I've never been to the Pacific Northwest, but will be heading that way mid June. I will only have 2 full days to sightsee, though I'll be there Wed-Sunday on business.

Has anyone taken the Victoria Clipper?Can you whale watch in June? If we did take it, should we go to San Juan Islands, BC or both?

Any information would be greatly appreciated!

I've never been to the San Juan Islands, but Victoria, B.C. would be a marvelous choice for a day of sightseeing. The harbor (where the ferry docks) is beautiful, with the grand Empress Hotel, capitol, and abundant shopping nearby. Don't miss a trip (by taxi or bus) to Butchart Gardens, named one of the top 10 gardens of the world. You have to see it to believe it!

You might or might not see orcas from the Clipper - it's so noisy and fast that the poor beasts will probably head the other way if they can.

With only two days I'm not certain at all that I'd recommend the Clipper to Victoria. It's 2 1/2 hours each way, sometimes quite rough crossing the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the on-board amenities are not all that hot. A couple of hours in bumpy water surrounded by the kids and the queasy would be a lousy intro to Victoria.

It's a little more expensive, but think about flying on a floatplane to Victoria from Lake Union in downtown Seattle. For May and June, Kenmore Air (www.kenmoreair.com) has a promo for a big discount off the MSRP for a whale-watching jaunt out of Victoria (US$15 instead of CDN$95). The flight, which BTW is flat gorgeous, takes about 45 min. instead of 3+ hours on the Clipper counting checkin time and customs, so you'd have a lot more time on the ground in Victoria. I'm not a big fan of whale watching, but if you want to go out the Victoria operators are probably among the more responsible types.

If you want to go to the San Juans instead, you'll need a car, and in June the logistics of getting to the San Juans from Seattle and back in 2 days are a serious pain. Doable, just not especially comfortable. You can fly there, too, but you'd still really need a car on the islands.

A non-flying, non-Clipper alternative for you to consider is spending 2 days exploring the Puget Sound region - Whidbey Island, Port Townsend, Olympic National Park, Bainbridge Island, maybe Snoqualmie Falls or Mt. Rainier... there's lots to do in the US of A and no border/customs hassles.

I agree with Gardyloo about flying to Victoria. It's a very memorable trip and much more special than the Clipper. But I would choose a day trip to Friday Harbor on San Juan over Victoria. Last trip we saw pods of Orcas shadowing the ferry. This is a random event though and you can't count on it. Whale trips out of Friday Harbor are a better bet. You can park at the Anacortes ferry and walk on. Spend the day in Friday Harbor, take the whale trip if people say the Orcas are around, if not rent mopeds and tour the island. This is a better day trip IMO. Definitely fly to Victoria if you'd rather go there. This is not like flying on a commuter plane or jet. Kenmore's float planes will be something to write home about.

(hello knottie!)

The Victoria Clipper goes to San Juan island too from seattle. Check their web site for info.