Whale watching

We are sailing South bound on the Dawn Princess in Late June. Looking for advice on the best places and ways to view the marine life.
Are there areas where the whales, etc are more active? Is there a particular time of day that is best to see them? Can we view them from our cabin balcony or do we need to be in some other place on the ship?
Any advice would be appreciated.

[Karen]

I know of the likely whale areas in Alaska. But firstmost- you need to be out on a front open deck dressed warm with knit hat and gloves. It is usless to watch from the side of the ship. You need binoculars to keep scanning ahead watching for the blows and keep tracking them. It is a job requiring a considerable amount of time that few cruisers are willing to invest in. I always am on the watch all sailing hours, but it will usually be the same 25 or so people that will be there. Likely areas- several hours before and after both Juneau and Glacier Bay through Ice Strait. Last sailing day it is advisable to be out from early afternoon through dusk. All the more reason to get late seating- like I always do. Your last sailing day is the bonus. Only most likely place to see orcas- along Vancouver Island in the 4-8pm area. Before that likely humpbacks, white sided dolphins, dolls porpoises. I have a lot of experience whale watching both coasts and Maui. It is extremely rewarding for that 2 minutes of viewing!!!!!

A friend just returned from the Dawn Princess last week and said they had plenty of opportunities to see whales in pretty much the areas Karen indicated indicated in her post. She too reiterated there were few people investing the time required for whale watching. She also indicated the naturalist on board provided information on potential areas/times of day and that this information was in their cabin -- don't know if this service applies to all sailings or whether it depends on the naturalist. We're on the June 16 southbound trip on Dawn and can't wait!!!!!!