Cape May Whale Watcher

Cape May Whale Watcher

Cape May Whale Watcher
4.5
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
About
Cape May Whale Watcher is one of the largest whale and dolphin watching tourist destinations in Cape May, NJ. Outside of our popular whale and dolphin watching tours, patrons may also choose to experience a lighthouse or sunset tour. Food is available purchase and patrons may purchase tickets for a dinner cruise which includes a delicious prime rib buffet.
Cape May, United States
Meets animal welfare guidelines

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Tours and Tickets by Cape May Whale Watcher

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles929 reviews
Excellent
604
Very good
163
Average
58
Poor
41
Terrible
63

Marj S
11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020
My husband and I enjoyed an incredible 3 hour whale and dolphin watching cruise aboard the Cape May Whale Watcher Atlantis. Our fully narrated history and nature cruise was led by an experienced, licensed, Whale Sense Certified Captain and Naturalist and his knowledgeable Crew who shared local history along with pointing out many types of marine life. We were entertained by numerous pods of frolicking dolphins as we rode through the Delaware Bay and in to the Atlantic Ocean. At about the 7 mile mark we came upon a very curious 35 foot Humpback Whale. The Captain turned off the main engines and we began a captivating hour of interaction with this mammoth Baleen cetacean who delighted us with his many feeding dives, surfacing with his spouting blow hole and fluke slaps, only to dive again to feed and surface on the other side of the boat in a marine mammal version of hide and seek! It was a magical experience! Did you know that the colored markings on the underside of a whale's fluke are like a fingerprint? No two are alike and that is the manner in which the huge mammals are named and catalogued by Whale Sense. Also, only male humpbacks sing their eerie whale songs. They sing these elaborate breeding songs while searching for mates. This giant migrators primarily sing and breed in tropical waters during winter but, some remain behind on subarctic feeding grounds throughout the dark winter singing as a response to the rapidly changing Arctic environment. Fascinating!
Written 31 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Diana L
Carlisle, PA8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021
this was the third time i was on one of these whale watching cruises and the first time we did not see any dolphins or whales. but the staff really tried. it was still a beautiful cruise and we enjoyed ourselves. and becasue we did not see any dolphins or whales they did give us a coupon for another free trip next time we go visit cape may.
Written 22 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

suman1026
Princeton, NJ91 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020 • Couples
We did this with a Groupon deal & im so glad we did! From the upper deck, we saw quite a few dolphins & stalked a whale for some time! It was a bit chilly & rocky (we were in the Atlantic in October!) but we were continually told to hold on & maintain covid precautions. Our captain was so so knowledgeable, interesting & clearly cared about what he does & marine life. I would highly recommend!
Written 11 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bob M
Appomattox, VA16 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021 • Couples
Do not waste the money on this dinner cruise. It is edible but not good. Waiter was not friendly or attentive. The young server was the only decent one in the serving area. Pasta was over cooked, vegetables had little flavor, short ribs over cooked and even though the chicken was tender, it has virtually no flavor. The salad was good as was the roll that went with it. After we paid in advance, when the boat was leaving they announced there was free food on the upper deck. Do not recommend the dinner cruise !!!
Written 3 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, We are sorry to hear you did not enjoy the Dinner Cruise. Many of the folks have have glowing reviews of our Dinner Cruise. The food from Homestyle To Go is of the highest quality. I am confused as to what you were expecting from a short rib. It is a slow cooked short rib in a reduction which has consistently produced a very tender, albeit well done cut of beef. This would be the same of any short rib. It cuts with a fork and melts in your mouth. The balsamic chicken being tasteless just seems impossible. I suppose any kitchen can have an off night, but having tasted this food most nights as we also feed our staff, I respectfully disagree with your assessment. In regards to servers not being helpful, we did have our staffing issues this year. Due to Covid, we actually ended the year with crew members from the boat becoming servers. Many of them were forced to where different hats throughout the season to keep up with the demand of 2021 and we are blessed to have such a brilliant, talented and courteous crew. Our dinner cruise will rerun in 2022 and I have forwarded your comments to the chef. Thank you for reviewing us. Captain Jeff
Written 5 October 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

