My husband and i went on the recent eco trip to Baja to see where the gray whales have their babies - amazing 8 day trip ! great, friendly and helpful crew , delicious meals - could not be improved on !! read more

Been fishing The Royal Polaris for the past 35 years and I have always had a great experience. Crew is always exceptional

We just love the staff of the Royal Polaris. The boat is older but well kept and recently remodeled. Captain Jim "Rambo" is awesome and the crew, especially, Chris, are the best! The cooks are awesome and the food is great! We travel on the RP for an educational trip to visit the friendly gray whales of Baja. We couldn't ask for a better group of people to travel with! It's always a joy to see our RP friends every year. It was awesome to finally meet the owner, Frank (I think that was his name). He was a down-to-earth lovable guy that shows respect to his staff. We love you all! Hugs and whale kisses! read more

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Can't Wait to go on our 5th family trip in June with the awesome Captain Roy Rose and crew. Owners Frank Lo Preste and Roy Rose do everything top notch. Great learning experience for kids and adults. They will have you and your family Fishing like a long professionals in hours. The most amazing adventure you can take part in! You must try Fishing the Royal Polaris. You will be truly impressed and have the Fishing Adventure of your life to remember. Sincerely, Keith Barnett Jr Captain Colby Barnett read more

Just got back from a six day trip on the RP. Outstanding Capt Roy, And crew! Fishing was great at the island. This was my second trip on the RP with about three years separating the trips. The only reason I don't give five stars is that the food was good, not the expected Great/Excellent. This being said, the Royal Polaris operation is first class, very accommodating and has a long history of excellence. I would not hesitate to fish with this operation in the future, and would recommend the RP team to anyone who asks. read more

I'm new to long range fishing, and these guys were amazing. I signed up for a 3 day trip not knowing what to expect. Day one was a travel day to fish a good blue fin area. The boat was well taken care of and the crew introduced themselves. Got a little fishing in which was great. For a newbie they set me up with some rods and reels and got me going. It would have been helpful if they could have explained proper set up to catch blue fin directly with me, but with 35 people on board, they had their hands full. Maybe a intro to newbies seminar for a half hour with a crew member would have gone a long way to proper fishing protocol, but I learned quickly. Second day, I think they could see I was struggling to catch a fish - they set me up on a fishing kite, 20 mins later BOOM - fish on. Greg saved my ass - I had no idea how hard these fish fight... plus I had no idea what I was doing. Greg and Roy stuck with me the entire time and helped me get my prize, a 73lbs blue fin. Honestly, no way I could have even come close without the amazing crew - these guys are top tier. Thank you Greg and Roy for helping me get my fish and giving me a fishing story! Last day I went catching nothing - not a loss, frustrating as others caught a few, but what really impressed me was how Roy singled out those who hadn't caught a fish, and made sure it happened before the trip was done. EVERYONE went home with a fish - Amazing. Long story short, I'm looking in to booking next years trip and can't wait. These guys love their jobs and it shows. Thank you for a memorable trip. read more

Royal Polaris - Fishing Near Me - San Diego, California

Just had the pleasure of spending a week on the Royal Polaris. Everything about the trip was excellent. Captain Frank and the crew always go above and beyond to make every guest feel like they are the greatest fisherman in the world. The crew is always there when needed and Frank makes sure we all learn to fish together in harmony. Chef Kenny cooked up incredible meals every day and made sure guests with food allergies like myself are taken care of. We hit fish limits and got to see whales, dolphin and sea lions. Can't wait til next year! read more

Royal Polaris - Fishing Near Me - San Diego, California

Book at your own risk! I fished with the the RP in late 2019 - the trip was 10/10! Recently fished with the RP for a Father's Day trip with my family...a slew of problems emerged. Unfortunately, the owner (the one who doesn't drive the boat) seemed uninterested in helping us find a resolution. I'm disappointed to say that I'd recommend fishing with a different outfit due to unpredictable non-family & non-female friendly behaviors from the crew and a lack of concern and meaningful resolution from the owner (the one who doesn't drive the boat). read more

Long range fishing at it's best. This boat and crew are the best in the industry. It isn't cheap but if big ass tuna, the freakishly fast wahoo, plentiful dorado are on your list of fish you want to fill your extra freezer up with, book a long range trip on this boat. At 113 x 29 this is a huge boat. 18 air-conditioned staterooms (some with private heads). A beautifully appointed lounge with spacious seating for 30 people. There are comfortable lounging facilities on the upper deck. Don't even get me started on the food. It should go without saying, but the dining is like a 5 star restaurant. Okay that might be pushing it, but the food is 5 star. Everyday we had fresh sushi which makes me a happy fisherman! read more

