Princess Monterey Whale Watching Cruises

We enjoyed our whale-watching tour on the Pacific Explorer. We got to see otters, sea lions, some awesome humpback whales, and Rizzo's dolphins. The deckhand was very kind as I got sick on the cruise. I would recommend the ginger drops to help alleviate motion sickness while on the boat. Overall, we had a good time.

We missed the opportunity for whale watching while in Alaska two years ago and it was the only disappointment of that wonderful trip. We had the chance to correct that problem while in Monterey and were very pleased with the tour provided. The educational aspect was more than expected in that the Marine Biologist was not only knowledgable but wonderfully interactive. We would take this Whale Watching Cruise again.

The sea was rough, air was cold, but finally saw whales, dolphins, and lots and lots of sea lions. Many people got sick on our trip, we took Dramamine and just felt kinda bad (just two of us). I guess they could have warned us of the huge swells and maybe some people would not have gone, but having said that, we still would have gone out. My teenage girls had the time of their lives. They loved the swells .It was like we were on a rollercoaster. We all loved seeing whales and the dolphins riding the waves at the bow. If we had taken the shorter tour we wouldn't have seen whales, but 5 hours was long when your teeth are chattering. Wear lots of layers if the temps are in the 50s.

A great experience that I would do again in a heartbeat. I prepared for the seas by taking seasickness medication the night before the trip and in the morning an hour ahead of our departure. The captain referred to our seas as "challenging" but I felt fine as did my husband who is a more seasoned fisherman of Florida seas. The whale experience was exciting. From the Pacific white-sided, and northern right whale dolphins playing in our vessel's wake and wanting to share our day, to the sound of the humpback whales surfacing for air, these memories will stay with me forever.

My husband and I were not dissapointed. The crew was professional and went the extra mile (litterally) to make sure we saw whales, dolphins, otters and other wildlife. It was worth every penny and we would do it again.

My wife and I took our two Grandkids, we all loved it and saw alot of Whales.One came right up to the boat and swam under it to the other side.We will remember the trip for the rest of our lives.

Perhaps it was the 100' lenght of the boat, but the Princess Monterey wouldn't get very close to the whales. There were two smaller boats right in the whale pods, which had to be very exciting; we had to watch from a distance. I felt slighted. I understand they wouldn't warn customes that they wouldn't get near the whales, but I'm letting you know so you can make a better choice. We'll make a return trip but it will be on a smaller boat - we'll just take extra Dramamine!

only negative is that I definitely needed the seasickness patch that I was wearing

You will see marine life, that is for sure. We saw whales in their natural habitat, which was really exciting. BUT! If the weather indicates "swells" (waves) of any size, like it did on the day we went out (of 2-6 feet), that can mean a rough ride for 2-3 hours. If you have a weak stomach, or have small children, I would not recommend this tour. It was a once in a lifetime trip for me, and I have no regrets.

I didnt think we would get to see so much, but we did! We even got to see a mother and calf humpback whales. While we were out there we saw about 4-5 whales, but the mother and calf stayed right next to us. On the way in a dolphin passed us by too! Very fun, but cold so wear gloves because your fingers will be freezing.

Seeing the whales were amazing and the wawy ride out there was fantastic. But there were two disappointments: 1. the speakers on the boat were so poor quality (or just worn out) that we couldn't hear anything that the enthusiastic guide were telling. 2. the trip was half an hour shorter than promissed.

Myself and the other 4 members of our party had a wonderful time. Although there were minimal whale sightings, we saw other wildlife and sights. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her job. Would definately go again and recommend to friends.

The Good: Saw humpbacks, common dolphins, sea lions, sea otters The Bad: Printed our Zerve e-tickets, but when we presented them to the crewman, we were made to go back upstairs (which was crowded and narrow) and exchange our "e-tickets" for regular ones. There is NO mention that we had to do this, either on Zerve's website, our "e-tickets", or while waiting at the pier. The crewman gave a half-hearted apology, saying "yeah, that happens a lot". IF IT HAPPENS A LOT, DO SOMETHING TO FIX IT! Had our cruise been filled to capacity, our trip would have been even worse. Beware of this if you buy your tickets here on Zerve. Or better yet, consider one of the other activity providers that have better communication between themselves, their ticket vendors, and their customers. The Ugly: While knowledgeable and affable, our tour guide's routine was rated PG (a couple of sexual double-entendres, i.e. whales "getting some tail) and wasn't appropriate to say in front of young children.

My 14-yr old daughter & I took this trip in June and it was fantastic! I encourage anyone traveling to Monterey to take this trip. Our guide was very knowledgable and personable. We saw dozens of humpback whales, 100s of dolphins, jellies, sea lions, otters, birds, and very few other boats. The captain was great--we were headed back in & saw a few more dolphins, so he turned the boat around & stopped for quite awhile so we could see even more of their antics. It was amazing! Do not miss this trip! p.s. Do NOT rent the binoculars upon check in; they have very little mag power and you can actually see everything better without them. Save yourself $5! It did get VERY cold & windy, despite the end of June, middle of the day, so bring warm jackets too. We had a blast!

The cruise was all that I had hoped for. We enjoyed it very much.