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San Diego Dolphin & Gray Whale Watching Tours in San Diego, CA

Hornblower Cruises & Events • 970 North Harbor Drive • San Diego, CA 92101

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San Diego Whale & Dolphin Watching Tours in San Diego, California

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Overview

Head out into open water on a massive yacht in search for the infamous gray whale. As you embark on your ocean expedition, you’ll pass by sea lions, dolphins, seals, and other playful sea creatures. While onboard this 3.5-hour yacht tour, you can relax with indoor and outdoor seating, a snack bar and full bar, and hear from the on-site naturalist and yacht captain. Be on the lookout for gray whales!

Good To Know

from Ashley, one of our San Diego Travel Experts

The tour is approximately 3.5 hours long.
Indoor and outdoor seating and viewing is available onboard the yacht.
The yacht boasts snack bars featuring hot food, a full bar, and souvenirs.
No outside food or beverage is allowed onboard the yacht.
Please arrive no later than 30 minutes prior to your scheduled departure time.

Description

from San Diego Whale & Dolphin Watching Tours

If you love whales, dolphins, sea lions, and seabirds, hop on board for a breathtaking experience on the open ocean. We’ll speed out to sea on one of our large, comfortable yachts and pass barking sea lions and pods of leaping dolphins as we search for the legendary gray whales-known for making one of the longest migrations on Earth. As we make our way on a 3.5-hour tour, we’ll be treated to a live narration by our experienced captain and our onboard naturalist (from the San Diego Natural History Museum). You’ll stay cozy and comfortable with both indoor and outdoor seating and a snack bar featuring hot food, a full bar, and souvenirs.

WHAT YOU GET:
• 3.5-hour Whale Watching excursion in San Diego.
• Opportunity to spot whales, sea lions, dolphins and more.
• An exclusive look at local environmental efforts.
• Professional live narration on marine life from our expert captains and volunteer naturalists from the San Diego Natural History Museum (theNAT).
• Snack bars featuring hot food, full bar, and souvenirs.
• Climate-controlled indoor seating.
• Spacious sun deck seating with tons of rail space all around the ship for great viewing.
• Views of famous San Diego landmarks.

If some type of whale is not sighted on your whale watching cruise, you will receive a pass good to return for a Whale Watching Cruise or 1 or 2 Hour Harbor Cruise from Hornblower San Diego.

NOTE: The whale watching vessel cruises in the open ocean. Our yacht is the most comfortable yacht in San Diego, due to stabilizers that greatly reduce the yacht's motion. Still, if seasickness is a concern, getting fresh air on the sun deck or taking over-the-counter anti-seasickness medicine prior to your cruise might help.

No outside food or beverage is allowed onboard the yacht. For your convenience, we have a fully stocked snack bar and full beverage bar available to purchase on board.

9:30 am Tour: Boards at 9:15 am
1:30 pm Tour: Boards at 1:15 pm
Departs from Navy Float 970 N. Harbor Drive.

San Diego Whale & Dolphin Watching Tours | Gray Whales in San Diego, CA

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Tripster Customer Reviews

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William Turner

Woodland Park, CO

2 Reviews

Verified Traveler

"Worth The Time...Money? No Worries, Time Is What Counts In Life"

April 2019

Worth The Time...Money? No Worries, Time Is What Counts In Life...Once you spend your time you don't get more. This was time well spent. I loved it, the spousal unit loved it, the twin teenager daughters loved it and they never look up from their smart phones. We would do this again.

Tip: You are going to have fun and you should bring a coat for the early morning run. I never bring a coat, wear shorts in snow of the Rockies where I live and wish I brought a coat.

FredN47

Walnut Creek, California

"Nice afternoon cruise"

Reviewed November 03, 2019 NEW

Decided to finally see San Diego from the water. Nice relaxing cruise and fun. Great narrator during the cruise. Was not dissapointed.

tomplmr

Vancouver, Washington

"Boat trip sinks"

Reviewed October 20, 2019 NEW

We recently went on a horn blower cruise. It was supposed to be music, hor devours and a cocktail service. We had been on the cruise previously and had a wonderful time. Thought we knew what to expect. WRONG. We started out in the lower cabin where the air conditioning was set much lower than necessary. It was cold! Too cold to the point where it was truly unbearable. We ended up outside where it was much warmer. The food was very limited to crackers and cheese. Occasionally a server would enter the room with a small tray of food that went to those people standing in the cracker line, never making it to the rest of the cabin. Very disappointing. And the music, it was played way too loud where normal conversation was impossible. We asked the dj to turn it down which he did, only to turn it back again? It was a most uncomfortablde evening, and not cheap!! Never again! Ext time I’ll .

