Boston Whale Watch: High-Speed Catamaran Adventure

Experience Boston’s fastest whale watch cruise. Spot humpbacks, finbacks, and more at Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary. Book your adventure now.

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Long Wharf - Every Boston Whale Watching Cruise is narrated and led by a naturalist from the New England Aquarium.
    One of the whales often seen during a Boston Whale Watching Cruise is the humpback. These Northern hemisphere humpbacks typically grow to an average length of 50 feet and weigh around 37 tons!
    The data gathered on each cruise allows…
What's Included
  • Boston Whale Watch Cruise aboard High-Speed Boat
  • Narrated by a New England Aquarium Naturalist as your Guide
  • Visit Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary, a rich feeding ground for whales, dolphins, sea birds and other marine creatures
  • See a variety of whales, including Humpbacks, Finbacks, and Minkes.
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Restroom (on board)
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks (available to purchase on board)
  • Gratuities
  • Sea sickness medication (for guests prone to motion sickness)
Additional Information

Embark on an unforgettable whale watching adventure with the New England Aquarium Whale Watch Cruise. Journey to the Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary, a vibrant feeding area for whales, dolphins, seabirds, and other marine life. Stellwagen hosts a variety of large whale species, such as humpbacks, finbacks, and minkes. Knowledgeable New England Aquarium…

Location
Long Wharf
The Ticket Center is located on Long Wharf, next to the Marriott Hotel, with a statue of a Humpback whale on its roof.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(2989 Ratings)
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A7831qimikem
Nov 7, 2024
We hit the whale watching jackpot. - Wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was spectacular. We were extremely lucky to see a lot of surface activity from almost a dozen humpbacks. The genuine excitement of the biologist describing the activity was infectious.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Emily_k
Nov 7, 2024
Incredibly cool trip - This trip was incredible. The naturalist on board said it was the most active day they had all fall. We saw 10 different individual humpbacks breaching and male involved in a slap fight. The naturalist were so engaging and informative. They really elevated the trip.
Review provided by Viator
Matto470
Oct 29, 2024
Lived up to expectations! - This was a truly fantastic experience. The staff were helpful and extremely well informed, and we saw multiple whales.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nawanac
Sep 27, 2024
A great day at sea. - We saw 5 whales. 3 adults and 2 babies. Collin was able to tell us so many things about each whale and moved the boat so all could see.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jeremyh797
Sep 25, 2024
Great trip, but not relaxing. It's not intended to be. - Firstly, this is no harbour cruise, so if you're looking for a relaxing time, book another tour. The whales are situated about an hour out and it is a fast catamaran ride there, so quite windy and noisy. The nature of the tour means it is unpredictable, and it took a while for us to find any whales. If you don't see any I think they might offer you a free ticket to another trip, but you might not have the time to do that. In our case, we saw nothing until we were almost about the turn around to come home, and just then, a female humpback whale and her calf starting jumping about and breaching repeatedly. It was like they knew we were about to leave! Very difficult to get pictures, but they have an instagram page, whalesofstellwagen, where they post the photos that the tour leaders take. Unfortunately, we were then pressed for time and had to return whilst the whales were still having fun, but still a great trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gretchenejohnston
Sep 29, 2024
Positive experience - Smooth ride despite some rough water. Educationally informative about seasickness prevention as well as whales. Clean restrooms. Expensive food and drinks. But, we saw whales!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jobi_t
Sep 20, 2024
Not a great experience. - Obviously there are no guarantees of seeing whales. The ocean is a powerful beast. We didn't see any. Did see a group of dolphins on way back to Boston. I was truly miserably cold the entire time. Suggest adding clothing recommendations in the reminder email. Voucher for going on the tour again is good for 7 years. Very knowledgeable Naturalist with a great voice.
Review provided by Viator
Jacqueline_m
Oct 7, 2024
Disappointing - Sorry we didn't see any Whales at all on our trip, so very difficult to give it any higher. The two stars is for the ticket office and the knowledge of the Captain.
Review provided by Viator
Abhijit
Dec 18, 2024
Quite unprofessional in committing wrong to the customers. They could had been more transparent. - It was one of the worst experiences in my complete US trip. We were cheated by either Boston Whale watching cruise or by Civitas. The event was called off due to medical emergency for one of the passengers, we just touched the whale watching spot and without having to see anything we had to return in order to get medical attention for the person in need. At the time of disembarking the cruise we were told we will be given 100% refund which has paid as 50% only. This was totally unprofessional.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robert_b
Oct 6, 2024
Disappointed - I would not call it memorable to take a 4 hour boat ride and see no whales. Don’t know when I’ll be back to use a rain check.
Review provided by Viator
From $80
up to 9 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).