Whale-Watching Cruise from Newport Beach
4.5
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About
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 0-99, max of 115 per group
Duration: 2h 15m
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Live guide: English
More
- 2.5-hour whale-watching cruise
- All Fees and Taxes
What's not included- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Parking may be challenging during summer months- please arrive early
- Free trolley information can be found on the City of Newport Beach website
- Parking Fees located at Balboa Pier Municipal Lot
- Start:
- 400 Main St, Newport Beach, CA 92661, USAParking is best found at the valet parking structure at 309 Palm St. Newport Beach, CA 92661 (corner of Adams St & E Bay Ave) or the Balboa Pier Municipal Parking Lot located at 1 Balboa Pier Newport Beach, CA. 92661. Please be prepared to pay for both. Oversized vehicles should use Balboa Pier.
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 5481WHALE- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Most travellers can participate
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately. No high heels are allowed.
- Outside alcohol, ice chests, coolers or glass containers are strictly prohibited.
- Vessel may change depending on availability.
- Arrive at least 1 hour early for all tours- especially during summer months. Parking may be challenging, especially on weekends.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 115 travellers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 5481WHALE
From HK$286.79
HK$203.62
per adult
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- karenmU3816SD0 contributionsA perfect dayOur tour got off to a little bit of a late start, but what a fantastic day it was! We had the perfect weather…calm, clear and sunny. Captain Larry was a great guide, throwing humor into the fun facts. He really made sure to find sea life for us. Although there were no whales, the dolphins more than made up for it. We were at the very front point, so watching the dolphins interact with the boat was amazing. Speaking from my own experience, we had the best time, even without the whales!Written 30 August 2024
- D7682BBmiker0 contributionsdont go waste of money and time. felt like a tourist boat. 95% driving 5%fishing.Went on the patriot. Was very disappointed on this boat spent more time driving then fishing. Out of a limited boat load for 120 bucks for 10 to 12 hours of fishing. If i wanted a boat ride i could have bought a whale watch ticket. Brought a friend to show how fun fishing on the water can be but for his 1st time he was disappointed as well. 240 bucks down the drain. For a boat ride lmao. Not sure if ill be returning to this landing. Maybe h and m or long beach landing are better... tickets were bought through Davey's locker web. Get there and have to walk to Newport landing to check in. These guys need get there instruction better for wen people print there papers out...Written 21 August 2024
- Pathfinder789970 contributionsAwesome!This was an amazing trip. We only saw one mink whale, but we saw over 2,000 common dolphins, two sun fish, and lots of birds. The dolphin were so entertaining, swimming by the boat and jumping out of the water. Kaylan and Christine were so knowledgeable and told us all kinds of interesting facts. I would highly recommend them.Written 12 August 2024
- TerriL2u0 contributionsDolphins swimming all around!Captain Larry was outstanding! He was engaging, funny, and informative. Waters were a bit rocky, but he got us through and made it fun for all. We could see hundreds of dolphins swimming and jumping around the boat. It was a sight to behold! ! This cruise is worth every penny!Written 3 August 2024
- jasminab8150 contributionsHighly Recommend you do this ☺️I was visiting Cali from NJ and went with my sister in law and nieces. I was worried the girls would be bored but they loved it! The crew was great (bring cash for tips). The ride was great and the weather was perfect (bring a sweater as it can get chilly). Unfortunately, we didn't see any whales but we saw so many beautiful dolphins and sea lions. Overall we loved it.Written 1 August 2024
- Y298CPjor0 contributionsAwesome blue whale and dolphinsWent today with skipper Kayla and Kristine on the Catamaran. 3pm sailing time. Saw dolphins including baby dolphins swimming alongside boat. Sea was rough so we were about to turn back, but blue whale appeared. Amazing sight. Sealions on way back. Pelicans, herons. Both Kayla and Kristine gave really good facts about the wildlife. Great trip and highly recommend.Written 29 July 2024
- Heidi M0 contributionsMust see tripAmazing time! Kayla and Mike maybe Matt showed us dolphins, minky whales and a blue whale!! Highly recommend! So glad we came!Written 24 July 2024