KirkPl
Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2012 • Couples
My wife and I were traveling from Gettysburg Pa to go see the whales and dolphins at Cape May NJ.We arrived later than the departure time so my wife asked the lady at the booth what the difference was between the whale watch and the dolphin watch.The lady explained that the whale watch was 3 hours and traveled up to 25 miles offshore into the Atlantic to see the whales where as the Dolphin watch only circled the island to see the Dolphins.My wife thanked her and we stepped to the side to discuss whether we would stay a night in Cape May and do the 3 hour whale watch the next day or do the 2 hour dolphin watch that day and head up the coast.As we were talking I heard the lady in the booth mock my wife's question about the difference between the two tours and then laugh.We went to the front of the booth after hearing this and my wife asked this lady why she was mocking her question to her co-worker and laughing about the question? The response she got was this, I wasn't talking to any co-worker about the stupid question,do you see anyone in here with me and who asks a stupid like you did and laughed.I took over the conversation at that point and asked the lady in the booth if she always talks to herself and laughs about questions that her customers ask,she became very agitiated at that and began telling me NO-ONE has ever asked such a stupid question.I told the lady we had travelled from Ontario Canada to come this business to go out and see whales but with her attitude we would be moving on to another place who can be a little more respectful of the customers.Her response to that was " OH YOUR FROM CANADA, THAT EXPLAINS THE STUPID QUESTION!!" At that point I was getting very angry so I asked to speak to the owner of the business about her ignorant attitude,she threw her arms in the air and said guess what,I AM THE OWNER!! I exchanged a few more words about her attitude and rudeness and told her I hope her business goes under.She cackled and laughed and said thousands of people come here each season,you are two of the thousands so don't count it. I told her well I hope she doesn't treat all her customers this way and we walked away.My wife and I have been to Gloucester Mass. to go see whales and dolphins and have had the most pleasant experience and seen lots of whales.I would recommend any one wanting to see whales in the Atlantic ocean also do the same,head to Boston or Gloucester (http://www.7seas-whalewatch.com/ ) or you could be the next victim of the Cape May Whale Watcher's owners Ignorant, rude and disrespectful attitude. It sure left a bad taste in our mouth's
Kirk Plewes Ingersoll Ontario Canada
Written 27 August 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

jenalisa
Lebanon, PA51 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2017 • Family
We have taken MANY whale & dolphin tours- from Alaska to Florida, to Cape Cod... and Cape May, NJ. These tours have been during different seasons, weather conditions, various lengths of tours, etc... all that shared to say the recent tour we took aboard one of the boats of the Cape May Whale Watcher (7/30/17 @ 10a.m.) was by far THE worst tour we have ever taken over the past 15 years.

It had started out fairly pleasant... sunny skies, cooler temps- we had our three daughters and our Japanese exchange student pose near the boat we were to ride (which is primarily WHITE with red lettering- though the bottom portion is indeed red- for SOME reason this company promotes their boats as 'the big RED boats'?!) ANYWAY... after what began as smooth sailing- and spotting several dolphins, the captain evidently decided to go in a direction/area that had rougher waters.

HUGE waves were crashing up onto the boat- hitting not just the windows, but the passengers who either didn't heed the warning given- or didn't HEAR (as it was chaotic and loud with the wind/waves, people screaming in surprise, kids crying, etc...) The boat was rocking and felt EXTREMELY unsafe where we sat together inside the lower cabin- right in front of the lifejacket storage area. It finally became SO bad I asked a crew member 'When should we put lifejackets on?' and he either didn't hear- or ignored me because he just kept walking by us. Granted- it WAS loud, chaotic and frightful to see so many people slipping and falling, trying to get their small children inside the cabin, etc...

We witness one poor woman that had been on the outer deck and had been holding a young Down Syndrome baby- stumbled into the cabin- both of them SO completely water soaked that water was running off the baby's head! Seeing this really frightened us- how difficult it had to be, to walk around out there in such conditions and stay SAFE?? What if a child slipped on it's own, or from someone's arms and fell overboard? What if someone older fell and was injured? It was like nothing we had EVER experienced in ALL of our whale & dolphin tours- EVER.

