Convenient daily service to/from Catalina Island. The boat leaves on time, it is well maintained and it was an enjoyable ride - able to watch sports on both rides! Only $9 to park for the day...not bad for Orange County! read more

It was ok... the ride itself was good. It was just getting there and the parking situation that was confusing. So definitely do your homework before you go, so you don't miss the boat like we almost did. There were plenty of seats on the boat, if you want a window seat make sure you get there early! Staff was friendly and helpful, a little chilly at night, otherwise no problems. read more

Took this boat over to Catalina (Duh) and enjoyed the service it provided. My friends and I booked the Captains room for the ride out. Basically it is the private room upstairs. It would have been great if not for the rough seas which combined with being inside made me feel wheezy. Not the company's fault and was grateful they even sailed. Ride home was so great. Sat outside on the upper deck with the wind in my hair and beautiful weather. In my opinion they have a great service for their price. read more

The crew was 100% amazing. Catalina was beautiful. The only reason it isn't 5 stars . The boat ride was so hot the a/c could not cool the boat down. August 6th was a hot day so everyone on board was sweaty really bad. Once again the crew was amazing. The a/c was on but didn't do much which is not the crews fault. The outside was already packed. If you go jus look for cooler weather read more

I sent an email to Catalina Express detailing a most unfortunate, horrible situation that occurred on board their boat & asked for someone to contact me to discuss this further...nothing---no contact whatsoever. read more

I booked a trip for my son and his girlfriend for her birthday. The day they arrived to get on the boat they were told they would have to stay over night because the return boat was cancelled due to bad weather. Staying over night was not an option for them so they had to cancel the trip. They were told that would be able to reschedule for a different day and they could still use the birthday voucher. I called the reservation # to re-book their trip and spoke with Lucinda. She was very helpful and patient over the phone. She really seemed to enjoy her job! I was so happy that she was the one that helped me. read more

Great crew! Pleasant ride! Captain have great estimates. The ride was smooth. The bartender was great (though drinks were a tad pricey). Boarding and departure were no big deal. The seats were comfy. Other passengers mentioned how nice the restrooms were too! Plus it was FREE (today is my birthday)!!! Absolutely no complaints... even if I paid $74 round-trip! read more

Took a quick anniversary trip to Avalon from Long Beach. We have no complaints. It was clean and smooth sailing.

After getting engaged I took my fiancée to Catalina via the "Express". The ride out was good, and the galley was stocked with plenty of good snacks for those hungry or trying to quell motion sickness. Unfortunately shortly after we got their my fiancée got a stomach virus that took her out, so when it came morning, I was able to change return times and return port to get her home at 8:00 am, with only a five dollar fee. The return trip to Long Beach was spectacular because the seas were nice, but the boat design and speed made it even nicer. For those with sensitive motion sickness issues, use Long Beach. For those with standard equilibrium, Dana Point is just as good. read more

What more do you want? The boat got me and my wife to the island and back. Get there about 30 minutes early to check in then hang around the docks until the staff allows you to board. There was plenty of room for bags and guest. The overall trip was about an hour and 30 mintues. We sat outside and enjoyed the views and sun. Saw a bunch of sea life on the way which included dolphins. I am a simple guy who enjoyed the simple boat ride. read more

Smooth ride, quick boarding process and a fast trip to Catalina. I took the Long Beach boat which was a lot bigger, booked the same day. My daughter usually gets sea sick, but this ride was no problem. read more

A pleasant ride across the channel to Catalina. Great crew and bartenders!

Pretty disappointed with how rude the woman who greeted us was. We arrived at 6:30 am on October 8 for the first ferry of the day. Since it was my family's first time taking the ferry and we were spending the night on the island we didn't know where to park. I hopped out to ask and waited patiently in line. When the couple in front of me finished the blonde woman checking people in under the red umbrella said to me "you little missy need to go check in over there (pointing to the check in windows) and then come back." While it automatically pissed me off that she called me, a 32 year old woman, "little missy" before I could even ask my question I thought I could let that go. When I replied to her that I would have to go get our tickets from our car she told me I could also check in under the name. Since I was with family visiting from out of town and didn't know whose name the reservation was under I proceeded to walk to car to which she sarcastically said "don't you have name?" I finally replied "yes I have a name but I'm not sure whose name the reservation was under. Would she have called me "little missy" or doubted me if I was a man? I doubt it. Treat your new customers better. 6:30 am is way too early to be that rude. read more

