Boston Harbor City Cruises

Took the a boat to George's Island using library discount pass . The boat is 3 stories high. The boat is very safe they drive at a slow peaceful pace . The old barracks are open and you can walk through them. Kids playground that is in the theme is there too. Wished we d brought two phones or a flashlight to film the actual walk through inside the old barracks it's definitely worth adventuring out to see and the cruise boat itself is beautiful. They also offer generous teacher discounts .

My friend and I decided to take the ferry to Salem instead of the train, and we were both glad we did. It was a beautiful trip across the coast. The tour guide was very friendly and she did an amazing job pointing out different sites, as well as giving wonderful information along the way.

Great cruise around the city area with good commentary but sometimes hard to hear in certain parts of the boat.
Plenty areas inside and out to sit.
Nice little bar beside the Dock when waiting for small bites and drinks.
Enjoy

So glad I decided to book a Whale Watching Tour! The trip was fantastic. We saw so many whales up close! There is indoor and outdoor seating and you are guaranteed to see whales or there is a rain check. The guides were friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely recommend! 🐳

We didn't end up getting out to the whales because the seas were too choppy but they gave us refunds and were really nice. I also enjoyed the choppy waves.

Very nice harbour trip, a special shout out to the guide who was knowledgeable and enthusiastic.
The following day we also did the Whale Watch cruise and this was great, we have seen plenty of beautiful whales, in fact we saw three types of them and it was really impressive. These are very popular, might be worth booking in advance to avoid disappointment.

We enjoyed a 1 Hour Historic Cruise and it was great! The narrator was enthusiastic and super fun! We saw so much of the skyline from the water and got to really enjoy the views of the city. We learned a ton about The Boston Area and its history. I highly recommend for a short dose of history! It was very enjoyable.

We love our time on the Lighthouse tour today, our naturalist was very knowledgeable and the crew was helpful.

I enjoyed my cruise around Boston Harbor very much, thanks to Boston Harbor City Cruises. The weather was wonderful. The view was spectacular. Our guide was very interesting and provided a great deal of detail and useful information about what we were seeing as we traveled around the harbor. I highly recommend taking the one hour cruise to see many historic sites from the Harbor view.

Wonderful and educational tour. We came here while on vacation with my parents and children. All three generations enjoyed the tour. We didn’t have to wait long to board and there were lots of seats to chose from.

We had a great time on the Boston harbor cruise. Narrator was very informative and funny to listen to.

10/10 Experience on a whale watch that we went on yesterday. The staff was all extremely helpful with my daughter who had a broken leg and was in a wheelchair. The narration was wonderful, the seas were calm and we saw multiple groups of whales for almost the entire time we were at Stellwagen Bank. A nice bonus was seeing dolphins as well!

We took the whale watching tour. It was a fulfilling trip had many whale sightings and saw some cool whale breaching activities as well. Staff was knowledgeable and friendly. Boat was clean. I do recommend taking sea sickness precautions as many folks feel light headed. Also carry layers even on a hot day, it does get cold out in the water.

Been wanting to do whale watching for years. Decided to try these guys last day of vacation. I am over the moon. Lovely knowledgeable guides with a genuine passion for these animals. Captain kept the ship very stable and the crew was most helpful. Price is also very reasonable. I will be back, thank you for getting one item off my childhood bucket list.

We took a whale watching cruise. The vessel was comfortable, the staff was knowledgeable and courteous, and the captain did a fantastic job maneuvering the boat to get us breathtaking looks at mama and calf humpbacks. They are certified to safely boat around whales, and we had plenty of time on the water in the marine sanctuary. Food, drinks, a bar, and multiple restrooms are on board. Highly recommend!

Highly recommend the New England Aquarium Boston Harbor City Cruise whale watch excursion on the Astoria high-speed catamaran. At just under $300 dollars for a family of 4, the excursion last roughly 4 hours. It takes about an hour to get out to the Stellwagon Bank National Marine Sanctuary. The ship has drinks and snacks aboard and the captains use the ride out to educate you about the whales, the sanctuary and marine study in general. The boat has 3 levels. I recommend getting in line early and being one of the first to board to get your choice of seating. The second level has tables next to the windows inside in the AC. Once the boat starts moving, you can get up and move around. You aren't stuck where you choose to sit. When you get out to the Whales, everyone moves around, but it's nice to have a table/seat for the ride out. There are bathrooms on board and the whole experience is quite comfortable.

Now, for the whales.... WOW! Honestly, it surpassed my expectations. I know each ride out can be unpredictable. We got very lucky I suppose. The whales were very close to our boat and we lingered out and watched them for a whole. We saw Minke whales, fin whales, Mola Mola fish, dolphins and of course, HUMPBACKS! I will say when the whales started to be spotted, I think the people in the front of the boat has the best view. After all, they were in front of the captains. Captains point the boat toward the whales. They also do a very good job at spinning the boat around for all to get a vantage point, but it's not always possible. So if I had to do it again, I might would move toward the front of the boat after about 45-50 mins of ride time.

On the way back to dock, it started raining on us. So disembarking, we got soaked. Maybe look at the weather and judge if you may need an umbrella. Definitely bring a light jacket or sweatshirt, hair ties for women with long hair. If you experience motion sickness, bring dramamine. After disembarking, they offer photos of your family that they took before boarding the boat. I think they were 32 dollars. It was pouring on us and the photos were soaked, so we opted not to purchase. Such a shame they were wet. I usually purchase photos like these.

I also heard if you don't see whales, they give you a rain check to go back on another excursion, and it never expires!

Wonderful experience! Every trip is a toss up, but we saw whales and seals up close!

Pros:
Rain checks if no sightings! This was actually our second trip out. We received rain checks for the first because we did not see any whales.

Large, fast, clean boat so less chance of sea sickness. We still took our Dramamine before boarding!

Very informative and friendly staff

Food options during the trip kept the kids happy.

Clean bathrooms!

Caution:
Sea sickness is definitely a possibility.

Boat decks can get crowded as soon as you reach the preserve area. Head out early to reserve a great spot.

Kids LOVE being at the front of the boat while going fast, but it is COLD/windy. Bundle up! Jacket, gloves, hood or hat recommended.

Bring cash if you'd like to be able to tip the crew.

The weather was rough & rainy on our trip which we all knew ahead of time. Everyone on board & at the ticket booth gave us advice and options on how to make our trip the most comfortable or the option to
reschedule for a calmer day. Once onboard they again gave actionable advice on the best place on the boat, passed our ginger chews and vomit bags and check on each passenger
several times during the trip. Their expertise and care was excellent and made a rough weather trip the best it could be!
I also was impressed by the educational slides, the video about network in the shipping channel, the
intern and Naturalist talks, kids games and biofacts they shared as well and lots of information about the area, the wildlife and the conservation partnerships. I learned a lot! My son (4 year old) enjoyed touching the whale vertebrae & learning the names & ages of the two whales we saw

We had a good time touring the harbor area and hearing about some of the stories behind some of what you are seeing. The narrator tells you enough but doesn’t go on endlessly. There’s beverages and snacks available. It doesn’t eat up the afternoon so it’s something that you can do without having to not do something else.

Great experience! I recommend wearing layers since the wind can feel cold. It was about an hour to get to the place where we watched the whales for an hour or a little longer, then one hour going back.