You will not find a more enthusiastic fun loving Captain than Roy Rose. He goes beyond the extra mile to ensure that all the passengers catch fish. If you lose a fish, you were not following directions of the crew. They do everying possible to get that fish onboard the boat. Roy is one of the best in my opinion. He always finds fish and is very savvy in tactical moves. His love of fishing inspires many people to stay loyal customers. Parking-Very plentiful during the winter months.Very difficult during the peak summer months. $7 per day. Maintenance is required in some places of the boat. The port men's bathroom window was missing, the seat cushions needed replacement in the galley, hot water shortages during showers were causing a slight problem. Not a deal breaker though! read more

I was on the same 3-day bluefin trip as the guy (Trevor) that gave the 1-star critique. For the record, Captain Jeff chased huge schools of bluefin all day long for two days straight. He put us on school after school of boiling, breezing tuna. The fishing was actually phenomenal; tons of fish, whales breaching 20-feet from the boat, great captain, great crew, great food, great camaraderie......... the problem was the catching. The fish just didn't want much to do with what we were throwing at them - if you know anything about fishing, you know the Captain can put you on the fish but can't make them bite. The fish weren't interested in our bait so I personally hooked two nice bluefin on jigs; maybe he should of tried that. In fact, if you look at the photo I attached (face blurred out on purpose), you'll get the idea of why this person was struggling with catching a fish. The crew as well as other passengers hooked and handed as many as they could to try and get everyone at least one fish - not sure where this person was during all that. I was on the dock when this person actually had the nerve to ask the owner for a refund. I have no idea what the dude was thinking but I wouldn't put any weight into a review from a guy like that. read more

Royal Polaris - Fishing Near Me - San Diego, California

Horrible boat. Don't waste your money. Captain Jeff couldn't find a fish for 3 days. The owner doesn't take criticism and would rather curse and threaten you on the dock. Do yourself a favor and just pick a different boat. read more

I had a great trip but what made it memorable and who made an impression on me was the cook by the name of Cory; I was astonish with his work. His customer service was outstanding and indeed he was very helpfully. When I didn't like the menu options he went out of his way to cook something to my taste which made the trip more pleasurable. Just take a look at the picture! read more

Royal Polaris - Cooked by Cory - Fishing Near Me - San Diego, California

Just got back from a 6 day trip wow what a awesome crew if your looking for a boat that runs a 5 star fishing operation this is them. Fish flying over the rail non stop. read more

Royal Polaris - Fishing Near Me - San Diego, California

Unwelcomed Surprises... Rode the Royal Polaris for the first time in December of 2019 - our first ever long range trip - 5-Stars for that adventure! Was on an 8-day trip with my two daughters this June and things did not go so well. Sure the food was excellent, and the fishing was too, but the barrel bottom was scrapped to come up with one crew member that should have never been on the boat - he was nothing but trouble for the clients and remaining crew alike the entire trip. My eldest daughter was body-image shamed by another crew member - Roy commented that crew member "is the most loved" among them. Really? The captain on this trip was "quite aggressive" as described by multiple passengers to Roy. There was way too much foul language, yelling and screaming from the captain, too. Efforts to covey the issues to Roy were met with his immediate effort to contact other clients & crew. It appears he worked the short list of frequently recurring clients and carefully avoided those with little future stake. Those clients with their own personal interest at stake (all are RP regulars) were unable to comment or confirm our reports other than the body-shaming incident. My daughter reached out to Roy and I'm told in his own controlling way he abruptly ended the conversation without offering her any resolution. In my conversations with Roy I found him to be a "let me finish" conversationalist on the telephone, with little reciprocation for his listening abilities. And since his recurring clientele would not confirm our claims of ill manners & treatment - it simply did not happen. Analogy: Tell that to the 1 of 50 women that's been sexually harassed in the work place... "the other were 49 we not, so you weren't either." We were one of two family units on the RP this trip and Father's Day 2021 will be remembered for its great fishing, great food, and some pretty poor behavior by some specific crew members, and the oh so careful maneuvering by Roy to exonerate his responsibilities. Ah, least I forget... one member of the other family unit suffered a gaff injury to his bicep inflicted by the captain. Ask yourself: How does this happen? Per the captain - it was injured party's fault. WOW! There are plenty of other long range outfits to choose from - they all serve great food and catch fish. I can only recommend you book with them 'cause any issues occurring on the RP will be met with nothing in return. No one that pays nearly $3000 for a fishing trip should suffer body image shaming and other ill treatment by the captain and crew. My two lovely daughters can be seen the RP's Facebook fishing reports in mid June. Sadly they are the only two young women appearing among many months of reporting by the RP. Possibly others already know better than to book a family trip on the RP? Best wishes. Be well. read more

Yelp pulled my review of the Royal Polaris ??? My sons,and I, David and Douglas, have had a Yelp account for our laundry matt for quite some time. Do not understand why our input was pulled ??? Maybe it is time to pull out of Yelp ??? read more