DRJohnstone

Lancaster, California

"Hornblower dinner cruise"

Reviewed October 19, 2019 NEW

The 3 hour dinner cruise was really lovely. The dining area has white table linens and upscale settings and food. The food was very good. It is basically set up as a fine dining atmosphere. But they had a major damper, the music. They could have been playing beautiful music - perhaps of a romantic nature or easy saks music, that type of thing. But the DJ played very rowdy dance beats. It was awful and literally stole away the mood - was hard to take on a 3 hour cruise that would otherwise have been perfect. I asked him twice (nicely) to play something pretty but he just couldn't bring himself to do that. It is mostly what I remember about the cruise - the noise. It isn't supposed to be a party boat. It's supposed to be conducive to fine dining on the moonlit water. Also, 3 hours is a long time. Perhaps 2.5 hours would be better.

IdahoGirl83716

Boise, Idaho

"It's A Boat"

Reviewed October 03, 2019

If you are looking to see whales and other marine life make sure you book the right venue! The Harbor Cruise is simply going (SLOW) around the harbor. Yes, you see LOTS of military boats and YES the crew members give you great history and information about the boats and helicopters, but being a non-military person it was boring to me. At least it was a boat and nice to be on the water. Highlight...the photo opp's SD skyline.

McK5nz

San Diego, California

"HornBlower cruise"

Reviewed September 30, 2019

We did the Sunday brunch buffet. It is great for families, friends or couples. It is a buffet so there is a lot of selection but as one would expect the hotest dishes at times and it is mass produced. For the adults there are bottom less Momoso's

San Diego Whale & Dolphin Watching Tours is located at Hornblower Cruises & Events • 970 North Harbor Drive • San Diego, CA 92101

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Frequently Asked Questions about San Diego Whale & Dolphin Watching Tours

How long is the tour?
The tour is approximately 3.5 hours long.

What animals will I see on the tour?
Guests will see whales, sea lions, dolphins and more. If some type of whale is not sighted on your whale watching cruise, you will receive a pass good to return for a Whale Watching Cruise or 1 or 2 Hour Harbor Cruise from Hornblower San Diego.

What should I wear for the cruise?
Casual attire, such as shorts and t-shirts are appropriate. We recommend bringing along a light jacket or wrap as it may get breezy on board, especially for those cruises that occur out on the open ocean. Be sure to double check the weather forecast to direct your clothing choices for the day.

What time do I board the ship?
Boarding time is usually 30 minutes prior to departure for all cruises. Please check your boarding time when making your reservation.

Is smoking allowed on the ship?
Smoking is not allowed on whale watching cruises.

Is food served onboard? Can I bring food on the cruise?
Outside food and beverages are not allowed onboard. The ship has snack bars featuring hot food, a full bar, and souvenirs for guests’ convenience.

Are life preservers onboard?
Each vessel is 100% Coast Guard certified with life preservers and all required lifesaving equipment, including child life vests.

Is the ship handicap accessible?
Hornblower does have accessible yachts in the fleet. However, not all yachts and decks are accessible. Please call 888-467-6256 to ensure handicap accessibility for the date you are planning to cruise.

Will I get seasick?
If you tend to have a problem with motion sickness, you may experience seasickness. We do go out into the open ocean for whale watching cruises and as a result, the chance of getting seasick increases. For these cruises, we recommend that if you are prone to motion sickness that you take advantage of a number of preventative measures that are available to you.

San Diego Dolphin & Gray Whale Watching Tours in San Diego, CA

Overview

Good To Know

Description

Tripster Customer Reviews

San Diego Whale & Dolphin Watching Tours is located at Hornblower Cruises & Events • 970 North Harbor Drive • San Diego, CA 92101

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Frequently Asked Questions about San Diego Whale & Dolphin Watching Tours

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