A wildlife lover's guide to seeing whales on an Alaska cruise
A cruise to Alaska offers one of the best chances of seeing humpback whales, orcas, and other rare wildlife, if you make looking for them a priority during your sailing.
When I set sail on my first Alaska cruise this May, I was eager to experience all the magic of the Great Land, but the chance to see whales and orcas in the wild excited me more than anything else. As a Florida-based travel writer who lives on the water, I feel a sort of kinship with dolphins and I hoped that my cruise to Alaska would allow me to connect with humpback whales and orcas in the same way I do dolphins at home.
As soon as our ship, Holland America Line's elegant Eurodam, began to sail away from Seattle, I was already on the lookout for whales. While in Seattle, I learned that northbound gray whales are sometimes spotted in the Puget Sound in late spring.
To prepare for the trip, I read up on the signs of whales and orcas to look for in the water. To me, they seemed like large-scale signs of manatees and dolphins we look for in Florida. When I spotted my first whale in Alaska, I found that humpback whales were easier to spot from afar than I expected, thanks to the forceful spout of mist they blow above the water's surface as they exhale.
Learning what to look for to spot whales in Alaska doesn't even require the research I did ahead of my sailing though. On every Holland America cruise to Alaska, onboard naturalists host enriching talks and wildlife watching events on deck to help increase passengers' chances of wildlife spotting success.
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When to cruise to Alaska for the best chance of seeing whales
Although whales are spotted in Alaska's Inside Passage during the entire Alaska cruise season from May through September, some months offer higher chances of seeing them than others. Naturalists say that June and July are the best times to see humpback whales in Alaska, and May through early June for orcas.
Sailing during mid-May, I became a little concerned I wouldn't succeed in my mission to see humpback whales after reading the fine print of whale watching shore excursions. Local wildlife watching tour operator Allen Marine, a renowned Alaska Native-owned company that partners with Holland America and other cruise lines, offers a whale sighting guarantee on its tours from June through August, but not in May and September.
I stayed optimistic though and booked one of Allen Marine's highly rated whale watching tours offered by Holland America for our first port stop in Juneau. It's the Alaska port with the most whale watching tour options for good reason.
Juneau is the best place to book a whale watching excursion for an Alaska cruise
In Juneau, whale watching tours don't leave from the Gastineau Channel where the cruise ships dock. When you book a tour through your cruise line, the tour operator will take you by motorcoach from the ship to nearby Auke Bay, a top spot to see humpback whales in Southeast Alaska.
For Allen Marine's whale watching tours in Juneau, you'll board a catamaran that features comfortable indoor seating with large windows below and an open deck above. Passengers are free to move between the two areas throughout the tour to find their perfect spot to take in the beauty of Auke Bay - where you'll get the bonus of seeing a glacier in the distance as you look for whales.
Related: Carnival cruise excursion manager shares favorite Alaska tours
With more than two hours on the water, the experience didn't feel rushed, even though we didn't immediately spot whales. But within a half an hour, we caught a glimpse of our first humpback whale and two more right after.
As we watched in delight as one of the whales lifted its tail out of the water for a deep dive, we learned that the whale we were following was a local celebrity. Humpback whales are identified by the unique pigmentation pattern on the underside of the flukes (tails) and the crew recognized that the whale we were watching was Flame, a seasonal Juneau resident and beloved mother with an impressive calving streak.
Watching Flame wasn't the only thrill we got during our Juneau whale watching tour. After following Flame for about 30 minutes, following the rules of Whale SENSE for responsible viewing, our captain had a special surprise.
Seeing orcas is rare on Alaska cruise whale watching tours, but it happens
Tour operators don't like to get passengers' hopes up about seeing orcas on a whale watching tour in Juneau. They spot elusive orcas on only about 10% of whale watching trips in Auke Bay, with May and early June tours typically featuring the most sightings.
Lucky for us, our early-season tour was one of the 10%. We got the chance to follow a pod of at least six orcas for about 20 minutes to complete our tour.
Related: Holland America Line delivers a more relaxing way to cruise with kids
It was an experience I'll never forget. Standing on the top deck of the boat in the crisp air watching a family of orcas glide gracefully together through the water with Alaska's pristine wilderness as a backdrop, I felt that connection to nature that feeds my soul.
And that whale watching excursion wasn't the only awe-inspiring nature experience that rejuvenated my spirit during my Alaska cruise. From Juneau to Sitka, and scenic cruising through the striking Endicott Arm Fjord to Dawes Glacier, my sailing was full of moments in nature that renewed my sense of wonder and left me with a profound sense of peace.
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This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 7:24 AM.