I finally made the decision to call the ticket office to let them know what was happening on the boat, while we were still at sea. THAT was a HUGE mistake! Instead of being concerned, reassuring and sympathetic at receiving such a call from a passenger during a tour, the woman I spoke with (Brigit) seemed to take great offense that I was calling and questioning the judgment of the captain. She demanded my name and phone number (which I more than willingly gave) and within a few minutes I received a VERY agitated call from a man (who never identified himself completely)
that basically tried very hard to convince me I had called and complained to the wrong company! Why? When asked what color boat we were on, I answered 'white' as a good 2/3 or more of this boat WAS white with red letting while around 1/3 of the LOWER portion is red. He then scoffed and said that proved I was calling the wrong company and their boat was red! SERIOUSLY?!! I knew exactly which boat we were on, which company I had called (theirs!) and finally ended the call by telling him that if he was so adamant that I was calling the 'wrong' company then there was no reason for me to continue the conversation with him!! We were floored that they were responding in such an unprofessional manner!!

The ride continued to rock from side to side, waves crashing wildly onto the boat... and we watched as more and more people went from enjoying the initial ride to looking fearful and upset. We watched people comforting children who were soaked and crying, We were comforting our own children, including our exchange student from Japan who was VERY overwhelmed and scared.

Finally after several more minutes of what felt to us like erratic, haphazard speeding through wild waves and reckless navigating, the boat was returned to calmer waters.

Once we returned, I went directly to their ticket office to let them know I WAS calling about THEIR boat, THEIR captain and THEIR company- and certainly was not calling the 'wrong' company about another boat or captain!!

HUGE mistake. From the snarky condescending Brigit, to the heavyset, older man who's face appeared hatful and beet red as jumped from his chair, wildly waving several of their brochures towards my face, yelling- "Our boat is RED!!! Can't you see?!! Our boat is not white, its RED!!!" To which I was SHOCKED that he was SO upset and wild about- but I calmly replied it must be in their perspective- because to US looking at the boat docked (we took photos beside it before boarding) the boat is WHITE with red letters, and we only noticed the lower RED part after he kept screaming at us about it!! Oh my word. Here I am hoping for a sincere concern over our experience with the reassurance that their captain will be questioned about his poor judgement and crazy navigation- the lack of safety (though I was later told a safety briefing was given, and we even asked a crew member when we should out lifejackets on- as we sat right in front of their storage compartment) NO safety briefing was EVER given- maybe they normally do, but THIS time they most certainly had not. Knowing how rough that tour was, it felt like a miracle that no one had fallen overboard!!

The whole point of calling DURING the ride was to alert them of what was happening as we had no idea if the captain was impaired in some way either from distractions, drugs, alcohol... or ?? we just felt that whatever his reasons were for continuing into such dangerous waves and windy conditions- it had become unsafe- and we no longer trusted his judgement!!

My reason in going to their ticket booth AFTER was (as I already stated) to let them know I had called about THEIR boat, THEIR captain, THEIR company- not another that they were trying to blame!! I never once mentioned or requested a refund from them- though I was falsely accused of that later by their ticket employee.

So based on our experience, we could NEVER recommend the Cape May Whale Watcher to anyone. From the horrible judgement we felt their captain used during our tour, to the lack of safety briefing (which they claim they did make, but we were seated inside the cabin right in front of the lifejackets, and could hear announcement and occasional commentary given about dolphins, and well remembered waiting for a safety briefing and NOT hearing one), to the absolutely unprofessional, rude, obnoxious way their captain, owner (we later found out that the heavyset, older man that screamed at me with the brochures was the owner!), and basically seeing the common thread from reading other reviewers when it comes to dealing with concerns, problems, safety, etc... and reading that they also experienced the same attitudes- we would NEVER recommend this company.

We would highly recommend another company (they have a similar name and are near by) that we have also used, and found the polar opposite of the Cape May Whale Watcher... being professional, feeling safe, knowledgeable, and FUN!

