| Rating |
Date Attended [v] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
|
Great cruise on the bay! The rest is a bonus.
|
| Thu, Jul 23, 09 10:00 AM |
kawith |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| As a biologist, I was especially keen on taking this whale-watching cruise during our recent trip to Monterey in the hopes of seeing cetaceans (whales, dolphins) and pelagic birds, which cannot ordinarily be seen from shore. I chose this cruise based on the posted reviews. First the positives: the cruise out was fast and fun, if you don't mind choppy waters, which unfortunately about a quarter to a third of the people on the boat apparently did (*URP!*). We did see one humpback whale, which we followed for some distance, but at quite a distance so the view was not all that great. We also encountered a mixed-species pod of dolphins on the way back, which were lively but alas too quick to capture well on camera! Now for the negatives: the boat was much too crowded. The 9am cruise had been cancelled and we were rebooked on the 10am cruise.....I suspect because there were not enough people on the 9am cruise to make it profitable. Once the whale was spotted (off to one side of the boat), it was difficult for everyone to crowd around the railing to get a good view and take pictures. An observation: many people were not dressed appropriately (keep in mind that it is COLD and WINDY out on the open water....so don't wear shorts and sandals for goodness sakes!!) and had not prepared in advance for the possibility of seasickness...it was extremely unpleasant to dodge (and smell!) all the heaving people (and utterly unnecessary as much of their misery could probably have been prevented....take DRAMAMINE!). Lastly, I was disappointed in the narrative....granted, I'm a biologist, but our naturalist guide gave only a few brief presentations over the loudspeaker, which were hard to hear over the roar of the engine. She did finally come down and show a few people pictures of the cetaceans and some baleen, but I had been hoping for a bit more content and interaction, especially given some of the other reviews (which were probably with a different guide and maybe on the other boat). In summary, it was an enjoyable experience, although not exactly the intense ecological encounter I was hoping for, but I would definitely do it again. It really does give you such a different view of the bay and you just never know what you might see! |
|
fun boat ride, no wildlife
|
| Sun, Jul 19, 09 1:30 PM |
lafing1 |
Female |
30-39 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| The 3 hour boat ride was fun, although very cold and wet. It is exhilarating to be out on the water, especially when the boat is moving fast. We did not see any whales and had only one brief glimpse of dolphins on the way back to the dock. Many of the passengers were sea sick, which is not attractive to watch, and there were no restrooms on the boat. All in all, if you come prepared (hat, gloves and a warm, water resistant jacket, take your sea-sickness medicine and make sure to use the restroom before boarding) it is a lot of fun. |
|
|
Good cruise...
|
| Sun, Jul 19, 09 10:00 AM |
jmgarvin |
Male |
30-39 |
Local |
Family Without Children |
| The only problem was there wasn't a speaking inside the cabin. It was a little too chilly to stay outside while we were in transit, so it wasn't possible to hear the narration for the tour.
Other than that it was fantastic. We even turned around to get a nice view of some dolphins, which was totally unexpected!
The narration, when we could hear it, was top notch, and we had a blast. I would highly suggest that everyone that wants to learn about marine life and see some of it, take the tour. |
|
great tour
|
| Sat, Jul 18, 09 4:30 PM |
Maddin66 |
Male |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| I have been with the same whale watching boat in the past 3 years on about 5 trips and every time we saw some whales and dolphins, had great fun and were never disappointed... |
|
|
Fantastic
|
| Sat, Jul 18, 09 10:00 AM |
ClaudetteLee |
Female |
60-69 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| My grandson and I really had a great time on the whale watching tour. We saw two large whales and a baby. The tour guide was knowleagable and she made sure that we had the opportunity to see the whales as close up as possible.
We were so excited! I would go again. |
|
|
Our guide was hilarious and very knowledgeable
|
| Sat, Jul 18, 09 10:00 AM |
ghwallace |
Male |
60-69 |
Local |
Group of Friends |
| The vessel was quite stable and comfortable. We saw lots of whales and our guide, Catherine (?), was very informed about cetaceans, their diets, habitat and habits. I believe she is a graduate student in marine biology student. Equally important was the fact that she was absolutely hilarious.
Our friend from Oklahoma described this trip as "a terrific experience!" We agree. My wife and I have been on other whale-watching trips and this was the best. |
|
|
The crew was great
|
| Fri, Jul 17, 09 1:30 PM |
donna90604 |
Male |
40-49 |
Local |
Family Without Children |
| Most of our group got seasick, and the crew members were thoughtful and a lot of help. Beside that it was great fun. We did not see any whales but we did see lots of otters and dolphins. |
|
|
Interesting, but didn't see any whales
|
| Fri, Jul 17, 09 1:30 PM |
sue48114 |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| We did not see any whales on our tour. We did see sea lions, lots of birds and some dolphins. Staff was very informative about the various types of creatures.
Heed the warning about the temp difference on the water! It was COLD when we went out. We were okay, but many people had shorts and t shirts on and they froze for 2.5 hours. |
|
|
good time
|
| Thu, Jul 16, 09 10:00 AM |
loprou |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| I didn't know what to expect, but it was enjoyable. Lots of good info from leader. We saw humpbacks and dolphins, but nothing extraordinary. It was my first whale watch, despite being from the East coast. We all enjoyed it. |
|
|
met expectations
|
| Wed, Jul 15, 09 10:00 AM |
timmija0 |
Male |
50-59 |
International Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| I was very imperssed that wesaw whales so quickly |