Irresponsible Owner. Went on a 3 days trip departing on 9/6/14 scheduled for a 10AM departure. Instead of departing at 10am, we departed at 3pm due to mechanical (steering) issue. We completely lost 1/2 day of fishing. Made a request to the manager to request the owner Frank to consider to adjust the trip to 2.5 day at the day of departure. Received a phone call from owner Frank a week later, instead of apologizing; Frank was rude and angry. I haven't even start to explain the situation, he started raising his voice and his exact words "How dare I to even consider to ask for an adjustment" when the boat caught lots of fish and there is no plan to fish on 1st day. I've never heard any fishing boat will give refund when we don't catch fish. The fact is we were fishing at San Clemente island, which is ~ 46 miles away. If we departed on time, we would have fished on the 1st day. The fact we were charged 3 day trip for a 2.5 day fish due to RP's mechanical issue is unreasonable regardless of fish count. Interestingly, the trip that departed on 9/10 on a 3day trip fish the 1st day and I have proof from Royal Polaris Website (Captain's diary). Owner refuse to admit their mistake and refuse to apologize or making things right. I even got charged $96 Mexican fishing license fee when they knew we were only going to fish in US water. Dishonest and unethical owner. I'm a frequent fisherman and been on many Sportsfishing boats with friends. Never have I heard or encounter this level of abuse on other boats. I will never go or recommend anyone to go on this fishing boat. read more

Absolutely one of the best times I've had in years. Plenty of fish to take home, but more more importantly, the crew was over the top with help and advice for a rookie like me. I caught almost 300 pounds of gorgeous yellow tail tuna and yellow tail. Not bad for a 72 year old guy who needed lots of help. Now for a foodie like me, the chef Joe was simply the best. It was almost like a five star restaurant; and he was willing to share all of his highly creative recipes. I would go again in a heartbeat. Thanks to the captain and crew. Don Caruso read more

This is a first class operation. The boat is roomy and clean, food excellent, and they can find the fish, but it's fishing, not catching. The crew on this boat is top notch, Roy is real funny, Jonathan and Eddie are nice guys, and Kenny and James are great cooks that are real helpful with bait selection as well. It's not cheap but worth the price of admission. read more

It does not get any better! A first class operation from top to bottom. Great captains, great crew, great chefs, great boat. Whether you are long range beginner or veteran, you will be treated to an excellent fishing experience from the second you step on board. These guys set the standard for everyone in the San Diego fishing fleet! read more

My dad and I just returned home after a 5 day outing on the RP that was nothing short of epic. The fishing was beyond spectacular with a constant stream of big tuna and yellowtail being pulled in, and the crew was nothing short of amazing. I don't know where the crew gets their energy...if they weren't helping bring in fish or untangling lines they were doing something else to make your trip as enjoyable and comfortable as possible. And the food? Its nothing short of incredible that they were able to pull together delicious, creative meals time after time. Great ship, great crew (including the folks in the front office). If I could give the RP team more than 5 stars I wouldn't hesitate to do so. read more

WOW what an amazing fishing trip!! just got back from a 3 day fishing trip 8-22/25 ( Charlie's) group and had one of the best times of my life! The boat and crew is amazing, food was better than any 5 star restaurant, cleanest boat I have ever seen, awesome setup for the beginner or advanced fisherman. We had the Adventure Travel guys - Steve, Shawn and Danny teaching us how to fish and equipment not to mention they gave away prizes to everyone!!!! If you want a truly amazing life experience this is it!!!!! Oh yeah the fish we caught were amazing, 473 of them in 3 days... Thank you for everything, Billy read more

Went on a 7 day trip with Captain Roy, deckhands Dharyl, Eddie, Greg, Daren, Doug and chefs David and Joe. This team work so hard to ensure you have a good trip. Captain is constantly trying to find where the fish are, the captain and deckhands are running around gaffing fish, directing traffic at the rail, untangling lines, teaching beginners how to fish, cleaning the desks, cleaning the fish and helping serve meals. it is amazing how hard they work, The boat is in terrific shape, the rooms are clean, the bathrooms all in working order, the galley was clean and always stocked with wonderful food to eat. The meals and snacks the chef's made were healthy and delicious. A terrific variety of foods and ingredients. The fishing on this trip was also off the charts. the deckhands did well to get the fish into the refrigerated holds in great shape. This is the only long range boat I ever go on. Top notch. Cant wait for the next trip. read more

