I had to report this great YELP.com review from Mel C, from Las Vegas, NV from 2/9/14
This review is for their Whale & Dolphin Watching Adventure, not for the awesome dinner cruise. Thought that I get that out first since the Hornblower is known for their spectacular 3 hour dinner cruises that circle around Coronado. I’ve been to one of those dinners on a previous birthday and I agree with the rest, 5 Stars for the experience.
As for the Whale & Dolphin Watching Adventure, they guarantee whale sightings. I’ve done this whale sighting tour before and if you don’t see a single whale, you receive what they call a “Whale Check”, which is their form of a rain check. We just finished the tour this afternoon and Yes, I finally got to see some whales. It started off slow, but after about an hour, I got to see the tail end of a whale’s tail end. That’s it? It was for a good 30 minutes, then we found more and even with their babies. By the end of our tour, we got to experience multiple whale sightings.
What to expect on your tour:
-Whales, of course
-Dolphins and a ton of them. They’ll put on a show and race side by side with your yacht.
-Sea Lions
-Navy Ships
-Historic Landmarks
-Views of our beautiful city of San Diego
-Views of Mexico’s city of Tijuana
-3 hours on the water
-Wind and Cold: Come bundled if you’re outside
-Great staff, including the Captain who narrates the tour.
-San Diego’s Natural History Museum Naturalists was also on our tour. They were available to educate all of us about the whales, why they’re here, what breed they are, etc. On the way back to port, they give little presentation as well.
I had a great time with my daughter, nephew, and god daughter. I’m sure that they had a great time too. Keep in mind that this tour is not Sea World. The whales do not come out and perform at scheduled times. The whales don’t do somersaults. This is whale watching in their natural habitat, which means you may have to wait and keep looking just to spot one. Pretty cool to see these beautiful mammals in their own environment. I highly recommend this tour while you’re in San Diego.
Thanks Mel C! We welcome your comments and reviews about the experiences you have aboard Hornblower Cruises and all the products we offer including Whale Watching cruises, Nightly dinner Cruises, Sunday Champagne Brunch, Daily Narrated harbor tours and Sights & Sips Cocktail Cruises! Http://www.hornblower.com/home/sd