Princess Monterey Whale Watching Cruises

We prepaid this trip for our clients and when they arrived to go on the trip they were told that they had no reservation and had to pay cash to enter. This has caused our clients to question our ability as an On Site Tour Provider to offer quality service. Very, very disappointed.

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We picked the perfect day for Whale watching. We saw over a dozen whales, some which revealed their tails! It was an awesome site. The boat was comfortable and the crew was very accommodating and friendly. I would highly recommend this excursion to others.

We went in the cruise 7-30-12 and 3 of 4 of us had a good time (1-14yr old got a bit queezy). The staff in the office and on the boat we great. We seen about 12-Humpback and 7-Blues while we were out there.The trip is about 3hrs. If you are not a fan of the cold, layer up. We are looking forward to going again soon.

This trip was well worth the drive to Monterey and the cost. Our guide was fun and informative. We have decided that we will do it again. Fortunately, we did not suffer from sea sickness as many of the other travelers did. A warning to all is to prepare for choppy waters with appropriate medication. I thought the boat ride was like an amusement park ride and LOVED it!

A lot of fun. Something I probably won't see again. I had never been out on the ocean before but I do tend to have a sensative stomach. I did get sea sick even though I took precautions.

We went out on a Sunday (July 30) at 1:30 pm. Monterrey tends to be cool and overcast so dress warmly. Seeing any whales or dolphins is hit or miss (they do not have a schedule). We did see blue and humpbacks but at a distance. The boat left promptly and the crew was courteous and friendly. The trip out was rough, it is an ocean (and this is not a Kauai or Maui whale watching tour) and if you are outside you may get splashed! It seemed to me that inside you tend to get tossed around a bit more and may bring on motion sickness faster as opposed to the fresh air outside. There were several other tours out there and one lucky boat had a blue about 50 feet away from it (we were in the distance, "luck of the draw"). If you are prone to seasickness or motion sickness, do not even try (several people were affected). The captain tried to move the boat to where he thought the whales would breached and surface. There is a covered parking garage at 425 Washington across from the pier (about a 10 minute walk to the yellow Princess bldg) that cost $7 all day instead of worrying about feeding a meter. If your really want to see whales up front and in person, then I suggest investing in a November to January Kauai or Maui vacation to see the humpbacks and Hawaii spinner dolphins there along with warmer weather and calmer seas.

In case u aren't sure if u will get Sea Sickness-bring the dramamine anyway! I got Sea Sick and it kind ruined the trip. My hubby had a great time and wants to do it again.

Great trip, saw 2-3 blue whales and 5-6 hump back whales. Very good and knowledgeable guide, nice comfortable boat. We paid extra to access the top deck which was a good thing so that you could easily move around when whales appeared in different directions. Our family with kids of 14 and 16 enjoyed the trip very much.

Coming from france and In California for a 1 month business trip , I took the opportunity to went Whales watching..All was perfect , from the online booking via Zerve server, passing by the easy to find intruction on the online ticket to reach Monterey's old wharf, by taking the ticket on the wharf, the boarding. This was so easy for a none US citizen... except may be undestanding the Captain's speaking too fast to catch all what he said . but the crew guy explaining the animals was really great and he real got a real knowledge of the whale and Monterey bay area. we went to the spot and seen a lots of humpback and blue whales. I do recommand Princess Monterey Whales watching . if I come back, I will choose again Princess Monterey WW Phil from France

The guide was excellent. Lots of great infomation. The lady who was on deck was great with everyone. She helped all the people who were sea sick and constantly checked on everyone. The guy on deck was not friendly. He seemed annoyed when questions were asked. I think the overall mood of the trip could be improved.

First, let me say the staff are excellent, truly good, hardworking folks that try to make the experience enjoyable. Tip them well if you go. My issue is with the activity in general, not this company. If you MUST go whale watching, this is the company to do it with. Whale watching, as an activity in general, sucks. Pay $40+ per person to stand around on a heaving deck in 50 degree temps while some guy talks. Occasionally there is a spout in the distance or you might see a dark grey or black hump barely break water for 5 or so seconds, that's it. If you are lucky it is on your side and you can see it when it happens, because if you wait for others to point it out to you it is gone...that's all there is. Maybe 10 or so sightings in 2 hours on a good day, so $4 a "sighting". Oh yeah, did I mention that the boats can not get closer than 100 feet (good rule BTW) which means you see the small dark hump in the distance, not up close. Imagine looking at bumps on the highway road surface in the far opposite lane as you drive by...just not super exciting as an activity. Never again - next time I will go to an aquarium (Monterey has one of the best in the world).

We had a great time.

enjoied it

We did see one humpback whale breach the water several times, but that was about it. Apparently the captain also spotted a blue whale, but as they do not breach the surface, we couldn't see it. Although this was a unique and different experience, I'm not sure it was worth $40 per ticket. Perhaps half that would be more appropriate. Also, we did experience moderate sea-sickness by the end of the trip. I have never been seasick on a boat before, and the water was not overly choppy, but these vessels are rather small and rock/bob quite a bit. After 2+ hours of that, my stomach felt a little queezy.