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
  • 1 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
  • Whale Watch Cruise aboard Catamaran
  • Visit Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary, a rich feeding ground for whales and other marine creatures
  • See a variety of whales, including Humpbacks, Finbacks, and Minkes
  • Narrated by a New England Aquarium Naturalist as your Guide
  • Restroom on board
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
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.
Naturalists from the New England…

Location
1 Long Wharf
Long Wharf
The Ticket Center is located at 1 Long Wharf, Boston, MA 02110, 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
(3104 Ratings)
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Eric_z
Oct 9, 2025
All's whale that ends whale - Was cold and windy on the water, definitely bring a jacket. Thought it was going to be disappointing after 3 hours passed without seeing anything. Luckily we found 2 humpbacks together and saw some incredible things. Full breach, flipper slapping, and general swimming about. Ended up being an absolute stunner of a day.
Review provided by Viator
Dreamer63207040654
Sep 18, 2025
Whales Seen As Promised - The marine biologist on the boat was great. He was interesting and very knowledgeable. We had to travel a bit to find the whales but did see four. We hung out for about an hour seeing the whales multiple times. Boat was comfortable. Wind was a bit cool when we were traveling but there were many seats in the interior and it had a snack bar that also sold craft beer.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
F6887efstephend
Sep 11, 2025
Epic - Really cool experience. I didn't want the tour to end. I took so many pictures. This was a great afternoon at sea.Put it on your bucket list.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maryfv1473ei
Sep 3, 2025
Great Day... Whales & Fantastic Naturalists - Its SPECTACULAR!! Most Whales migrated south earlier than usual this year... THAT I knew. I thought we wouldn't get to see ANY. BUT... the Captain and the 2 Naturalists knew EXACTLY where to go to see 3 YOUNG female Humpbacks who stayed behind to EAT .... so much more food now that the Fatso older whales left!! They told us that the Female whales birth in the Caribbean. BUT, the Caribbean has WAY less food for them to eat. The female momma whales have to nurse their young JUST from the blubber they have on their bodies!! So, it's likely these young females are going to birth their first brood when they leave in October. So they need to PACK ON THE POUNDS!! (MY kinda whales!!). The team recognized them from the markings on their tail... like fingerprints. We had to go SOOOO far out... almost to Provincetown!! But it was soooo worth it. Lots of action... they were really feeding!! Up and down. Lots of breaches.... very close. The whales were NOT afraid of us at all.... almost felt like they were showing off for us!! Loved this day!! The Boat is EXCELLENT. Comfortable. Lots of seats. Lots of room to see. Yummy snacks. Great Experience. FOR GOD SAKE... TIP YOUR NATURALISTS!! Boston people are the cheapest damn people!! My sister included!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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
Beth_p
Sep 19, 2025
Long boat ride - More information needed to prepare for the long boat ride 1 and 1/2 hours each way for 30 minute whale watching. The guide was terrific, learned a lot about the wildlife.
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
From $80
up to 9 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).