Princess Monterey Whale Watching Cruises

Explanations of what we were seeing were very good. All personal were polite and helpful.

We saw about 4 Blue Whales fairly close and about 10 Humpbacks really close. The humpbacks put on quite a show for our boat and so did the 3 types of dolphin we were fortunate to see.

the trip on a Tuesday 9am- weather was great, overcast 65 Degrees, calm water - saw Blue and Humpbacks, also dolphins staff well informed and stayed with the action while it happened 1 small complaint- the 75 foot boat had too many passengers, not everyone could get to the rail on the side the whales were on. overall a very good trip.

It was a great trip, but the duration was a little less than exected. We left late and arrived early, i would have liked longer stops where the whales were. But we got to see humpback whales and blue whales which was fantastic.

me, my mom and my grand-daughter all had a great day of whale watching. Even with the not smooth seas we observed many sea mammals and bird life that day.

Trip got off to a 20 minute late start. There were 138 ticketed passengers and it seemed like the tour operators were stalling to fill the boat to its 150 passenger limit. The boat felt extremely crowded. While the blue whales were the spectacle people had come to view, the tour leader gave a 5 minute introduction to sea turtles, urging us to look for them because she was involved with research on them. The trip was advertised to last 2.5 hours but only lasted 2 hours and ten minutes. The most annoying part of the trip was when a whale was sighted on the starboard, the boat always made a turn to accomodate the passengers on the left side, leaving the starboard passengers scratching their heads as to why they always had to run to the left side of the boat to see anything. Also, the tone of the tour spoiled by the amusement park enthusiasm of the tour leader. I recommend trying the smaller companies on the wharf for a less "Disneyland-type" promotion of our planet's natural wonders.

Whale watching was something I've always wanted to do... but never got around to it. I read about this month's (July) high whale feeding activity and decided to go. "Spur of the moment." Canceled appointments.. work can wait... got someone to let the dog out.. and off my sister and I went. It was a wonderful experience. I can truly say the people on our cruise were in awe when the first humpback flipped it's tail in the air as it dove to feed. Watching them blow.. seeing the water "swell" as they came to the surface.. Our whale count was about eight. No, they were not close.. but close enough to appreciate their size and power. Mother Nature at her best. Princess Monterey crew were friendly, helpful, and fun. Definite A-plus. What was really great... there were other whale cruises out the same time we were. Each boat/ship (?) were in contact with each other about whale sitings. At one point there were four cruises in a wide semi-circle enjoying the blue whales. From observations... when you go.... remember... it's the PACIFIC OCEAN, not Sea World. The whales are not trained to answer to a whistle. They own this part of the world and do whatever they want. Dress in layers... Bring snacks... but nothing smelly. Would rather inhale the fresh ocean air than smell popcorn. Binoculars would be good. Come light. If possible, leave backpacks, purses, etc. at the hotel or car... less you carry, the easier it is to go from one side to the other to watch the "fishies". Give yourself plenty of time to get to the pier. Am sure you will enjoy the cruise...

We had a great time! It was awe inspiring to know we were in the same vicinity as so many whales. Thanks for a great time!

We reserved our tickets in the morning, and by 1:00 in the afternoon we were all set to take our whale-watching cruise. As insurance (and because I've gotten very seasick before) I took medication called Travel Time - it's available at the gift shop where we picked up our tickets. It turned out I didn't really need it because the water was pretty calm, but I was glad of it anyway (and it didn't put me to sleep like Dramamine did) - Anyway, we saw so many whales! It was wonderful. We saw 4 humpbacks, several porpoises, and 2 blue whales. We also saw albatross and other interesting water birds. Our biologist, Katherine, was really funny and very knowledgable. I brought my 8-year old daughter and she loved it, too.

The only thing I could object to is that we did leave about 20 minutes later than scheduled, but we were back on time. That means we were 20 minutes short for whale watching! Too bad.

As a whale-watching enthusiast who has been on whale-watching tours in California and Alaska several times, I strongly recommend you book with a different company. My main complaint is that the tour was supposed to be 2-1/2 hours long but we were not even allowed to board the boat until 15-20 after our departure time. When I book a tour that starts at 1:30, my expectation is that we will be leaving the dock at 1:30. On this day, we were just clearing the breakwater of the marina at 2:00. Moneterey Bay is huge, and it took about 30 minutes of travel time to reach the area where whales were being spotted. That's pretty normal and I expected that amount of travel time. But since we left 1/2 hour late plus 1/2 hour travel time out and 1/2 hour travel time back, that left only 1 hour for actual whale watching. We only saw 4 whales, only 2 of those at a short distance, despite the fact that other companies and the local news media had reported seeing numbers of whales in the teens and twenties and even higher, and I could see multiple blows at some distance away. I believe this was, at least in part ,due to the short trip time. My other complaint is the attitude of the staff in the tour company office when I went in to discuss the trip with them and the fact that I felt I had definitely not received my money's worth, especially since this tour was more expensive than others of the same or longer duration. They were not apologetic in any way and the man became rather surly. It was quite apparent they didn't care about their customer at all. Next time I will book with Monterey Bay Whale Watch, a company I have had very good luck with in the past. They were unfortunately all booked up this day, which is why I booked with Princess Moneterey instead. A mistake I will never repeat!

The cruise was great in every way - from ease of getting tickets on line, to friendly knowledgeable staff on board. The boat was very comfortable & I didn't get sick (like I did on another boat from Half Moon Bay) We saw tons of whales! It was breathtaking, amazing & an experience I will always remember. I've already recommended Princess Monterey Whale Watching to all my friends. Can't wait to go again! My only suggestions is that the instructions about parking could be more clear: let people know that they can park in a nearby lot (about 3 blocks) for $7 a day or choose closer to wharf for $15 a day. The trip was totally worth every penny!! Thanks!

We had a very nice time on the trip. The only negative was there were too many people on the ship.

I would highly recommend this tour. The naturalist was enthusiastic and had so much information while at the same time being quite funny. The captain did a great job piloting the boat around the whales to give them space but at the same time allowing the passengers to get a good look. There was also a respect for other tour boats out there. All of the tour boats communicated well and did not crowd each other.

We were in the area from Palm Springs for a wedding, and happened to read July 25, San Fran Chronicle cover story about a rare krill bloom that came up from the deep shelf out in the Monterey Bay that attracted whales from far and near. Seeing humpbacks AND bluewhales was beyond our expectations. I videoed instead of trying to get a lucky shot. I have been practicing doing video on my little digital camera, zooming in AND OUT when I needed to find the subjects again. I got at least half a dozen fluke shots and many blows and surfacings. It was, wow, terrific and the tour leader was enthusiastic and professional, and the crew well-managed. I felt very safe and I'd use the Princess again.