They could have easily given up after about an hour and a half, but they did not! They kept searching until they found the grounds and then spent an inordinate amount of time ensuring everyone had a chance to see/view the whales and other wildlife! They went above and beyond. An extremely knowledgeable staff that was simply a giddy bunch of kids in the wheelhouse when they found the grounds (most could not see this)! The guides were awesome, well done!! read more

We had a great time on 7/9/20. We saw a bunch of whales including 2 sets of moms and calves. The staff was knowledgeable. The captain made sure to turn the boat around so each side could see the whales up close. Highly recommended. read more

Considering COVID-19 and the time of year our trip was great. We saw some whales, the entire purpose for our trip. Staff was friendly and helpful. Mother nature gives us a gorgeous sunny day read more

Well this was my first ever whale watch and it was fantastic !! Saw lots of whales and some dolphins the tour guide was very informative and the snack bar guy was very nice and informative also got a groupon for $26 and it was a great bargain! read more

Cape Ann Whale Watch - Boat Charters Near Me - Gloucester, Massachusetts

Nice trip, clean, hygiene cruises. Small store on board for quick options, not too expensive. Total round about took us - 3 hrs 30 min. The actual whale watch was only an hour. It took an hour to go about 15 miles into the bay to the spot(s) they said whales would be around. We did see dolphins & whales & calfs floating a little here & there with their tails up every time, but haven't seen any of their heads or whole body do a jump up etc., May be I-am just expecting too much, after being to sea world or watching in movies. read more

FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE. These people really care about your time on the boat, the knowledge you acquire and of course the animals that they are protecting! The boat wasn't packed with people like most other tours of this nature and the staff was very open to questions. You could tell that they were very passionate about oceanlife. Recommend 100%. We saw over a dozen different whales and were lucky enough to see rare groupings and gestures from the animals. Very cool. read more

My first whale watch and it was better than I could have expected. We saw a ton of whales and even a goofy baby whale. The staff was awesome. The weather was cold but so much fun read more

Cape Ann Whale Watch is awesome! I typically do this the first week of August and this is 2nd time with Cape Ann and we had a GREAT TIME!! This time we went to Jeffries Ledge & First trip with them was Stellwagon Bank neither time disappointed with stellar sightings of whales! Yesterday we saw 8 of them one was a Fin the rest Humpbacks. Not much of showman like I've seen in the past mostly lazy and logging this time. Something I've not witnessed so it was extremely interesting! We even saw a 2021 Calf with severe injuries from being entwined in lines it just broke my heart to see that many of the whales are still being entwined. I wish this would change somehow in the future but yes!! Yes!! YES!! By all means make Cape Ann Whale Watch a MUST DO!! read more

We had an awesome day - great crew, useful information shared, very good Covid procédures and the whales were awesome! This was our first trip out and we will be back read more

Booked a whale watching tour for me and 2 friends for Thursday, the 19th of October at 10 am, get to the ticket counter to check in and the clerk tells up that they aren't going out today due to mechanical issues then proceeds to tell me that my name was scratched off of the list as if someone had called to notify me. No, bitch, I wouldn't have driven hours to get here if that was the case. She was kind enough to refund us. Duh! Least she could do. read more

Very comfortable boat and great tour guides. Enjoy having the mimosas on the journey !

Smokers on board are what negatively Impacted our experience. The crew and staff were outstanding - I would give them a 5. We saw whales - that was awesome, and the woman announcer (cannot recall her name) was fantastic! However, there were three people on the boat smoking non-stop. It was awful. My young son was with me and I hated that he was inhaling so much second hand smoke. I made an assumption that smoking was not allowed. That assumption was wrong. If the boats were smoke free, I'd go again in a second. Being that they are not, I would not go again. If being close to second hand smoke bothers you, this could be very unpleasant. read more

Loved this Whale watch. Great comfortable ship, knowledgeable and cheerful crew and great captain- we were fogged in but still saw feeding whale and had a great time. This is our 4th Whale watch and every whale warch is different so you always learn and see new things about whales and ocean life. read more

The crew was knowledgeable and educated and the captain clearly knew where to go to find the whale activity. The size of the boat (smaller than some others) was a huge asset. I recommend this to others and I'd gladly go back. read more

The educator on board was so amazing, you could tell how much she loved what she did! The whole crew was amazing! Best experience, absolutely perfect day! Thank you so much!!!! read more

We lucked out on the weather and the whale excursion we selected. We saw whales up close and the commentary given was excellent! We highly recommend!!!! read more

