The waters around Seattle provide plenty of opportunities for exciting cruises. If you have a free afternoon and you're looking for an interesting cruise excursion to enjoy, the following are a few of your best options for a fun time. Whale Watching Cruise You'll find a variety of cruise lines around Seattle that offer the chance to get out on the water and look for whales. Since the calm waters around the San Juan Islands are home to both resident and transient orca pods, this is one of the most popular whale watching cruises available. Humpback, gray, and minke whales will also pass through the area. Plus, you never know when you'll be able to spot sea lions, seals, and bald eagles when you're out on the water. Harbor Cruise When you want to see a unique and stunning view of Seattle, you need to take a harbor cruise. Argosy Cruises offers a popular one-hour narrated cruise that gives you an up-close look at the workings of the shipping port and Seattle's historic waterfront. During the cruise, you'll also learn more about the history of the city and enjoy panoramic views of the Seattle skyline and Puget Sound. On a clear day, you can even see the Olympic and Cascade Mountain ranges from your cruise. Victoria Day Trip With Butchart Gardens With the Victoria day trip with Butchart Gardens cruise, you can explore some of nearby British Columbia's most popular attractions in one day. Your trip starts with a ferry ride through the Puget Sound to Victoria's inner harbor. From there you'll take a motor coach to the famous Butchart Gardens. You'll have two hours to explore the Sunken Garden, Japanese Garden, Rose Carousel, and more. Then you get to discover the rest of Victoria before heading back to Seattle during your dusk cruise. Tillicum Excursion Taking the Tillicum Excursion to Blake Island State Park is one of the most exciting cruises available in the area. When you take the cruise over to this 475-acre island, you'll enjoy scenic views of the Seattle skyline, have a chance to see Mount Rainier and the Olympic Mountains on clear days, and have an opportunity to spot ocean wildlife along the way. Once you're at the island, you can experience a Northwest Native American storytelling show, check out the hiking trails and beaches on the island, and enjoy a Northwest-inspired buffet featuring fire-roasted fish prepared the traditional way. Seattle Locks Cruise While the Panama Canal might get all the glory when it comes to the engineering marvel of locks, Seattle also has an impressive locks system you can tour on a cruise. During this tour, you'll travel from fresh water to salt water as you go from Lake Union to Elliott Bay. The tour also includes live narration to teach you more about the fun facts and history of the locks. Whether you're interested in spotting whales or discovering more about the history of the area, you'll have a great time when you book one of these top cruise excursions around Seattle.