- monikasT3921EN0 contributionsTransformative experience amongst whales and dolphinsWe reserved this ride mainly just to enjoy a sunset boat ride. If we saw a dolphin or whale, it would have just been icing on the cake. Totally did not expect to not only spend about 15 minutes super close to a humpback whale, which was comfortable enough with the boat to stay near us for a while, BUT! We also found ourselves in the middle of a gigantic pod of dolphins, several hundred of them, leaping and frolicking all around us. Literally a dream. And the captain (Larry I think is his name) is wonderful, clearly LOVES his job, he was calling out to all the kids on the boat where to look, chatted and made jokes with the rest of us, and even gave me a pair of flip flops to keep since I stupidly wore high heels onto the boat. Overall, a fantastic and perfect experience, and highly recommend! Thank you so much!Written 22 July 2024
- todde8920 contributionsHundreds of Dolphins!The captain was friendly and knowledgeable and courteous, and very gentle about the way that he captained the boat so no one would get too wet in the waves. While there weren’t any whale sightings ( I would’ve given a five out of five because it was a whale watching Trip), he did pilot the ship towards an enormous pod of common dolphin, and the dolphin were playing under the bow and all over to the right and left and behind the boat, jumping and frolicking and feeding andsome mating. Just being out in the Newport Harbor and out at Sea was a wonderful and beautiful time with me and my wife and I would recommend friendly staff, clean fast and amazing environsWritten 30 June 2024
- MariaBCalifornia0 contributionsBlue whale!My husband and I booked this trip in hope of seeing a blue whale, as they had been seeing them for several weeks straight in late May/early June 2024. I am so happy we booked this faster boat, because Captain Larry was able to go full speed, about 9 miles out, when he heard there was a blue whale who would be coming up to surface soon. He got us there with a few minutes to spare, and it was awesome. Our first blue whale ever. Not only that, but we also saw hundreds of dolphins, the fins of a few mola mola fish, pelicans, and seals. It was well worth paying a little more because had we been on the slower boat, we would have missed the blue whale. His boat mate Bryce was also good. They did a great job of making everyone happy. As always with nature, you never know if you'll be lucky enough to see something or not the day you go, but I highly recommend this company for its professionalism and dedication to find animals.Written 16 June 2024
- Voyage684102833820 contributionsAwful Experience with Davey's LockerThis was an awful experience. I purhased tickets on Groupon and selected a time. They changed the time I book without my consent and then when I arrived. They wanted to charge me an additional $45 per person to go on the boat. They are not honest and are scammers. Don't use themWritten 15 June 2024
- debbiemE7801WF0 contributionsWHALES!A friend of mine from Florida joined me for whale watching on the Davey's Locker 'Catallac' on 5/31/24. We were not disappointed. What an amazing outing! The experienced crew was polite, professional, knowledgeable, entertaining, attentive to visitor inquiries and questions, and determined to find WHALES! Most importantly to me, was their focus on safety for everyone on board and that of our precious marine wildlife. Captain Bryce, along with crewmembers Larry, and Matt, took excellent care of everyone and provided all of us with an unforgettable experience. I highly recommend this company if you are looking for sightseeing options along the coast outside of Newport Beach.Written 5 June 2024
- G6329QUdanam0 contributionsFantastic whale watching on The Cadillac with Captain Larry and Christine.Captain Larry and Christin were awesome Hosts! Leaned a lot. It was amazing seeing the Blue Whale! Captain Larry respected the whales space, yet got us up close to really see her.Written 27 May 2024
- vardhinia20240 contributionsFun-tastic experienceIt was a fun-tastic trip. Loved it so much 👍👍 We had captain cool Lary and Mat onboard who were explaining us so many things… Beautiful experience.Written 25 May 2024
- rgarcia13130 contributionsKayla was a Great Captain.Kayla was a great Captain! The first female captain we have encountered. Kayla and Matt did a great job finding us wildlife even though it was a slow day. We enjoyed the trip and would do it again!Written 13 May 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
423 reviews
Excellent
285
Very good
67
Average
34
Poor
9
Terrible
28
Carynn Rader
2 contributions
Dec 2019 • Family
My husband and I took our two boys (8 and 4 yrs old) on this cruise and we did not enjoy ourselves one bit. They are not informative during the cruise. They “guarantee” you will see whales/dolphins, but that is not the case. After cruising for about two hours with no sight of either, they pulled up to a couple sea lions to make us feel like we had seen something. Spent $90 on our tickets, $10 to rent binoculars from them, $50 in concession and after a huge disappointment they give you coupons to reride and waste more money for only $7/person this time. No thanks!