We had such a perfect experience!! We left from Dana Point-parking was super simple, they explain everything in detail to you. I felt very safe leaving our car where we did over the weekend. Once on board, we decided to sit up top to take in the scenery. We enjoyed a mimosa and yuuuum....they aren't cheap on the champagne! We were so lucky to have been able to see a whale while leaving Dana Point. It was a breathtaking experience for myself since I have never seen a whale in natural habitat. The staff is very friendly too. read more

I've never been on another Catalina boat but overall this was a great and quick ride. I don't know how you can compare a boat ride to another because it's usually the ocean that sets the condition. I took Bonine and I didn't experience any motion sickness. read more

What can I say apart from fantastic crew !!! I took my dog with us and she was a bit fidgety with the muzzle ( you do have to muzzle them for the crossing ) and the staff constantly checked she was okay and made a real fuss of her. Super friendly staff and cannot be faulted ! Will definately go again it was a fantastic day trip. read more

Great way to get to the island. ..the crew was quick and efficient and had a way about spotting queasy newbie boat riders. They offered snacks, bloody Mary's, and the occasional barf bag to lessen the harshness of the riding the waves against the current towards the island. 2 thumbs up to the crew of the Catalina express! Way to go Cristos! read more

Friendly staff. Our only recommendation is that the Dana Point ferryboat is the smallest ship. On the ride over to Catalina there were a few passengers getting seasick. The ferry out of Newport Beach is much larger and would be a better choice for those who are prone to getting seasick. We enjoyed the beautiful ocean ride and would recommend this company to friends. read more

Be sure to arrive early so you don't get stuck sitting away from your party, or heaven forbid, you sit outside in the winter!

Customer service is a steaming pile of garbage. We've taken the boat to Catalina before on a birthday trip for a buy one, get one free offer. YOU CAN NO LONGER DO THIS WITH CONSIGNMENT TICKETS. The call representatives were not only unwilling to help but offered up the most cockamamie solution of just buying multiple full price tickets and disregarding the fact that we already have one. Shame! read more

Definitely the boat to take to the island. Much better than the ones from Newport. Clean, comfortable, and the staff are very nice. My only complaint would be that the parking in Dana Point is a long way from the dock but I suppose the exersize doesn't hurt. read more

Lots of drink on board to keep us entertained. Be sure to come early or the boat will leave with out you.

It was not a great experience we did the upgrade to the enclosed lounge. A child cried and screamed the whole ride to Catalina. The boat broke down on the dock waiting for our return trip. We waited three hours to board the next boat. We did get a bag of chips and a coke, the upside. Hope your trip is better. read more

Times available are great! Easy access and parking (paid not included). Shops in the area too. Staff are friendly and accommodating. Fast trip from Dana Point to Catalina with clean boat. Drinks (non alcohol and alcohol) available. Sit up front for best views or venture to outside deck! Quick and easy... read more

Was the best boat ride ever. I usually get sea sick! Never once got sick as we were going across. The view were so amazing. So wonderful to see are amazing state fish just hanging near the side of the boat as we were leaving. Amazing company very helpful when you miss you boat because a flat tire read more

I enjoyed my ride to Catalina Island using the Catalina Express. For me it was easy to get to & the staff on board was very helpful & attentive. I'm so thankful for the captain because he did a great job keeping the boat under control. On our way home we caught rain & high winds & it made the ride a lil rough but I think it could have been worse if someone else was behind the wheel. The boat inside wasn't the nicest but your only on board for about an hour if your departing from Dana Point. The price I think is a lil much but I would use them again for our next Catalina trip. read more

Our 4th trip using Catalina Express. The parking is a bit cumbersome as you drive to park pretty far from boat launch and have to shuttle back. The staff is not bad except for one of the crew mates was trying to pick up on a group of girls which was unprofessional. Boat left on time and arrived on time in Catalina. read more

Reasonable pricing for a round trip ticket that can be either same day or return a week later (just make sure you reserve your spots and don't assume they will have room when you want to return, we made that mistake once and had to stay an additional night, OOPS). We like to sit outside at the back of the boat , as it reduces any feelings of sea sickness. Tips: get there early to board the boat and place baggage on the side that you will be exiting once you arrive to Catalina or return home. To avoid a half an hour wait exiting the boat, head to the front as the boat begins to slow, grab your bags that you have strategically placed and be among the first to exit. read more

Took Catalina Express to Avalon for the first time out of Dana Point. Could not be more pleased with the experience. We will for sure return to Avalon and use Catalina Express. Thanks for a safe and fun trip to and from Avalon! read more

The crew is awesome! Friendly and accommodating. I use a mobility scooter and they were very attentive and made sure I was safe and sound.

