San Diego Whale Watching Cruise

5 stars isn't enough for this experience. We (wife, daughter and I) ended up there after checkin closed and were trying to find the place - while mentally trying to make peace with the fact that we might pay for our lateness by losing the experience. A gentleman who was walking by asked whether we were there for the whaling tour. While surprised, we said yes. He said that we "had the look" - I assume that we looked lost enough :) We learned that we'd been lucky enough to bump into captain Troy as he headed towards the pier and the gorgeous boat. This was definitely representative of the experience we were about to have. The crew was amazingly friendly and responsive, patiently answering the questions of various passengers. They even came around as we headed back to check on whether we'd like to be photographed as a family - of course most people, even if they were alone were delighted to have something other than selfies to show for the trip. The lead tour guide was incredible. She had a ton to say not only about the animals we saw, but also about the bay as well as the military and non-military ships we saw. I think she had enough enthusiasm to keep the boat afloat by herself, and it was infectious on a lovely (albeit cold day). Of course, importantly, we saw fin whales (a mother and calf), which rounded off the trip into one of the best experiences we've had while travelling. Remember that while they have a whale sighting guarantee, its useful mainly when you are likely to be back (and us coming from India again felt unlikely). We also saw a ton of sea lions including one that was frolicking behind the boat. Highly recommend doing this if you're going to be in San Diego.

It is rare to see whales this time of year, and we didn’t. The overall experience though, did not disappoint. The boat, a replica of the sailing schooner America, is beautiful and rides nicely when you get out of the bay. We saw pods consisting of hundreds of common dolphins (along with a few sea lions) twice. The dolphins like to race the boat and swim under the bow. The crew was friendly and knowledgeable. Add in great weather and it was very enjoyable.

We didn't see any whales but we saw lots of dolphins which the kids and all of us loved!! The staff was excellent and showed a lot of patience with people who struggled to follow the rules. The sailboat is so amazing! Great experience overall! And we get to come back for free since we didn't get to see a whale this time.

Never been on a sailing ship so this was a wonderful first! We saw blue whales which was the ship’s first of the season and lots of dolphin pods. We also passed by the USS Charles Vinson aircraft carrier, a Japanese destroyer and a USS Los Angeles class submarine. Captain and crew were helpful and informative. This is a great way to go whale watching and sailing at the same time!

An amazing time with amazing crew members! We didn’t see any whales, but did see a huge school of dolphins. Was really impressed with the fact that the crew had “story time” for the littles on board and were so patient with everyone. Highly recommend.