Written 3 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FSN_13
Columbus, OH64 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
We were very impressed by the entire operation and the care the well informed and polite crew took to comply with and enforce spacing and masking rules. We thoroughly enjoyed all the time we got with a humpback whale and all the dolphins. We had a great experience.
Written 20 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Happy S
1 contribution
Aug 2023 • Couples
Immature and untrustworthy company. We booked a trip on 29th Aug 5pm but were stuck in a really bad traffic. We called to tell them that we are at the borderline to pick up the ticket as they required to arrive 1 hours earlier. We could have arrive just on time to onboard. Over the phone they said they will email us a voucher which we can book the trip within 12 months any time. We accepted and canceled the trip on 29th. However, after half an hour wait we didn't receive the voucher and we called them back again. They said they made a note on my account and do not need to send out the voucher. We can call back anytime to book within 12 months. We took their words and booked immediately for the trip on 30th Aug. The order were confirmed shown 0 balance to pay. On 30th Aug we arrived and were rejected onboarding if we do not pay for another 20 dollar. We were shocked about their dishonesty. Person at the check in desk and over the phone denied their knowledge of the voucher they promised for us to book on for another trip within 12 months. There were no manager to speak to as everyone is the manager when we asked. They are just trying to capture as much as they can from the tourists. Our original trip was 89 dollar and the rebooked one was 68 dollar. It is a cheaper trip we booked on and we don't think it is graceful to demand another 20 dollar without putting in writing.
As for the trip itself, it is more like a ferry trip in a large passenger boat with over 100 people. The facility is too basic to make you feel a holiday. The journey is shorter than 2 hours as they advertised. It is too short to travel to a distance that you will see any whale. You will see some common dolphins and on the way back they point out 3 sea lions by the shore. You will hear captain guide through a broadcast onboard. For the quality of the trip, it is only worth 10 dollar the most. BE AWARE they are selling the trip for 13 dollar on Groupon. There is no price consistency. They expect tips by providing little experience. No one tipped at the end. A few days after they sent you a 50% code hoping you will book with them again.
As for the trip itself, it is more like a ferry trip in a large passenger boat with over 100 people. The facility is too basic to make you feel a holiday. The journey is shorter than 2 hours as they advertised. It is too short to travel to a distance that you will see any whale. You will see some common dolphins and on the way back they point out 3 sea lions by the shore. You will hear captain guide through a broadcast onboard. For the quality of the trip, it is only worth 10 dollar the most. BE AWARE they are selling the trip for 13 dollar on Groupon. There is no price consistency. They expect tips by providing little experience. No one tipped at the end. A few days after they sent you a 50% code hoping you will book with them again.
Written 17 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ted L
3 contributions
Jul 2021 • Friends
Don't use their service. We asked about seeing whales in advance and were kind of leery by the double talk. And then we saw no whales. They even shortened the trip to about 1.75 hours instead of the advertised 2.5. A chart on their front door, impossible to know about when you call by phone from out of town, showed that they hadn't seen whales in the past week. It could have been longer, but that's all it showed. They didn't share that info when we asked.
