Princess Monterey Whale Watching Cruises

I read several reviews before booking tickets and was cautiously optimistic. When we got there, I was a little bit nervous as the yellow building is more of a shed. However, once the naturalist came out and started talking, my opinion started to change. She was very enthusiastic, knowledgeable and experienced. She talked about what we might see, but more importantly, what to do if you were feeling sea sick...too bad several people didn't listen...she was right (abbreviated version: go to the back of the boat, DON'T go inside)! When we got on the ship, another crew member came out and brought our son (4 years old) a life jacket. He put it on for him to make sure he was safe. We really appreciated that. The crew checked on him several more times during the trip and made a point of engaging him. I don't think I'd bring a child younger than 4. He was just old enough to appreciate what he saw, but was still a little bit scared. Nevertheless, he thoroughly enjoyed it. It was cold going out to sea! Bring layers...a hat and gloves are not out of the question...and sunglasses to block the wind from your eyes and the glare from the water. We saw humpback whales, seals, Risso's dolphins and otters. The captain did a wonderful job finding the whales and positioning us so we could see them. We had what is called a "friendly encounter". A couple of whales came right up to the boat! Several people were splashed either when the whale spouted (stinky) or when one breached very close. We also had the opportunity to see a whale breach more than a dozen times right in front of us! On the way back we were surrounded by what seemed like 100 Risso's dolphins jumping out of the water! This trip is highly recommended!

The boat is in excellent condition, the skipper and crew were very helpful. Our trip was spectacular with 2 humpback whales circling our boat for 20 minutes, within 5 meters! It was fantastic - once in a lifetime experience.....

My daughter and I did the trip with another vendor 5 years ago and had a great experience. We decided to go with this vendor this time because the boat was bigger and we were bringing my husband who gets sea sick. We had an exciting day and literally shot hundreds of pictures of two humpback whales that just performed for over an hour for us. Humpbacks seems like dogs, they seem to recognize people and love to hang around and entertain. We did whale watching in Hawaii but it is so much better in Monterey that it is a must do. My son lives in San Fran and after seeing our pictures he wants to do it. We also saw lots of dolphin and California sea lions. Great day well worth the price.

We saw at least 20-2 whales but the boat ride was EXTREMELY rough! Everyone in my party spent 2/3's of the trip at the back of the boat seasick.

This trip was great. The crew was terrific. I went with my 78 year old mother and 13 year old son. They were hesitant, but my enthusiasm convinced them. When on the water I became very frightened (I'm afraid of everything,) but they were fine. The crew was very reassuring--there really was nothing to be afraid of. They told me how to get the best photos of the whales. Once we spotted them it was tons of fun. We saw humpback whales and common dolphins. My only advice is that you take Dramamine if you get even a little bit motion sick.

Since we are an older group, for us the earlier trip in the morning would have been better. We did have a nice time though. The crew could not have been better. Before we left the owner and employee at the "office" were very friendly and helpful. Upon our return, the owner spoke with us for a few minutes regarding the "Red Hat Society". He would like to contact the "Hatquarters" and set up something for the members to get a discount on the cruises. He was great! We felt very welcome before, during the whole trip and after. THANK YOU! Dear Zerve staff: You were extremely helpful to me. Everything I needed you provided! You are an excellent service. I am looking forward to doing business with you again.

We signed up for the Eco Tour but were told after we drove there that it had been canceled, not due to weather, rather the Marine Biologist was unavailable. We were told we could go on a non-Eco tour, which we did, since two or our family members had come over 2000 miles for this tour. It was okay, but not what we signed up for, so we were disappointed. I feel we should have been notified ahead of time so we could have discussed and decided what to do. Also, there were big surges and lots of seasick passengers. We were told to go to back of the boat if we felt sick. There was no place to sit back there, and nothing to hang on to except the edges. That made for a rather uncomfortable (was freezing cold that day) experience of standing up for 3+ hours hanging on to the edge with people vomiting next to you. At least we saw some whales. Humpbacks. That was nice. I wouldn't do this again any time soon. I've been on other tours that cost about the same and were more accommodating.

1. The trip started after 3:45pm, not the 2:30pm mentioned on the ticket 2. The boat was not the Princess as advertised 3. The trip was slightly shorter than 2 hours 10 minutes, not the 2 and a half hours to 3 hours.

The whale watching tour was a good experience overall. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and interesting to listen to, and she was quick to point out several different species of dolphins, sea otters, albatross, and other sea life. I think our group was slightly disappointed after we left the cruise because we had initially thought that if we located a whale, we were going to see it close up and more frequently. We did see two whales, but only once did we see the recognizable tail fluke emerge. We saw mostly mist from the blowhole and the hump of their back from afar. Everything else on the tour is worth seeing: the views of Monterey Bay, pods of dolphins, sea otters, and unusual birds. I recommend it to the person who goes with an open mind and does not expect whale watching to be the best part of the tour.

A nice ride out to sea and back. We only saw one whale however we did see quite a lot of dolphin. I woudn't reccomend it for people who get motion sickness.

My husband and I really enjoyed the Monterey Whale Excursion. The only criticism I would give is that the boat did not get very close to the whales we saw. It seemed like other boats kept getting in our way.

Had a great time. Got to see Killer Whales, Humback's and more. Highly recommend.

I enjoyed myself, and I know my best friend did as well. The day was perfect, and the guides were extremely knowledgeable...I missed parts of the cruise due to some motion sickness, but I got to see killer whales, dolphins, and humpback whales. All in all it was a great time, and I would recommend this tour to anyone who is interested.

This was our first experience with any type of "watching" experience and it rocked! The gal who "MC'ed" did a fabulous job. She was so informative and excited about what we saw. I learned so much in the short time on the trip. The scerenery was unforgetable and the staff in all areas of this trip were very professional and on top of everything. I would highly recommend this trip to everyone and it was the highlight of our trip! Thanks!

A bit long for the kids on the way out but we got to see killer whales, dolphins and humpbacks so it was really exciting!