Best wishes!
Written 7 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ingridc7273
27 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2014
I am rating this a one star, if it were up to me, I would rate it none. The reason for my low rating is because the "captain" is a really rude person and his wife makes excuses for him as to why he is rude. Really? Berating your customers has an excuse? When we went to complain that the, ehem, "captain" was rude and called me names because I wasn't moving fast enough for him (I was trying to let a family in front of me pass) he got out of his chair and started yelling at me, never thinking that calling his customers names, like ridiculous, was wrong, in fact he never even tried to apologize, and the wife just made more excuses for him. Both individuals are extremely rude. It's too bad that this is the "experience" we walked away with. Captain, how can you say that you have a professional team, when you, the face of your business, are far from professional. Sad. I will never give them my business again, there are other whale watching companies in Cape May, I would recommend instead. Simply stay away, they are undeserving of your business too.
Written 20 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dee G
Matawan, NJ5 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2014 • Friends
We purchased tickets off of the company website (NOT Groupon), called the day before to confirm our party of 10, and called five minutes out when we got stuck in traffic on the bridge.... Each time assured that we were good. We arrived to a scene of people at the box office with the rudest woman we have ever had to deal with - telling everyone that the tour was sold out and no others would be allowed. When we attempted to ask why, as a group who pre-paid and called to confirm, she kept saying that there were no reservations, especially from Groupon (which that wasn't us), and shut the glass in our face. The woman may have been overwhelmed for we weren't the only group that got turned away. However, the comments she made in front of children were grounds for immediate termination in all corporations that we have been employed. We, a group of 10, pre-paid full price (on their website) and got turned away. What kind of business is that? We will never recommend this company to anyone.
Written 10 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear DeeGR23 We are very sorry to hear about your negative experience with our company, Cape May Whale Watcher. As you can see from most of our reviews, most of our customers have a positive experience with our company Cape May Whale Watcher. We are sorry that the boat was sold out three minutes prior to departure and you did not get to experience our cruise. We did refund all monies collected to passengers who did not make it aboard that evening and sent confirmation emails to these passengers showing the refund the next morning. The reason for the response from the ticket window representative at the window about daily deal vouchers were due to another group with these vouchers insisting they bought tickets. We did see that some guests who missed the boat did not have tickets and had vouchers instead purchased through various deals. The voucher is not a ticket. Vouchers are vouchers and can be redeemed for tickets and boarding passes. The only way an individual may utilize a voucher is by calling at least a week in advance of purchasing a voucher. Once this phone reservation is made, the individual is then informed to bring their vouchers with them either printed out or 100% downloaded to their electronic device and to arrive a minimum of 30 minutes prior to departure. Arriving after 30 minutes prior to departure forfeits any previous reservation. However if you have tickets, purchased from our website, all money was refunded the night of the excursion and you received a confirmation email stating that your money had been refunded the next day at 9:00 AM. The Cape May Whale Watcher, on the night in question, which is the same as the other poor reviews received recently, August 9, 2014 at 6:30, was not overcrowded. The boat was near capacity and left three minutes prior to departure. This early departure meant that some ticket holders who missed the boarding, which started 30 minutes prior to departure, missed the departure. The Cape May Whale Watcher has been in continuous operation since 1993, owned and operated by the Stewart family. Since day one, our vessel has been the largest in Southern New Jersey and still is today. We have the highest capacity of any vessel in the area. In 21 years of operation, there has never been a response for one of our excursions like we saw on the Saturday night in August that you bought tickets for. This is the first time in 21 years that we sold out. It is the intention of every business to wish to reach capacity and it did happen three minutes prior to departure on this evening. Due to this particular set of circumstance never having occurred in the past, there was not a policy in place to fix this. We are very sorry that this happened to you and all other guests. Our wish is to provide the best possible cruising experience and this was not what you received. In order to ensure that this never occurs again, the Cape May Whale Watcher is adding to our policy. The unprofessional nature of the person at the ticket window was brought on by the actions of one person in a group of ten which reacted extremely unprofessional due to the early departure, which is understandable. The person in the ticket booth became fearful of a mob mentality and closed ticket sales until she had assistance from another reservation specialist and the crowd calmed down. The idea that no refunds were being offered was lost in translation by a few individuals and transmitted throughout the rest of the crowd which erupted into an uncontrollable situation. The person in the ticket booth was overwhelmed by this and closing was the only option left outside of calling the police. This was a one time occurrence and we will not let it happen again. We invite you at some point to give us a second chance. All guests with pre-purchased tickets who did not make it aboard for the night in question are receiving an email which will have details pertaining to the opportunity to give us a second chance. No vacationer to the shore should have an experience like this and we are still very sorry. Captain Jeff Stewart (609)884-5445