Leave these people alone. They won't be honest up front, and their "apology" was an offer to have us pay for another cruise at half price. No thank you.
Leave these people alone. They won't be honest up front, and their "apology" was an offer to have us pay for another cruise at half price. No thank you.
Written 3 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aneesha H
Duluth, GA236 contributions
Jun 2020
I got a deal on groupon for my sister, brother in law, three year old nephew and myself. During Covid they're allowing 50% of their capacity on board so it was nice to have extra room on the boat. It was a double story boat where we spent most of our time on top. I signed us up for a 10am. Parking was far but everything else was great. Great staff, super clean bathrooms. We didn't see whales but we did see lots of dolphins which was pretty neat too. Staff kept informing us about lots of stuff which was really neat. Super windy so make sure you wear a jacket and dress appropriately. It's recommended to get earlier times so the waters calm and you're able to see more. I'll defiantly be coming back and thinking about doing the 10 hr fishing trip next!
Written 25 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Trip2hotels
London, UK12 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
When we arrived the Car Parking was a complete rip off in the whole of Newport. Most of the parking is restricted to 2 hours on the street making you go in the rip off parking areas. If I remember correctly was something like 30 dollars for the 4 hours we were there. Not Davey’s Lockers fault but something to bear in mind.
We booked the 2 hour Newport Beach Whale Watching & Dolphin Cruise and arrived to see the boat was the size of a ferry, it takes a good 30 minutes to get out of harbour and a good 30 minutes to return leaving about an hour to basically watch common dolphins. The clue is in the name they are common to see they swim to the ferry fast enough when they see it.
There isn’t enough time to wait it out to see anything else such as any whales and the ferry is too slow to go very far out.
I have been on other Cruises and usually the staff are incredibly welcoming with a drink and fruit provided, I didn’t feel the staff were that welcoming on this cruise, the speaker was at times difficult to hear what the person was saying.
I didn’t purchase a drink at the Bar or leave a tip, it wasn’t worth it. Not sure what I would be leaving a tip for.
At the end of the trip there weren’t many smiling faces given what was paid for the trip, in all felt like a waste of time and money and a forgettable experience.
We booked the 2 hour Newport Beach Whale Watching & Dolphin Cruise and arrived to see the boat was the size of a ferry, it takes a good 30 minutes to get out of harbour and a good 30 minutes to return leaving about an hour to basically watch common dolphins. The clue is in the name they are common to see they swim to the ferry fast enough when they see it.
There isn’t enough time to wait it out to see anything else such as any whales and the ferry is too slow to go very far out.
I have been on other Cruises and usually the staff are incredibly welcoming with a drink and fruit provided, I didn’t feel the staff were that welcoming on this cruise, the speaker was at times difficult to hear what the person was saying.
I didn’t purchase a drink at the Bar or leave a tip, it wasn’t worth it. Not sure what I would be leaving a tip for.
At the end of the trip there weren’t many smiling faces given what was paid for the trip, in all felt like a waste of time and money and a forgettable experience.
Written 10 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
H l
San Antonio, TX260 contributions
Nov 21, 2020 Saturday
Trip with elderly mother. Didn't book online thinking we would be fine. Nope. Next 3 tours were sold out but got on waitlist and got lucky.
Clean. Masks required. Running at about 2/3 less capacity so distancing not ideal but no735kt uncomfortable.
Parked couple blocks up at Balboa Island public parking. 5 hours for $4.75.
Along the strip by the excursion are lots of shops and places to grab a bite. Even a couple of small kid things like a small ferriswheel. Also a quaint ferry for a quick run if killing time.
Actual trip.... knowledgeable. Sit close to one of the speakers. Recommend sitting along the side and layering clothes. November was perfect in bay with shorts but into open water sweatshirt and shawl appropriate. Sell some packaged snacks, popcorn, has a bar (jumbo well mixed mia tia $12 and bottle water $2) Restrooms on board. We got lucky with a huge pot of common dolphins, some bottle nosed, and some cali sea lions.
