San Juan Cruises

Last minute booking to take my 13 year old son. Seeing orcas in the wild is on my bucket list and I had no expectations whatsoever. It was a beautiful September day and other than the beautiful San Juan islands, calm waters and blue skies, we didn’t see much until we came into the Salish Sea…..orcas!! They had a new baby and were hanging out. They were joined by another solo whale who is very social and the group put on a show!! The guide was incredibly knowledgeable about the different orca groups and each individual orca. It was an absolutely AMAZING experience!! Once in a lifetime. The lasagna lunch was the cherry on top! Highly recommend!

— C B

Wow. What an experience. These guys are the real deal!! We took the lunch tour and from start to finish everything was amazing. We were able to see pretty much everything that was advertised... seals, sea lions, porpoises, orcas, and even a show performed by a humpback mama and her baby. It was a truly incredible tour!! Their naturalist, Emily, was really knowledgeable about all the different animals we encountered and the Captain kept us on schedule while also stopping at each animal site to let us take in the moments. The rest of the crew was very friendly and attentive. Lunch was also incredible... honestly and surprisingly some of the best lasagna I've ever had along with fresh Ceasar salad, biscuits, and cookies. Take this cruise. You will not be disappointed!!

— Brian Tagliaferro

Amazing experience! I loved that we saw multiple pods of orcas, sea lions, seals, puffins, and other species. The drinks were only $7 and were tasty. The lasagna was delicious too.

— Tanner Jenks

Our small family took a lunch cruise for my birthday, and it was very special! We were able to watch some Biggs Orcas for quite some time, and we saw harbor seals and a sea lion as well. The naturalist on board (Elliot) was terrific in every way, even with our four year old son. He patiently and enthusiastically answered his questions, and encouraged him to take books from the ship's library to our table. The book selection was terrific for kids, and we have already purchased a few of them for our home library. He was able to practice knots on board as well. The food was good and we appreciated that they did not use disposable plates, cutlery, or cups. Beverages are available for purchase on board at reasonable prices. However, we forgot to bring cash, and we regretted not only not being able to purchase drinks, but not having much to tip the amazing crew. They were friendly and they worked hard the entire time, and they split the tips at the end. My suggestion to future cruisers is to bring full water bottles, binoculars, and plenty of cash, and to the owners/crew is to have a Venmo QR code available for tips. This was a wonderful experience and we have already recommended San Juan Cruises to our friends in Bellingham and Seattle.

— Kristin Kibler

San Juan Cruises – Whales, wow, and the best birthday ever (with snacks!). I surprised my daughter with a whale watching cruise for her 21st—and San Juan Cruises delivered big time. The weather? Gorgeous. The staff? Total gems. The whales? Absolute showoffs (and we loved it). Oh—and they fed us! Real food. Tasty. No sad bagged chips here. We laughed, we learned, we made memories—and left full in every sense of the word. 11/10, would board again tomorrow with a fork in one hand and binoculars in the other.

— Lisa Bromann