Princess Monterey Whale Watching Cruises

We had a great time - the boat crew was very helpful and knowledgeable. The only downside was that while we did get to see whales, technically, they were so far away that all we really saw was one tail. Hard to control however! All in all, a great trip that I would definitely recommend.

The captain and crew did their best to find some whales but the weather in December in Monterey can be tricky. It was extremely cold, with a hard rain and much of the time we remained inside the ship. We saw only one whale and very briefly. It was no doubt due to the inclement weather and not the cruise line. We would love to try again in better weather. I do not recommend trying this on a bad day. Wait for a warmer day. We both caught colds despite being warmly dressed. We were told that the morning cruise had better luck in spotting whales. And that is exactly what it is. Luck. Still, the crew was very nice and so were the people on our tour. I think we will come back, but, in a warmer month. So, pick your day carefully.

It was one of the best experience of my life.

It was a great trip we got to see some Grey Whales. Service was good and we got what we exspected.

This was the second time this year that I went whale watching. I went in August last time. I took my mom whale watching for her belated birthday. This time I was more prepared: wore lots of layers, beanie, gloves, shoes(last time I wore flip flops...brrrrrr), and the most important part I took sea sickness medicine and brought ginger candies to eat the whole trip. The ginger candies helped me tremendously, my mom not so much. The candies taste yucky, but they helped me to not get sick. We were on the smaller boat this time and I figured we would be. I also started the trip at the back of the boat and stayed there pretty much the whole time, instead of last time where I moved around. I didn't quite like the biologist/naturalist lady we had this time, but its okay half the time you are not even listening, you are just taking pictures. The last time the lady said the names of the animals example instead of just calling them dolphins she said they are Risso dolphins. However, overall I liked the trip. We left the bay and cruised along the coast along 17 mile drive, Point Lobos, Pebble Beach area. I like to be able to see land, I think that helped me not get sick as well. We were following two humpback whales?? I took awesome pictures this time!! The whales didn't get close to the boat like the last but we still had amazing pictures. The tail, the "spuffs"-where they come up for air and the air vaporizes and makes the mist stuff (I don't know I call them "spuffs"), and the bumps on the back of the whales, seals, sea lions, jelly fish, and birds we saw on our trip. And I can't wait to go again next year!!!!

I talked my husband and brother into going whale watching with me. Booked our cruise on line several months prior to going. We were not disappointed...we saw dophins, sea lions and of course WHALES!!! What a wonderful experience to see them and to have a thoughtful captain who did not interfer with their activities...We saw 8 or 9 Humpbacks on the morning that we were on the cruise and I will recommend this cruise to any friends or family that I have who are traveling to the area...All we could say when we were back on land was...AWESOME!!!!

I have been whale watching several times, from Baja to Alaska and this was by far the best of them all. We got so close that we could smell their bad breath, "smelled like bad sushi" as my granddaughter said. We had perfect weather, the ocean was very calm but the whales were across the bay. Not to worry tho', the ships crew took us all the way across the Monerey bay to Santa Cruz bay to insure our being able to see the whales. And see them we did! As well as a school of dolphins! The naturalist on board was very knowledgable and very personable. I recommend this tour to everyone!! I will go back.

It was unfortunate to watch only one whale, but I am satisfied because it is just the way it is in a nature. The disappointed thing is that we could hardly watch him because some occupied the deck in most of the time and another ships could take better position near a whale than us. The reason we made a reservation of this tour among many tours is that this firm seems to have the biggest ship(Princess Monterey) according to the web because my wife often gets seasick, but the reality is small ship was prepared, although no notice has been presented in advance in the webpage. That's why I have been disappointed a little bit.

Our family embarked upon the whale watch with no great expectations. We were pleasently surprised by how much we enjoyed the trip. Not only do you get fantastic views of the Monterey Bay but the whales only add to the unique experience! We saw a nice variety of sealife including sea otters, sea lions and whales on our trip. The staff are friendly and more than welcoming to any questions you might have about your trip and things you see. Would definitely recommend the company to any friends and family.

We went over Thanksgiving. The crew was helpful and friendly and very professional. We rode an hour out to an area where whales are known to hang out, then we followed one whale to another as they appeared on the surface to breathe. One curious whale swam directly to the boat, got alongside it, spewed water from its blowhole within a few feet from us, dove under the boat, then swam off. It was literally right under our faces. We saw a number of whales from a reasonable distance, and as the captain started the engine to head back, a couple of whales jumped straight up out of the water very majestically, and splooshh they were gone. My kid got rather nauseous and threw up, and I saw at least one adult spewing over the back of the boat. There's a clean bathroom aboard. Trip was on time, and took 3 hours. Don't go if you are very prone to motion sickness. I noticed the kids on board were bored or sick, and babies were definitely unhappy. There is a lot of 'staring at moving water' to get to the whales and back.

good trip[. whales below the bow

We whale watch every time we are in the Monterey area. We had great luck on this trip and thoroughly enjoyed it.

We recently went whale watching and had a great time. The only issue we had was that they allowed a small family group to bring 3 dogs onboard--2 beagles and 1 bulldog/boxer. Most of their group got seasick so they took the dogs off their leaches and let them roam the deck. And, as you would expect, one of the dogs took a crap right in front of our seats. It was nasty. They should not allow animals onboard. A crew member was very apologetic and did clean up the mess but along with all the people onboard that were struggling with seasickness and then the dog stink it was an unnecessary frustration. People should leave their pets home or in a kennel.

Enjoyed the day. Saw a lot of whales. Naturalist on board was very knowledgeable.

Our kids had a great time spotting and take photographs of the whales, which were numerous. My wife and I also had fun, but Dramine would have made the trip more pleasurable.