I have both good and bad things to say about my trip to Catalina on the Dana Point Catalina Express. First of all, I went on my birthday so I got a free trip! Awesome! However, on the trip over I sat in the front of the boat outside, along with about 8 other adults and one child. After everyone boarded, the captain told us we were going to have to move our seats as no one was allowed up front. The reason given was "people don't behave themselves up front." No sign posted to let us know this. By that time it was too late to get an outdoor seat at the rear of the boat on the second deck. There is only room for about 28 people to sit outside in the rear upper deck. I was stuck taking an inside seat which I knew was probably not going to be good for me. I was right. 15 minutes into the trip and I was heaving up my breakfast. I had to run to the bathroom three times during the trip and had nothing left to throw up but continued retching the remainder of the trip. I had taken dramamine and used pulse bands, ginger gum, and peppermint oil--none of which worked. The ride wasn't even that choppy. I made sure to get in line early on the return trip to ensure an outdoor seat and had no problems on the return trip. The key to avoiding sea sickness, I am convinced, is sitting outside. The front of the boat could have accommodated about 16 people. Another problem with the Dana Point location is the parking. You have to park in one lot close to the dock in order to wait in line to get your parking ticket. The parking ticket booth doesn't open until 1 hour and 15 minutes before departure time. After paying for your parking ticket you have to drive quite a distance away to another parking lot (the street name says Casias, but there is no sign with the street name on it, so you have to take a guess as to whether you turned down the right street or not). From the lot there is a 10 minute walk back to the dock to get in line to board the boat. Although I was the 6th person in line to get a ticket, I ended up being about the 30th person in line to board the boat. They really need to find a way to streamline the parking situation. I don't understand why people can't just park near the dock and pay for parking at a parking kiosk and be done with it. You have to allow a lot of time (arrive at 8:15 for the 9:45 departure). My last complaint is that we did not depart until 9:55 and therefore did not arrive until 11:15. I had an 11:30 excursion planned and was supposed to check in by 11:15. I arrived at 11:25 and missed my excursion because of the late arrival. Fortunately for me, my excursion put me on the next boat an hour later without charging me, which was very nice of them and not something they had to do. Had it been on a weekend there probably would not have been room for me on the next boat. I gave two stars because of the free birthday trip; otherwise it would have been one star. They need to have much more outdoor seating to accommodate those with sea sickness as well as those who enjoy the outdoor boating experience, which I think would be most people. read more

I've used them twice now and, except for one major problem, I've been satisfied. Yesterday our boat back to Dana Point was cancelled due to weather. We got a phone call telling us about 15 minutes before the last boat (only going to Long Beach) was about to leave. We barely had time to get to the dock. All fine and dandy. Weather happens. As long as they got us back to Dana Point through a shuttle or something, we would have been happy. When we got to the ticket counter, they told us that all transportation on land was our responsibility. You'd think if they had a whole bunch of people forced to go to Long Beach with their cars parked at Dana Point, they would just hire a shuttle for all of them, but no. They gave us the option of a refund on our ticket back to the mainland and buy a ticket on the last ferry to Newport Beach with Catalina Flyer which was at least closer to Dana Point. We did so and had to take a $55 Uber ride back to our car. If we had gone back to Long Beach it probably would have been a $100 Uber ride. So, ultimately, we feel they shirked their responsibility to get us back to Dana Point. We might have had to wait around awhile, but at least an airplane service would have done so. An airplane service usually gives discount vouchers for future flights as well when they can't get people back to where they are supposed to be on time to try to make people a little happier and to encourage people to spend more money on their service. Catalina Express did not give anything. They have a very poor policy for this sort of situation. I'm not sure if Catalina Flyer is any better, but I'll certainly look into them next time I want to go to Catalina Island. read more

I am writing this review only because I called the corporate office and left a message for the Customer Service Rep and she did not return my call. Last Saturday I paid for the Captain's Lounge on the return trip to Dana Point. I wanted early boarding so I did not have to stand in line. They boarded me at 6:35pm and the boat took off at 6:45. I should have been able to board at 6pm. There was no coffee and no TV. I have plantar fascias and did not want to stand in line for long (especially) after being on my foot all day in Catalina. . I really wanted the coffee because I had to drive from Dana Point to San Diego after I returned. It may sound trivial but the extra $ 80.00 I paid for the trip was not. However, the attendant was nice and apologized a lot during the trip. If there is another way to get to Catalina I will go the other way next time. I hate giving bad reviews but since the Customer Service rep neglected to return my call I found no other way. Thank you read more

