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Sydney Whale-Watching Cruise Including Lunch or Breakfast

Badge of ExcellenceSydney, Australia

From USD 67.53

Select Date and Travellers

Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance.
Sydney Tours
All Sydney Tours
Audio Guides
Kid-Friendly
Likely To Sell Out
Unique Experiences
  • 4 hours (approx.)
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Enjoy a whale-watching cruise that begins with a breakfast or barbecue lunch onboard the boat while in the calm waters of Sydney Harbour.  After breakfast or lunch, your boat glides past Sydney Head into the Pacific Ocean in search of the humpback and southern right whales that migrate along this coast from May to November. Keep an eye out for whales and dolphins as you learn about them from your naturalist guide, who provides fascinating commentary about Australian marine life during your tour.
  • Sydney Harbour sightseeing and whale-watching cruise
  • See top Sydney sights like the Opera House from the water
  • Watch for whales in the open water of the Pacific Ocean
  • Enjoy an onboard breakfast or BBQ lunch and listen to live commentary
  • Guaranteed whale sightings or enjoy a return cruise for free
  • Smaller numbers ensure a more comfortable whale-watching experience

What's Included

  • BBQ buffet lunch or breakfast (depending on departure time selected)
  • Tea and Coffee
  • Live commentary on board
  • Humpback whale watching
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
  • Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

  • Eastern Pontoon, Circular Quay
    7 Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

    Eastern Pontoon, Eastern side of Circular Quay (same side as Opera House) The pontoon is located in front of Searock Grill Restaurant Please check in 15-30 minutes before departure time

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Make your own way to King Street Wharf to board your whale-watching vessel. Numbers are restricted on this whale-watching cruise, allowing for ample elbow room in the cabin and on the outside decks of your boat.

Get comfortable and enjoy a buffet breakfast or barbecue lunch while gliding on the calm waters of Sydney Harbour. Take in landmark waterfront sights with great photo ops of Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, and Fort Denison. After breakfast or lunch, your boat cruises past Sydney Heads, Manly Beach, Watsons Bay, and The Gap as it leaves the harbor and enters the Pacific Ocean.

From May to November, as many as 15,000 humpbacks and southern right whales pass by this stretch of Australian coast during their migration between Antarctica and the Great Barrier Reef. Typical whale behaviors that you might witness include breaching (jumping) out of the water, hitting the water’s surface with their tails and spouting as they surface. Your naturalist guide provides informative commentary about whales, dolphins and other marine life that you might see during your whale-watching cruise.

While sightings are almost guaranteed, wildlife is unpredictable. If your naturalist guide does not find any whales during your trip, you can return for a complimentary whale-watching cruise on another day.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Once on board you will enjoy a scenic harbour cruise while enjoying a delicious meal. During this time you will take in all the iconic sites of Sydney

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Royal Botanic Garden Sydney (Pass By)

As you enjoy your lunch you will take in such sights the Botanic Gardens before heading out to the Whale Watching.

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
  • We suggest all guests to please bring motion sickness medication, our policy is better safe than sorry.
  • Please dress appropriately with comfortable shoes and warm clothing depending on the time of the year
  • Please bring a camera and sun protection
  • Available May - November (Whale Watching Season here in Sydney)
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Not recommended for travellers with back problems
  • Not recommended for pregnant travellers
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 96 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

