Princess Monterey Whale Watching Cruises

Two friends from Spain and I wanted something to do while visiting the Monterey area so we decided to try whale watching. I can honestly state that this adventure was the highlight of our entire trip. We cannot stop talking about the trip and about the courtesy of the crew on board. This trip is definitely something I would recommend to all.

After 2 weeks of anticipation, I was thoroughly disappointed with the trip due to poor visibility, choppy waters and distance between the whales and the boat. Yes, there were whales present, but you can barely see them due to the fog let alone getting any good photos. The boat rocked quite a bit and many people got motion sickness as a result. I would not recommend this trip if you see the fog looming off the coast! Go on a clear day!!!! We had no choice since we prepaid for it already. If we hadn't done it, we would have waited another day. Do yourself a favor, the tours are not sold out, there was plenty of space available, so to avoid encountering what we encountered, just wait till the day of your visit and walk up to the booth 1/2 hour before departure. You should be fine.

It was an interesting trip with more whale watching than we expected. The amount of whales surprised us.

Did this tour on Aug. 31st. ; saw a couple of Humpbacks and Blue Whales, a little too far away from the boat to see details but overall a nice experience.

A rough ride out, but quite an adventure. Our 7 year old grandson was thrilled to see so many whales. The crew was great in helping him across the pitching deck for better views of new whale sightings. Sometimes we heard the blow before we saw the whale. A very good well informed guide. We did have a passenger medical emergency, which the crew handled extremely well. We had to go back to shore for medical help, but went back out with no problem extending the tour to compensate. A well priced adventure, highly recommended.

From start to finish our excursion was a blast! It was very exciting to go in search of whales and to see so many - both at a distance and some closer up. The whole trip was organized with us in mind - just remember to take your sea sickness medicines before heading out! And don't go on an empty stomach either... Sensible shoes and layers of clothing recommended too - as on a day with large swells the ship will be like a roller coaster.

We went out at 10am on August 29th and were lucky enough to see dolphins, orcas, humpbacks and blue whales. I enjoyed the educational comments during the entire trip. The entire staff was professional and friendly. I dont think I could have made a better choice of boats to go out on. I will definitely book with your company again.

Princess Monterey is a great boat with excellent crew. The boat is clean and modern. The crew is polite and helpful.

Great Sunday for us. Weather was perfect. Boat was a little crowded but so what. Excellant boat ride and Marine Biologist narratore. Got lucky when 3 Orca's showed up. There were around 4 Blue whales, a few Humpback's and as mentioned, the killer whales. Be sure to take your dramamine if your not sure about motion sickness, apperantly a few people didn't and spent theyre time leaning over the rail, LOL. All in all a spectacular day. Go out looking to have a cool boat ride and the whales are a bonus and you have a great time. Your dealing with nature and they don't just show up because you paid your fee. We got lucky with numorous sightings. Would seriously recomend to friends, and have, they are going out in 2 weeks.

Recommend the Princess Monterey Tour to anyone who wants to have a wonderful time and learn some interesting facts along the way.

My husband and I, with our adult children, were thrilled to see dolphins, otters, humpback whales, blue whales, and orcas on this 2 1/2 hour excursion in August. The guide told us exactly how to spot the whales and how best to follow them. It wasn't as cold as we expected, but a warm jacket is good to take. Take anti-seasick pills before the voyage and stay outside, watching the horizon. No one in our party got sick, but lots of others did. The crew members were very kind in seeing to their needs. This is a great experience, unique to Monterey Bay, and we highly recommend it.

Having lived on the peninsula for over 23 years, I never went on a whale watching trip because I thought whales were only in view during February and March and I missed the opportunities to go. I was glad to learn from Peggy Stap, the executive Director of Marine Life Studies in Monterey who provided commentary on the whale watching trip, that grey whales feed in the winter and humpbacks feed in the summer. We saw about six different groups of two or three humpback whales on the morning trip. They were magnificent and very curious about the boat. We also saw orcas and dolphins. To see these creatures in the wild is a thriling, memorable experience. Also, the boat ride was a lot of fun and the ocean was choppy! Folks who have a tendency to get seasick should take dramamine (which is also sold at the whale watching event store).

It was amazing to see these enormous animals from eye to eye. We were lucky to see them from a distance less then 10 Meter ( 30 feet). We saw many Humpback-Whales and even saw some Orcas!!!

windy, cold, whales far away

I thoroughly enjoyed our trip with Monterey WW. The crew was great as well as the narrative on the trip. It was so exciting even though one of our group got sea sick so I would recommend medicine for that if in doubt just take it !! We saw at least 6 hump backs breaching the water and from the narrative from the crew I knew exactly what I was looking for so I did not miss a thing !! Even got some of it on video with my digital camera. Priceless !!! We also saw a school of Pacific white sided dolphins they put on a nice little show as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED YOU WILL LOVE IT. I will definitely being going again.....