Lots of fun! Get there early because it's a long walk to park the car, and the sooner you get there, the better the seats. Friendly staff any didn't charge us for the extra luggage. Fun people on the boat as well. Coming back, it is half the people so you will get a good seat almost no matter what. We sat outside on the way back, my nose got burnt badly :( but still we saw whales in the middle of July!!! read more

The employees were all great, boat fast and clean. Lost a star for lack of signage/directions/parking. I was very confused upon arrival, walked around for ten minutes before finding the place between two restaurants and only after you've checked in do they tell you where the long term parking is. If you're short on time, it can be rather stressful, but once you find it, all smooth sailing :) read more

I called the Reservations 1-800 number to speak with a representative this afternoon and I got the gracious pleasure of speaking with Oscar. I was calling to inquire about the fare rates. I first asked if there were student rates and I was informed that unfortunately there are not. Oscar then informed me that I can make reservations with him over the phone to reserve our spots and that I won't actually pay until arrival on that date of the ferry departure to Catalina Island. We'll be leaving from the Dana Point dock. Oscar was veritably amiable and had excellent customer service and pleasant interpersonal skills. He had a great sense of humor and was simultaneously polite. We shared a laugh over us both having a suffix after our names and feeling the obligation to carry it on. One of my life mantras is "a closed mouth doesn't get fed," so then I asked him, okay no student rates but what about AAA? He said, yes there is a AAA discount and instructed me on how to acquire that through my AAA membership. Overall, my experience with Oscar as a telephone reservation representative was GREAT! From that, I can only expect that my time spent with the ferry crew and my travels through Catalina Express will be just the same. Can't wait!! read more

I give them 2 stars for the following reason. We had a large group w 2 small children so dropped everyone off to check in while I and my son in law went to park. I don't think there was any info on parking when I purchased the tickets so we drove around Dana point for 15 minutes looking for a spot. We finally entered an area where a man told us to go to the green umbrella to ask them. The person at the umbrella gave us 2 car passes and told us where to go and said to hurry as the ferry was leaving soon. We found the area and the parking attendant was not easy to talk to. We parked and ran to the ferry. We saw the female who had been working at the green umbrella that gave us the parking passes and mentioned our difficulty figuring out how to park and how far away it was. She then made a rude comment to us and then walked away. That is how our ferry trip started. Recommend you all inform your guests how the parking works and to allow time to park. Also recommend you talk to your attendant to let her know parking is a hassle for new guests and she should keep that in mind when working with your guests who have paid a lot of money to take the ferry. So, our first impression of your business was not good. read more

A great way to get to Catalina from Dana Point (perhaps one of the only ways). Great crew. Little tip, check out the condition of the water. If you happen to go at a time the water is rough the crew carries around some sick sacks. If you catch the 4:30 out of Catalina, sit upstairs and outside for a great sunset view! read more

Went during an unpopular time, and it was a nice, uneventful experience.

I must start off by saying that a trip to Avalon was my husband's idea, not mine. I saw there wasn't much of interest in Avalon, but he insisted on making the trip because I'd decided on all the sites to see for this trip and this was his only request. We decided to go last minute and made the hour trek from San Diego. The departure point was not difficult to find. When we arrived, we discovered there was supposedly no room on the boat; and since we didn't have reservations, we were put on a standby list. My husband wanted to leave at this point; but being close to the departure time and having driven all the way to Dana Point, I thought a 45 minute wait wasn't excessive. Well, we and about 5 others were able to get on the boat due to no-show passengers.. Thank goodness we had a temporary handicap placard so we were able to park in the shopping center near the departure point otherwise the parking was inconvenient and somewhat distant. The cost of the boat trip was $68.50 round trip for seniors, definitely expensive but the only transportation open to us. We sat on the lower level, being the area with a number of available seats. Now, I've only gotten sick on a boat once before so it's not typical for me. I thought the ride was extremely bumpy. I found myself in the restroom with sea sickness. That boat ride couldn't end soon enough! There was a whale sighting, but I only got to see the water from its spout. On the return trip we sat on the upper level, and the trip was less bumpy so I was fine. Those sitting outside on the return trip had to come indoors as it had gotten quite cold. The trip back was exciting as the television was on, and we saw L.A. advance to the World Series. Lesson learned: take Dramamine prior to the trip, take a jacket, and make advanced reservations. read more