San Francisco Whale Tours Review

I am listing both pros & cons from my perspective.

I'd like to begin by genuinely wishing this business well. I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and I visit San Francisco in order to see my husband. We are both introverted, quiet individuals. Before we met, I went on a whale watching journey in Seward, Alaska.

We gave this a try. We did see a Gray whale, bay porpoises, grebes (we are birders too), and sea lions.

Witnessing wildlife, feeling the movement, spray/breath of the ocean were the highlights of the journey. We kissed and held each other along the way, even if that's not appropriate in public/corona virus paranoia times.

We won't do this again. Compared to the small hamlet of Seward Alaska, this was a commercial experience. I was a bit disappointed bc I had read reviews that the group would be about 12. We went out with 40. Yes, I understand that the boat can accommodate 100 but if a whale is seen at 10'clock all 40 are crowded together in the same area of the boat, many unable to see.

I understand the nature of things, being in a large city like San Francisco...a lot of people is just, how it has to go. I hope this business is able to recover, after so many months of being shut down completely. It is absurdly expensive to live, survive and thrive in San Francisco and I understand how this business needs to operate.

It's just not for me and my husband.

We wish you success

What a great crew! Joe, Sarah & Pat were all knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. My husband, seven year old son and myself enjoyed our trip, yesterday 8/23/20, immensely. The ridership is limited at the moment due to COVID restrictions so it really feels like a private tour and very personal. Plenty of room to social distance. Joe did a great job as captain, alerting us on movements of the boat, turning the boat for all passengers to be able to view the whales and keeping us safe, above all else. Sarah was the braniac of the tour, helping us all understand the secrets and cool features of the Humpback Whale. Pat took some amazing photos and was the first on our trip to spot a whale! We only had to go right outside the Golden Gate and had approximately 30 whale sightings with a bonus porpoise sighting and of course a few seals. Really amazing! We look forward to bringing friends & family on future trips, it could not have been easier or more enjoyable. Thank you Team Kitty Kat. :)

Fantastic experience, loved the crew and captain!! Well worth every penny

We had a fantastic time on the water for my husband s birthday. The day started out a little rough because we had a hard time finding the Gate B at Pier 39 (there s a new fence near the aquarium that blocks the path to the docks, so you have to walk through the shops/restaurants to find stairs down to the water then hang a right to go back down behind the aquarium. Some signage would be helpful.) However, once we got on the boat we had a great time. The new COVID capacity restrictions kept the trip to only about a dozen people, giving us all plenty of room to spread out. In fact, most of the trip, we were alone on our side of the boat. The scenery leaving the bay is wonderful. Most of the trip we cruised at a high speed to make it out to open water and whale territory quickly. Even though we didn t see any whales for most of the cruise, the captain stayed out as long as possible until we finally spotted two humpbacks feeding, along with a couple of porpoises and a few sea lions out in open water. Turned into a wonderful trip. The captain and crew are friendly and welcoming. Will definitely cruise with them again.

It was amazing trip to remember lifetime. This is our first trip to San Francisco with our 4 year old. The staff was very knowledgeable and nice. They took their time to explain about how to spot whales and make sure everyone on board can see and enjoy this experience. For clothing do wear some warm clothes or jackets.
Today water was rough but we were able to see whales few times. It was amazing experience. We were really fascinated by the beauty of Golden Gate Bridge. Thumbs up

We have Sarah as our naturalist and she alone made the tour worth the money. She was very engaged and knowledgeable. Didn't get grave views of whales since they kept larger distance than other tours I've been on. Very little seating, cold, windy. Would do it again but prepare accordingly.
Cars were broken into in the lot at pier 33.

Wow! Captain Joe and the crew really rocked this tour. We found two different gray whales, a sea lion fighting off a flock of seagulls for the fish he was trying to eat, and lots of porpoises. Added bonus - Bear, the whale finding dog was on board. Captain Joe had safety at the forefront of the entire trip. Sara was an amazing wealth of information, and Cat grabbed some great pics. I highly recommend this tour. Even in the rain, it was a blast.

I really enjoy this place every time I visit. My brother and his family eat there as well ( because I buy food and share with them). Every soup that we have tried, we have eaten more than once. I have had other things there and I haven't eaten anything that I didn't like. PERIOD.

It s a good trip for the first timers. We had a few whale and dolphin sightings. The boat was really cool, safe and comfy. The curator and captain were also great.

Cons:
I felt it quite expensive for the ride we get.
In the website, they mention the travel will be up to Farallon islands for the sightings, but in our case it was just within the bay, around the Alcatraz island and the Golden Gate Bridge.