Monterey Bay Whale Watching - Sanctuary Cruises Scenic Tours, Moss Landing, CA

Seller:	Sanctuary
	Sanctuary Cruises

Ratings Summary: Rating: 4.69

(414)
(All reviews for this seller)

	# of Reviews	Overall Rating	=	Positive Points	–	Negative Points	% Positive	Average Rating
Last 3 months	54	131		132		1	98%	4.7
Last 6 months	85	203		207		4	98%	4.7
Last 12 months	170	414		418		4	99%	4.7
All	170	414		418		4	99%	4.7

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About this seller (Sanctuary)

Ratings by Activity
(Each activity's ratings from the last 12 months)

	Overall Rating	% Positive	Average Rating
Sanctuary Whale Watching Cruise	414	99%	4.7

Rating	Date Attended [v]	Reviewer	Gender	Age	Where From?	Group Type?
	No marine life seen, but received rain check Sanctuary Whale Watching Cruise
	Sat, Sep 1, 07 10:30 AM	Sunny2007	Male	40-49	Local	Individual
	The cruise overall was really fun. Unfortunately, by no fault from the crew, no marine life was spotted. The captain gave everyone a rain check, however for a free cruise, which I thought was a very nice gesture; So hopefully the next time around I'll get to see something. The captain and crew were very friendly and professional. I think they should really stress more in their add though, to wear more layers of warm/water-proof clothing. I wore all cotton and thought my wind breaker would be ample protection from the elements. Boy was I wrong....I ended up completely drenched. There were several small children that also got wet and appeared uncomfortable. Overall though, It was an enjoyable experience and I look forward to the next cruise when I redeem my rain check. I would definitely recommend the cruise to others. Regards, Sunny Grillo
	saw no whales Sanctuary Whale Watching Cruise
	Sat, Sep 1, 07 10:30 AM	777antonio	Male	40-49	Unspecified	Unspecified
	Saw no whales though the crew tried hard.
	Very professionnal Sanctuary Whale Watching Cruise
	Sat, Sep 1, 07 10:30 AM	cfuerer	Male	30-39	International Tourist(s)	Group of Friends
	Although we have been unlucky and did not see any whales, the crew tried its best to see whales. We spent four hours in the Monterey Bay and at the border of the Ocean. It was just not the day. Since the sea was agitated and we didn't see any whale, we got the opportunity to come back another day for free, which is very professionnal. Otherwise, the crew is knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. Definitely a place to recommend.
	Great Operation, Very Knowledgeable Sanctuary Whale Watching Cruise
	Sat, Sep 1, 07 10:30 AM	sarita75	Female	30-39	Domestic Tourist(s)	Family Without Children
	Timely departure from port with a very welcoming crew. Out to into the bay the crew shared amazing amount of information and knowledge with the passengers. My only suggestion for improvements would be to include a better PA system so that passengers can better hear the explanations and other information. Otherwise, perhaps a pre-departure briefing (before the engines are turned on) would be great. Thought the meal suggestions @ the end of the trip were great and we found a nice fishmarket as a result. I was very impressed by the entire operation.
	Great Trip Sanctuary Whale Watching Cruise
	Fri, Aug 31, 07 10:30 AM	sandalwoodsj	Female	40-49	International Tourist(s)	Family Without Children
	Despite being a rather overcast day we had a wonderful trip -- saw several Orca and just when we thought we wouldn't see a Humpback one crossed our path. It was a great day with lots of helpful information. I particularly appreciated the fact that even at the back of the boat I could hear Andy's commentary.
	Great time! Sanctuary Whale Watching Cruise
	Sun, Aug 26, 07 9:30 AM	Frenzy5150	Female	30-39	Local	Group of Friends
	The weather was perfect, the wildlife was spectacular, and the captain was very informative. i really liked the fact that they took a few moments during the trip to stop and used a net to fish out trash floating on the surface. Even my 3 and 5 year old enjoyed themselves: eating snacks and looking for whales and sea lions and even quietly playing pirates up on the bow. A wonderful experience and a great trip all around, definitely worth it.
	Enthusiastically recommend. Sanctuary Whale Watching Cruise
	Sun, Aug 26, 07 9:30 AM	cheryldayley	Unspecified	Unspecified	Local	Other
	I enjoyed the whale watching trip immensely. The boat was clean and neat. The captain and crew were attentive, knowledgeable, and made the trip fun. Although it is not guaranteed that whales will be seen on a trip - on our trip we actually saw several Humpback whales, a pod of Orca whales, and many other assorted sea animals and birds. When a whale(s) was spotted, the captain would get as close as he could without disturbing the whale(s). If the whale(s) would dive, the captain waited in the vicinity in hopes of seeing the whale come back up from the dive. This maximized the amount of time we actually were able to observe the whale(s). Also, the captain is concerned about the environment, so if trash was spotted during the trip, he and the crew would remove the trash from the water and bring it back for proper disposal. I enthusiastically recommend whale watching and Sanctuary Cruises!