What an awesome adventure! I have had the pleasure of going out on the Royal Polaris twice, and both times I have had a great time with a reward of lots of fish! Last year I did a 4 day trip, and this year I enjoyed a 6 day trip. I am new to fishing, but the RP crew helped me with rigging my pole, baiting my hook, casting, and coaching me while reeling in my fish! Although I was very intimidated by sportsfishing, the crew really helped me to learn and I was able to be a lot more independent on my second trip. The captain works hard to find some great spots for fishing, and the crew is so helpful when we have a "hot bite" and everyone is catching fish one after another. When we aren't fishing, the galley is a great place to play games, watch tv/movies, and enjoy AMAZING meals. The chef prepares a variety of meals and snacks that are absolutely delicious (especially the fresh bread). The staterooms are clean and comfortable- ours had a sink, some have their own bathroom. The boat was clean and there was plenty of storage for rods/tackle boxes. Overall, the Royal Polaris is a 10/10 experience, and I cannot wait to return next year! read more

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I have been fortunate enough to fish on the RP for the last 10 years. The boat itself is fantastic both in accommodations and as a fishing platform. The captains and crew are what sets this operation apart. Their professionalism ensures your safety. Their experience gets you the opportunity to catch fish. But everyone of them tries their best to make the experience enjoyable and it shows. Aside from fantastic fishing you are going to see some beautiful scenery and nature at its finest. All of the trips have a loyal following and repeat customers are the norm. On my trip 90% of the passengers are the same each year. Everyone comes back every year because of the friends you make from both the passengers and the crew. Be warned - fishing on this boat is addictive! If you haven't done much fishing dont worry. The crew loves to teach everything from knots to how to fight a 200 pound tuna! Most of the time the crew is helping you before you know you need it! My friends have asked me how I can spend weeks on a boat on the ocean. I always tell them the hardest part is waiting for the next trip! read more

I went on a 3 day trip on the Royal Polaris that left on 9/30/2015. I immediately realized the cook's helper was out of it and under the influence. If I noticed this, the crew must have noticed as well. On day 2 of the trip a passenger went to go take a shower and almost stepped on a syringe that was left in the shower. The syringe was accompanied by a spoon, a baggy, a lighter and a belt to tie off. I know this, because I went in and saw it all. We were notified by the captain that we would be going into the harbor police in Point Loma to drop off the paraphernalia. Am I really on a long range trip going in early to drop off drug paraphernalia?? After the police had conversations with the Captain and some of the crew members they immediately turned the culprit into the authorities. Guess who...yup the cook"s helper! He was injecting heroin and then handling and serving us food. So the Captain and crew knew it was him and did nothing about it. One can't imagine how the Captain and the crew knew he was high and doing drugs on the boat and the owner didn't. I'm sure the owner Frank Lo Preste must have been privy to that information as well. With this information and knowledge they allowed this individual to not only remain an employee but to jeopardize the safety and well being of the clients. Many passengers including myself wanted to get off the trip right then and there but were advised we couldn't. We went back out to the fishing grounds losing valuable fishing time. The captain said it didn't make any difference on the amount of fishing time. I guess my math works differently than his. The next day I saw his point though because on our 3 day long range trip we trolled around the islands...the Coronado Islands. Yes, those Coronado Islands that are 13 miles off the Point. The ones that I've been to 100's of times because I have 21' fishing boat, however this time I was on a $1300 long range trip. We got skunked there, heck most of the passengers got skunked for the whole trip. 7 fish for 3 days for the entire boat!! Very poor decisions all around from the Captain. Being a recovering opiate addict I don't know what would have happened if I was that passenger that found the drugs and the paraphernalia. That's the last thing that would have ever crossed my mind being on a ZERO tolerance long range fishing vessel from San Diego's fleet. Bottom line is it should of never ever happened. When we got back into the dock we were compensated from the Owner Frank Lo Preste. He gave us a $300 voucher for an upcoming Royal Polaris fishing trip. Are you frickin kidding me Frank?? My hard earned $$ and time off from work was wasted on very poorly ran operation. Hey guys and gals, I've been on over 20 long range trips, please for the love of God choose any other boat other than the Royal Polaris. read more

Seems the service has gone down recently, I recently went on a 7 day trip and fished 3 days at Cedros area with Jonathon the skipper on this trip. when a fish (yellowtail) was at gaff crew was sparse and had to be called constantly, then we had run uphill to San Clemente east end and spent 3 days looking for the Yellowfin bite that had been going on for the last 8 weeks, they were no where to be found as most bites fizzle out, but instead of finding our own fish we spent the 3 days going back and forth around the island, we never approached Cortez bank or even looked for another spot of fish. This is called fishing and not catching I understand but try harder to find your own fish and not depend on what was going on previously, I can understand trolling for hours if I can see the crew and captain trying. meals were so so... but chefs have always been great, As for skippers go Roy is top notch and if there are no fish at least he will come down and make you laugh but he is a top notch skipper and would never sit on a spot for 3 days hoping. I wish he had run this trip I've experienced better on this boat as well as A/C mechanical issues, needless to say it was as hot inside as well as outside in Mexican waters. I will go on this boat again but I will find out who is running it and hopefully the crew will be better, maybe better yet try the Red Rooster... read more