Oh Whale! Worth the time?
 

I'm swamped under the ton of online information about whale watching in Maine. We only have 4 nights to spend on the Maine coast in July. Kennebunkport will be our far south overnight stay, and Bar Harbor will be our far north. Is whale watching worth devoting 1/2 day to, and if so, what's a recommended trip? We've looked at Booth Bay and Bar Harbor. We're from Texas and have zero experience with whale watching. Please help us decide!

1 how much do you love whales? Would swimming with dolphins in FL do it for you?

2 How likely are you to get seasick?

3 what else would you do with the time? The money?

Some people are thrilled, some find it meh.

I think it's incredible - but do take dramimine (remember this is the north atlantic)

How much do you like aquariums? (IMHO this is bout 10 times better).

The best time of year to see whales in Maine is June, July and the beginning of August.
http://www.mainethingstodo.com/mttd/2010/02/see-whales/

Bring binoculars. Although the first time I went on a whale watch out of Boston in August, the humpbacks came up to our boat and were about 20 feet off the side! That was amazing.

Bring a sweater. It can be cold out on the ocean. We boarded our boat in 90 degree temps in Boston and carried on a heavy sweater. People looked at us like we were odd, but we used them outside and they stayed indoors drinking hot chocolate.

Keep in mind that the websites show you the best pictures/videos. I have been whale watching twice (once from MA and once from ME) and didn't see any breaching (leaping out of the water) or whales sticking their heads out right next to the boat either time. But we did see whales both times.

The ME trip was late in the season (September, I think, but maybe early October) and we just saw fin whales and a minke whale (no humpbacks, and no feeding or other behaviors), as well as white-sided dolphins chasing the boat back into port. The captain kept the boat out longer than usual and went out farther than usual just so we could see the fin whales.

The MA trip was in early June, and we saw fin whales swimming as well as humpbacks feeding and diving (with tails up out of the water). One humpback even went under the boat, which was cool. We could see the humpbacks (mothers and calves) swimming beneath the surface near the boat as well, but none poked their heads out close to the boat (when they fed, it was at a little distance from the boat—you could see them, but it was easier with binoculars or a zoom lens on a camera).

Be thankful if you see lots of whales engaging in all kinds of neat behaviors, but be prepared that you might not, so you aren't disappointed. Keep in mind that if you see one whale swimming then the cruise operator has met the "see a whale or the cruise is free" obligation that many offer (and if you don't see any whales you usually don't get a refund, you get a free ticket for a future cruise).

Great information! It's fabulous to have people who know the area and are are willing to share their expertise. Thank you.
The seasickness factor hadn't really been as much a part of our decision making process as it probably should. I think that with all the fantastic things there are to see and do in coastal Maine, we probably will play it safe and skip the whale watching on this trip.