LOVED the trip!
Trip with elderly mother. Didn't book online thinking we would be fine. Nope. Next 3 tours were sold out but got on waitlist and got lucky.
Clean. Masks required. Running at about 2/3 less capacity so distancing not ideal but no735kt uncomfortable.
Parked couple blocks up at Balboa Island public parking. 5 hours for $4.75.
Along the strip by the excursion are lots of shops and places to grab a bite. Even a couple of small kid things like a small ferriswheel. Also a quaint ferry for a quick run if killing time.
Actual trip.... knowledgeable. Sit close to one of the speakers. Recommend sitting along the side and layering clothes. November was perfect in bay with shorts but into open water sweatshirt and shawl appropriate. Sell some packaged snacks, popcorn, has a bar (jumbo well mixed mia tia $12 and bottle water $2) Restrooms on board. We got lucky with a huge pot of common dolphins, some bottle nosed, and some cali sea lions.
LOVED the trip!
Written 21 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
leeannmorrell
Santa Clarita, CA118 contributions
Feb 2022
Such a great crew! We took a mid morning boat last Sunday and it was so much fun. We were worried because my mom is 91 and has limited mobility so she was going to be in a wheelchair but we called ahead and the man who answered the phone was really nice about letting us know which boat to book on to accommodate the wheelchair situation. When we got there they had us pre board. Boarding was easy because the crew jumped in to help with the wheelchair and in in helping my mom up the three steps she needed to navigate to get onto the boat. John, Kayla and Jill were such a great crew. John found a huge pod of dolphins (turns out it was a nursery pod with the cutest baby dolphins!) Kayla took professional grade photos of the dolphins which I just had to buy and Kim is a really fun narrator. She was more excited by the baby dolphins than almost anyone else except me I think. It really shows when people love their jobs! We will definitely book with these guys again!
Written 16 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helen Ryan
Phoenix, AZ5 contributions
Sept 2020
The staff was friendly and informative. Even thought we didn’t see any whales and much wildlife we were given coupons for a mother trip at a good discount. The only thing I was disappointed in was the passengers . Even though the staff made it clear several times that we must wear masks and wear them properly and stay apart many were wearing them under their noses, on their chins or not at all.
Written 18 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kaytie H
Morisset, Australia6 contributions
Jan 2022
My boyfriend and I found this place through our Go City - San Diego tickets and decided to reserve a spot on a Friday morning whale watching tour. Being January, it was a bit chilly out on the water - the wind that day didn't help but Larry, our boat Captain, did a fantastic job getting us out of the wind as soon as he could. We upgraded our tickets to sit up in the top with Larry and were provided with some extra beautiful views. Unfortunately on this day we did not get to see any whales, but we did see a Sea Lion having his breakfast way off shore, as well as 1 massive pod of common dolphins which formed into a super pod when they joined up with another right near us. It was a really great time. Despite not seeing any whales, we had an absolute blast and Larry and Bryce, the crew member, were very personable and knew a lot about the whales, dolphins and sea lions.
Written 30 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What's the difference between a standard whale watching tour and the luxury?
Written 3 April 2024
Guide249235
Houston, Texas
From Catalina’s Island..you have to take ferry back to NewPort Beach?
Written 1 July 2022
I saw another family bring snacks for their young children and no one said anything.
Written 7 July 2022
I was vaccinated, my companion wasn't. They never asked us about vaccination, but a call to them would be wise.
Written 8 January 2022
Are there whale sightings in January?
Written 24 November 2021
I don't know. It may have to do with whether or not it's a service dog, but I wouldn't bring it without being certain that I could hold the dog the entire trip (the water can get choppy) and that the animal wouldn't disturb others. If I was the owner of the boat I'd say no, but the only real way to know is to call them directly.
Written 20 September 2021
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