Newburyport Whale Watch
Newburyport Whale Watch
4.7
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About
Each of our whale watching tours is a unique experience. An approximately 4 hour tour takes our passengers quickly and comfortably into the Atlantic Ocean to see some of the largest animals on the planet in their natural habitat. All trips are narrated by our experienced and knowledgeable guides. Sightings include, but are not limited to, Fin whales, Humpback whales, Minke whales and dolphins.
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.7
213 reviews
Excellent
181
Very good
17
Average
7
Poor
3
Terrible
5
Karen June Watkins
Boston, MA34 contributions
Jun 2024 • Couples
I Love Newburyport Whale Watch! 🐳🐋🐬
WHAT A DAY!!! Wed June 12 Jackpot!
Newburyport Whale Watch afternoon trip yesterday hit the mother lode!
• A playful, curious young Humpback Whale
spent an hour frolicking right next to boat;
• Fin Whales are a rare sighting — yet we got
to view two different individuals, each
~50-feet long! Aerodynamic beauties;
• Wait: there’s more. Lucky! Our boat amidst
a pod of at least 50 sleek & swift active
White-sided Dolphins, leaping & diving! So
gorgeous almost seemed choreographed.
Special thanks to knowledgeable narrator Kristen, who answered all my queries cheerfully & made the trip even better. Who knew? Nobody knows where huge, tagged Fin Whales spend winter… because tags fall out after a few months.
Also learned that whales can't breathe automatically like we do, so half their brains must remain awake while sleeping so they remember to stay on surface & breathe.
An unexpectedly warm, sunny day with calm seas made our day especially pleasant, with very visible whales & dolphins. Leaving from lovely Newburyport, MA was great, with ample options for food, parking, & enjoying Atlantic. Boat sells plenty of food & beverages too: tasty cheeseburgers, hotdogs, & grilled cheese. And water bottles to stay hydrated safely.
Just GO! You’ll be glad you did.
#newburyportwhalewatch
WHAT A DAY!!! Wed June 12 Jackpot!
Newburyport Whale Watch afternoon trip yesterday hit the mother lode!
• A playful, curious young Humpback Whale
spent an hour frolicking right next to boat;
• Fin Whales are a rare sighting — yet we got
to view two different individuals, each
~50-feet long! Aerodynamic beauties;
• Wait: there’s more. Lucky! Our boat amidst
a pod of at least 50 sleek & swift active
White-sided Dolphins, leaping & diving! So
gorgeous almost seemed choreographed.
Special thanks to knowledgeable narrator Kristen, who answered all my queries cheerfully & made the trip even better. Who knew? Nobody knows where huge, tagged Fin Whales spend winter… because tags fall out after a few months.
Also learned that whales can't breathe automatically like we do, so half their brains must remain awake while sleeping so they remember to stay on surface & breathe.
An unexpectedly warm, sunny day with calm seas made our day especially pleasant, with very visible whales & dolphins. Leaving from lovely Newburyport, MA was great, with ample options for food, parking, & enjoying Atlantic. Boat sells plenty of food & beverages too: tasty cheeseburgers, hotdogs, & grilled cheese. And water bottles to stay hydrated safely.
Just GO! You’ll be glad you did.
#newburyportwhalewatch
Written June 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
amybatt
Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA3,202 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
We live locally and usually go on whale watches out of Gloucester a few times a month during the season (it’s just more convenient), so we’ve been out A LOT over many years. On a recent midweek holiday, our usual boat was booked so we ventured to Newburyport and went out in the afternoon with NWW. We loved our trip, the naturalist and everything about the boat! We’ll definitely go back for more!
We knew from a previous trip that there was a lot of whale activity offshore on Jeffrey’s Ledge and NWW found it easily. The naturalist was great at identifying and describing what we were seeing and was great at handling a few different sightings going on around the boat at the same time. She was very knowledgeable and answered all the questions we had.
No two trips are alike and you can’t predict what Mother Nature has in store, but we saw several humpbacks, including one mom-calf pair, several feeding fin whales and a few basking sharks. It was quite a variety and we were definitely spoiled for choice. I didn’t know where to look, there was a lot going on!
The boat was clean and comfortable and not overpacked like some boats can be. The snack bar was well run and well stocked.
All in all a great day out to escape the heat onshore, and such an amazing day on the water.
We knew from a previous trip that there was a lot of whale activity offshore on Jeffrey’s Ledge and NWW found it easily. The naturalist was great at identifying and describing what we were seeing and was great at handling a few different sightings going on around the boat at the same time. She was very knowledgeable and answered all the questions we had.
No two trips are alike and you can’t predict what Mother Nature has in store, but we saw several humpbacks, including one mom-calf pair, several feeding fin whales and a few basking sharks. It was quite a variety and we were definitely spoiled for choice. I didn’t know where to look, there was a lot going on!
The boat was clean and comfortable and not overpacked like some boats can be. The snack bar was well run and well stocked.
All in all a great day out to escape the heat onshore, and such an amazing day on the water.
Written June 22, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Moira M
Haverhill, MA5 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
We were able to get tickets easily and were well advised on how to get there, parking, arrival times... We had perfect weather and were able to spend a good amount of time watching a Fin Back whale and learn about the species. We also saw a small school of Atlantic White Sided dolphins; a nice surprise on our sail back to Newburyport. The Narrator was very knowledgeable and had time to come around to talk with people individually on the return trip to shore. A great time and value very close to home!
