I See A Whale!! Whale Watching Cruise. By mickeem on Jul 01, 2008 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

While vacationing in Provincetown, Mass., we had seem all kinds of whale watching tours advertised all over. Our innkeepers recommended “Whale Watch –Dolphin Fleet of Province town”.

So, we walked into town to see what they offered. Once we got there, and saw what they did , and heard what people were saying when they got off the boats, we knew we had to go. The cost was 20 per person, but there are coupons all over P-Town, in little coupon books, for 2-3 dollars off a ticket.

So, the next day, we got tickets, and boarded the boat. The boats are large, and they do hold a lot of people. There are 2 decks, 1 above and 1 below. The top deck has no cover, so remember to bring sunscreen and a hat, because if that sun is out, you will get burned! Also, you may want to bring a light jacket, it gets chilly out on the water. There are seats above and below, so you do not have to stand the entire trip. In fact they want you to sit while the boat is moving.

The trip is generally a 45 minute ride out, an hour or so of whale watching and the ride back into town. So, the entire trip lasts around 3 hours.

The boats have a naturalist (or a guide) that gives a lecture on the way out to explain what you will be seeing. They also help identify the animals (what type of whales) and then explain their behaviors. It was entertaining and educational all at once!

Heading out to sea, you may get to see all kinds of fish, or mammals, lol, like Dolphins, or smaller whales that come in for the warmer water. The Naturalist lets you know about all kinds of animals on the way out, I suspect so the kids don't get so bored.

The most common whale to see are humpback whales. When we got out the feeding ground area (a natural area where the whales congregate), we were able to see the whales, and some babies breaching. This was fantastic. Some were farther away, but there were some that were nosy, and came closer to the boat. The very front of the top deck is the best location because one can see whales on both sides of the ship from there. If you are lucky you may have a whale swim directly below you.

On our way back we were lucky enough to have dolphins swimming right next to the boat, it almost looked like they wanted to race! The Naturalist said that was their way of recognizing we were there, and they wanted to play

Things to make sure your bring: your camera!! (You can get great shots out there), Sunscreen, a hat, and a jacket

You can ask all kinds of questions, and the naturalists will answer anything, making it great for the kids, to keep them involved in the trip.