I hope this review attaches to the correct company, the tour we took left from Anse-Saint-Jean and the company was Croisieres Fjord & Baleines. The tour was in French and English, and most of the passengers were Francophones, but as an English speaker I felt very included and welcome (and realized I WAY overestimated my ability to understand spoken French). As with several attractions, setting expectations is important. On New England whale watches you expect to see Humpback whales jumping out of the water and you'll generally get close enough to get some good pictures. With the Saguenay Fjord and St. Lawrence it looks like Beluga whales, Minke whales, and harbor seals are the most common sights. When they come up it tends to be pretty quick and with Minke whales you only really see the fin. Also, there are restrictions as to how close boats can get to the whales. Great for the whales, Kudos to Canada for protecting them, a bit of a disadvantage for casual whale watchers like myself. As with many towns on the Fjord's coast, Anse-Saint-Jean offers a pretty sight on its own. One advantage in choosing this company and location is that you cruise on the fjord, something you wouldn't do from Tadoussac. Overall it was a pleasant journey with nice sights of the fjord. The company cited their window covered zodiac as an advantage, which could be true in bad weather. But in good weather the windows tended to obscure the view, so we requested they be opened. After a positive reply, pretty much all the windows were opened. The company cautioned against wet and cold conditions but we went on a warmish (about 70F) late-summer day and didn't need any extra jackets (note, we're from New England). Although seeing the whales and wildlife can be a challenge, overall the trip was highly enjoyable.

It was a really fantastic cruise in the zodiac. It was very moving to see the whales in their natural environment and the guide's expertise and humour made the trip very enjoyable (with continual bilingual translations). Out in the river we saw a group of about 100 seals swimming and feeding together (this alone would have made it worth it for me!), the lighthouse, but unfortunately no large whales due to the fog and strong waves. However, the crew quickly pivoted and took us into the fjord where we saw many Belugas and Minky whales feeding. The lunch box was also very good (sandwich, salad, water, cookies, cheese curds the quintessential Quebec snack :)) -- we picked them up after the cruise ended and then ate them on the rocks to continue the whale watching from the shore. Thank you for a wonderful experience!

Booked a tour on the Grand Fleuve in August 2024. Boarding and ticket buying process seems a bit complicated: You book a ticket online, pay online and then you still have to queue to receive your ticket at a ticket office that is in town, not at the harbour. Don't really see why this is necessary. Apparently this is not the case if you book a trip on a zodiac, but if you book the larger boat you have to collect your tickets in person. If you go on a trip at 09.45 I'd strongly advise you to be at the ticket office by 09.00am. There is a shuttle bus, but we didn't know when or how often it would arrive, so we found that a bit stressful. The boat was very full. The trip started in Tadoussac, then collected more passengers in Baie-Sainte-Catherine. This process took about half an hour before we set off. Otherwise a pleasant trip. We saw belugas, minke whales and humpbacks (one of the latter had a closer look at our boat) - and that's what it is all about! It was very cold (bring warm clothes, you'll need them!), so it was nice there were warm beverages at the cafeteria. Staff was very friendly. There is a commentary in French, followed by a shorter English summary. At first we thought going on the cruise on a cloudy day was not great, but actually we were told by our host that viewing conditions are better if it's cloudy, and we did see quite a few whales. So don't be deterred by clouds and bring a woolly hat and your binoculars!

Lunch boxes are a huge rip off -- do not buy!!! We took the Tadoussac 10:15 Zodiac trip that lasts 2.5 hours. I thought we'd all be hungry on the boat and felt it would be too time consuming to pack lunches, so I pre-ordered the boxed lunches. Boarding starts at 9:45am and which point the staff "suggested" that we eat our lunches either before (at 9:45am -- really???) or after the Zodiac trip but not on it. I pointed out that if I wanted to wait until after to eat, I'd just go to a restaurant. They shrugged and said we could eat on the boat but they wouldn't recommend it. They were right it wouldn't have been practical to eat on the boat (no one else was eating either) -- making me wonder why on earth they offer expensive lunch boxes to go with the Zodiac trips? Massive rip off!! $20 per lunch box!! We ate lunch at a restaurant after the cruise and brought the lunches to our vacation place where we ate some of the contents as snacks over the next few days. The sandwiches were terrible (we tasted them in the morning before getting on the boat because we were curious.. this led to the post-Zodiac restaurant decision) and we threw them away, same for the cookies. We did eat the cheese curds and little bean salads but overall we just felt scammed. Also much of the trip is out on the St Lawerence River and not in the Fjord - our priority was to see the Fjord, the belugas and animals in the Fjord. It seems Croisieres AML is hyper-focused on the St Lawerence River and the 'big whales' which is a pity. They should offer 1-hour trips that are only in the fjord. Also, you cannot control whether you get on a small boat or a big one... we got on a small Zodiac which is good but there is no way to know in advance. And I should add that our guide, Max, was wonderful.

