Catalina Island Ferry from Newport Beach to Avalon

You need to arrive at least 1-2 hours prior to the docking/onboarding time for the vessel in order to get a seat. This ferry gets overbooked and it should be a huge safety concern. I was there with my two children and husband, and people were 'saving' their seats for their family or placing their bags next to them. There was one handicap seat open that we just told my 6 year old to sit on, otherwise my husband had to sit on the floor and my 3 year old daughter had to sit in her stroller on the boat, and I had to stand holding onto a pole. There were dozens of people sitting on the floors on the outside decks. I couldn't believe this was allowed. Also very poor snack stand and the burnt popcorn smell permeates throughout the ferry. Gone are the days where women and children get preferred seating. But I digress. The ride is about 1.5 hours. It was miserable. We ended up upgrading to the 'first class' at $20 per ticket to avoid the awful experience on the way back. Overpriced, overrated, and needs new management that actually cares about the customer experience.

I can't say the voyage was terrible because we were able to see a whale and a very large pod of dolphins en route to Catalina. That was amazing! However, it had nothing to do with the ferry ride itself or the company. The company has issues. Their communication is overdone and jarring. VIP access allows you onto the ferry first and not all their ferries are the same. They don't tell you which one you're getting either. so beware. We had the smaller ferry and I believe they overbook. They don't account for XL people, purses/backpacks and lots of little kids. You may find yourself squeezed in or standing. VIP access, other than boarding first, is questionable for value. You don't get to disembark first and you don't get to sit where you want upon embarking either. They made us go upstairs during embarking. Due to the sheer amount of people with VIP access, we ended up sitting outside anyway. Thankfully it was sunny and warm. The interior seating upstairs is only valuable if it had been raining. The only other issue I had was upon our return. The dock number was switched. We only knew that because we recognized some of the people in line that came aboard with us. At 5:30pm, their offices are closed and they did not answer texts. With all their communications, you would think they would send out a banner text to EVERYONE about which dock to line up at for departure! I think I will book in advance and use the Catalina Express. Larger craft and everyone is inside. I'm sure the overbooking is with both companies though.

Boat is solid and confidence building. For the length of the trip, it seems like there could be some kind of entertainment added for the kids. Not just blank screens in the lower cabin

The experience was delightful except for the chaos when boarding. The VIP upgrade was well worth it. Phil Diment, the tour director, was excellent and very helpful and a delight to talk to. All the employees were friendly and I enjoyed the round trip very much. The only problem was with parking along the beach and accessing the pay machines. It would be nice to have information about them available when I make my reservation. For example: Best lots to park in. The need for an APP to access the machines. The cost of parking.

Customer satisfaction and customer service don't exist in this management team. They'd rather bite the hand that feeds them than ensure a repeat customer is happy. The crew members are great, but the management team is completely unprofessional. Very bad business practice.

Had a nice trip with time spent walking around Catalina. We learned that next time we will go on a Wednesday or Thursday so as to avoid the cruise ship crowds. We weren’t able to rent a cart.

Worth the extra cost for the VIP upgrade... board first which was great, nice area, half price on snacks and drinks

How can Viatar sell a one-way ticket to Catalina Island? This is what happened when I booked the boat for a day trip. The rep at Viator never asked if I wanted to come back from Catalina. Viatar is a third-party to the Catalina Express so beware that unless you have the tickets in hand, you have to go through an inconvenient process to get on the . Boat. I do not recommend viatar going to Catalina Island. .

Don't use for Catalina Ferry. This is a third party vendor and does link into the ferry company. None of the links from Viator can be seen by the ferry company. Going forward, I will call the ferry company directly to book.

If you want a seat inside, make sure you show up and get in line 1 hour prior to leaving otherwise you may be limited to where you sit.