See more

Traveller Tips

Waters were rough, plan on taking seasickness medication before you are on the water or you will feed your breakfast to the whales.
They suggest seasickness pills when you check in and that's a great suggestion, because it does get bumpy out there.
The water was rough and chairs and tables were not safe.
Reviews
4.5
557 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travellers.
Showing 1-10 of 557 reviews
Whale watching 👌
Paul_W, Nov 2022
We arrived at 7.30 and got our ticket. Climbed on board at 8.10 then we were served breakfast eggs sausage beans bacon And coffee Great start and filling We took about 40-45 mins to get outside to start seeing whales Then we followed a mother and child whale for about 1 hour The tour guide was good and told us of some history along the way. I would recommend this trip Thanks Paul
Well Worth A Trip Out To See The Whales
Alexander_P, Nov 2022
Simply breathtaking for view the whales as they migrated south. Staff onboard and on the dock were helpful. Food was good (make sure you take your sea sickness tablets) and we saw and tracked a number of Whales. Was a great trip from Sydney.
Certainly a unique...
Justin_L, Nov 2022
Certainly a unique experience that you can't find in the zoo, weather was great, food was average at best.
Fantastic!
Karen_K, Oct 2022
They took us out to where sightings were usually found and it did not disappoint. We saw a mother humpback whale and her calf breaching many times, slapping their fins in the water and generally entertaining us for a large part of the afternoon. It was a wonderful afternoon. Would definitely take this trip again.
Saw the whales but not a comfy cruise.
Kewmaaz_M, Oct 2022
was lucky enoguh to see the humpback whales(mom and calf). the seating was not very comfy for the 4hrs and if your have seasickness where many around us had your pretty much stuck inside for 4hrs. I would recomend for somone who wants follow the whales but not for a comfort cruise . Lunch was avg
Amazing unforgettable experience
shannon_h, Oct 2022
We were lucky enough to see quite a few different whales including a mum and her calf. They were super active and certainly gave us a great show. Also accompanied with the dolphins that surfed alongside the boat.
Birthday with Moby Dick the whale /s
Kate_M, Oct 2022
Great experience on my birthday. Caring organisers. Good food. The sea was calm and weather was great and sunny.
It was awesome seeing the...
Delmar_C, Oct 2022
It was awesome seeing the whales as close to the boat as we were. Very good experience, overall. I would certainly recommend.
Lucky with the weather,...
Andrew_W, Oct 2022
Lucky with the weather, and saw several whales and dolphins up close. Great photo opportunity. Good food Room for improvement, better PA system and upfront contact was poor
Thar She Blows!
Mona_F, Oct 2022
Seeing that “blow” for the first time and spotting the whale itself was a dream come true! And to experience that with my bestie was the greatest.
Only for seasoned sailors .
mary_s, Oct 2022
The lunch was tasty. The weather and conditions were unsafe to do this trip. Everyone around us was being sick. One lady fell and had a cut near her eye. We had been advised to take sea sickness tablets when we arrived which should have alerted to the conditions Luckily we did get to see one whale. It was impossible to stand up and take photos as the swell of waves made it unsafe. Very glad to get back to the harbour .
Excellent experience,...
Ainsley_W, Oct 2022
Excellent experience, thank you very much, nice food and boat Good sighting of whales, Except for a lady who was howling at the sight of every whale and disturbing others
Fun Day strip whale watching
Stacy_S, Oct 2022
We saw a momma whale flipping her tail multiple times!very cool experience. Staff was friendly and efficient.
Very rocky boat
Anna_R, Oct 2022
I would estimate that 50% of the people on this cruise got sea sick. The back of the boat was a puke fest. It was probably not the best time of year to do this (early oct) as we did not see much.
Exciting day out with whale & dolphin watching.
Christelle_v, Oct 2022
Lovely day out - we saw whales and dolphins! Very friendly crew and comfy boat. Can definitely recommend this event.
Worst ever
GAIL_B, Oct 2022
The bus never showed up at the Westfield/London Tower stop after waiting 40 minutes we left. Also the whale watching trip I booked was cancelled and I have not been able to reschedule or reach anyone at Viator. What kind of company is this??? If I don't get refunds for both trips I will be on social media telling this story.
Response from Host, Oct 2022
Hi Gail, Thank your taking the time to write this review. Please note as Sydney Princess Cruises we refunded the cancelled whale watching trip due to severe sea conditions. We do not offer any bus services so unfortunately cannot assist with a response as it would have been another operator. Kind regards, Sydney Princess Cruises
Go somewhere else
Joseph_b, Oct 2022
Lack of communication they just canceled the outing and that’s it no more contact about how to get a refund or a rebooking.
Response from Host, Oct 2022
Hi Joseph, Thank you for taking the time to write this review. Unfortunately we did have to postpone Saturday's lunch cruise. This was due to severe sea conditions predicted and for the safety of both guests and staff. We sent a message via the Viator portal 30/9/22 @ 1:36pm with the additional information. Prior to close of business on Friday we saw that the message had been delivered but not opened. As such we sent a SMS 30/9/22 @ 5:04pm to ensure you received the cancellation notice. Please contact info@sydneyprincesscruises.com.au and we can assist with a full refund or a rebooking. Kind regards, Sydney Princess Cruises
Disappointed!
David_H, Sept 2022
We got to our destination point and found out our trip was cancelled , they told us you should of notified us but you didn’t.
Rough but rewarding
Jacqueline_B, Sept 2022
The weather made our trip a rough one and it took a long time before we saw whales, but the crew managed everything really well.
Well worth the money.
MARK_R, Aug 2022
Very friendly staff , started with recommending the sea sick tablets. The sea was a little rough but the food was really good and we got to see whales which was absolutely amazing.
...

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