	Outstanding Sanctuary Whale Watching Cruise
	Sun, Aug 26, 07 9:30 AM	tedmiller	Male	60-69	Domestic Tourist(s)	Individual
	I was impressed by the knowledge and courtesy of this operation. They made this a very enjoyable experience.
	Great sightings, intimate boat Sanctuary Whale Watching Cruise
	Sun, Aug 26, 07 9:30 AM	karajoy	Female	20-29	Local	Other
	The trip was excellent overall. Because the boat is on the smaller side, you are closer to the water and the animals such as waterfowl, harbor seals, sea lions, and sea otters. The day was absolutely perfect - flat seas, starting out overcast then clearing to sunny and blue skies - so we were able to discern whales which were far away. We saw humbacks AND orcas! Wow! The small craft also allows you to get closer to the whales than you would be able to in a bigger boat. Only areas that could use some improvement: * Neither the captain nor the deckhand introduced themselves. A bit of a welcome talk before the boat departs the dock would be very appreciated and appropriate, including an overview of what we might see. The crew was happy to speak if you initiated the conversation, however, this might be intimidating and seen as stand-offish by some people. * The captain narrated for a lot of the trip, and I think he probably had some interesting things to say. However, the speaker system is very garbled (you cannot hear it if you are in the back of the boat). Again, great trip overall. With some work on customer service and speaker systems, this outfitter would be perfect!
	Santuary is the only way to go Sanctuary Whale Watching Cruise
	Sun, Aug 26, 07 9:30 AM	cvgroover	Male	30-39	Local	Family Without Children
	We have been going whale watching in Monterey for many years now and my wife and I always return to Sanctuary Cruises for our whale watching adventures. Why would you leave from Monterey when the boats are overly crowded with tourists and the parking is tough to come by? Moss Landing is quiet, peaceful, and much more accessible....and most importantly? Our cruises with Santuary have ALWAYS provided us with incredible views of sea lions, otters, dolphins, and whales. On our last visit we were able to spend over 30 minutes watching a pack of orcas!! What a treat!!
	Saw Many humpback whales. Sanctuary Whale Watching Cruise
	Sat, Aug 25, 07 10:30 AM	gailgg	Female	60-69	International Tourist(s)	Family With Children
	We saw humpback whales in the first 10 minutes. Saw them throughout the trip. We all enjoyed it, all 3 generations.
	Absolutely fantastic!! Sanctuary Whale Watching Cruise
	Sat, Aug 25, 07 10:30 AM	marystoll	Female	50-59	Domestic Tourist(s)	Couple on a Date
	We were only 10 minutes into our cruise when we spotted our first humpback. Our captain cut the engine and we watched in awe as the whale came closer and closer to our boat before finally diving just a few feet away from us showing the beautiful fluke. We went on to see several more humpbacks, many of them in pairs. Also spotted an elephant seal, dozens of sea lions, seals, otters, pelicans....it was a fabulous experience. Unforgettable!! The captain and crew were friendly, attentive, and shared their knowledge with us. We learned so much and now have a much better understanding and appreciation for our friends in the sea. Thank you for this inspirational and beautiful experience....Mary S.
	Wonderful :) Sanctuary Whale Watching Cruise
	Fri, Aug 24, 07 10:30 AM	sparkleypops	Female	20-29	International Tourist(s)	Group of Friends
	Experienced much more than we bargained for! the crew were very knowledgeable and friendly. Saw 3 humpback whales, 2 were mother and calf, which we were told is not a very common sight. We were also lucky enough to spot a rare sight of a pod of around 300+ dolphins made up of 3 different species of dolphin. This was an amazing sight and well worth the $40 alone. I would recommend the trip to anyone, however to keep in mind that we were just lucky to see what we saw, and this might not happen every time!
	Wonderful experience, but over-priced Sanctuary Whale Watching Cruise
	Wed, Aug 22, 07 10:30 AM	drissman	Female	50-59	Domestic Tourist(s)	Family With Children
	Nice long tour of the bay, and we saw three humpback whales. The tour was supposed to include a naturalist, but there wasn't one. However, the pilot was very knowledgable, and he and the deckhand were very nice (both young). The boat was clean and neat. There wasn't any coffee or hot water for tea - both containers were empty. Overall, I'd recommend it, but it is definitely over-priced.
	thank you Sanctuary Whale Watching Cruise
	Wed, Aug 22, 07 10:30 AM	kissncontrol	Female	30-39	Combination	Family Without Children
	we saw about 17 whales! it was fabulous