| Rating |
Date Attended [v] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
|
Great experience
|
| Sun, Jan 20 9:00 AM |
Czarski |
Male |
30-39 |
Local |
Family With Children |
| Sanctuary Whale Watching was a great experience. The boat is smaller than many out there, giving you a more intimate experience. The captain and crew were friendly and knowledgeable. One caveat is that the smaller boat does translate to more wave action, so if you tend to get queasy you might want to look at larger boats, or at least take something to help your motion sickness. That aside, it's a great experience and one that we would highly recommend. |
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|
What a treat!
|
| Sat, Jan 19 9:00 AM |
tracyshine |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| Our captain was the first person to spy the spout and we were the first boat on the scene. What a treat to see 3 whales travelling together! They seemed to enjoy the attention and I greatly appreciated our captain's respect of the whales' space.
Our boat, Sanctuary, was just the right size. Allowed to hold 39 with 2 crew members, we only had 24 on board that day. It was darn near perfect, especially the weather!
We are already planning a summer trip back. |
|
|
Wondereful experince
|
| Fri, Jan 11 9:30 AM |
chocolate10 |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| The weather was great , we saw Blue Humpbacks that day.
We really enjoyed the ride in and out of the Bay. My family will come again
during a different season to see the different species. Have already recommended
this company to others I work with
L. Palm Calaveras County, Ca. |
|
Fun
|
| Sat, Dec 29, 07 2:00 PM |
kerickson |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| We reserved 11 spots for whale watching on a Saturday afternoon (3-hour trip). Although we saw a lot of wildlife (sea lions, otters, pelicans, etc.), we did not see any whales. To my surprise, we were offered a rain check to attend at another time. Noel (captain) and Jane (guide) were both pleasant and knowledgeable. I will definitely go again and I recommend this company. |
|
|
I LOVE WHALES
|
| Fri, Dec 28, 07 10:30 AM |
pquinn |
Female |
60-69 |
Local |
Couple on a Date |
| I never saw sooooo many people change colors soooo fast but the deckhand Jane handled it all in stride and professionally which showed me alot of personal touch with both the mammals and humans. Will make plans to go on trip again soon |
|
Lots of seasickness!
|
| Fri, Dec 28, 07 10:30 AM |
annbegun |
Female |
50-59 |
Local |
Group of Friends |
| About 1/3 of the boat was quite seasick. Two of the three members of our group were very ill, despite the fact that neither of those two people had *ever* been seasick on a boat (motorized or sail) before, and had been out in the ocean / San Francisco bay many times.
When asked if the sea was unusually rough we were told that actually the swells (4-6 ft.) were normal in size.
Also, the cabin was not heated, so it was quite cold. |
|
|
Rain-check (or is it a no-whale-check)
|
| Wed, Dec 26, 07 10:30 AM |
rockgoddess |
Female |
50-59 |
Combination |
Family Without Children |
| We did not see any sea mammals even though a valiant effort was made by the crew. I guess the Whale and Dolphin Union had given all of their members a day off so they (the whales and dolphins) could recover from the Christmas Party given by the Sea Otter Union. They (the whales and dolphins) must have all had too much to drink, though I don't see how that could possibly be true. The crew made sure we all had rain-checks for another day, though I don't understand as it didn't rain at all that day. It was a nice sunny day. Those of us sitting right at the front of the boat were occasionally splashed, so maybe the crew thought it was rain. Confusion aside, we look forward to another day. Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of chocolate milk! |
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We've seen them! Just great!
|
| Wed, Dec 26, 07 10:30 AM |
DWientapper |
Female |
40-49 |
Local |
Family With Children |
| It was amazing. We've seen 6 Gray Whales today on our trip and our entire family was very excited and happy. Many thanks to Captn. Noel and Jane. They did a really good job. I would highly recommend to take this boat for a whale watching trip. This was our second time with the Sanctuary. First time (Dec, 26th) we didn't see any whales and because of strong winds had to return earlier. Therefore we got a rain ticket and had the chance for another try today. We didn't expect that and just want to say thank you again. We felt very comfortable on the boat. We definitely will come back in summer for the Humpbacks. |
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|
True Customer Service Still Exists
|
| Wed, Dec 26, 07 10:30 AM |
KevinBurtnes |
Male |
30-39 |
Local |
Family With Children |
| Sanctuary Cruises truly is a wonderful company. Our recent cruise did not turn out very well, but for reasons uncontrolled by the captain. Boy was the weather forecast wrong this day. The captain made the right choice by turning the boat around and not going against his intuition. Although we did not see any whales on this trip, we did see them on our trip last year. The captain and the deck hands were very courteous and patient both this trip and the last.
Under no obligation to do so, Sanctuary offered a rain check due to the poor weather condition. Wow, what an act of kindness. Every person on the boat had to know that when you take on the forces of nature, no one can control the outcome and we were shocked that Sanctuary took the financial hit for the miscalled weather. Even if a rain check had not been offered, I would still recommend Sanctuary for your whale watching experience.
This company and their employees have the utmost respect for the beautiful wildlife you get to see while on their cruise. They do not chase the whales or other animals like some of the other companies. They are very communicative about the trip, but not to the point where their talking is getting in the way of you enjoying the time. They do their best to make sure you have a good time and remain comfortable. They offer small snacks, hot chocolate, and coffee for your convenience.
Last but not least, their vessel used bio-diesel, another sign of how much Sanctuary respects the animals and the environment.
If you're thinking about taking a whale watching trip, this would be the company to go with. We'll be returning many more times. |
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|
Whale Watching Cruise
|
| Sun, Dec 23, 07 10:30 AM |
manuelgsalac |
Male |
50-59 |
Combination |
Family Without Children |
| The day was clear, wind was down, ocean was calm and the sun was out as we ventured out looking for whales and other marine life. Unfortunally, we did not see any whales migrating. But, we saw plenty of dolphins, porpoises, sea lions, otters, and several bird life. Just being out on the bay for 4 hrs is always relaxing for us.
Since we had a great time, we're planning another trip soon! |
