Captain Christian is the absolute best...super welcoming and friendly.....I would highly recommend…read morechartering with Bella on the Bay. He accommodated my family and paid extra attention to my elderly mother. Thank you for the awesome experience Captain, looking forward to more bookings in the future.

Captain Christian was the best! Contacted him a couple months before our trip to make reservations,…read morehe was quick to respond, very friendly. A week or so before our trip to Monterey our agenda has changed and we needed to switch our reservation to another day. A quick call to Captain Christian and he was able to accommodate our request. Very informative about his boat, the ocean and Monterey. Look forward to our next trip out here and will definitely be making reservations with Captain Christian.

Absolutely amazing experience! We rode the Black Fin on 7/26/26. The crew was all women (go…read moreladies!) and the owner of the boat was on board. The crew checked on all riders multiple times to ensure we were feeling well. The explanations for what we were watching were detailed and easy to understand. The company truly cares for the passengers. I applaud them for not squeezing the max number on the boat to make an extra buck. There was room to move around and change seats as needed. The best part for me was the railing on the outside was just perfect for my children to watch and enjoy the whales as well as be safe doing it. Overall, I'd recommend this company to anyone looking to go whale watching!

Although this was my first experience on a whale watching tour I'm so glad it was this one!! We…read moretook my Daughter for her birthday and had a wonderful time! The crew was so friendly and full of interesting information on the whales, seals etc. they even took us out a little farther so we could see another species. The captain also was so kind to let my daughter sit behind the wheel for a picture on her birthday! Thank you so much for a wonderful day my family had! I would definitely recommend this tour/company!

Beautiful scenery, excellent knowledgeable guides , knowledgeable of all the sea life…read moreExtra clear visibility, super clean boat , everyone receives a life vest. Excellent for familys . The Shake family always make sure your comfortable in all aspects. 5 stars for Angelo Shake thank you for making our 2026 4th of july memorable for life God BLESSS!

We had a wonderful time. The Captain was very knowledgeable with lots of historical information.read more

We did the 1.30pm tour today and it went for 3 hours. At 1 hour in we reached an area just past the…read moredrop off where Isaiah mentioned whales tend to hang out, and what to look for. My daughters (age 9&7) were thrilled to see splashes ahead and looked hard to find a whale and very excited to see a mom and calf humpback whale right after that. We also got lucky and saw a blue whale. Isaiah gave some info about blue whales and they took it all in. I was a bit worried about how it would go as my oldest daughter has autism but she felt comfortable enough to take herself off to a quieter space (indoors) when needed. It was also a small enough group that it didn't feel overwhelming for her. Overall we had a great time!

Great experience, we really enjoyed the naturalist on board answering all our questions and…read morepointing things out. They do a really good job of getting everyone on the "right" side to see whales. We saw several humpbacks breaching, and a ton of bird and dolphin activity. Really was a step beyond other whale watching trips to be able to see so many whales slowly feeding, you could even hear them breathing! Going back for a 2nd trip later this week to do it all again!

A magical experience! Highly recommend. My family and I visited Monterey in June and we had to go…read morewhale watching when we found out it was whale season!! I picked Princess Monterey for several reasons. The most important one is that they offer 3 hour tours (shorter version) compared to 4 or more hour tours. Some of my family members get motion sickness, so I thought a shorter trip would be best. I also picked Princess Monterey because of their larger sized boats. It can get very bumpy out in the ocean, so having a larger boat helps with less motion sickness. We opted for a whale tour at 10am on a Saturday in late June. It was perfect and we got to see so many whales up close. The tour guides are very nice and knowledgeable during the ride. The boats are very spacious and have indoor and outdoor seating. I recommend you sit indoors when the boat takes off into the ocean. We all sat on the outer part of the boat and got super wet! Luckily it was a sunny day so our clothes were able to dry out. There's plenty of space, so sit inside until you get to the whale destination, then go out and enjoy the experience! If you tend to get motion sickness, you probably will during this trip. We had a very bumpy and windy ride, and at one point I felt a little queasy. There were some people who did get really sick during the trip, so don't forget your motion sickness medicine. I would also bring a warm coat as it gets cold once you're out in the ocean. It's also a great idea to bring sunblock and a hat. Unforgettable experience!

Here's a fun and exciting review for your whale watching experience with Princess Monterey:…read more --- **Princess Monterey: A Whale of a Time (with a Splash of Adventure!)** Well, folks, if you're looking for a whale watching trip that's equal parts exhilarating and stomach-churning, look no further than Princess Monterey! Our group of 40 brave souls set sail yesterday, and let me tell you, it was a wild ride! Picture this: the ocean was a bit like a roller coaster--waves crashing, boats rocking, and our group members discovering just how quickly they could become best friends with the sea. Quite a few of us found ourselves feeling a bit queasy, but hey, who knew that whale watching came with a side of "hold on to your lunch"? But here's the kicker: despite the rough waters, we saw more whales than I've ever seen on any whale watching excursion! It was like a scene out of a nature documentary--humpbacks breaching, flukes flipping, and us squealing with delight (and maybe a little nausea). Every wave brought a new adventure, and the sight of those magnificent creatures made it all worth it! The crew was absolutely fantastic! They were like walking encyclopedias of the ocean, ready to answer every question we threw at them, no matter how ridiculous. "Is that a whale or just a really enthusiastic dolphin?"--they handled it all with grace and humor. Their enthusiasm was contagious, making even the toughest waves feel like a minor inconvenience. So, if you're up for a thrilling adventure with the chance to see some magnificent whales (and maybe test your sea legs), Princess Monterey is your go-to! Just bring some ginger ale for the ride trust me on that one!

