Reviews for FRS Clipper (Clipper Vacations)
1375 reviews
Very nice new clean vessle
The crew was great and the vessle was very nice. It was brand new as of May 2026. Although we did not see any orkas, we did see a couple of gray whales and a humpback whale. We also saw some sea lions. The food on board was good as well and the naturalist aboard have interesting facts about the wildlife in the area.
Product: Seattle: Half-Day Wildlife and Whale Watching Cruise
Very nice new clean vessle
The crew was great and the vessle was very nice. It was brand new as of May 2026. Although we did not see any orkas, we did see a couple of gray whales and a humpback whale. We also saw some sea lions. The food on board was good as well and the naturalist aboard have interesting facts about the wildlife in the area.
Product: Seattle: Half-Day Wildlife and Whale Watching Cruise
Rip Off
I am sharing the message I sent to Victoria Clipper on June 17, 2026, after trying to get clear information before booking another trip. My concerns involved an unresolved refund or credit from a prior San Juan Islands trip, unclear pricing during a phone call, and the need to understand seating accommodations before making a reservation. I sent this message to the reservations email and also submitted my concerns through their contact form. I requested a response by June 19, 2026. As of July 1, 2026, I have not received a response. These issues were not addressed, and I would not feel comfortable booking with this company again. Below is the message I sent. Victoria Trip Inquiry - Urgent Julie Shaffer jlshaffer4719@gmail.com Wed, Jun 17, 3:25 PM to reservations o Whom It May Concern, I am considering booking a Victoria day trip with your company. Several concerns need to be addressed before I make that decision. A San Juan Islands trip was booked through your company. The whale-watching excursion required an additional fee and included a refund guarantee if no whales were seen. No whales were seen. Numerous phone calls and written communications followed. A refund or credit of approximately $125 was eventually promised. That refund or credit was never received. Today, June 17, 2026, shortly after 2:00 p.m., a call was made to obtain information about a possible Victoria trip. A total price was provided based on the regular rate. The advertised 25% weekday discount was not mentioned until I brought it up. The representative then had to place the call on hold to determine how the discount applied. Information was also requested regarding different tour options, including the bicycle tour and bus tour. Additional holds were required while the representative sought information. The initial pricing was presented as a total amount rather than a clear breakdown of the individual tour costs. Questions were also asked regarding seating accommodations. The seating chart on your website appears to show designated seating areas. Advance information regarding seating is important because my leg only moves 17 degrees. Concerns about seating are based on prior experience during the San Juan trip. Passengers came very close to tripping over my leg. If someone were to trip and fall onto my leg, it could cause a serious injury. For that reason, the response given during today's call was concerning. That answer is inadequate. Appropriate seating arrangements should be identified before a reservation is made, not after arrival at the terminal. The unresolved $125 refund issue remains a concern. Today's call raised additional concerns regarding pricing, customer service, and seating accommodations. Those issues make it difficult to move forward with another reservation. A response is expected no later than 3:00 p.m. on Friday, June 19, 2026.
