Q: We want to take an Inside Passage cruise—and we want to see the whales! When is the best time to book an itinerary specifically for the whales? Thank you. —Donna

A: Donna, if you want to see whales, the good news is that, in general, you can’t go wrong with a summer Inside Passage cruise. While the population of humpback whales—the main species of whale you’ll see in Southeast Alaska—usually peaks in August, they start arriving in droves from Hawaii by June and, just like the tourists, stick around all summer. The upside of booking your itinerary closer to June is drier weather (May is actually the driest) and longer daylight hours.

The best itineraries for seeing whales include Juneau, Sitka, and—not a common stop—Icy Strait Point. While you can often see whales from your cruise ship deck (especially if you’re passing by Glacier Bay), you can also book great whale-watching excursions when you stop in the ports. These day trips use smaller boats or catamarans and can get you closer to the whale, as well as offering good views of sea lions, porpoises and even bald eagles or bears. A good operator is Allen Marine Tours, which offers a money-back guarantee on seeing whales—that’s how many whales there are up here.

Alaska.org has some great pages that might help you choose your excursions, such as our Best Shore Excursions page and Juneau Tours.