Princess Monterey Whale Watching is the big-boat operator on Old Fisherman's Wharf, and the case for it is simple: it runs the two largest whale-watching vessels on Monterey Bay, both with heated indoor cabins, and it sails every day of the year. If someone in your group is worried about the sea, this is the deck to put them on. If you want a small boat and a low rail, it is the wrong company.
It is not the cheapest way onto the bay, and it is not even the cheapest way onto its own boats. The published adult fare is $79.50 with taxes and fees included; the same company sells a 2.5-hour trip through GetYourGuide, listed as "Monterey: Whale Watching Tour with A Marine Guide", at $70 with 489 reviews behind it. What the higher direct price buys is a choice of departure times, not a different boat.
What it actually is
The company describes itself as Monterey's operator of "the two largest and finest whale watching vessels on Monterey Bay: the 110ft. Princess Monterey and the 100 ft. Atlantis Monterey", both US Coast Guard inspected and certified. Its vessel page puts the Princess Monterey at 250 passengers and the Atlantis Monterey at 150.
It does not publish a founding year, an owner's name or a fleet history, which is unusual for a wharf operation of this size. What it does publish is concrete: capacities, deck plans, departure times, fares and a policy page. Trips are narrated throughout by crew that include marine biologists and naturalists, and the company runs school field trips and private charters alongside the public departures.
The address is 96 Fisherman's Wharf #1 — the yellow building at the end of the wharf, with parking in the lot at Del Monte and Washington and a short walk along the water.
The boats, the schedule and the season
Both vessels have a 360-degree walk-around deck, a heated cabin with large windows, restrooms and a snack bar selling drinks including beer and wine. Limited upper-deck seating is sold as a VIP upgrade rather than included.
The standard whale watching cruise is 2.5 to 3 hours. The Princess Monterey is scheduled at 9:00, 12:30 and 15:30; the Atlantis Monterey at 10:00, 14:00 and 17:00. Trips run every day of the year including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, weather permitting.
The company's own seasonal split is a two-season simplification of the Monterey picture: visit "in the winter and spring (December-April)" for gray whales on migration, and "in the summer and fall months (April-November)" when the bay becomes feeding grounds for humpbacks, orcas and blue whales. The month-by-month picture on the Monterey page runs the humpback season slightly wider, from late March into early December. Boats travel between 2 and 16 miles (3 and 26 km) from the harbor depending on where the food is.
One trip is worth knowing about separately. The extended Killer Whale Adventure runs 5.5 to 6 hours on the Atlantis Monterey, on selected Saturdays announced on the site, at $125 a head, ages 12 and up, no expectant mothers. Bigg's killer whales peak in Monterey Bay in April and May, when they hunt gray whale calves moving north. Even on that trip, the company writes plainly that it cannot guarantee finding them.
What it costs and what the guarantee means
Direct fares are $79.50 adult and $53 for children aged 3 to 11, taxes and fees included, with VIP upper-deck seats at $100.70 and $74.20. Under-3s and pregnant women are not carried.
Sighting guarantee
No sighting is promised. If the boat finds nothing, you get a rain check for another trip — never money back.
- Wording
- 'While we can't guarantee a whale sighting every trip… In the event we are unable to find a whale or dolphins we will issue a rain check for another trip at a future date' (montereywhalewatching.com)
- Claimed hit rate
- 'We have a 98-99% success rate throughout the year' — the company's own figure, unaudited
- Refunds
- None. Tickets bought direct are 'Non-refundable, cannot be rescheduled'
- If they cancel
- Weather cancellation by the operator means reschedule, credit or a full refund
A rain check is worth nothing to a visitor who leaves town the next morning. Read the clause before you decide where to book.
Note the asymmetry. If the company cancels for weather you can reschedule, take credit or get a full refund. If you cancel, or simply cannot travel, the ticket is dead — "Non-refundable, cannot be rescheduled". That is the single strongest argument for booking a Monterey trip through a platform with a free-cancellation window instead, and it is worth comparing the wharf's listings before you commit.