Written 15 August 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Hdob83
Dunellen nj11 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2014
A group of friends and myself had purchased tickets a couple weeks in advance for this as a part of our trip to Cape May, only to be turned away due to an overcrowded boat. Upon arriving, we joined decent sized line of people. The family in front of us walked up to the booth with their tickets, and were informed (very rudely) that the boat was full and no one else would be boarding. When it was our turn, we were told the same. The lady in the booth was extremely rude and had no compassion for anyone's situation. We explained we had paid full price for these tickets and they weren't groupon, and she still continued to deny us and said the boat was full. The line of people behind us all also had purchased tickets that weren't being honored. I asked the lady how the boat could be full when all of these people with purchased tickets weren't on it and she said they didn't keep track of that, and the volume of people walking off the street was high so the boat filled up. So what they did was fill the boat with people who had no tickets and were walking off the street, and screwed over a lot of people who did and drove distances with this boat as a pre- planned night out. When asked to talk to the manager, she said he was on the boat, which was pulling out right in front of us. The lady continued to ignore everyone and took phone calls from customers who were calling, and when I told her she should have them hold and take care of the unsatisfied customers in front of her, she shut the window in my face. We were not refunded until the next day because the tickets were purchased with a credit card. This was one of the most unprofessional, rude, & dissapointing customer service experiences I have ever dealt with. If you're looking for a fun night out, stay far away from Cape May Whale Watcher, take your business elsewhere where it will be appreciated.
Written 11 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Hdob83, We are very sorry to hear about your negative experience with our company, Cape May Whale Watcher. As you can see from most of our reviews, most of our customers have a positive experience with our company Cape May Whale Watcher. We are sorry that the boat was sold out three minutes prior to departure and you did not get to experience our cruise. We did refund all monies collected to passengers who did not make it aboard that evening and sent confirmation emails to these passengers showing the refund the next morning. The Cape May Whale Watcher, on the night in question, which is the same as the other poor reviews, August 9, 2014 at 6:30, was not overcrowded. The boat was near capacity and left three minutes prior to departure. This early departure meant that some ticket holders who missed the boarding, which started 30 minutes prior to departure, missed the departure. The Cape May Whale Watcher has been in continuous operation since 1993, owned and operated by the Stewart family. Since day one, our vessel has been the largest in Southern New Jersey and still is today. We have the highest capacity of any vessel in the area. In 21 years of operation, there has never been a response for one of our excursions like we saw on the Saturday night in August that you bought tickets for. This is the first time in 21 years that we sold out. It is the intention of every business to wish to reach capacity and it did happen three minutes prior to departure on this evening. Due to this particular set of circumstance never having occurred in the past, there was not a policy in place to fix this. We are very sorry that this happened to you and all other guests. Our wish is to provide the best possible cruising experience and this was not what you received. In order to ensure that this never occurs again, the Cape May Whale Watcher is adding to our policy. The unprofessional nature of the person at the ticket window may have been due to the fact that one group of ten decided to stomp and yell and demand that the vessel return, along with other understandable but very unprofessional cursing and carrying on, at a family establishment. The person in the ticket booth became fearful of a mob mentality and closed ticket sales until she had assistance from another reservation specialist and the crowd calmed down. This was a one time occurrence and we will not let it happen again. We invite you at some point to give us a second chance. All guests with pre-purchased tickets who did not make it aboard for the night in question are receiving an email which will have details pertaining to the opportunity to give us a second chance. Captain Jeff Stewart (609)884-5445
Written 15 August 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Adventurer2122
USA2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
I drove down from northern NJ (about 20 minutes from Manhatten) to Cape May to go on the Cape May Whale Watcher. So that there is no confusion, it is the "Spirit of Cape May" boat that is red and white and leaves from Miss Chris Marina. I can't even begin to say how horrible our day was because of this place. We drove 3 hours for absolutely nothing!

