We were so excited to come to Seward and finally see whales and in particular, Orca Whales. So naturally, we did research on boat cruises. We checked out Kenai Fjords and Major Marine. Read through all their cruises, marketing materials and reviews. Obviously, we were thrilled Major Marine had an “Orca Quest” cruise. The only Orca focused cruise in town, according to them. They seem to love to say, “we see Orcas on 90% of our trips”. It’s on their website and I’ve seen it in replies they post to people here. Well, I guess we are in the 10%. We spent the money for a 4 hour tour to find Orcas and nary an Orca was found. It started off inauspicious when we were pulling away from the dock and they announced no Orcas had been spotted today. They putted us around some common birds. A couple small seals just laying on some rocks. The Captain said there were Dall’s Porpoise, but it seems he was the only one who saw them. Then, “lost track” of them. The highlight of the four hours was a couple spout sightings from some humpbacks, and glimpses of their backs and one fluke. We also saw some glaciers,and beautiful scenery. That wasn’t much consolation for the disappointment that was spreading throughout the decks of the boat. It seemed like you could feel frustration and exasperation after many hours of unsuccessful searching.
Look, I completely understand that the employees (who were all really great) cannot make wild animals appear. They have no set schedule, and can go where they please. It just felt really bad that no one at least acknowledged the fact that we got really unlucky. No offer of, “hey, sorry we didn’t get to see them today.” Not as though it’s their fault but a little empathy for the fact that we spent a lot of money, trusted them and their “90%” success rate - and came up empty handed. For some reason, that really bugged me.
Maybe it’s sour grapes, but I walked off the boat really unhappy with my experience with Major Marine. Maybe that’s just on me, but I felt they could’ve handled it better and with a little more grace.
Maybe my expectations were way too high, but their sales pitch is designed to make it feel as certain as can be realistically. Maybe we just got super unlucky. It just feels bad and like a waste of precious time now.
I’m sure this will receive that canned response from them of, “ wild animals are wild, we can’t guarantee sightings, and we have that coveted 90% success”. I’m expecting it, but for someone who is feeling a little burned, it won’t make me feel any different about the experience.
I’m not advocating anyone not go on this cruise or choose any other company for that matter. Just be cautious with expectations and the reality that you could very well see nothing if you are unlucky.