Price check · GetYourGuide
Live prices, per person, checked regularly. Sorted from lowest.
| Tour | Price | Duration | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey: Monterey Bay Dolphin and Whale Watching Boat Tour | $62 Lowest | 3 h | ★ 4.7 (2,269) | Check dates |
| Monterey: Whale Watching Tour with a Marine Guide | $70 | 2.5 h | ★ 4.6 (504) | Check dates |
| Monterey: Whale Watching Cruise | $71.95 | 2.5 h | ★ 4.5 (204) | Check dates |
| Monterey Bay: Whale Watching Tour | $75 | 4 h | ★ 4.8 (2,499) | Check dates |
| Monterey: Private Whale Watching/Sailing Tour for 6 | $950 | 3.5 h | ★ 4.9 (5) | Check dates |
Prices are checked regularly. The wharf's listings are not interchangeable and each names a different activity provider: the $70 marine-guide trip is Princess Monterey's own, the $62 three-hour dolphin and whale tour is Chris' Fishing and Whale Watching, the $75 best-reviewed trip is Discovery Whale Watch and the $71.95 cruise leaves from Moss Landing with Sea Goddess. Read the provider line before you assume you are booking this company.
What to check before you book direct
Fourteen steps lead down to the loading area and there is one large step onto the boat over the water, so walkers and wheelchairs are not carried. Dogs are not allowed; service animals are. Both vessels are entirely non-smoking, and outside alcohol is banned.
Dress for a bay that runs far colder than the car park: layers, long trousers, a windproof jacket, a hat and flat closed shoes. If you are prone to seasickness, take medication an hour before boarding rather than when you start to feel it, and sit low and central — the company's own advice, and it is right.
How it compares on this bay
Blue Ocean is the opposite proposition: one 60-foot boat out of Moss Landing, capacity voluntarily capped at 28, and a "whale sightings guaranteed or your next trip is free" clause written around whales specifically. Sea Goddess also sails from Moss Landing with two larger boats and a free-return promise, but its version is satisfied by a whale or a dolphin. At the north end of the same bay, Stagnaro runs longer 3–4 hour trips from Santa Cruz at $73.
Against those, Princess Monterey wins on stability, on indoor space and on the sheer number of departures. It loses on intimacy and on the guarantee. For the whole coast, the California page sets the eight harbors side by side.
Our call
Princess Monterey in a swell, or with children aboard
Two 100-foot-plus vessels with heated cabins, big windows, restrooms and a snack bar make the most stable platform on Monterey Bay, and every trip carries a marine biologist or naturalist. Nothing else on the wharf is this forgiving of a rough morning.
Skip it if If you want a small boat, a low rail and fewer people between you and the water — Moss Landing does that better.
Check dates from $70Questions people ask
How long is a Princess Monterey whale watching trip?
Two and a half to three hours. The Princess Monterey is scheduled at 9:00, 12:30 and 15:30 and the Atlantis Monterey at 10:00, 14:00 and 17:00, with both vessels and times subject to change. Check in 30 minutes before departure.
How much does Princess Monterey cost?
Its site lists $79.50 for adults and $53 for children aged 3 to 11, taxes and fees included. VIP upper-deck seating is $100.70 adult and $74.20 child. The extended killer whale trip is $125. Its GetYourGuide listing, 'Monterey: Whale Watching Tour with A Marine Guide', is $70.
Does Princess Monterey guarantee whales?
No. It states that it cannot guarantee a sighting, claims a 98–99% success rate, and issues a rain check for a future trip if no whale or dolphin is found. There is no refund.
Where does Princess Monterey leave from?
96 Fisherman's Wharf #1 in Monterey, in the yellow building at the end of Old Fisherman's Wharf. Park in the wharf lot at Del Monte and Washington and walk along the water. The exact dock is on your voucher.
Can children and pregnant women go?
Children aged 3 and over are welcome on the standard trip; under-3s and expectant mothers are not carried. The 5.5–6 hour killer whale trip is 12 and over. Walkers and wheelchairs are not allowed aboard, and there are 14 steps down to the loading area.
Is it better than the other Monterey boats?
It is the biggest and the most weather-proof. For a small-boat trip with a published sighting guarantee, Blue Ocean at Moss Landing is the alternative; for the best-reviewed bookable trip in the bay, compare the GetYourGuide listings on our Monterey page.
How far out do the boats go?
Between 2 and 16 miles (3 and 26 km) from the harbor, depending on where the food is. The company says it stops at least 300 ft (91 m) from whales in line with federal guidelines and lets the animals close the distance.
Official sources
Updated September 17, 2026 · partner prices refreshed October 6, 2026
