CA Whale Watching in July? LOTS of help needed :)

[weHEARTmickey]

Hello! I am looking for some help on a CA whale watching trip. It will be: me, DH, DD9, DS7, my Mom, 2 adult bro's, 1 adult sis. There is a huge long story as to why this trip needs to happen this summer, but I won't go into all of that If you'd like to know the details, they are here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2398999

Anyway, I'm just really desperate for some advice. We will probably have to drive from the Dallas, TX area. Someone has donated 2 SWA tickets, so I think Mom will have a roundtrip ticket, so she won't have to suffer through the long trip.

Our main reason for going is so my Mom can see the whales. On my budget board thread, many suggested Monterey. Is that the ideal place in July? Where should we stay? Any discounts on excursions or food? Any aquarium discounts? Any help you guys could offer is appreciated God bless you!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

It looks like Monterey is the best place to see Whales during the summer. I would also highly recommend taking sea sickness meds like Bonine before you go out on the boat.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

It looks like Monterey is the best place to see Whales during the summer. I would also highly recommend taking sea sickness meds like Bonine before you go out on the boat.

Great, thanks!! I hadn't checked in a while & couldn't remember the best dates. And, YES, we will definitely have to prepare for sea sickness. DH & I both get motion sickness (Of course, my Mom, who is going through chemo, has Zofran & another anti-nausea med. I wonder if that would be better????)

Any advice on affordable (but NOT nasty) hotels?

EDIT: I JUST noticed you're a breast cancer survivor!!!! That's WONDERFUL!!!!!! My mom has stage 4 breast cancer & is on a clinical trial right now. Things are going GREAT right now God bless you!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Thank you! Yes, I am 2 years out of treatment. So far, so good! Good luck to your mom!

We stayed at the Embassy Suites in Seaside, which is just next to Monterey. It was a very nice hotel with a free hot breakfast in the morning and very nice rooms.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

We love Monterey and the area around there! Very lovely, and we spent part of our honeymoon there. Hotels will be less expensive if you stay a little out from downtown Monterey itself - especially a little north of the city. Of course there's some expensive hotels in Pacific Grove, Carmel, etc. too. The closer you get to the waterfront, the more expensive it will be.

We stayed at the Best Western Victorian Inn near the central tourist area of Monterey (less than 1/2 mile from the aquarium, fishermans wharf, etc.) and we loved it. Very nice, but more in the moderate price for that area - I think it was around $110 a night back then, but it's been several years and I'm not sure what the current rates would be.

Hope you have a lovely trip!

 

[Juliah]

This site has $2 off per ticket at the aquarium:

http://www.visitcalifornia.com/pages/funspots

I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[usnuzuloose]

Me and my DH go whale watching there every time we go. They go year round. We have never been dissapointed, we always see something. Last year we sat in one spot watching a man who films them for the discovery channels and that was amazing. There are four different places to catch a boat. There is morning times and one afternoon time for all of them. I like early as they are just waking up for the day. One of them has a little longer time out on the water then the other 3. Make sure to bring a light jacket, gloves. Dont forget your camera and binnoculars.


The best way to spot a whale is by watching for the blow Spouting in the air. They do sell snacks, or you can bring your own. They also have sea sick pills if you dont have any, but they charge for them. It is on the little bit of expensive side. But enjoy your trip!! Hope this info helps. Hope you see alot. Jo

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Thanks for all the replies Has anyone ever rented from Monterey Dunes? Or another reputable townhouse type place? There will be 8 of us. So, by the time we pay for 3 hotel rooms, we could basically have a townhouse. Thanks!

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Well, it's just going to be my Mom & me in Monterey & possibly San Francisco.
Here's our dilemma: we have to book our trip for late July/early August. We can't afford a nice, luxury suite, but I am NOT staying where we have to enter our rooms from outside, or stay in an unsafe area. Can anyone recommend a safe hotel for 2 women travelers in Monterey & San Fran? TIA!

 

[sndral]

I'm in Monterey every other weekend as I volunteer @ the aquarium and have family who live there. It's truly a pretty small place and I personally wouldn't be concerned about outdoor corridors in most places. The convention hotels in downtown Monterey have indoor corridors as does the new place right on cannery row as well as the places @ the N. end of the row - but I'd imagine these are pretty expensive. I can't think of any place else w/ indoor corridors other than Embassy suites in Seaside it's nice.
If outdoor corridors might be ok, take a look @ the places by Asilomar in Pacific Grove. This is a very quiet area amongst the trees and surrounded by a residential area.
In regards to the whales, the morning boats are best, as the water gets choppy in the afternoon and the am trips seem to see more. You'll see humpbacks and probably dolphins @ that time of year. If you get really really lucky you might see a super pod of 1-2000 dolphins or a small pod of transient orcas or even a blue. Last summer they even saw some bubble net feeding by the humpbacks.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

