Whale watching in Washington can be as easy as just being in the right place at the right time. No matter if you grew up watching Free Willy or not, whales truly are a magical creature to see in their natural habitat.
It got me thinking, why not add whale watching to your elopement plans?! Especially if you’re not from Washington it can be such a fun experience whether you’re 2 or 92.
I recently did a full day whale watching tour (with my two young kids in tow) and I knew I had to blog about it immediately so you can visualize the experience and see if it’s something you’d want to do!
Want to have me as your Washington elopement photographer + guide? Make sure to reach out to book me now!
Port Townsend Full Day Whale Watching tour
I spent a lot of time debating if the half day tour would be enough for us, I mean the price was a little cheaper (not that you should base anything on price alone) but I was also worried would my kids get bored and we’d be stuck on boat. But then I dove into what they do for the full day vs the half day and I’m like wait, I want to go to the San Juan Islands so why not do the full day?
We left (I had my two kids in tow) from Port Townsend, WA at 9 am with 37 others! The full day boat was smaller than the half day boat and I liked how the set up was booth style with a table. That way my mom could sit with one of my kids, and we had our own little spot for the 4 of us all day.
The full day boat fits I want to say around 70 people, so if you want a more intimate experience that is one thing to factor in. Plus the seating was captain chairs.
We also had the same table for us the entire ride so we didn’t have to feel like we were fighting over a place to sit throughout the day.
It was so much fun just being on the water, being able to go outside on the boat, and watching the animals in their wild habitat. I would for sure do it again!
Full or Half day Whale tours, which one makes sense?
For us the full day ended up making the most sense. We wanted the most opportunity to see animal life, and we wanted the two hour break over in San Juans. Which our lunch was fantastic over there, we did Haley’s Sports bar! There is a ton of cute shops to walk through, but we didn’t get through all of them.
The Half day tour I think makes the most sense if you only want a mid day activity. You’d return around 3:00 – 3:30 pm.
For the full day we left our airbnb in Tacoma around 6:30 am, parked in Port Townsend around 8:15 am. Checked in and boarded the boat at 8:45 am. Then returned back to Port Townsend at 5:30 pm (ran a little late). By the time we got back to our Tacoma airbnb at 7:30 pm we really just doordashed some food and called it a day.
How to include this into a Multi Day elopement timeline
Now if you’re thinking about eloping and wanting to do out the box experiences, here is how we can plan your multi day timeline and what that looks like with me as your photographer.
Keep in mind no drone usage is allowed on their boats. I would just have my digital camera and my film cameras with me, but with the right lenses it’s all we need for these!
Then if we did do the full day tour we could get some cute photos in Friday Harbor! Because the streets are really cute, so why not?
Example Multi Day Washington Elopement Timeline with Whale Watching
3 Day Photography Timeline
Day 1 – Whale Watching Day
8:30 am – Meet up at Port Townsend to board together
9:30 am – Get some cute photos while sitting inside the boat
10:30 am – Watch the nature together
12:00 pm – Get photos of the nature we get to spot
1:00 pm – Photos around Friday Harbor
1:15 pm – Lunch
3:00 pm – Board the boat again
4:00 pm – Taking in the last of the nature
5:30 pm – Coverage concludes until tomorrow
Day 2 – Elopement Day
4:00 am – Wake up Call
4:30 am – Getting ready
5:30 am – Leave for sunrise spot
6:30 am – Head to Vows location
7:00 am – Sharing vows as the sun rises
7:30 am – Celebration mimosas and taking in the views
8:00 am – Morning portraits along the trail
9:00 am – Head to lake location for paddle boarding
10:00 am – Paddle boards and splashing
12:00 pm – Head to lunch
1:00 pm Lunch break
4:00 pm Head to sunset Location
5:00 pm Hike to our spot
6:00 pm Read letters from family + friends to celebrate our day
7:00 pm Epic golden hour moment
8:00 pm Head back to airbnb to chill
9:00 pm Grab taco bell & change into sweats
10:00 pm Coverage concludes until tomorrow
Day 3 – Epic Sunset Portraits Day
3:00 pm – Meet up to hike Sunset trail
4:00 pm – Epic photos along the trail
6:00 pm – Take in the sunset spot
7:00 pm – Last of golden hour
8:00 pm – After dark with lanterns and headlamps
9:00 pm – Star gazing
10:00 pm – Coverage concludes
Okay, just reach out to me, we can daydream something epic for your elopement in Washington!
If you’re ready to elope and know you want a timeline that feels experience driven vs traditional driven you found the right photographer. I’m ready when you are, so just hit the links, contact me, let’s start planning your day!!
Contact me to book your elopement
Keep reading my guides like, How to Elope in Washington Guide
Want to keep it casual? Follow me over on Instagram!
Whale Watching in Washington // Washington Elopement Photographer Jamie Tobin