My family of 5 took a last minute private 1.5 hour sunset cruise and couldn't have had a better…read moretime. Captain Tiki was amazing, had a great sense of humor with the kids, and made the tour very fun. While it would've been great to be on the water longer, an hour and a half was still plenty! This was the highlight of our summer in Carmel/Monterey!

Our company recently booked a charter for our employees, and to say we had a wonderful experience…read morewould be an understatement--everyone absolutely loved it! Captain Vince was incredible. He was attentive, informative, and extremely kind. We felt comfortable and safe throughout the entire trip. Our employees couldn't stop raving about the experience, and many shared that they plan to book their own charters in the future for their families. It was such a peaceful and beautiful time out on the water--truly a memorable experience that will stay with you. Thank you, Captain Vince, for making our trip so memorable. You were awesome!

It was a gray cool morning, and all 6 of us were bundled up, as if we were going into a snowstorm…read more That was a wise decision. Ten minutes after leaving Moss Landing we encountered 4 humpback whales foraging, 10 minutes later 2 more, and half a mile away more blows. In 3 hours we encountered at close range probably 40 humpbacks. We were able to get fluke photos of 18 different whales and using Happy Whale identify 17 known individuals and at least one whale not in the Happy Whale database. Fabulous morning on the water with Captain Kate Spencer.

Fantastic experience, many many Humpback Whales. Got some National Geo type images of breaching…read morewhales. Kate and Don did their best to get us close to the action. With limited people on board this is the only way to watch whales.

Absolutely phenomenal experience for me, my wife and our 8-year old daughter!…read more Small boat is awesome, really friendly and personal. Captain and the woman with us were both wonderful - really friendly and informative, taking time to explain everything, answer questions, etc. They both also had such a deep and genuine love of the ocean, which was really lovely and infectuous. We saw tons of humpback whales, feeding, a breech, and had like a hundred dolphins swimming with the boat for a looooong time, which was such a special treat. We'll definitely be back and are so grateful to this wonderful operation for providing us the opportunity to experience the majesty of the bay like this!

Sanctuary Cruises was *thee* best whale watching experience! Easy booking process, and very…read moreaccommodating staff (we were running late due to the lovely Bay Area traffic coming from SF, and they actually called to make sure we were coming and would make it for departure!). Both the guide and captain were so nice, and knowledgeable! I understand that our cruise wasn't usual, as there was so much activity - however we saw SO many whales. We could see no less than 3 at a time, and many were within 10-30 feet of the boat! An amazing time, both my 6-year old and I were thoroughly impressed :)

Best privately own business in Monterey. I have been on dozens of trips with them throughout the…read moreyears. Hands down the best. Every time, we have seen whales, enjoyed Risso dolphins, and had our questions a answered. I'm an old lady now, I went Monday. They helped me onto the boat. It was the #1 experience. I say that after being on dozens of times. with them and other companies. I highly recommend going. Oh and you get to be on the boat with people ALL over the world. The look on their faces, first time seeing a whale, priceless. 3 hour trip. WORTH every dollar.

2nd trip with this crew and it's my fave! Friendly and not over powering with to much talk. Being…read moretold where to look and left to just enjoy the sounds of the sea, splashes an excitement from others is the only thing I wanna hear while the whales are in our presence. 10/10!! On this boat you can hear the other boats just talking and talking and talking. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh it's such a special moment haha The crew is great, the captain can DRIVE as I felt like part of the deadliest catch crew yesterday and our skipper was present and accommodating! Please TIP the CREW!! Orca trip 4/16 at 9am. Thank you guys, I'll see you soon

We just finished up a sail with Gene. It was amazing. He was so informative and knowledgeable about…read moresailing, the wildlife and the Monterey area (among so many other things)! And bonus to being out on open water was all the whales that happened to be eating in the area. I definitely recommend to anyone!

I booked Carrera Sailing for a private charter in Monterey on Valentine's Day where I proposed to…read moremy now fiance. With such a special event I spent a lot of time researching and was actually debating on booking with Carrera Sailing vs a few other private charters. I can confidently say that I made the right decision. What separated Carrera Sailing from the competition for me was Gene himself and his attention to detail. He is not a large company that churns through customers as quickly as possible. He focuses on quality and providing great customer service. From the start, he was very transparent to me regarding the wind and weather conditions and provided recommendations for the dates we were in town. You could also tell that Gene had decades of experience from the entertaining stories and experiences he shared during the trip. He knows every aspect of sailing and even custom manufactures carbon fiber additions to his boat. Overall, the experience was absolutely perfect and we will definitely be back.