Princess Monterey Whale Watching Cruises

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!

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 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.

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.

We arrived and were greeted very pleasantly. We were offered coffee/tea/hot chocolate and a muffin included in the price. The captain was very friendly and had lots of information on the whales/dolphins/sea lions we saw. He explained all the safety features and told us how to move around safely on the boat. I personally thought I would be a little seasick, but he told us how to avoid becoming ill. We saw about 20 whales and a couple pods of dolphins. It was an AWESOME day trip and I would highly recommend Monterey Whale Watching to anyone looking for a great day cruise!

Although I wish I had seen more whales, I really enjoyed the boat ride. You really cant lose because it is so beautiful out there. I do recommend going on a day with little wind. You are able to notice a whale easier end it's better for people who get sea sick.

I really enjoyed the trip. The Captain took us right out to where the whales were and always slowed down so we could get some good photos. I also was glad that we had a Marine Biologist on board who could tell us a lot about the whales and answer questions. It was just myself and a friend. We have both been on other whale watching tours and I thought this was one of the best. fair price, enjoyable trip.