What a Hoonah whale watching tour costs
Look at the ticket price first, then read the refund rules, because on a cruise the second can matter more. The six main whale tours from Icy Strait Point cost ~$225–314 per person, and almost all of them sell roughly 2.5 hours on the water inside a 3-hour outing. What changes from one to the next is the size of the boat and whether you get your money back if your ship never reaches Hoonah. This guide prices all ten tours we cover and adds what the listing total leaves out.
Ten tours in one table
The table lists the six tours on our home page and four extras at their regular "from" price per adult, taking the lower of the two booking sites. Prices shift a little with the date.
| Tour | From | Length | Boat | Free cancellation | Sold on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Whales & Drones (our pick) | ~$250 | 3 h | Small custom boat, 14 at most | 24 h | GetYourGuide, Viator |
| Hoonah Travel Adventures | ~$225 | 3 h, about 2.5 h afloat | Deck and heated cabin, size not listed | 24 h | GetYourGuide, Viator |
| Catch of the Day | ~$236 | 3 h, 2.5 h afloat | 38-foot boat, 16 at most | 24 h | Viator |
| Glacier Wind Charters | ~$285 | 3 h | Whale-watching boat, 13 at most | No, non-refundable | Viator |
| Icy Strait Whale Adventures | ~$302 | 2.5–2.75 h afloat | 24 at most | 24 h | Viator |
| Hoonah Whale Tours | ~$314 | 3 h | Catamaran, 14 at most | No, non-refundable | Viator |
| Hoonah Whale Tours private boat | ~$314 | About 2.5 h | Your party only, priced per person | No, non-refundable | Viator |
| Wooshkeetaan whales and bear search | ~$275 | 3 h | Six guests at most | 24 h | Viator |
| Village tour and crab feast | ~$195 | 3 h | 14 at most, no whale watching | 24 h | GetYourGuide, Viator |
| Chichagof brown bear search | ~$164 | 3 h | Small group, by van | On the listing | GetYourGuide, Viator |
The crab feast and the bear search are not whale tours, which helps explain their lower prices.
What the six main tours charge for
Hoonah Travel Adventures, from ~$225, is the cheapest of the six and the most booked tour in Hoonah. The price covers the van into town, a local guide, snacks, fees and taxes, with departures spread through the day. The trade-off is scale, as it is the largest operation of the six, and one reviewer found it pricier than booking on the spot.
Catch of the Day, from ~$236, costs a little more for a locally owned 38-foot boat that seats 16 at most. Recent reviewers mention orcas on many of its trips. You pay for it with a walk, since pickup is at the port's main entrance rather than the Excursions Hub, and it sells on Viator only.
Our pick, Alaska Whales & Drones, from ~$250, adds something no other tour here sells. Captain Josh's crew flies a professional filmography drone from the boat and plays the footage on board. Each group then leaves with a USB drive of the day's video, passengers included. Boats take 14 passengers at most. GetYourGuide charges more for it than Viator.
Glacier Wind Charters, from ~$285, is a family-run boat that takes 13 guests at most and has a restroom on board. The money buys a small group with a local captain, but the listing is non-refundable and takes nobody under 9.
The two highest prices come with promises about whales. Icy Strait Whale Adventures, from ~$302, guarantees sightings and lends rain gear and binoculars. Its boat leaves from its own dock at the port, so there is no van, but it carries up to 24, the largest group of the six. Hoonah Whale Tours, from ~$314, the priciest, runs a 14-seat catamaran with a heated cabin and offers your money back if you see no whales. A guarantee is a refund or a promise in the listing terms, never a whale on demand, and small boats, big boats, whale guarantees explains how each one works.
Price per hour on the water
Most tours give you about 2.5 hours afloat. Divide each price by those hours and Hoonah Travel Adventures comes out lowest. Catch of the Day sits just behind it, followed by the drone tour. Glacier Wind lands higher, and Icy Strait Whale Adventures ends up close to it, because its 2.5–2.75 hours on the water stretch the price a little. Hoonah Whale Tours costs about two-fifths more per hour than Hoonah Travel Adventures.
The same tour, two prices
Four tours here sell on both sites, which do not always agree.
- Alaska Whales & Drones. About $250 on Viator against about $267 on GetYourGuide;
- Hoonah Travel Adventures. ~$225 on both sites, so book wherever you already have an account;
- The crab feast. About $195 on GetYourGuide against about $235 on Viator;
- The bear search. About $164 on Viator against about $181 on GetYourGuide.
The cheaper side flips from tour to tour, so open both listings for your date.
The lowest fare with the van included
Hoonah Travel Adventures runs several departures a day and gives you about 2.5 hours on the water after a short van ride into town, from ~$225. Cancel free up to 24 hours ahead and pay later.
Refund rules decide the value
On a cruise, the biggest money risk is not the ticket price but a port day that never happens. Ships sometimes skip a call in bad weather. Hoonah Travel Adventures, Alaska Whales & Drones, Icy Strait Whale Adventures and Catch of the Day all cancel free until 24 hours before the start and let you reserve now and pay later. Icy Strait Whale Adventures goes further, listing a full refund if your ship cancels or arrives late.
The other two, Glacier Wind and Hoonah Whale Tours, cannot be cancelled or changed at all. Hoonah Whale Tours refunds in full only when it calls off the trip for weather itself. If your ship sails past Hoonah, those seats are lost. Book them once your itinerary looks firm; how the port day works at Icy Strait Point shows where timing can slip.
What you pay on top
- Tips. Crews in the US expect a tip for the captain and deckhands. The drone tour's Viator listing and the GetYourGuide listing for Hoonah Travel Adventures both mention gratuities, so check the listing for your tour and bring some cash for the crew;
- Drinks. Hoonah Whale Tours includes coffee, tea, hot chocolate and homemade blueberry muffins, and sells alcoholic drinks on board;
- Transport. Nothing extra. All six include the van from the port or leave from the port itself.
A family of four, added up
Take two adults with children aged 7 and 11. On Hoonah Travel Adventures they pay four times ~$225, plus tips. Catch of the Day takes both (it refuses only under-5s). Glacier Wind is out because its minimum age is 9. Icy Strait Whale Adventures lists a discounted children's rate, so the same family pays less than four times ~$302. At Hoonah Whale Tours, check the child price on the listing before comparing.
With a baby, the drone tour has a discounted rate for an infant on a lap, and Hoonah Whale Tours offers infant seats. Whale watching in Hoonah with kids sets out the age rules tour by tour, and our seasickness guide helps if anyone in the family worries about the swell.
Beyond the six main tours
For a boat with only your party aboard, Hoonah Whale Tours' private boat, from ~$314, gives you about 2.5 hours with the same operator as the catamaran. Its catch sits in the small print. The price is per person, so check the total for your group size, and it is non-refundable.
Hoonah Beach House's village tour and crab feast, from ~$195, costs less than any whale tour here. Over 3 hours you see crab pulled aboard a local fishing boat and tour the village before the feast itself. The catch is that it includes no whale watching, and it has only 10+ reviews on GetYourGuide.
Cruise lines also sell their own whale tours from Icy Strait Point, at their own prices. Booking independently through GetYourGuide or Viator means you watch the clock yourself. Our port-day guide covers that timing, and the best time for whales in Hoonah explains how far ahead the small boats fill.