I read the reviews and I elected a zodiac tour. Poor decision. I was seated at the back with a very limited view. We briefly saw a minke whale, then spent the rest of the voyage in mist and cold. I went whale watching from the shore. Much better experience - more whales, closer, warmer, cheaper.

We are 4 friends and we had planned a trip from the city of Quebec to Tadoussac to observe whales. When we arrived at the site, there was a very strong mist and lots of observation boats but because of the mist, it was impossible to observe them. The employees never wanted to give us a whale guarantee in order to observe them on another expedition during the day when the boats were not full. Once back in Quebec City, we called customer service and despite the information not specified and the price very high, no refund possible. Be careful before choosing Croisière AML in Tadoussac. There are other more affordable offers.

My husband and I booked the VIP lounge and I saw some negative review on here but we had an amazing time today. Still lots of whales and seals and dolphins and Benoit (Ben) was very good and funny as well. Emilie, our gracious host in the lounge brought us local wines and drinks during the 3 hour tour. Excellent local foods as well!!! The cheeses, sausages, smoked salmon, crackers…l everything was excellent. I have done the regular tour last year but this was amazing and I would recommend it to everyone! Merci beaucoup to all involved in this family run business!!! 🥰

We signed up for the Zodiac whale watching. We signed up as English speaking as we do not speak French. Captain spoke English at the beginning while doing introductions and what to expect - and by yelling , no microphone like the other boats had. As the tour went on with very few whale sightings - he spoke a big long spiel in French and then spoke English to only the back of the boat. We were at the front of the boat and with no microphone did not have a clue what was being said. Very disappointing for the money spent. Whales were very far away and only two that could tell were whales.

If I am paying a premium price to relax in a lounge with drinks and food, I don’t expect to be stuck with other peoples whining and fussing toddlers and their obnoxious parents. They should not be in the VIP space, but elsewhere designated for children. The hospitality was fine, the drinks were well made, but the ‘local food specialties’ were also inedible. While we were asked from the start if anyone had allergies or vegan requests, it would have been simple to tell us all that the main offering was salmon tartare. Since we were not told, the result was huge wasted amounts of food. The other bits in the plastic box were dried out cheese, store bought crackers, and dried apple slices. Fortunately there was a fudge ‘local’ chocolate brownie. I wont complain about the cruise itself as the weather was lovely and the narration was interesting. I would not, however, recommend this trip to any of my friends or family.

We drove seven hours to see whales and spent extra on a hotel room (rest of our trip we used Hilton points) and never saw anything. We were very disappointed given the expense of the travel and the whole cruise cost too.

The design of the Zodiac boat makes it difficult to see the water or whales. All passengers sit facing inward and most have a direct and close view of the pilot's covered seat. In order to see what you came for, you have to twist in your seat or stand up in the boat. The pilot presented information in French and English with the English version always much briefer, leaving English speakers feeling they were being less informed. The pilot offered almost no spontaneous educational information about the whales or the environment unless prompted by passengers. The cruise takes you to see a waterfall in the fjords with no details shared about the fjords themselves. The company charges an additional fee for parking which seems a bit unnecessary. Wet suits worked well and seemed clean. The pilot seemed like a nice, friendly person.

On June 30 , 2022 We took a whale watching 2.5 hour tour (2 adults and 2 kids- 7 and 13 y.o.) on a Zodiac expedition boat(capacity 25 adults). The tour was very efficiently organized ( distribution of waterproof clothes , going into boats). Very nice unexpected added bonus was visiting the fjord at the end of the tour. The captain was very knowledgeable, experienced and friendly. The whole family enjoyed it immensely ! Thank you!

We were really disappointed to never got to go. We had the tickets booked way ahead of the trip. On the evening before, we received an email advising the that our booking was canceled. There was no explanation and we were not offered any alternative dates. However to be fair we were refunded quickly. It was an important part of our holiday plans in Quebec that we were looking forward to.

We were in a largish zodiac, probably 30 people but they outfitted everyone in sturdy rain pants and jacket. We definitely got a lot of water spray over the boat so tighten down the rain gear and make sure your camera or phone is in waterproof bag, everyone was wet. We saw phenomenal humpbacks and some belugas and minke whales. Our guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Would recommend for sure!

1. Arrive early. 2. Drive up to pay for parking ($5) and go park. / Be sure to use the restroom! 3. Dress warmly! It’s 10-15 C degrees colder on the water. 4. Pick up your tickets (bring you proof of vaccination!). 5. For the zodiac cruise, line up to collect your pants and jackets to wear over your clothes to keep you dry. 6. Line up to board the boat… they decide if you get on a smaller or larger zodiac — don’t complain! You are advised when buying your tickets! The captain was a hoot during his introduction! He told us everything we needed to know. The ride to the viewing area was choppy, fast, and fun! Within 20 minutes, we were whale watching. We were lucky to have whales right by our boat. Definitely a bucket list item completed! It was a fantastic experience!