Princess Monterey Whale Watching Cruises

I chose this Whale Tour group after reading reviews on Zerve and other sites. We took the 10am tour on the Princess Monterey as it is the largest boat doing tours and the mornings tend to be calmer. The water was amazingly calm and out of the ~50 people on the boat I only saw one that had issues with sea sickness. For the tour itself the leader/Biologist Kathleen was amazing. She pulled the group together before the trip to get everyone excited and provided updates throughout the beginning of the trip when we were travelling through foggy weather and had not yet seen anything. We ended up travelling a long way (~16 miles) and saw a large group (20+) of humpback whales feeding and playing including a mother & calf. The long travel distance meant that we couldn't stay at the site for very long, but the ~30-45 minutes there were amazing and well worth the price of the trip. All of the boats out of this harbor naturally talk with one another about where the whales are, what the weather/conditions are like, etc. The advantages in the Princess Monterey's large size, the morning trip, and the great job by their biologist should not be overlooked as these will help to overcome potential sea sickness and will make an enjoyable trip even if there aren't a ton of whales around.

Great tour - very enthusiastical guide

We had an incredible trip on the Princess Whale Tour. We went out to an area where 30 humpback whales where feeding. We are whales all around our boat. They where coming up to feed...we could even see into their mouths. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I would highly recommend it.

I have been on whale watching trips before and i knew what to expect. It is rare to see whales jump out or play. but this trip was really good because we saw a pod of dolphins and they came so close to the boat and were really playful doing a few jumps and stuff. we did see whales but only like their spouts and tiny little fin. I took my brothers who have never gone and they were very excited when they saw the dolphins and the whale. I suggest going if you have never gone just brings really warm clothes. I was wearing two wind breaker jackets and pants and was still really cold. Oh and that I know of nobody got seasick.

The tour guide was wonderful, very entertaining and very knowledgeable. We saw lots of humpback whales, dolphins, seals, birds, etc!! It was a great trip that we would do again in a heartbeat! Well worth the cost. We were hoping to see a blue whale, but we saw sooo many humpback whales, some even close to the boat! Highly recommend!

This was certainly worth the money! The marine biologist on board was a hoot and absolutely fabulous! You can tell she loves what she does as well as knows her stuff! My husband and I were visiting from San Jose for his 50th birthday and this was on our list of "to-do's!" We would do it again and plan on bringing family to Monterey in Sept and inviting them to go whale watching! Great!

great trip which found whales, plus fantastic sightings of dophins, seals and sea lions amongst others. Included white sided dolphins which swam alongside the boat which was stunning and really exciting. Only one negative, I do think it should be made clearer that there is a chance you will feel sea sick if that way inclined; several people were. However, I am a poor traveller but was just about ok on this trip, and the sights we saw made me glad I didn't stay on land! Altogether a fabulous experience, with informed and friendly staff and crew.

The only problem was there wasn't a speaking inside the cabin. It was a little too chilly to stay outside while we were in transit, so it wasn't possible to hear the narration for the tour. Other than that it was fantastic. We even turned around to get a nice view of some dolphins, which was totally unexpected! The narration, when we could hear it, was top notch, and we had a blast. I would highly suggest that everyone that wants to learn about marine life and see some of it, take the tour.

Most of our group got seasick, and the crew members were thoughtful and a lot of help. Beside that it was great fun. We did not see any whales but we did see lots of otters and dolphins.

My wife and were able to see a pod of Orcas this trip, which was exciting and informative. The marine biologist on board, Katherine, kept us entertained whilst educating us and our fellow passengers about these beautiful animals as well as about the birds, otters and seals that were encountered during this trip. The deck hands were professional, being polite and helpful towards those that had little or no "seafaring" experience, and the captain worked hard to make sure that everyone on board would have an opportunity to observe these animals in their natural habitat. We would strongly recommend the Princess Monterey Whale Watching Cruise and we certainly will rebook during our next visit to Monterey. Thanks to all at MontereyWW! Steve and Debbi Hutchinson

Our crew was great. The bay was a little ruff, but that was explained to us before we departed.The marine biologist was entertaining and knowledgeable. Unfortunately the whales I had wanted to see were not around on this trip. We did see killer whales and that was probably why we didn't see any humpback or blue whales. Still a good experience and would probably go again.

The ad delivered as promised. We saw a whale in fact we were tracking one for several miles and saw it break the water at least four times. Plus we saw a lot of Dolphins which was fun. I recommend this tour

Trip left late should have been 9am, went at 9.15am. Long trip to the Whales, but did see 3 humpback whales, time spent where the whales were was very short 10 minutes max, then straight back to shore, and arrived back before time, so we could have spent more time with the whales if we had gone out on time!! Enjoyble though.

We enjoyed it, although we did have expectations of seeing a lot more. Obviously this is not at the discretion of the tour operator, and I understand the whales and dolphins come & go, but I wonder if they should not invest in something like spotter planes to help get their boats to the action each time, without having to look on the water.

Just wanted to say how much my wife and I enjoyed the activity. Small enough group on board that made the event more enjoyable. Enjoyed getting wet on the bow, the sights of the water and the whales and dolphins, and the captain was very knowledgeable with information. Would like to have been able to get closer to the whales to get better photos, perhaps on another trip. Highly recommend the event for anyone who loves the water.