suz1672

We're arriving in Seattle this Sunday for 5 days, and I was all set to book a whale watching trip on the Victoria Clipper. But I've been reading a lot of negative reviews on different sites and now I'm not so sure. HELP...is spending 8 hours on a boat the best use of our time for a day trip??

happytrailstoyou

I've never taken the one-day cruise, but Victoria Clipper has a good reputation. I gather you are considering the trip that gives you 2.5 hours in Friday Harbor. For an alternative, here is a description of a day we spent on San Juan Island last August:

"On Tuesday, August 17, we parked our car at the Anacortes Ferry terminal ($10) and went to Friday Harbor as foot passengers on the ferry ($12.15 each, round trip).

We walked around Friday Harbor and had a good lunch on the deck of the Downrigger, overlooking the harbor ($40).

After lunch we took the bus to Roche Harbor ($10 each, round trip).

The trip to Roche Harbor included an excellent narration about the island and drop-off points on the route such as a lavender farm and the Limekiln Whale Watch Park.

Roche Harbor is a delightful up-scale resort with two restaurants and a huge yacht harbor. We enjoyed the historic buildings, the gardens, and the yachts. We bought ice cream at a kiosk and ate it at an outside table with harbor view ($7).

We took the direct bus back to Friday Harbor, purchased food at King’s Market on Spring Street ($18), and enjoyed a delicious picnic on the evening ferry back to Anacortes.

It was a delightful day—hassle free and inexpensive (about $120 for the two of us)."

HTTY

suz1672

HTTY, thanks for the reply. I was looking at the Anacortes Ferry - but we'd have to rent a car, which I was hoping to avoid.

happytrailstoyou

I think the day-trip would be good especially if you get to go to Roche Harbor. If the cruise doesn't give you time there, here is the bus schedule from Friday Harbor: http://www.sanjuantransit.com/schedules.html

HTTY

Aremorra

Thanks for the info, Happytrailstoyou. I am thinking about taking a trip to the San Juan Islands and glad that you posted that info. about the bus to Roche Harbor. Suz1672, I too am not wild about having to rent a car and driving either esp. since everything I read talks about the long lines to get your car onto the ferry. There is a shuttle that you can take (the Airporter I think) that can take you to the ferry from Seattle and you just walk onto the ferry. I found another one that is a van that you can take as well if you have luggage and don't want to have to schlep it around. I'm thinking about taking a train from Seattle too as it looks like the Amtrak Cascades is a nice trip.