6 Whale-Watching Cruises with a Meal Worldwide Worth Booking

1.Adeje: Whale and Dolphin Watching Cruise with Lunch and Swim

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 1,573 reviews · 3 - 4.5 hours · from $59Our pick

From Puerto Colón, cruise Tenerife’s southwest coast with a multilingual guide in search of pilot whales and dolphins. Choose a three-hour sail to Diego Hernández Bay or a 4.5-hour route toward Masca and Los Gigantes. Lunch, drinks, a swim stop, and 16 underwater viewing windows are included.

“Beautiful surroundings, flying fish and lots of pilot whales. We stopped for a swim and then lunch. A great day.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Los Gigantes: Whales and Dolphin Watching Cruise with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 569 reviews · from $74

Join captain Antonio from MPC Yacht Charter for a three-hour cruise from Los Gigantes. Look for pilot whales, bottlenose dolphins, turtles, and seasonal whales, then swim or snorkel beneath the 600-meter cliffs. The small-group boat serves cold tapas, fruit, drinks, and lunch.

“This was a very enjoyable experience for my family. We were 7 people of all different ages and enjoyed it very much. The host was very accommodating and professional, and was a good guide. The snack assortment was very good as well. Overall a 10/10 experience. Beautiful views. We also saw a neighboring pirate ship with friendly people aboard. :) The only criticism we have is that the kids would have liked to have more time in the water (it was only about ~10 minutes of swimming)”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Maui Premium Sunset Dinner Cruise & Whale Watch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 504 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $189

Cruise from Maalaea Harbor at sunset for whale watching, a four-course dinner, drinks, and live naturalist commentary. You may hear whale song through a hydrophone and spot humpbacks, dolphins, Lana‘i, Moloka‘i, and McGregor Point Lighthouse. The boat carries up to 65 people.

“We had an excellent experience. It could not have been better. We saw a mother whale teaching her calf how to breech, a single whale decided to hang out beside and under our boat for an incredible amount of time showing off for everyone on board. We also saw many other whales within the 2 hours plus hearing them sing through the hydrophone. I was so looking forward to this excursion and my expectations were beyond met. I’m not sure what I was expecting but the number of whales we saw was incredible. Add in the close up viewing of a whale checking us out, it just could not have…”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Brisbane: Whale Watching Cruise with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 448 reviews · 5 - 8 hours · from $113

Travel from Brisbane to Redcliffe, then cruise Moreton Bay aboard the multi-million-dollar Eye Spy catamaran. Captain Kerry Lopez and her crew guide you toward humpback whales, with a fresh picnic lunchbox included. Hotel pickup may be added, and every ticket supports whale research.

“An amazing experience! The tour was so informative and a beautiful site to see the whales in their natural habitat. Even better to have a tour which cares for these beautiful creatures and there environment. Thank you!”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Hervey Bay: Half-Day Whale Watching Cruise with Meal

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 198 reviews · 4 hours · from $113

Spend four hours on Whalesong Cruises’ purpose-built catamaran from Hervey Bay, watching humpback whales and possible dolphins, turtles, dugongs, and seabirds. You’ll get live commentary, morning or afternoon tea, lunch or dinner, and a chance to hear whale song through a hydrophone.

“The highlight of a nine week holiday. Never dreamt that we would see so many whales up so close to the boat. And such enthusiastic staff who shared our excitement at seeing the whales. Also it was great to have coffee served, fruit and cake for morning tea ( brought to us while we were hanging over the side of the boat looking at the whales) and then a lovely lunch as we motored back to shore.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Cabo San Lucas Whale Watching Lunch Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 197 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $115Top rated

Cruise from Cabo San Lucas with Sunrider Tours for about 2.5 hours. Look for migrating humpback and gray whales, pause at El Arco for photos, then enjoy a fresh Mexican buffet, open bar, music, and dancing. Captain Pepe and server Cesar have earned special praise for attentive service.

“Crew was fantastic and the views were amazing… the boat ride was very smooth, very clean and well maintained!”

Check availability →Read our full review