Small boats, big boats, whale guarantees
Six tours leave from Hoonah and Icy Strait Point, and no two use the same kind of boat. The listings carry a few numbers that tell you more than the photos do, starting with how many guests come aboard. This guide puts the six boats side by side, then reads the small print on the two tours that guarantee whales.
Six boats in one table
The guest limits come straight from each listing. So do the cabin and restroom details. Where a listing says nothing, we say so rather than guess.
| Tour | From | Guests at most | Boat and cabin | Restroom | Getting aboard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Whales & Drones (our pick) | ~$250 | 14 | Small custom boat; inside cabin plus outside deck | Not mentioned | Short van ride from the Excursions Hub |
| Hoonah Travel Adventures | ~$225 | Not listed | Viewing deck and heated cabin | Not mentioned | About 7 minutes by van to Hoonah |
| Catch of the Day | ~$236 | 16 | 38-foot boat; heated cabin plus deck | Not mentioned | Walk to the port entrance, then 5–10 minutes by van |
| Glacier Wind Charters | ~$285 | 13 | Purpose-built whale-watching boat; room inside and out | On board | Van about 5 minutes to Hoonah harbor |
| Icy Strait Whale Adventures | ~$302 | 24 | Indoor seating with panoramic windows that open | Not mentioned | No van; boards at its own dock in the port |
| Hoonah Whale Tours | ~$314 | 14 | Catamaran with a heated cabin | On board | About 5 minutes to the marina |
"Not mentioned" means only that the listing is silent on it. If a restroom matters to you, send a question through the booking site before you pay.
What boat size changes
Fewer guests is not automatically better, and price does not track boat size either. Size changes a handful of practical things over the 2.5 hours on the water.
- Room at the rail. With 13 or 14 aboard, everyone can reach the side when a whale surfaces. With 24, people gather on whichever side the whale is on, which is why Icy Strait Whale Adventures fits windows that open beside the indoor seats;
- Moving with the whales. A smaller boat can often reposition with less fuss when a whale surfaces somewhere new, though every boat keeps the same legal distance;
- Rain. Most days on Icy Strait bring some. A heated cabin lets you warm up between sightings and dash out when someone shouts;
- Restrooms. Three hours is a long time for children or anyone feeling queasy. Two listings promise one on board;
- Price. The smallest boats sit in the middle and at the top of the range, while Hoonah Travel Adventures at ~$225 has several departures a day and no stated group size.
The six boats one by one
Alaska Whales & Drones, from ~$250, uses small custom boats with an inside cabin and an outside deck. Its Viator listing caps the group at 14, while its GetYourGuide text mentions boats that seat up to 18, so check the number on the site you book. The real difference is above the boat, where the crew flies a filmography drone and plays the footage on board. Hoonah Travel Adventures, from ~$225, pairs a viewing deck with a heated cabin. Its listing gives no group size, and as the biggest operation in town it can feel busier than the family boats.
Catch of the Day, from ~$236, is a locally owned 38-foot boat for 16 at most. It has a heated cabin plus an open deck. Guests meet it by the port's main entrance, not at the Excursions Hub, after a flat walk of 10–15 minutes. Glacier Wind Charters, from ~$285, runs a purpose-built whale-watching boat for 13 guests with room inside and out plus a restroom, and the family has run it for over 25 years. It takes no one under 9 and cannot be refunded.
Icy Strait Whale Adventures, from ~$302, carries the largest group of the six (24 at most). It also saves you the van, since the boat leaves from its own dock at the port. Rain gear and binoculars are included. Hoonah Whale Tours, from ~$314, is the one catamaran. It takes 14 guests and has both a heated cabin and a restroom. Reviewers praise Captain Jordan, who grew up fishing Icy Strait, and the homemade wild blueberry muffins. It is the priciest of the six and non-refundable.
Thirteen guests and a restroom
Glacier Wind Charters keeps its family-run boat to 13 guests, with a cabin to duck into and hot chocolate among the snacks, from ~$285. It cannot be refunded or changed, so book it once your port day looks certain.
Whale guarantees, read closely
Two listings spell out a guarantee. Icy Strait Whale Adventures guarantees whale sightings, and Hoonah Whale Tours offers a money-back guarantee if you see no whales. Neither can make a humpback surface. What each one promises is a remedy, so read the terms on the listing for what counts as a sighting and how you get the money back. Alaska Whales & Drones goes a step further in its wording with a claimed 100% success rate at finding humpbacks, which is a track record and not a refund policy.
Set the guarantee against the cancellation rules. Icy Strait Whale Adventures cancels free up to 24 hours ahead and promises your money back in full should your ship cancel or arrive late. Hoonah Whale Tours is non-refundable and cannot be changed, with a full refund only if the operator cancels for weather. A whale guarantee does not help if your ship skips Icy Strait Point in a storm. The animals of Icy Strait explains why nobody can promise them.
A boat for your party alone
For a group that wants the deck to itself, Hoonah Whale Tours lists a private whale watching boat for up to 14, from ~$314, with about 2.5 hours on the water and a 5.0 rating from 62+ Viator reviews. Its catch is twofold. The price is per person, so a family pays a multiple of it, and the booking is non-refundable. Run the total for your exact party before you commit.
Wooshkeetaan Tours has the smallest boat of all. Its whale and bear search, from ~$275, takes six guests at most for 3 hours. The catch is a thin record next to the main six, with 91+ reviews on Viator where the others count hundreds, and those six seats go fast.
Matching the boat to the traveler
- Prone to seasickness. A catamaran tends to roll less from side to side, and a restroom helps; see seasickness on Icy Strait whale tours;
- Traveling with children. Glacier Wind's age limit rules out young kids, while Hoonah Whale Tours has infant seats; whale watching in Hoonah with kids lists every rule;
- Carrying a camera. Open decks and opening windows beat a closed cabin; photographing whales from the boat compares them;
- Short on time in port. No van on Icy Strait Whale Adventures, several departures on Hoonah Travel Adventures; the port day guide covers the timing;
- Watching the budget. The full price comparison adds tips and refund rules to every boat.