Thoroughly enjoyed the whale watch with the great crew on the Hurricane. The boat was clean, in good condition and had a decent selection of snacks and beverages, too. Tina, the guide, was very knowledgeable and kept my attention with all of her information about the whales (in general and the two that we saw.) It was a breathtaking experience! Thank you Cape Ann Whale Watch! read more

Most amazing whale watch!! We saw 10-12 whales, one came right up to the boat and starred my husband in the eyes..we saw dolphins and seals as well while enjoying a cocktail and a snack! Our 9 year old was so excited!! Definitely a memorable experience.. one well never forget read more

We had a great time. Saw 5 whales and a pod of 100 dolphins. I would have like to see more whales and action but I'm still pleased with the whole trip. Boat was very clean and staff was in constant motion cleaning during the trip. We will definitely book another trip next summer. read more

Since I used a Groupon and didn't pay full price, I'm less annoyed about the quality of the whale watch. But after two spectacular ones through the aquarium last summer, where I saw many whales on each trip, this was really a dud. The disappointment actually started before the trip: They make it EXTREMELY difficult for you to use a Groupon. I bought my Groupon in mid-July and didn't get to use it until late September (after calling many times throughout the summer/early fall), and I was worried it would expire before I had a chance to go. Basically, they only allow 20-30 people to use a Groupon per weekend afternoon trip, on a boat holds hundreds of people. I was even willing to go in the morning but they kept telling me those were sold out too. I spoke primarily to an older woman who was extremely unpleasant and unhelpful and acted like I was wasting her time. Why offer a Groupon if you're going to be so rude to people who use them? Ultimately, I ended up going out on an 8:30 a.m. trip. The boat is smaller than the aquarium boats, which I thought would be nice, but turned out to be super crowded (they really pack people in!) and we didn't feel like there was much room to move around (like if some whale or sea creature showed up on the other side of the boat). We saw exactly ONE humpback whale. I don't know what their system is for finding whales, but when we finally found this one whale after an hour and a half out on the water, we just sat there, waiting for it to surface from dives. It wasn't playful or engaged like other whales I've seen; every time it came up, it immediately dove again. It seemed to be want to be left alone, so I was surprise that we didn't go look for other whales (don't they communicate with other boats out in the water?). After doing that for more than half an hour, just waiting for the whale to come back up (I nearly fell asleep during the 5-10 minutes it was under each time), they announced over the PA that we were done and we headed back. Look, I get they're wild creatures, but why stick with a whale that's clearly not interested? The highlight of the trip was seeing two mola molas (sunfish); one one our way out, one on our way in. We also saw a pod of harbor porpoises. But this was a whale watch, and we really didn't see much of those. We got a glimpse of a fin whale at one point, but they're pretty shy so it disappeared quickly. The super chipper naturalist cheerfully told us it was a '4-species day!' That's one way to put an optimistic spin on what must have a been a really disappointing trip for a lot of people. On the way back, we were overwhelmed by the smell of nachos and perhaps popcorn or some other cheesy, buttery snack that they sold on the ship. read more

The staff were great, very informative and pleasant. I wish someone had told us somewhere that they only accepted cash on the boat for snacks/drinks. I know it makes sense going so far out they could not take credit cards but a little heads up sign would have reminded me to bring cash for the trip. Other than that we had a great time , saw several whales and their babies as well as a whole pod of dolphins on our way back to the dock... we will definitely go again. read more

An absolutely wonderful experience!!! The crew( thank u Hayley for all of the questions you answered) and most especially the naturalist Tina were terrific. Tina obviously loves what she does and her role of educator is a perfect fit. You could hear the excitement in her voice as more & more wildlife was spotted- it was infectious! She even answered additional questions from very curious guests!!! Thank you for a fantastic morning on the water with a top notch crew!!! We'll be back ! read more

I've been coming to Gloucester for the last 9 years!! Cape Ann Whale Watch is the best around!! We have tried others whale watches in the area prior to discovering Cape Ann, will never go any place else to see the whales!! Crew is awesome, naturalists, Jamie, and Tina are great.Crew was willing, and very capable of answering any and all questions!! Where else would you go to see whales, get a hot pretzel and a beer by 9:00 am!!! Have always seen whales!! Will be back again next year!! read more

Great experience! Knowledgeable staff! Beautiful day enjoying nature. We saw whales and a shark

When they said guaranteed sightings, they meant it! Plenty of whales to be seen, and some dolphins which were a pleasant surprise! Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable of the area. So glad I decided to buy these tickets from Groupon on a whim! read more

Although I know not all whale watches are the same, even from the same group, Cape Ann WW made the experience enjoyable and informational no matter how ideal (or not) conditions were. Btw, the day we had was as close to ideal as possible. read more

wonderful time! fantastic crew! saw many whales and even dolphins! want to go back for sure!

