Princess Monterey Whale Watching Cruises

We had a great time and the crew was amazing! Wear gloves though!!

I was very worried that both my 5 year old and I would get very sea sick but with just one tiny pill for me and half for my son and the fact that we were on the biggest boat available helped. It was a completely full tour but everyone was still able to move around the boat and watch the whales no matter on what side they were. On my tour we got to see mostly Humpbacks but we were also able to get a glance of dolphins and a tiny bit of a blue whale.

We loved this trip. We are a family with 3 children, ages 13-16, and had spent the previous day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The whale watching cruise was an excellent way to consolidate some of what we learned there. The boat was clean, and, unlike other whale watching tours I've been on, they didn't book too many passengers. We were all able to find a place at the rail, and those who chose to sit could still see. And the captain thoughtfully turned the boat so that those without sea legs could see all the whales without having to move from one side to the other. The crew was cheerful, helpful and informative. In addition to the captain's commentary, the other two crew members walked the decks answering questions and making sure everyone was comfortable. It's hard to miss all the sea life in Monterey Bay, but identifying what you see isn't always easy. They showed us how to tell a porpoise from a sea lion "porpoising" (we saw both), pointed out that the large gulls were actually albatross, and named the countless jellyfish floating by. All in all, a highly recommended outing. We booked the shorter tour- 2-1/2 hrs - because the longer one was full, but in the end, we were happy. Even though the sea was fairly calm, and our children are fairly robust, we were all getting queasy by the end. A note to families with young or sensitive children: the seasickness medicine needs to be taken *before* you get on the boat!

Enjoyed the trip very much, the whales came right up to the boat!!! I would recommend this trip to everyone!!!

We took the 9am tour. it took us about 45 minutes to get out. The captain got close to two humpbacks that were feeding and rolling around. The whales didn't seemed bothered by us being there. We hung out with them for 20-25 minutes. In fact there were two smaller boat near us that the whales decided to check out. I got some great photos. If you have never been on a boat before or are prone to sea sickness, take dramamine (less drowsy formula)! Take it 1 hour before you leave (once you are seasick it does not work). Why to you want to pay money and then get potentially sick. The day we went was a little windy and choppy and several people were puking off the back of the deck. Not me. Why? Because I took my dramamine. We got back at noon and had a nice lunch.

boat was great, employees were great

People naturally move all around the boat to catch the whales as they move. The boat holds a lot of people so we had to jockey for positions and sometimes could not see.

I have to admit that at first I was skeptical that we would actually see whales. I figured perhaps some seals, otters, and a few other critters but was not to sure whales would actually be seen. To my surprise we first came upon 2 blue whales. I was ecstatic! The guide explained they are the largest whales in the world and it was super exciting to see them in the distance. Next we switched directions in search of Humpback whales. And we ended up in a location with 20+ whales surrounding the boat including baby whales. One whale came completely out of the water and did a flip very close by and it was incredible. After about an hour of this I was completely satisfied w/my whale experience and again my expectations were exceeded. Seeing whales that close was breath taking. I would definitely recommend this trip! The female guide was very energetic and had a great sense of humor. LOVED IT!!

The on board team were excellent. The expert very informative, although could not always hear everything that was being said. Fantastic location. The anticipation of seeing whales was overwhelming and the chase to glimpse them surfacing was amazing.

Everyone should have a whale encounter in their completed "bucket list" and Princess Monterey is a great way to check it off your list. The boat is clean, with plenty of viewing spots and friendly staff. My trip saw two blue whales and three humpbacks, with multiple dives and surfacing--tales and splashes. We got multiple views and plenty of photo opportunities. Though not mating behaviors (full breach out of the water), we got behavior even the staff had never seen before--a full sideways sweep of the tale, with a long, spray splash. It was spectacular. AND... yes, there's more... a little humpback vocalization. I know you can't give all the credit to the tour company, but they clearly knew were to go to find the whales and were great spotters. They knew when to move on, so we had the chance to see more than one kind of whale--we could have hung out with the blues the entire time... Everyone--from the guy in their little pier, check-in "shack" to the crew and knowledgeable guide--were terrific!

Our trip was at 10:00 am. The marine biologist came out full of pep, enthusiasm and information . . . A lot more than I had. She gave us a lot of helpful information even before we got on board. The water was exceptionally calm. We saw a lot of humpbacks and a few blues. None came really close to the boat. We also saw blue, orange and egg yolk jellies. The marine biologist spoke almost the whole time giving us pertinent information. The trip was very enjoyable. We enjoyed it so much that we decided to go again two days later before returning home to Kansas. The second time we went the marine biologist wasn't nearly as informative, but since we had already been with the other one, we knew what to expect. This time the boat was sold out. The seas were rough, but everyone seemed to take it relatively well. We saw sea lions, an albatross, as well as humpbacks. We saw fewer humpbacks, but one came right up to the boat and hung around for quite awhile. It was an exhilarating experience. We enjoyed both trips, which ended up being quite different. Would definitely recommend this company if you want to see whales but get motion sickness easily, as the Princess boat is the largest whalewatching boat available. I took Dramamine and sucked on Ginger lozenges we bought on the boat and didn't have any trouble. Be sure to bring lots of layers. It gets cold. I wore gloves on the second outing, as it was colder than the first.

The trip was great, and especially because of Katherine, the marine biologist onboard. She was so enthusiastic, and provided lots of intersting information about the wildlife we saw.

Trip was good and we saw a few whales. My only complaint was the annoying commentating that went on for the entire boat ride and the group of Asians that kept running to the back of the boat to throw up. My suggestion would be to cut the commentary back since it was hard to even understand what was being said over the sound of the engine.

We were thrilled to see two blue whales and a humpback mother and her calf. The humpbacks were watched for at least ten minutes as they rolled, showed their tails and dove and we were close enough that everyone could see them.

The trip was delayed a little bit but the Princess Monterrey kept us well informed. They gave us a good narration. Although I wish they had a microphone as we had to get very close to listen due to lot of noises around. They did not waste time and picked up speed right away to take us to where the whales could be seen. They tried their best to ensure we see one. At the third place we stopped, we saw around 8-9 of them and couple of them even jumped and turned for us. It was an awesome sight. Even the narrator said we were lucky as this is indeed rare to see these whales so excited. The ride was choppy and my son got sick, but I would still recommend it. We took the 12 pm trip. May be the morning trip would have been calmer. Highly recommend princess monterrey as their vessel is one of the largest in the bay and they have heated cabin, restrooms and snack bar. With a rough sea like that smaller vessels would have made one even sicker. Meena Bala, hayward