| Rating |
Date Attended [v] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
|
Unbelievable arrogance
|
| Sun, Feb 18, 07 10:00 AM |
kbailey62 |
Male |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| I thought the "jokes" the naturalist said were inexcusable. To say that she will just make up stuff if she doesn't know the answer is not acceptable. She only talked 2 times for 10 minutes each the whole trip and was never on the lower deck interacting with customers like she should have been.
The entire trip was a farce. It was only done for the all mighty dollar. The 12 foot swells were huge and it was irresponsible to take people out with the swells we were in. The trip should have been cancelled. I saw more wildlife walking around the piers and harbor for 2 hours than I did on the boat.
The crew was lazy and worthless. One guy stood in the food ally eating popcorn for 1/2 the trip. The guy that went on both the AM and PM trips was no better just hanging out in the galley.
I had to go tell them that people were barffing all over the inside and the only response I got was we can't do anything about it. After I demanded it be cleaned up, it was mopped up with paper towels. There were people barfing on the side of the boat and with the right wind it could have gone right in the face of other guests. You need a crew that is actively talking with and interacting with the customers. This never happened. People need to be told to go to the back of the boat. Instead you have people barfing over the rail then going inside to barf again!!
And then, of the 2 1/2 hour trip we spent over 45 minutes sitting in the harbor - not looking for whales. The trip should have been cancelled but instead it was a harbor cruise/sit for 1/2 the time. And to go pick up crew on the 2nd boat is not something we should have to do. The people on that 2nd boat got less time on the water than we did since we had to drop off the crew to get the boat and then pick up the crew after they dropped off the customers.
I have been on boats my entire life and this was the worse trip I have ever been on and would never recommed it to anyone. |
|
|
Pay full Price for NO Whales
|
| Sun, Feb 18, 07 10:00 AM |
frankriv |
Male |
30-39 |
Local |
Family With Children |
| I thought it was ridiculous to have paid over $25 for a whale watching excursion and not see any whales, any dolphins and just sea otters/lions. You pay that much for 2 hours with the hope/expectation to see whales. It would have been nice to get 50% refund or a portion- but instead just were told "Please come back again."
I would not recommend this trip to anyone, it was a waste of an afternoon.
|
|
Wonderful
|
| Sun, Feb 18, 07 10:00 AM |
PamelaLopez |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| We had a great time. Even though the wind was blowing and the water choppy it was still a great day. Look forward to doing it again soon. |
|
|
Horrible
|
| Sun, Feb 18, 07 10:00 AM |
Heidikens |
Female |
20-29 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| I thought that our tour was absolutely horrible. The water was extremely "choppy" at the time, so it seemed like over half the people were on the back of the boat throwing up. All of the other tours for the day were cancelled, not just by this company but by all the others on the Fisherman's Wharf. Yet, our boat was like the "hey lets give it a try" boat, which was a WRONG thing to do to people. We didn't see ONE whale, not one. All that we saw were some sea lions and even those were few and far between. Our trip was so horrible that we had to ask for a rain check (not that I would use it, but hell they didn't allow any refunds so I might as well take a rain check and give it to someone else that's willing to give them a try). I however, will never go whale watching again, especially on the "Princess Monterey". |
|
Wonderful day!
|
| Sat, Feb 17, 07 1:00 PM |
Lbenett |
Female |
50-59 |
Local |
Group of Friends |
| Great - Katherine was very entertaining and knowledgeable. |
|
Mixed Review
|
| Sat, Feb 17, 07 1:00 PM |
moelwany |
Male |
30-39 |
Local |
Family Without Children |
| Plus:
view of the Monterey coast and time on the water
Minus:
did not see any whales up-close; boat overcrowded; marine biologist spoke non-stop on the loudspeaker for most of the trip; crew did not provide instructions on remediating sea sickness |
|
|
believer
|
| Sat, Feb 17, 07 1:00 PM |
BELLIND |
Female |
40-49 |
Local |
Family Without Children |
| I have always wanted to go on a whale watching tour but was always told to be careful because most tours will scam you. They take you out and when no one is really paying attention they yell out " wow did you see it" and of course no one did, so they say its time to head back in. I was very skeptical about going but decided to treat myself. It was the best thing ever. We actually saw three whales, which isnt alot. but they surfaced alot so we got to see quite abit of them. The hostess was great and kept a running commentary the entire time. I would really recommend that if anyone wanted to do this, to go ahead. |
|
|
Enjoyable
|
| Sat, Feb 17, 07 1:00 PM |
classiter |
Female |
40-49 |
Combination |
Family With Children |
| The whale watching tour as a whole was enjoyable, and worth the price. Our narrator was very enthusiastic as well as informative and knowledgeable. We were able to see several sightings of gray whales (blowing water spouts, flapping tails, and diving). With binoculars, you could see lots of details on the whales. The one downfall of the activity was the whales congregated close to the shoreline. For those persons on the other side of the ship, visibility may have been difficult because everyone was crowded on one side of the ship. The younger children (3-5 year old) became bored if they were not on the side that the whales were on. However, my 10 year old would recommend this tour to her friends.
For those who just enjoy being out on the water, the cruise was beautiful and relaxing. Overall, everyone on our tour seemed pleased. |
|
|
cool
|
| Sat, Feb 17, 07 10:00 AM |
josephemmons |
Male |
30-39 |
Local |
Couple on a Date |
| eat first take water |
|
|
Wonderful experience!
|
| Fri, Feb 16, 07 1:00 PM |
TahoeTeddy |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Other |
| I thoroughly enjoyed this company's whale watching tour and their restaurant "Old Fisherman's Grotto". All of the staff (especially Chris) were very kind, gave exceptional treatment, and were especially helpful with my elderly father (89). I had been emailing the owner, Benji Shake, and found him to be a very kind and thoughtful man. He and his helper, Dave, gave exceptional treatment to my Dad. Unfortunately, on the day we went, the whales were too far out to get any closeup pics but we did see several in the distance. They did make several attempts to get as close as they could. After looking at the other whale watching services from the pier and out on the water, this company seems to have the best of the lot. The crew were constantly checking on the customers, making sure everything was in order, and even cleaning up everything (one women got seasick). When the whales were on the other side from where my father was, Chris asked the captain to turn the boat around so my father could see. I thought that was above and beyond the call of duty. Chris helped him down the steps and onto the boat and did the same on the return. The marine biologist on board was very helpful and informative. I would definitely recommend this company to any other customers and also to dine at the "Old Fisherman's Grotto". Their macadamia nut halibut plate is scrumptious! Tell Benji at the boat Cheryl sent you! |
