A must do, bucket list trip to do. The crew are extremely friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. It was a cold windy but beautifully sunny day. The seas were 1 meter plus but with all the sails we were skimming across the swells.One of the crew came with a blanket for me, I thought that was so thoughtful of him. Crew also got guests involved in putting up the sails and once these were all aloft away we went! We did see mother and calf grey whale after a crew was hoisted up one of the sails for whale spotting duty! There were plenty of savoury snacks and drinks, cheese and biscuits plus danishes. Then the crew decided they would make us a hot chocolate on the way back to harbour, it was divine as was so warming, dont know if this is part of the experience but was most welcome. The facilities were clean and fresh albeit very cramped but we are on a racing yacht ok! For the experience of being on a fair dinkum sailing ship, plus the experience of seeing whales the trip is exceptional value for money. Go do it.
Review by: Courtney I, February 2018
Had a great time on the ship. Saw some whales and lazy seals. Beautiful day and great crew on the ship. Had a lot of fun.
Review by: Debra B, February 2018
I'll start at the beginning. I called to confirm trip, as was stated, in bold print, on my confirmation. I was told that it was not necessary but since I booked with a third party it said to do that. I asked if it was bogus and he said I should have booked directly. Of course I never would have found it that way. The forecast called for rain and so I asked about the weather forecast. I was given a lecture about rain prediction which went on and on. I finally said never mind. I think an answer should have been, if it's cancelled we will call or text and we have blankets on board. The boat was beautiful and the 2 young crew members were very kind. It was windy and rough. I saw a tail of a whale but I could not stand because of the rocking of the boat. I am in my 60's and husband is in his 70's so we do not want to fall on a sailing ship. Blankets were offered by a young crew member to us about half way through. That was a big help. 90 of people were not offered. Then it rained. Started slow and got heavy. All visitors headed downstairs. It was pretty much wall to wall adults and children down below. It was by that time very cold. My husband was standing next to a space heater which he turned on. At that point the captain came below and was quite upset that people who were dripping were standing on the carpet. He felt the carpet and said not to stand on it and felt the carpet again. He was also mad about the space heater and said that we were not to touch it and asked who had turned it on. We acknowledged that it was us and he told us not to touch it again. He said it had stopped raining and we could go upstairs. We did, however, the seats of the boat were very wet and we could not sit down. About 10 of us proceeded back down. He came down a couple of times to see if anyone was on the carpet. No one was. Part of the problem was possibly that a person on the trip had lost a boarding pass and someone was onboard that had not paid. We were all asked toward the end of the trip to verify that we had paid. I do not know what happened to the intruder. Maybe the plank that I feared after the heater incident. Oh well. Maybe without that incident all would have been in a better frame of mind. The snacks were chips and they did sell beer and wine onboard. I did go on a wonderful sailing trip in Los Cabo so if you are looking for one and find yourself there it was great. This one was a bit disappointing.
Review by: K W, January 2018
A must do experience - fantastic._br/_ The wooden sailing ship is amazing and we followed a whale for ages which was a beautiful sight. It was much appreacted that the crew took professional photos which they published much better than I could have managed which allowed me to sit back and just enjoy the experience and enjoy the photos on my return. Being out on the water was really relaxing and I wouldnt hesitate to book this again!_br/_ The museum was inter sting and had lots to look at and climb aboard. I especially liked the Star of India which had a wealth of information displayed below and The Surprise from Mastercand Commander a film I really love.
Review by: Gary W, October 2017
We had one of those perfect San Diego days on a beautiful ship. The captain and crew were friendly and sailed the ship perfectly. The crew found a Blue Whale floating on the surface to everyone's delight.
Review by: Donald H, August 2017
A great trip. We saw a mega pod of dolphins. As far as the eye could see dolphins swimming around the boat.
Review by: Susan Y C, August 2017
We were lucky enough to find ourselves in the middle of what the guide called a megapod of dolphins. Hundreds of dolphins jumping and feeding. It was wonderful,
Review by: leonard o, February 2017
Spectacular trip, many whales and dolphins. We saw whale behaviors we had not seen before in 40 years of whale watching Our Guide Al was tremendous. Must See.
Review by: CANDACE C R, February 2017
It could have been better because we didn't get to go! Bad weather kept the boat from going out.
Review by: Pamela N, February 2017
Had a beautiful day, great privilege to be on the America schooner with owner/captain Troy Sears at the helm.
Review by: Lauren M, January 2017
My son got seasick and a little girl vomited and vomited. Not sure how they can have a no sea sickness guarantee. It was a perfectly still day, so little wind, the motor ran the whole time that was really disappointing to me! Also be warned, 4 hours is a long time. It was really nice that they provided snacks and drinks and the guide was pretty good. I went on a whale watching tour off half moon bay that was a million times better in that the guide was a naturalist and provided tons of facts on whales and the ocean. Also, the captain got much closer to the whales than the captain of the America. We only saw whales from a very far distance. I was a bit disappointed, honestly!
Review by: Henk S, January 2017
A great tour on a gorgeous sailing boat. We were close to whales. The weather was very good too.
Review by: Rebecca P, January 2017
The Maritime Museum consist of about 5 different ships so I would suggest arriving early so you will have time to explore each of them. The whale watching on the sailing ship was very good. Saw lots of whale tails. Drinks and snacks were provided and the staff was friendly and informative. The only suggestion I would make would be to have a naturalist on board. No motion sickness and it was very peaceful when we were on wind power only.
Review by: kim l, April 2016
The bestt adventure in San Diego
Review by: Donny B, February 2016
Had a great time. Crew was great and we saw whales.
Review by: ralph j, June 2015
We saw very small whale, but lots of dolphins. Al was great.
Review by: Rachel K, April 2015
We loved the whale watching cruise !
Review by: Monique E, March 2015
This trip a must for locals and tourists. We live in the area and have whale watched before, but this boat and crew made the experience spectacular. We saw a lot of whales and one of the crew shared history and pointed out things about the history of San Diego and the US Navy sites that we had never heard before. This is a must for something different and a good relaxing informative experience.
Review by: Esther I, March 2015
An outstanding day and experience! Great crew, great ship and the whales were out in their full glory that day. The best tour we took on our 50 day trip.
Review by: darrell m, March 2015
very informed crew, saw quite a few whales, overall a great day
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