Written August 26, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kerry P
1 contribution
Jul 2024 • Business
Our organization hosted 65 individuals on a watch this past weekend. The boat crew were all amazing and so informative. The boat itself is beautiful with accessible bathrooms, a small galley for lunch and drinks, and inside spaces to escape out of the sun if needed. We got to see so many sea creatures on our time out to sea - a large pod of dolphins, hump back whales, fin whales, minke whales, and even a basking shark! Thank you Newburyport Whale Watch for making this experience so special.
Written July 23, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bonnie S
10 contributions
May 2024 • Family
This was my first whale watching experience. I tried to go last year and it got canceled due to rain. It was the best experience EVER! We went out on the first trip of the session and were told we may not see whales yet but we did. We saw at least 4 different ones- humpback and minkie. We even got to see one breach!!!
The staff was amazing and very knowledgeable. The woman who was cooking actually came outside and told me where to look and sure enough there was a whale.
Recommend this trip. It was a 10. !!!!!!
The staff was amazing and very knowledgeable. The woman who was cooking actually came outside and told me where to look and sure enough there was a whale.
Recommend this trip. It was a 10. !!!!!!
Written May 16, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cathie L
Tortola9 contributions
Aug 2024 • Solo
I have been on many many whale watches including many with NWW and yesterday’s trip was by far the best! Large pod of Atlantic dolphins including mommas with calves , jumping and leaping all around the boat! Spent a lot of time with several humpbacks and calves, feeding and even a calf resting on the surface. Crew is awsum but the naturalist hit it out of the park! Job well done Kristen!
Written August 4, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thomas C
Ocoee, FL89 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
The last time we were on this excursion we had a wonderful time.
This time was just a bit different in that the whales were not a plentiful to see so I'd rate our trip 9 1/2 out of 10.
So we only saw one whale but we saw it many times. It was a finback and just amazing to watch. We saw it so many times that we knew what its routine was. It would surface, spout, surface again a little higher this time and finally on the third surface it would come almost all the way out of the water. So there was about 2 minutes of ohhh and ahhs. Then it would go down and come back 6 minutes later to repeat.
We also saw many dolphins swimming close to the boat as well as a rather ugly sunfish.
All in all, it was a great 4 hours. The boat is large and spotless, the sea was calm and the sun was shining. To add to all that the crew was wonderful and the naturalist was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic.
We will return!
This time was just a bit different in that the whales were not a plentiful to see so I'd rate our trip 9 1/2 out of 10.
So we only saw one whale but we saw it many times. It was a finback and just amazing to watch. We saw it so many times that we knew what its routine was. It would surface, spout, surface again a little higher this time and finally on the third surface it would come almost all the way out of the water. So there was about 2 minutes of ohhh and ahhs. Then it would go down and come back 6 minutes later to repeat.
We also saw many dolphins swimming close to the boat as well as a rather ugly sunfish.
All in all, it was a great 4 hours. The boat is large and spotless, the sea was calm and the sun was shining. To add to all that the crew was wonderful and the naturalist was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic.
We will return!
Written August 28, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DUBlueDvl
25 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
I've been on lots of whale watches, and this boat/crew is one of the best out there. The boat is on the smaller side, which means it's easy to get around, and you aren't elbowing dozens of people for a spot on the rail. It's also set up very well, extremely clean and comfortable, and the crew serves up made from scratch breakfast and lunch items at the bar. We are talking bacon, eggs, pancakes, etc. I'd never seen this before, and oh man, does it make a difference! The crew was also exceptional - kind, willing to chat, knowledgeable. We had a relatively boring humpback whale day, but the rest of nature took over, and we had some astounding views of a minke whale, massive basking shark, and pod of 100+ Atlantic white-sided dolphins dancing through the waves. Truly one of the best run whale watches out there!
Written July 23, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Daniel S
3 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
This was the first day open for whale watching. What a thrill for us when we saw the first whale. The young lady that was the spotter was a pure joy as she explained everything about whales we wanted to know. She was as excited as all of us watching the whales. The entire staff was friendly and helpful (they even charged our phones for us). It was extremely cold to us being from NC, but it was well worth it. I highly recommend this tour.
Written May 22, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah B
1 contribution
Jun 2024 • Couples
The ship accommodations were great, the crew was friendly and knowledgeable and once we got out to the feeding grounds, our entire time out there was filled with whale sightings and dolphins too! And then once we got off the ship, there are several restaurants and shops to explore before going home. I would definitely do a repeat trip.
Written June 30, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
how should we dress for this tour?
How can we arrive from Boston?
we are 5 friends-can this tour acommodat all of us together?
Written November 24, 2017
No matter the season you should come prepared with many layers when you go on the water! Even in July it can get chilly out there.
You can absolutely have a group of 5-10 people go together as long as the date/time has availability. These boats usually have a capacity of 100+!
I don’t know about the travel to/from Boston but I think it’s not a very long drive at all.
Written July 6, 2018
if we are group of 5-hoe mush it cost and how long time it takes?
Written November 24, 2017
Tickets for whale tours are usually around $40 a person but I think this company runs Groupons that bring it closer to $30 each.
Whale watches usually run 3-4 hours depending on the weather. When I went with this company it was almost four hours exactly.
Written July 6, 2018
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.