Had a wonderful morning on the Hurricane II. Thank you so much!! Very knowledgeable crew saw humpback whales and dolphins. Beautiful trip!! read more

Whale watching was on our summer bucket list. We researched many boats that offered these watches and chose Cape Ann. We are glad we did! The staff is friendly. Educators on the boat gave us informational views about the whales. The boat was clean. They offer food/snacks. We were able to see many species the day we went. Perfect weather and flat seas allowed us to have an enjoyable whale watch! We would book again with Cape Ann Whale Watch! read more

See all

Awesome outing!!! The 5 & 7 year old grandchildren loved it!! Everyone was so nice. The kids really enjoyed the educational programs! You could tell the entire staff was very safety orientated and very friendly and attentive to the passengers. The food was good. The bathrooms were clean!!! We are just south of Boston. The ride on Saturday morning was traffic free - unlike going toward the Cape! We will definitely be going again! read more

What a fantastic way to spend the afternoon! We learned about and saw about a dozen humpback whales come to the surface to feed and then dive down to lower waters. The crew were very knowledgeable--they knew the whales by name--and the captain skillfully maneuvered the boat to maximum advantage for sightings. People were friendly. As someone else said, everything was timely, organized, clean and safe. Booking was easy and flexible - after we saw rain forecast, it was very easy to reschedule. I heartily recommend for both locals and out of town guests. read more

This was an excellent Whale watching experience. It helps, significantly, that the whales came out to play today. We got quite the show of surface activity. The boat is run by an experienced crew and knowledgable professionals. There is a full assortment of refreshments for when the kids get hungry and grown ups want an adult beverage. Comfortable sitting room inside the cabin and loads of space for people the be comfortable and see whales along the sides of the vessel. Complete with an upper deck and lower deck. The naturalists on board were a wealth of knowledge when it came to talking about the animals, their behaviors and the area of the ocean where we were positioned. With respect to COVID-19 precautions they did an excellent job, as well. I witnessed the railings being disinfected twice during the tour. Tables were blocked off to allow for proper social distancing inside and customers were politely reminded to wear maskings while moving around and when is a position to not be able to social distance when the whales had captured our attention. I highly recommend this tour! read more

See all

Great staff had a wonderful cruise. Whale sighting was awesome

My husband and I enjoyed a great whale watch yesterday. Sunny with nice tour of the harbor to start. Expect a spectacular show - especially if the whales are in the mood for it. We saw them breeching, open mouth feeding, swimming right in front and next to the boat, under the boat - individually and in pods and it was spectacular! Awesome staff with an obvious love and enthusiasm of their daily jobs. I've gone with Cape Ann Whale Watch for many years and have never been disappointed!! read more

Great whale watch yesterday, smooth sea, sunny, nice tour of the harbor to start. yes, it's 1 1/2 to where the whales are, but then you have a spectacular show (if the whales are in the mood for it). We saw them breeching, open mouth feeding, swimming right in front and next to the boat, spectacular! It also seemd our boat was always closer to the whales than the other boats, our Captain must have "whale-radar" built in. Nice staff, good narrative, they came around with props to explain, all in all well done. It's expensive, but worth every penny (especially if the whales cooperate). read more

Fantastic whale watch out of Gloucester harbor in Massachusetts! My wife and son and I had a fantastic time - Saw about 25 Whales during our 3 1/2 hours on the beautiful ocean! Our naturalist guide and the entire crew were excellent - Would recommend this to anyone to see for yourself!! read more

See all

The boat was clean, always disinfected, the weather was beautiful, but we saw almost nothing, just 1 shark, a few dolphins, and two whales. They should let us use the same ticket and reeschedulle to see more. We saw a lot water. read more

Excellent whale watch and we have been on several! Knowledgeable staff and tons of different whales and dolphins spotted! Choose this one! Best boring spot is upper deck stern! Enjoy! read more

I wish I could give more than a 5 star rating to Cape Ann Whale Watch. A great morning spent on the Atlantic Ocean. We saw a mother and calf Humpback pair swimming together. The crew were professional. The scientific explanation of the feeding ground, food source, underwater terrain, and migration habits were very interesting. I was very pleased with Cape Ann Whale Watch, Jump on board. read more

Cape Ann Whale Watch - Humpback Tail - Boat Charters Near Me - Gloucester, Massachusetts

See all

This was a lot of fun! We observed approximately 12 whales over a period of about an hour. I really appreciated the experienced and professional staff. The biologist who guided the sightings and contributed a lot of information about whale behavior and habitat was excellent. The other staff were very friendly and competent, providing both a safe and light-hearted experience. The boat was clean and there was a lot of room to move about and observe. read more