City Cruises Boston Whale Watching Cruise by High-Speed Boat
Description
Set sail with us for the whale watch experience of a lifetime on the New England Aquarium Whale Watch Cruise. Our destination: Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary, a rich feeding ground for whales, dolphins, sea birds, and other marine creatures. Stellwagen is home to many species of large whales, including humpbacks, finbacks, and minkes. New England Aquarium naturalists will share knowledge, answer your questions, and explain the fascinating behaviors of these truly magnificent mammals on the sea life cruise experience. The location of the whales may require more travel time, extending the trip beyond three hours. Please allow for additional time in your schedule. The average trip is between 3 to 4 hours.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Remember sunscreen and sunglasses
- Boarding begins 30 minutes prior to departure. Guests must arrive early, as late arrivals will miss the boat.
- Bring a light sweater or jacket, as well as sunscreen and sunglasses.
- Not recommended for guests prone to motion sickness
Reviews(3,189)
Excellent trip, highly recommended this. I found the whole experience really informative and professionally narrated during the whole trip. We learned a lot and were lucky enough to see a large number of whales up close.
The weather was rainy and dreary but it ended up being a great day. We saw so many whales and even some dolphins and seal.
The cruise was awesome, worth it, and the staff were amazing. They were friendly, welcoming, and attentive to guests. It was a great experience from start to finish.
This whale watching experience was awesome!! Because this tour does not feed the whales to get them to come to the boat, there is no guarantee that whales will be seen. However, the narrator, who was fabulous, told everyone that if no whales were spotted, that we would each get a voucher for a future trip good until 2027. But we didn't need that voucher on our tour because we saw alot of whales! Some were even "showing off" by fin slapping, rolling over, breaching and deep diving. The narrator was super knowledgeable and we learned alot about the whales! He was also great at pointing out which side of the catamaran to look from as the whales were definitely all over the place! My friends and I had a terrific day on the water. I would definitely recommend this tour!
The experience was amazing. We saw so many whales but the experience was made even better because of the guidance and information given by the naturalist on the tour. Their willingness to answer questions, give insight, and help us understand what we were seeing made the experience even better!
Bring an additional layer of clothing a waterproof is good. Turn up early to get a good spot on the boat. The naturalists on the boat were very knowledgeable and gave great commentary on the whales we were seeing and what they were doing.
Book this experience! As most of the reviews tell you, this is an incredible experience. It's a big boat, room for a couple hundred people, but there's plenty of seating and spaces on the boat to be comfortable, whether you want to be outside enjoying the sea breeze/wind or inside and cozy. They have a snack bar and complimentary ginger chews in case you get seasick. The bathrooms were clean and stocked. The trip is about an hour to get out to the feeding ground, but it's a beautiful trip and on a clear day you can still see the skyline 30 miles away (we could!). Once at Sellwagen Bank, the conservationists were very knowledgeable and alerted everyone to where they could see the whales. My cousin and I ended up on the top level and we had great views. We managed to see a group of three humpback whales - 2 adults and 1 calf - and they showed us some fluke dives. Another pairing of humpback whales gave a great show to people on one side of the boat, doing a full National Geographic double breach. I, sadly, was on the opposite side when it happened, but my cousin witnessed it. That being said, the City Cruise team did a great job of rotating the boat so each side had opportunities to see the whales. The conservationists continued to provide facts and information throughout our time in the feeding area until it was time to head back. The cruise back was enjoyable. Despite the strong wind, my cousin and I decided to stay outside and enjoy the sunshine and the sea spray. The staff was kind, knowledgeable, and efficient. We disembarked quickly and were on our way.
Thomas, our guide, was knowledgeable and very engaging. It was an amazing trip, and saw so many great whales. To see two different whales breach was breathtaking. Such a memorable experience.
Whale watching was spectacular! There were several people around to share their knowledge of whales and other sea life during the tour. We also had 'Humpback Whale Soup' because there were so many whales splashing around, 3 of which were Paileo, A+, and her baby. Paileo was most active. The 'Speaker' would let us know where the whales were at all times, talk about each of the whales, and their behaviors. The 'Captain' turned the boat so all enjoyed the whales.
Yesterday, a friend and I went on a Boston by Foot walking tour " Slavery and Abolition in Massachusetts." It was excellent. The tour guide was Liam and was extremely knowledgeable about American history. There were 18 people on the tour from age 10 to senior citizens. He had to speak very loudly as there were lots of visitors to Boston given that it was Juneteenth holiday and FIFA Soccer fans were all over the place. I learned a lot and absolutely recommend this tour.