When we arrived, the sun was shining brightly and it was noon, so we decided to buy our tickets ($35 a person!) and then grab a bite to eat at a nearby pizza place. By the time we walked back to the deck, the clouds started coming in, but we were hoping that it wouldn't rain, as the weather reports we'd been hearing didn't give any indications that it would definitely rain down there, otherwise we wouldn't have driven all the way out there. Nonethess, the rain started, and it poured! We stood there in line as the boat which had just returned from the morning trip unloaded its passengers, and we were soaking wet in no time. We asked one of the crew members if they'd still go out with that kind of weather (on a recent trip to Boston we'd also bought tickets to a whale watch cruise but it was cancelled because of inclement weather out at sea, and we got a full refund), and the man just said they would try to sail around the storm.

We didn't want to risk ruining thousands of dollars of camera equipment that we'd brought with us because we're photographers, and we didn't want to spend three hours inside the boat. What's the point of going out for a whale/dolphin watch if you have to sit INSIDE and not out on the deck of the ship where you can get the best view and take the best photos? So we decided to go to the ticket window and ask for a refund.

First off, the woman who was at the ticket window had a nasty attitude from the moment we purchased our tickets. This time, the window was shut and she was on the phone. I stood right in front of the window waiting for her, getting soaked in the rain, but she wouldn't do anything, so I knocked on the glass, and all she did was put her finger up as though to say "Wait a minute". I rolled my eyes in disbelief and when she opened the window I politely asked for a refund, to which she replied with her ever-present nasty attitude that they don't give refunds and that we could just use the ticket any other day. And I said "But we drove all the way down from north Jersey" and she didn't care at all, saying they go out rain or shine, and then just shut the window on us! So we walked back to our car, realized that all the water had soaked our camera bags and gotten some moisture on the equipment and thought about when we would be able to drive all the way back down to do this all over again, realizing we wouldn't have the time for it, since our weekends are pretty booked as it is and we work during the week.

I decided that, instead of getting even more wet by walking to the window, I would just call her. I held back the anger and frustration, and kindly, patiently, politely asked her if she could bend the rules for us because of the situation we were in. At first she seemed to be hearing me out, but then said that that is her policy and she hung up on me! I tried calling back right away twice and didn't get an answer. Finally got an answer the third time I tried. I said "What if I were from out of state, and I were on vacation and this was the only day I could do this, what would you do then?" And she said "That's my policy. 100 people went on that boat today. You decided not to, that's not my fault." At this point, I said, losing my patience, but still quietly and politely, "The reason we didn't want to go on the boat was because it was raining so much and we have expensive camera equipment we are afraid would get ruined." She replied, "Well then you should've left your cameras in the car and grow up..." At this point, I lost it. She'd been giving me an attitude the whole time, had already hung up on me, and now proceeded to insult me! I started getting loud and I said "Well that's why I paid $35 to get on the boat!" and I called her a choice name that I won't repeat here. To which she replied, "Don't raise your voice" and I said I was getting loud because she kept talking over me and wouldn't let me talk. And she said "Oh you're so cute and little" (I don't even know what this was supposed to mean, by the way! I may look like I'm still in high school, but I'm in my 20's. Did she think that she was dealing with some kid who wasn't going to give her any trouble, that would just walk away all cowardly?). I gave her another few choice words and pretty much told her to go screw and hung up on her. My boyfriend went in and tried to talk to her and told me to wait in the car, and she revealed to him that she is the owner and that's her policy no matter what and that she would call the cops if we didn't leave.

Check the website, check the tickets when if buy them, check the windows and doors of the ticket booth - there are no indications that you will not receive a refund should you choose not to go that day. It's not in writing, but she insists that's her policy. So we're out $70 and in search of people who want to buy them off of us. She made her money; that's why she doesn't give refunds or cancel any of the trips, regardless how far you came from or how long you'll be in the area, what the weather is like, regardless if people would get sick on deck, regardless if people have expensive equipment they don't want to ruin, regardless if people would just rather sail on a sunny day. She wants to make sure that, by never cancelling any trips, she never has to issue refunds, so she keeps all the money.

See you next Tuesday....if you know what I mean... ;-)

NEVER give money to scumbag business people like this!
Written 10 August 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

CAPE MAY WHALE WATCHER (2025) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - Tripadvisor

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