Princess Monterey Whale Watching Cruises

I felt the boat was too crowded. It was difficult to get to the rail and take pictures. I sat on the left front and the captain always moved the boat so the whales were on the right side. Even one time the blue whale was at 11 oclock and I quickly got to the rail on my side only to have him move the boat so the whale would be on the right. At that point I basically gave up any hope of getting a good photo. That was a real bummer. It would have been nice to know that he does that in advance. If the captain knows that he is only going to set up for viewing on only one side, you should only sell enought tickets so that everyone can get to the rail. I would not recommend this company to anyone else, but did in a qualified way, enjoy the day. It was great to see a blue whale and a couple humpbacks, but I had hoped to see more than three whales. I had also expected to be able to get to the rail without having to push through other people, which I chose not to do. I am quite fit and could have. It just seemed too rude to me. That did not stop others.

As promised, we managed to see the whales. They are enormous. We've never seen any living creatures that size. The only thing that made decide not to Enthusiastically Recommend the trip is because the sea in Monterey Bay can be very rough and make the trip less enjoyable. Although I didn't get seasick, I still have to look up to the sky in between taking pictures.

The "Princess Monterey Whale Watching" cruise my wife, grandson and I went on was fantastic. When my wife approached me with the idea of going on a whale watching trip again, Well, I was less than enthusiastic about the idea. The previous trip about 4 years ago was on a smaller vessel. Several people got seasick including myself. After more than 3 hours of scanning what seemed to be the whole Pacific Ocean, the search was called off(more than a few of us were happy to get it over with). On our "Princess Monterey" trip, I think I only saw two people alittle green around the gills, and the Whale Watching was spectacular. We saw no less than 2 Blue Whales and at least a dozen Humpback Whales. At one point the whole vessel seemed to be surrounded by Humpbacks. The trip was both amazing and educational. The crew were constantly circling the vessel making sure small children had front row seats for the sightings, and answering any and all questions. Thank you Captain and Crew for an outstanding day, Bill & Jennifer Duncan San Jose, CA

Great view of whales, great guides and tons of fun.

the cruise was wonderful and we got to see both blue and humpbacks very up close. the ship had to stay 100 yards away but the darn whales just kept approaching the boat giving us an up close view. the humpback who rolled over to show his or her face was my favorite. the only drawback was the p.a. system. a lot of the time you just couldn't hear the guide. the system is old and needs to be replaced. other than that it was a wonderful experience.

That was the best whale watching experience in my life...and more! The crew and the guide did a terrific job in making the trip most unforgetable.

Great. Service and comfortable boat

One of the highlights of our Northern California vacation. Our family spent time in San Francisco, Napa Valley and Monterey. Jay and AJ were great "first mates". Whole family enjoyed the afternoon.

My wife and daughter made me go on this tour. I had visions of everyone sea sick and never seeing a whale...boy was I wrong. I have never had such a cool experience (going to see big fish) we were lucky enough to have the whales not only be in range, but to actually be rubbing on the boat and and what seemed to be posing for us. At one point I could have actually touched the back fin as it came-up in front of me...had I not been trying (and getting pictures of it right in front of me). The crew did warn us that this may not happen everytime you were to go out, but everyone had a blast. The crew and Captain were very friendly and the beer on the way back in was perfect...a great adventure -

I would and have recommeded The Princess Monterey. They did a fine job. However, the experience will always depend on whales. I have been whale watching on many occassions-this was the most whales I have ever seen. They were in great numbers and were next to the boat for over an hour-it was a wonderful experinence.

With relatives from France in town, we were hoping we would see something memorable. The trip far exceeded our expectations. We were fortunate enough to encounter a group of 4 humpbacks that the Captain defined as "friendlies". The Captain put the engines in neutral as we approached the whales and we stayed stationary while the whales then moved in and around the boat for nearly an hour. They were clearly curious about the boat and proceeded to pass closely, under and around the boat giving everyone an up close and personal experience (including some very pungent "krill breath"). Noone can guarantee how a wild animal will behave, so there is no way the crew could guarantee such an event. But they were very respectful of the whales, informative about whale behaviour, safety conscious, and helpful to the few people who experienced sea-sickness (hint - take your dramamine if you are prone to sea-sickness). I was a little worried that the large boat (Princess Monterey - 150 feet) would be too crowded or somehow might frighten off or bother the whales - but neither were the case. With so much room, even if it got crowded on a side - there were ample chances to get great views and the whales we saw weren't bothered by the size of the boat (to this untrained eye). All in all a really wonderful experience!

This is a very well run operation out of a very convenient and accessible location. The boat (Princess Monterey) was the right size; not too big, not too small. We saw two blue whales and six humpbacks fairly close on our 13 August 10 am trip. More whales could be seen at a distance. The captain was very prudent in his approach to the animals.

We saw lots of humpbacks and blue whales. Comfortable boat and nice crew. No problem getting pictures even though the boat was full.

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There were plenty of whales this summer. Some kind of hat or head band is a good idea to protect against the wind even in the middle of August.