Princess Monterey Whale Watching Cruises

Perhaps it was the 100' lenght of the boat, but the Princess Monterey wouldn't get very close to the whales. There were two smaller boats right in the whale pods, which had to be very exciting; we had to watch from a distance. I felt slighted. I understand they wouldn't warn customes that they wouldn't get near the whales, but I'm letting you know so you can make a better choice. We'll make a return trip but it will be on a smaller boat - we'll just take extra Dramamine!

only negative is that I definitely needed the seasickness patch that I was wearing

You will see marine life, that is for sure. We saw whales in their natural habitat, which was really exciting. BUT! If the weather indicates "swells" (waves) of any size, like it did on the day we went out (of 2-6 feet), that can mean a rough ride for 2-3 hours. If you have a weak stomach, or have small children, I would not recommend this tour. It was a once in a lifetime trip for me, and I have no regrets.

I didnt think we would get to see so much, but we did! We even got to see a mother and calf humpback whales. While we were out there we saw about 4-5 whales, but the mother and calf stayed right next to us. On the way in a dolphin passed us by too! Very fun, but cold so wear gloves because your fingers will be freezing.

Seeing the whales were amazing and the wawy ride out there was fantastic. But there were two disappointments: 1. the speakers on the boat were so poor quality (or just worn out) that we couldn't hear anything that the enthusiastic guide were telling. 2. the trip was half an hour shorter than promissed.

Myself and the other 4 members of our party had a wonderful time. Although there were minimal whale sightings, we saw other wildlife and sights. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her job. Would definately go again and recommend to friends.

The Good: Saw humpbacks, common dolphins, sea lions, sea otters The Bad: Printed our Zerve e-tickets, but when we presented them to the crewman, we were made to go back upstairs (which was crowded and narrow) and exchange our "e-tickets" for regular ones. There is NO mention that we had to do this, either on Zerve's website, our "e-tickets", or while waiting at the pier. The crewman gave a half-hearted apology, saying "yeah, that happens a lot". IF IT HAPPENS A LOT, DO SOMETHING TO FIX IT! Had our cruise been filled to capacity, our trip would have been even worse. Beware of this if you buy your tickets here on Zerve. Or better yet, consider one of the other activity providers that have better communication between themselves, their ticket vendors, and their customers. The Ugly: While knowledgeable and affable, our tour guide's routine was rated PG (a couple of sexual double-entendres, i.e. whales "getting some tail) and wasn't appropriate to say in front of young children.

My 14-yr old daughter & I took this trip in June and it was fantastic! I encourage anyone traveling to Monterey to take this trip. Our guide was very knowledgable and personable. We saw dozens of humpback whales, 100s of dolphins, jellies, sea lions, otters, birds, and very few other boats. The captain was great--we were headed back in & saw a few more dolphins, so he turned the boat around & stopped for quite awhile so we could see even more of their antics. It was amazing! Do not miss this trip! p.s. Do NOT rent the binoculars upon check in; they have very little mag power and you can actually see everything better without them. Save yourself $5! It did get VERY cold & windy, despite the end of June, middle of the day, so bring warm jackets too. We had a blast!

The cruise was all that I had hoped for. We enjoyed it very much.

1. Read the whale-watching tour brochure: sunscreen, sunglasses, a cap are all recommended. 2. Even if you're good on boats, a motion-sickness pill or two might help: my wife and I took the afternoon tour on the 100-foot Princess, and the seas got to three of our touring party. 3. Photographers: you have to be on the lookout and a zoom lens is highly recommended. On our tour, the best we could see were blowhole exhalations and one or two whale tails.

I took this trip with my 2 sons, plus my oldest son's girlfriend. He has a BS in wildlife biology, and he found the experience very interesting. We saw quite a few humpback whales, an albatross, a jellyfish, and numerous seals. The biologist who explained everything was very nice and enthusiastic, We had great weather, but it does get pretty choppy even on the calmest days, so be prepared!

We went out in the a.m. because that is supposedly a better time to see the whales and the water is not so rough. Our guide talked bout the different animals we could expect to see and what to look for. We had to go way out and didnt really get that close to the whales. Did manage to see some tad bit closer but not as close as the other boats were getting to the whales. The other boats probably had much better pictures than we did. We only saw a few whales and didnt get to see any dolphins or Sea Otters an only couple seals way off from the boat. I would definitely not go back on this cruise. The lady didnt speak to us very much about what we were seeing or really educate us very much. She was very enthusiastic and very knowledgeable and she did tell us some stuff. I would not go on this cruise again.

I was very impressed with the enthusiasm of our guide who kept the entire group very engaged. To see the Humpbacks as close as we did, exceeded my expectations!!

I treated my step-daughter and her husband to a special adventure. Our whale-watching trip provided lots of action and excitement. Whales, dolphins and birds on all sides! Plus an enthusiastic naturalist guide and boat caption pointing out the varied sea life all around us made the trip memorable. The wind, the waves, the sea air and the sea animals--everything was great!!

I saw a lot of whales on my trip on June 17th, 2008. The main negative was that I got seasick in spite of the dramamine I took (only one pill though). I suppose that was my fault for starting out near the front. I didn't mean to start up there first thing, but I followed some relatives up there. It's a bit difficult to get cameras out and keep one's balance at the front! It was hilarious how I got knocked about. I did get some photos, and one of my photos was pretty close up. The lady telling us about the sea life was very enthusiastic, and the man who seems to do all of the odd jobs was very kind when I was seasick feeling. I hung out towards the back at some point, and then ended up seeing more whale action! The weather was terrific, but watch out for burning!