Wonderful experience, worth every penny. If you are staying in Vancouver this is the way to go...whale watching and then Butchart Gardens. Unbelievable day
Review by: Steven B, October 2017
Great experience. Captain made sure we saw whales and we did! Only issue was- wish we had more time in Victoria. Recommend doing this over 2 days.
Review by: Bm93252, October 2017
Great! Highly recommended.
Review by: Jimmy P, August 2017
good tour but not enough time to really see anything in Victoria. I would suggest giving yourself 2 days in Victoria. 1 extra to see the city. Beautiful.
Review by: Christine V, July 2017
We took this amazing tour on July 1, 2017, unknowingly booking the trip on Canada Day 150! What an amazing experience! The check-in process was really very easy. Our captain was Captain Chris and our naturalists were Tom, Cody and Ben. All four were just awesome. They were knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We did not need to go to them with questions. They came and sat with us and showed us maps, charts, etc. They showed us and shared pictures. They got blankets for us when we were chilly. They couldn't have been nicer. We saw whales going out and coming back. We also saw bald eagles, seals, etc. Victoria was packed with people because of Canada Day. It was a giant party. So much fun. We did cut our time a bit short at Buchart Gardens. They were simply gorgeous. Hopefully we'll be back some day. We will highly recommend this experience to all of our friends and family thinking of taking the trip to Vancouver.
Review by: epiontnica, October 2016
Great naturalist guides. Saw lots of wildlife. Can't describe how great it was to have all transportation for the day taken care of.
Review by: Teresa M, September 2016
Lovely day. We didn't get to see whales, but they give you a lifetime guarantee to take their tour again to whale watch. The staff was wonderful. Next time we're in Vancouver we'll take them up on the guarantee and hope the whale will appear. Guess they were on vacation too. :-
Review by: Susan Q, August 2016
The whale watching was fun, but there really wasn't much time in Victoria. You end up picking one or the other Victoria vs Butchart gardens. We had lunch in Victoria and went to the gardens. That being said, it was a long day so I don't know that I would make it longer - just don't expect to see a lot of both. The whale watching would have been easier with a loud speaker system but each guide came around to give the same story to different sections of the boat. They were very nice and gave photos at the end for free which was a nice surprise.
Review by: N Pik-Ying L, July 2016
Due to delay in delivery of a new boat, the whole day tour turns out just whale watching, missed buchart gardens and sunset cruise, very disappointed. Only saw a group of 5 whales and few sea lions, feel not sufficient, would be more fun if we can see more after 2 hours cold and windy ordeal in boat
Review by: James D, December 2015
This was an fantastic tour. We were on the last tour of the season and the weather was not co-operating but our captain and crew did an outstanding job. We did see multiple whales and got some great pictures. We would definitely do this tour again.
Review by: Tricia L, September 2015
We did not see any whales in the morning, but were able to see a pod on the way back from Butchart Gardens. My only critique is that I wish we would have had a few more minutes on the way back to Vancouver to whale watch. Although, had we seen whales in the morning, this may not have been such a big deal. The guides and rest of the crew were wonderful!
Review by: Chris Q, September 2015
Excellent trip. I would give it 6 stars if I could.
Review by: clyde the guide, August 2015
Outstanding tour experience from scheduling to actual trip. Professionally done all the way through the hole experience. Will highly recommend to friends and family members.
Review by: JOHN S, August 2015
Let me tell you, just getting to go on this tour was an adventure in itself. Knowing what I know now I would not book this through Viator but would instead go directly to Prince of Whales to book this tour. We arrived on Friday morning and planned to take this on Saturday morning, not being familiar with the area we decided to walk to the hotel mentioned in the brochure to see how long it would take us to get there from where we stayed. Glad we did. We had booked through Viator a good 4 months prior because we really wanted to do this tour, we even received daily reminders as the trip got closer that we need to remember our voucher. Yet we got to the place only to discover that Viator never made the reservations and the tour that day was full. This could've totally destroyed the Vancouver part of the trip as we were looking forward to the whale watching and seeing the gardens which was why we booked so far in advance. The staff of Prince of Whales was very apologetic and helpful and at least fortunately were able to get us on a boat the following day which still worked out okay for us. We saw a lot of Orcas and got some great pictures, the gardens were beautiful, my recommendation would be that as soon as you are done with the whales go directly to the gardens as there is a lot to see and you really won't want to miss it. The people on Prince of Whales were outstanding and showed us a great time. We ran into a problem at the end as the boat meant to take us back to Vancouver had mechanical problems and was too damaged to take us back, but the owner of the company came out to meet us and ensure us that he would take care of us. He got us on a bus which then got on the ferry to Vancouver. He even paid for all of us to have the dinner buffet on him for the trouble we had gone through. It is nice to see someone back up their company. Wish Viator would've have done that. Highly, highly recommend doing this tour.
Review by: Michelle H, August 2015
Fantastic day. The crew are brilliant and very informative. We saw lots of whales on the trip out and on our return which was an added bonus. Victoria and Butchart Gardens are very beautiful places which made the day even more memorable.
Review by: Sandy N, July 2015
Entire trip was excellent. Naturalist on board was very informative. We DID see whales as we were approaching Victoria. So majestic - so beautiful. Besides choppy seas of which we were forewarned it was an excellent trip. We will have to go back to the Butchart Gardens - too much to see - needed more time. The entire layout was well planned except for needing more time to see all the lovely locations. Highly recommend this trip.
Review by: Daniela C, July 2015
I wish we left at earlier and get some more time in Victoria. It's a place worth visiting.
Review by: Naomi D, June 2015
We didn't see any whales there, but we did get to see the lone wolf on Chatam Island which was cool. We did see a pod of Orcas which was nice. If you have kids with you, I would advise against this trip as the three and half hours there and same on the way back was too much for our teeenage son. There was one naturalist on board, Wilma, that was fantastic and really made our trip great.
Review by: Barbara H, June 2015
AWESOME!! Well worth the cost of the tour. Although the boat ride out was cold not their fault, they offered us warm raincoats and blankets and inside seating we chose to sit on the back deck and watch the scenery. We saw seals and whales on our way to Victoria, and otters and seals when they picked us up from the Gardens to return to Vancouver. We enjoyed seeing and shopping in Victoria and had a nice lunch there at a restaurant the naturalist suggested to us. At the end of the day we were tired, but very happy.
Review by: Debbie G, October 2014
We had a wonderful time. The naturalist was enthusiastic and extremely knowledgable. She made sure to spend time with every guest. The boat got close enough for photos but not so close that it interfered with the wildlife.
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