I'm in Monterey every other weekend as I volunteer @ the aquarium and have family who live there. It's truly a pretty small place and I personally wouldn't be concerned about outdoor corridors in most places. The convention hotels in downtown Monterey have indoor corridors as does the new place right on cannery row as well as the places @ the N. end of the row - but I'd imagine these are pretty expensive. I can't think of any place else w/ indoor corridors other than Embassy suites in Seaside it's nice.
If outdoor corridors might be ok, take a look @ the places by Asilomar in Pacific Grove. This is a very quiet area amongst the trees and surrounded by a residential area.
In regards to the whales, the morning boats are best, as the water gets choppy in the afternoon and the am trips seem to see more. You'll see humpbacks and probably dolphins @ that time of year. If you get really really lucky you might see a super pod of 1-2000 dolphins or a small pod of transient orcas or even a blue. Last summer they even saw some bubble net feeding by the humpbacks.

WOW!! Thanks for the info We would L.O.V.E. to see all of the above on our whale watching excursion!

Now I'm looking for advice on where to stay for a couple of days in San Francisco! Any advice would be great

 

[photomama]

any favorite Whale watching companies?

We are going to be in SF mid August and considering leaving early one morning to do a whale watching excursion.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

any favorite Whale watching companies?

We are going to be in SF mid August and considering leaving early one morning to do a whale watching excursion.

Great question! I'd love to know some more recommendations Photomama, you may want to look at the thread I originally started a couple of months ago. (I think there's a link in the very first post of THIS thread.) Several people made recommendations. I would like to hear about some firsthand experiences---especially for July!! Thanks everyone

 

[weHEARTmickey]

This site has $2 off per ticket at the aquarium:

http://www.visitcalifornia.com/pages/funspots

I hope you have a wonderful trip!

I just printed these off & plan on using them. Thank you

 

[Somegirl]

If anyone is still planning a whale watching trip right now it is a once in a lifetime time to go. The Monterey Bay has a had a huge upwelling of krill and the whales are chowing down. There was a sighting of over 20 Blue whales at once! There are tons of Humpbacks out as well. I've even seen some whales from the beach during my morning walk.

Two good whale watching boats are Princess and Sanctuary cruises. Princess is out of the Wharf and I believe Sanctuary runs out of Moss Landing which is about 20 minutes north of Monterey.

Here is link to some recent whale footage: www.ksbw.com
Click on the story about the whales in the lower right hand corner and the next page will have links to lots of whale footage.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

If anyone is still planning a whale watching trip right now it is a once in a lifetime time to go. The Monterey Bay has a had a huge upwelling of krill and the whales are chowing down. There was a sighting of over 20 Blue whales at once! There are tons of Humpbacks out as well. I've even seen some whales from the beach during my morning walk.

Two good whale watching boats are Princess and Sanctuary cruises. Princess is out of the Wharf and I believe Sanctuary runs out of Moss Landing which is about 20 minutes north of Monterey.

Here is link to some resent whale footage: www.ksbw.com
Click on the story about the whales in the lower right hand corner and the next page will have links to lots of whale footage.

Thank you, thank you!!!! I am THRILLED!! We have so many people praying that my Mom will get to see whales & I think she'll get to.

 

[Somegirl]

Thank you, thank you!!!! I am THRILLED!! We have so many people praying that my Mom will get to see whales & I think she'll get to.

I hope you have a great trip out on the Bay. You never know what mother nature has planned, but it looks like you'll get quite the show.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Thank you for all the prayers & vacation advice. We made it back home Tuesday. (We got to see TONS of whales!) My mom is in the hospital with liver failure. She has jaundice & is experiencing severe bilirubin (spelling??) Oncologist said liver is so covered w/ cancer that prayer is the only help. She suspects it may have entered her brain. Her kidneys are "borderline" so she's not ordering MRI or CT scan for a couple of days.

My request is that people don't just pray for her healing. Please pray for God's Will to be done. If she has fulfilled her purpose on earth & God sees fit to take her, I pray He will quickly, so she'll be out of pain. I want her to stay, but not if she's suffering.

I'm so thankful for the trip we took & the memories we've made. Thank you to all of you for taking this journey with me. Life will never be the same once she's gone. She's lived with us since her diagnosis (the week before Thanksgiving 2009) and we've only grown closer through the months. She's my best friend & my stomach sickens at the thought of her leaving us. I will give God all the glory for taking her home because she has made such a difference in this world! There is NO telling how many people will experience eternity in Heaven because of her love for Jesus Christ.

God bless, Angela