Bar Harbor Whale Watch Co

Address:	1 West St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
Phone:	+1 207-288-2386
Site:	barharborwhales.com
Rating:	4.2
Working:	7:30AM–6PM 7:30AM–6PM 7:30AM–6PM 7:30AM–6PM 7:30AM–6PM 7:30AM–6PM 7:30AM–6PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 5

John Rorschach

Their pamphlet says there is a 2 hour bay tour, or a schoodic tour that includes everything in the bay tour plus a couple other things. It does not say how long the schoodic tour lasts. I called to ask about the difference, and the lady just said there is no real difference between the two, the schoodic is also 2 hours long and even departs at the same time. She wasnt helpful at all and actually said it doesnt matter which one we pick. That was the first red flag, but we reserved 2 tickets for the schoodic tour anyway. So we drove 8 hours to get there and called 30 mins early to confirm our reservation and ask about parking. Everything is fine. Then we get to the office to pick up our tickets and they tell us how one of their ships has been having mechanical problems so they canceled our trip. No problem, i think, well just take the other bay tour that was so similar. Nope. Apparently that boat also developed mechanical problems. Coincidence? Then they automatically start to switch our reservation to the next trip that departs 3 hrs later, and they look surprised when we tell them we cant depart later because we already have plans for that time. We looked around to see how other customers were reacting to this news, but there werent any other customers. My guess is they didnt have enough people signed up for this weekday trip so they just canceled our reservations. I also think they lied about having two separate tours (schoodic and bay) leaving at the same time, they probably just put both in the pamphlet to lure in more unsuspecting tourists. But however you look at it, they either have old boats that break down unexpectedly or they intentionally cancel reservations and provide false advertisement to maximize seats per boat. What really upsets me is that we made reservations and even confirmed them 30 mins prior and were assured that everything was all set! The worst part is that are at least 3 other companies in the same harbor with similar boat tours at that time, but we couldnt catch any of them because they didnt tell us what was happening until it was too late. Maybe that was deliberate - they successfully deprived their competitors of our business. Dont repeat our mistake, stay away!!

The Anne Marie Kerezsi Real Estate Team

We went on 4:30 whale watch trip last Thursday and it was an experience that us and our children will never forget! Before we left the dock, the captain announced that they had been unsuccessful at locating whales on the previous two tours that day so they were going to us out a bit further to a spot in Canadian waters. He let us know that this would end up taking a bit longer than their typical tour and that if we had plans at a certain time later that evening and would rather get our money back or reschedule that we could certainly do that. It was a fun and wavy ride out that took about 1.5 hours but as soon as we arrived, a pod of 4-5 humpback whales were located within about 20 yards from the boat. The boat basically idled for the next hour as we got to watch these majestic creatures swim around the boat and take shallow dives. They would disappear for a few minutes until someone would hear or see them and we would get to watch them in their natural habitat again. It really was amazing and even being so close it is still hard to fathom the true size of these mammals. All the while the boat crew was great, either giving out lots of information about the whales or helping people who were sick (and there were a lot of people old and young getting sick so make sure to take your dramamine ahead of time if you think this may be an issue). Overall we had an excellent time and our kids will tell you that this was their favorite part of their trip! The crew went above and beyond to try and find whales for us to see even though obviously no one can predict wild animals habits. We would definitely go out on the Bar Harbor Whale Watch tour if we are ever in the area again and we would highly recommend it if you are there during the right season.

M Keller

Our group (adults and kids) had a wonderful experience on the whale watching tour. We went on the 4:30 cruise and had a great time. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and did a very good job. We saw multiple whales that day, but missed several "breaches" as the boat turned back and forth. This was our only disappointment as we would have liked a picture, but still were able to witness the "splash". We came early in the week so we could use the voucher before we left, in case there were no sightings that day on our cruise. Everyone in our group took Dramamine an hour before we left and had no issue with sea sickness - we enjoyed the "fast ride" out to the whale watching site. Recommend warm clothes including a hat, gloves, jacket, and blanket as it does get cold as you speed back to Bar Harbor. We were on the top level the whole time, and the view (especially the sunset) was beautiful. One thing....make sure to have your whole group together when you get in the line. We were told to be in line at 3:45, actually came 15 minutes earlier, and were one of the first people in the line - one of our group ran back to the car, they started letting people move forward 10 minutes early, and we were not allowed to move forward until she returned. We ended up about 25 people back from where we started, and this happened to several other groups also. Recommend includng this information at the ticket office so that everyone is aware of this rule.

Teri Eyer

Dont go!!! This is a money grabber like no other! Brian, the manager doesnt care what conditions are, he will send the boat out regardless! Happened to us and we sat in FOG and cold the entire trip!! It was dangerous, as people did not want to sit outside but there were not enough seats inside! This is a WHALE watch!! They pretty much told us as soon as we got on the boat that it was too cold this time of year, the whales patterns have changed, they hadnt seen any birds in the area (??) which is an indication that there werent any whales for us to see!!! It was horrible!!! A fraudulent company. Ask the manager how many whales theyve seen -- he will NOT give you a straight answer!! So sad, people are spending a lot of money for this. Dont! There are many other boat trips that you can see seals, birds or the coast so - DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS ONE!!! The first caveat should have been when they offer a return trip any time in the next 3 years if you dont see a whale! This is to cover up what they are doing and making them look like they care. They dont!! I wouldnt even give this company ONE star but I couldnt post without clicking at least one! Maine and Bar Harbor are beautiful. Its companies like this that SHOULD NOT be in business and ruin an otherwise wonderful town!!

Brian Martin

No whales. Yes, they offer a voucher, but there is room for improvement. I ordered tickets at which I was not informed of the lack of sightings. I showed up 45-60 minutes prior to departure as directed. I sat there for 45 minutes trying to keep 2 toddlers behaved, which is a challenging task. The caption finally addressed the passengers and surprisingly advised the ship of a lack of recent whale sightings. At this point people were informed they could leave the ship for a refund. I just paid over one hundred dollars, reserved seats 2 days prior, and sat on this ship for 45-60 minutes. I couldnt tell my kids "okay lets go" after we invested so much. If this caption and company truly want to be honest they would advise people upon ordering tickets. The tour was also 4 and a half hours not the 3-3 and half advertised. They clearly were tired of giving out vouchers and wanted to see a whale, however this made the trip hell. I waited 1 hour before the 4 and half hour tour. This was a 5-6 hour endeavor with a 2 year old and 3 year old; enough said. The voucher is good for 3 years, but I never visit the same place twice I have the rest of the world to explore, so sadly I am out the money and wasted an entire day of vacation on this disappointing expedition.