whale watching
 

We are coming over from the uk in August and want to go whale watching. Is it best to go from Boston or cape cod. The info that I have is confusing.<BR>thanks.

It doesnt really matter-the boats all go to the same area-Stellwagon (spelling?) Bank.

We've whale watched out of Boston, but have never been to Cape Cod, so can't give you any comparisons. I can say we thoroughly enjoyed our trip from Boston with the New England Aquarium and it gave us the chance to enjoy the city as well. The boat was nice and we saw many whales. It was wonderful! Hopefully someone else can offer advice for Cape Cod.

We've never gone from Boston, but the earlier poster is correct. All the boats go to Stellwagon Banks. If you want to go to Cape Cod, the whale watching trips leave from Provincetown. There are two companies, Portugese Princess and Dolphin Fleet - both are good. You can drive to Ptown from Boston - 2.5 hours if there is no traffic - which there is on Sat. - or you can take a ferry from Boston.

You can also go from Gloucester on Cape Ann, which is north of Boston. It would be less hectic than Cape Cod.

I'll be making my first trip to Boston in mid-October. Would a whale-watching be worth it or is that too early/too late in the season? Forgive me if this is a stupid question -- I haven't done any reading on the area yet but still would expect a more honest/thoughtful answer from fellow travelers over any guidebook. Thanks in advance.

Try Arkansas. Lots of whales there. Usually parked at the Sonic.

If you want something in-between Boston (which takes a while for the boat to get out to SBank) and Cape Cod (which takes a while to get to from Boston), you can try going from Plymouth. <BR><BR>It's a small town (where the Pilgrims landed) just before you get on to Cape Cod. The commuter rail even runs out to it so you can get there if you won't be renting a car. <BR><BR>We enjoyed our tour, but unfortunately only saw a couple of whales. Other trips the day before saw all sorts of stuff, so it's luck of the draw. <BR><BR>We went with Capt. John's which was a fine outfit. There are others mostly (all?) located on the town wharf where you can sign up at their kiosks. Have fun!

Also, out of cape cod, is barnstable harbor whale watchers, very good, also

The previous posters are correct about the location. All of the whales feed during the warm months at a rather large area offshore called Stellwagen Banks. All of the whale watch boats go to this area regardless of where they depart from. The New England Aquarium tour is very good. There are naturalists aboard that explain everything that you will see. The ride out is over 1 hour and it can be cool depending on the time of the season. We have gone in June, July, August and October. The whales usually depart around the last week of October. The best trip that we ever had was on Halloween several years ago. It was a very warm weekend and the whales were all grouping up to make the trip south. We saw many different varieties on that day. I hope that this info helps!

Thanks everyone, info really useful. I have booked the new england aquarium trip. <BR>best wishes from "old england"<BR>Jim

Jim,<BR>We have left from Salem MA on the East India Cruise's. Been on it 2 times and saw lots and lots of whales each time. Salem is kind of a neat little town as well and you could always stop in Marblehead (my favorite New England town)and have some clam chowder @ Matties.

Wherever you end up with, make sure you call before you go -- last summer we had booked a trip from Gloucester only to arrive being told their boat had lost an engine and people were stuck out there, slowly cruising back...

My hubby and I went whale watching from Provincetown earlier this month. After lots of research on different companies on Cape Cod (we were staying in Hyannis), I decided to go with the Portuguese Princess. It was my first whale watch and it was fantastic, we saw lots of whales. They have an early bird cruise at 9:30 AM which is $17 per person and there is also a coupon on line at there websight for $3 off that makes the price per person also $17. Provicetown is a nice place to people watch and have a nice lunch. I think on our next visit to the Cape we just might stay their or in nearby Truro.