Princess Monterey Whale Watching Cruises

This trip was great! We saw so many whales that it was unbelievable. I had no idea what to expect, but this way exceeded anything I imagined. The whales are such beautiful, graceful animals. I was surprised that they stayed on the surface so long, they seemed to enjoy their audience as much as we enjoyed seeing them. I would highly recommend this tour.

This was my first time whale watching, so I was quite excited. Hours before, my girlfriend and I had just visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium to prepare us for the main course. We arrived a bit late to the show, but did not have a problem getting our tickets and joining the crowd for some safety tips. The boat was spacious and clean, which was a plus. Both of us took the maximum dosage of dramamine, so the ride out to sea wasn't a problem. Prior to the trip, I had read reviews urging future passengers to sit on the RIGHT side of the boat. Apparently, everyone was aware and immediately filled up those seats. We spent about an hour and a half looking at blue and humpback whales. The great part of the experience was just seeing so many whales. I was shocked as to how many of them were out there, considering that 4 other whale watching boats were touring the area. Oddly enough, though, it seemed as if we were the only boat keeping our distance. Some of the smaller ones probably got within 50 yards of the whales. My major gripe has to be with the decision to position the boat to favor the right side. I can't imagine that it would be too difficult to give equal treatment to the left and right. It was a bit disappointing in these regards. Overall, I would hesitantly recommend this company. If I were to go whale watching again, I would consider one of the other vessels that got much closer to the whales. The experience was definitely positive, but it just made me jealous watching other tourists getting the opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with such magnificent creatures.

Amazing experience. Loved it!

Great experience! Saw a lot of Humpback and Blue Whales! The guide was very interesting and informative! I want to go again next year!

It was interesting hearing information about all the sealife in Monterey Bay, and seeing whales breech and dive. However, we were so far from the whales that all we could see were parts of their bodies when they were out of the water, and their flukes (tails), when they dove. It wasn't all that exciting.

This was my third whale watching attempt but my first when I actually saw whales. The staff were well organized, quiet and calm, except for the naturalist, whose job it was to be excited. We saw about 16 whales altogether, 4 blues and the rest humpbacks. I really want to complement the thorough information on the company's website, which covered what we should wear, what we should bring, availability of parking, and even included a suggestion that we bring our own snack (though they sell some) and check the marine weather forecast (with a link to the page) if we are concerned about the size of the waves! My 15 year old French guest was thrilled with the experience. I would like to ask them (and maybe I will) whether they have video of the trip available for purchase, because it was a bit difficult to take photos or video and watch for the whales at the same time. I would go with this company again.

I loved this trip and would have given it 5 stars if it wasn't so crowded. Just 20 less people and it would have been more accessible. The guide was great! She knew so much and was simply put, a kick in the pants and the rest of the crew were so kind.

Very impressive to actually see al those whales, we hadn't expected this kind of excitement at all. Thanks for your enthousiastic support! Jan Roelofs

The whale watching was great. The weather was perfect. Our hostess was very, very knowledgable about the whales and their habitat. She was very enthusiastic. The only problem is that it was hard to understand her narrative. The sound seemed to be muffled. The trip was worth the money spent. Some trips were higher maybe because they stayed out longer. There was enough time to see a lot of whales. I would go again.

We enjoyed our trip to the whales immensely. The captain and guide on the boat were very helpful and really interested in the animals and the possibilities to watch them. We saw about 20 whales: such gracious and beautiful animals, much respected by all people on board. Every one was deeply impressed, and so was the guide, apparently.

This was my first whale watching cruise. Initially I was hesitant to sign up because (1) TV spoils us with such great images and (2) such trips often fall short of their publicity. After hearing several enthusiastic personal reviews, I gave it a chance. It was great! We saw humpback and blue whales and whale poop (it was red!) and even got to smell "stinky whale breath" (words of the naturalist guide). What a hoot--I'm ready to go again.

Perfect weather, lots of whales, good narative by naturalist, clean boat, can't ask for anything better.

What can I say but that this was a fantastic trip! This boat is smaller than the Princess Monterey with less people on board making it so much easier to see the whales. We were able to watch the humpback whale calf frolicking in the bay, rolling and doing fin slap after fin slap. I was able to get so many wonderful pictures! The waters were calm and the weather was fabulous. It was an all around excellent day! I would highly recommend Princess Monterey Whale Watching. The boats are clean, the crew is wonderful, the marine biologists on board are very enthusiastic. I have taken several whale watching cruises with this company and the sights I've seen from each and every one of them will be with me for a long, long time. Seeing these magnificent creatures up close and personally is a very humbling yet energizing experience! Job well done, guys! You deserve ten stars!

Just a great experience all around. We felt that our dogs were too big to bring, but we love that you allow dogs.

We took our 2 children ages 13 and 10 and we all thought it was a great experience. We saw several whales that would jump in the air, blow out their blow hole, slap their tail and come up to the surface showing their backs and middle fin. We saw a couple humpbacks and blue whales. We also so dolphins that where swimming in a pack. We kinda thought the whales might be closer but I guess the boat has to be a 100 yards away from the whales unless they get closer to the boat on their own. Everyone on the boat was very respectfull of each other so everyone was able to see the whales. The staff on the boat were all very energetic, helpful and knowledgable about the whales. I learned a lot about marine life and the whales. We all took dramamine before getting on the boat and we all felt fine when the boat was moving but once we stopped to watch the whales we all got a little motion sickness especially the kids so keep that in mind. Overall we really enjoyed the whole experience and would recommend it!!!