Princess Monterey Whale Watching Cruises

We had a great trip even though the waves were pretty high that day. We got a little wet sitting in the front of the boat, but the views were spectacular. The captain took us right to a perfect spot to view whales, knew a lot about their habits, and positioned the boat for the best viewing. The only downside was that when we went inside to purchase a drink, there was no one there to help us. We were happy with the overall experience, and we would recommend it to others.

Overall the trip was good. The check in was easy. The wait time to board the boat wasn't long. The commentary was really informative. It was just a bummer that the swells were huge (they said 17-18 foot). It was really rocky. We had taken motion sickness pills so we were all fine. My 2 1/2 year old ended up sleeping the entire time. We didn't see many whales (actual body). Saw lots of blow-holes to let us know they were there though. We would like to try this trip again at a later time. The commentator told us better times to possibly see something the next time. A few months after this trip, we took another whale watching trip in San Diego, and it was just awful, so in comparison, this trip was very good!

Perfect beautiful day, the boat was very clean, the crew were friendly and nice. The marine biologist really made this trip fun and exciting. She involved everyone and gave us some great information and was just as excited to see the whales as we were. We saw around 15 - 18 whales, a couple of pelicans diving for food in the water and a lot of jelly fish. Awesome!!

despite the large swells, we had a great time

We really enjoyed the day. The captain did a great job of making the trip as comfortable as possible. The marine biologist was very knowledgeable and personable. She made the day fun!

The weather was special ordered, between rainy storm days, with sunshine, brisk breeze and the beautiful water. It was the perfect day to spend on the comfortable, clean, sturdy Monterey Princess out to the entrance of the bay. The personnel were all very friendly, helpful, attentive and informative. Even when two of our group were overcome with stomach problems, they were right there with suggestions and help. The waves were very impressive like the gentle motion of a kiddie roller coaster - what fun!!! The colors of the water and sky backed by the slim beachfront were definetely Kodak moments. Too bad we were so impressed with the moment, we only took time to catch a few shots - but next time we'll know. We were surprised at how many whales we did get a look at - quite close - mostly their air blows (what excitement ran through the onlookers), backs and tails, but so exciting - it really did move us all. Thanks for your kind help in answering all our questions regarding the purchasing of the tickets. The pre-boarding went so smooth and the ticket hut was adequately stocked (although next time we'll know to take dramamine or such, just in case). One of our group was blind and we would suggest a more sturdy stairwell and steps onto the boat - but other than that could not have asked for a more impressively satisfying day. We will remember this celebration of her 23rd birthday and are planning another trip in the Spring/Summer season. Thanks to Zerve and the crew of the Monterey Princess.

Although a friend told us that we have to do this trip we also looked into the booklets that are provided by this company. They made us feel that we will see the whale very close. However, this just happend once and only a couple of seconds. What we could rather see most of the time, was a whale blowing in the distance (however, we didn't need binoculars for seeing this) and then its head followed by its tail later on. So, don't expect too much as we did. However, seeing a living whale in action is a nice experience anyway. Moreover, at our trip we approached doplins really very close and this was even more spectacular than the whale. Concerning the company we can strongly recommend this one. The crew was skilled and had a vast knowledge of whales and their behavior. Moreover, they were also entertaining and nice.

We did not see the 30 whales per day as advertised on their web page, but a couple of whales. However what made the trip most memorable were the dolphins, and we ran into quite a few of them. The staff was polite and helpful. Overall I enjoyed the trip and would do it again.

We heard so much about the different tour groups that take people out into the bay, and that some were not as great as other companies. We were told to watch out for most, but that the company we picked was one of the best tours. so we did choose them and we were a little dissapointed in what they call spotting whales. We saw a few come up and a few dive down, but there were not any shots like their website shows of people catching pictures of these massive whales jumping and splashing all over. We kind of stayed away and had to take pictures from far away. Thank you.

This is was a great weekend excursion for us. We live only an hour away. The weather was great and we saw about 10 whales. I would recommend bringing your own food and drinks because they don't really have much to offer on the boat. Also I didn't feel like they really taught us much about the whale's habitat and what we might be seeing. Also the loud speaker it is impossible to hear most of what they say. So if you are going for fun and to relax it is great but if you want educational information it isn't the trip.

it was a really beautiful day. everyone on the tour and running the tour were very nice and answered any questions we had. my only problem was unless you had a very expensive telephoto lens you couldn't really get any pictures. we did see 2 or 3 single whales, and one pod of 5 or 6. i understand we can't bother them, but we were so far away you could barely see them, let alone take pictures. it was fun, in fact we're going back later in the spring when the humpbacks come.

We had tried to do whale watching from shore on our own several times over the last year. We were very unsuccessful in our adventures. Our Marine guide, Christina, was hilarious and VERY informative. The personnel on the boat were caring- this was especially noted when a couple of passengers got sea sick. Our first sighting was a group of 3 gray whales. In the distance we saw the blowing of the water. We watched them until they moved on. The next group of whales was a group of 5 gray whales. We were able to watch them swim together in a group, come up for air and dive back down into the water where all you could see was their tail sticking out of the water. We got some fabulous photographs, that when we emailed them to friends couldn't believe how close we got to them. However, our guides, were very cautious not to interrupt their migration or in any way harm or disrupt the animals. We stopped and let them swim near us. At no time were the whales ever upset with our presence. The last stop we saw another 3 gray whales. It was breathtaking and can not be described. It was most definitely worth every penny we paid- and probably more. We are thinking about going back in summer to see the humpback whales. PLEASE DO IT- YOU WON'T REGRET IT!

Our Lifelong Learners group took the whale-watching cruise on Friday January 30. The weather was lovely, warm when in the sunshine, and we had a great day out. We saw lots of dolphins and several whales. The only disappointment was that as Monterey Bay is a wildlife conservation area the boats don't go close to the whales. (This was not pointed out to us.) Getting good photos with a regular camera is not possible. I have been whale-watching in South Africa where we got much closer so viewing was more exciting.

The captain worked to make the trip successful. When we didn't see whales, he stopped twice so that we could observe a huge amount of dolphins. Then, when there finally was a whale up close, he stopped the boat so that we could have a long view of all of the activity with whale, dolphins and sea otters.

You have to do this at least once! Morning tours are recommended as the ocean is somewhat calmer than later in the day. If you are prone to sea-sickness, definitely take some Dramamine or the like prior to this activity as the waters are a little choppy at times. Do dress in layers and wear a brimmed hat and sunglasses if your skin is sensitive to the sunlight. You WILL see the whales, just be a little patient.