We are the ‘small’ boat option – it is the only option we offer & we do it well but a larger boat may provide a smoother ride in rough waters. Because of our boutique tour style there is a bit of a walk (approx. 100 yards) from the parking lot where your courtesy shuttle van will park to where the boats are parked in the marina. We are not wheelchair or mobility scooter accessible.