Product: FRS Clipper
BIG DISAPPOINTMENT AND A RIP OFF!! STAY AWAY! I honestly regret booking with FRS Clipper. The whole experience felt like a rip-off, and I’m still waiting on the partial refund they said they’d issue. If you’re going for whale watching, don’t bother. The 5 star ratings are not just for whale watching so make sure you filter to see the right and recent reviews. I get that sightings aren’t guaranteed, but the way they promote this tour is completely misleading. You basically need high-powered binoculars to see anything, and even then it’s just a few seconds of tiny dots on the water. That’s not what you expect after paying this much. Speaking of cost, the pricing is very deceptive. It showed about $146 per person at first, but by the time you actually pay, it jumps to $170+ with all the extra fees and taxes they don’t clearly show upfront. Parking is another joke—they reimburse $10, but it actually costs $20–$25. We spent about 90% of the time just riding the boat. I paid for a group of five, including family visiting the U.S. for the first time, and this was honestly embarrassing. Hours on the water for maybe 5–10 seconds of barely visible “whales.” What really annoyed me was the return trip. They said there had been a humpback sighting, but instead of going to check it out, they just turned back early. The tour is advertised as 4–5 hours, but we were done in about 3–3.5 hours, including boarding. It felt rushed, like they just wanted to wrap it up. If your goal is to actually see whales, save your money. You’re better off driving to San Juan or Whidbey Island and watching from shore—it’ll probably be a better experience and definitely cheaper. If all you want is a boat ride, then sure, the boat is nice and fast. But even then, you can do something like Argosy Tours for a fraction of the price. Overall, very disappointing. I would not recommend this to anyone, especially tourists expecting something special. The photos that they share in an email as proof of sightings are taken with a high powers lens using a DSLR professional camera and then cropped further to enlarge. Dont trust them. Sharing a clip of what to actually expect
Product: FRS Clipper (Clipper Vacations)
Guide could have been more informative. Was not consistent in describing whale location after telling us she would use clock face locations. Could have offered more education on the Sound and wildlife activity and the harbor. Probably the least informative cruise like this that we have been on.
Product: Seattle: Wildlife and Whale Watching Cruise
We purchases comfort seats Paid a premium They advertise this come with food service Such a lie Not only was there NO service They had no food to serve Dishonest marketing Bait and switch Bring your own food They have absolutely lousy service
Product: FRS Clipper (Clipper Vacations)
Great tour saw whales and...
Great tour saw whales and orcas fast boat also they take pictures you can download latter so you can foucs on seeing the sea life
Product: Seattle: Half-Day Wildlife and Whale Watching Cruise
Great tour saw whales and...
Great tour saw whales and orcas fast boat also they take pictures you can download latter so you can foucs on seeing the sea life
Product: Seattle: Half-Day Wildlife and Whale Watching Cruise
Had an amazing time! Beautiful new boat, still had that new boat smell. Friendly and knowledge staff. Don’t hesitate to book it. Its a good time.
Product: FRS Clipper (Clipper Vacations)
Salish Sea observation
Excellent tour by knowledgeable team in a very clean boat. Respectful to the whales and orcas. Lots of educational materials for children and facts for adults.
Product: Seattle: Half-Day Wildlife and Whale Watching Cruise
Salish Sea observation
Excellent tour by knowledgeable team in a very clean boat. Respectful to the whales and orcas. Lots of educational materials for children and facts for adults.
Product: Seattle: Half-Day Wildlife and Whale Watching Cruise
I would do this again 100%
Product: Seattle: Wildlife and Whale Watching Cruise
Wir konnten einen Buckelwal beim Fressen beobachten.
Product: Seattle: Wildlife and Whale Watching Cruise
bateau très confortable. personnel très agréable. mais il est vrai que c'est assez cher pour quelque chose d'incertaint. nous n'avons vu que des ailerons.... c'est deja sympa mais c'est sur que quasi 150 euros par personne ca fait cher. malgré tout, avec le beau temps, la balade est très sympa
Product: Seattle: Wildlife and Whale Watching Cruise
Product: Seattle: Wildlife and Whale Watching Cruise
Excellently
Highly recommended, I saw more whales than ever before while whalewatching, I took so many pictures with my Sony with a small tele. I was so exited to see your photos, thank you for sharing ! We see us again next time I'm in Seattle. Roswitha
Product: Seattle: Half-Day Wildlife and Whale Watching Cruise
Excellently
Highly recommended, I saw more whales than ever before while whalewatching, I took so many pictures with my Sony with a small tele. I was so exited to see your photos, thank you for sharing ! We see us again next time I'm in Seattle. Roswitha
Product: Seattle: Half-Day Wildlife and Whale Watching Cruise
Product: Seattle: Wildlife and Whale Watching Cruise
Product: FRS Clipper (Clipper Vacations)
Product: FRS Clipper (Clipper Vacations)