Catalina Express — Attraction in Avalon

After a wonderful backpack trip across the island I had a very negative experience on a stop over from Two Harbors to Avalon. There is very limited service in the off season for leaving Two Harbors-- the ferry does not run Tuesdays and Thursdays and it only runs to San Pedro. You are not informed when you purchase a ticket that the later ferry from Two Harbors stops in Avalon for 30-40 minutes or so. In this time I had hoped to inquire about taking a later ferry to Long Beach, my final destination, but this led to a debacle in which leaving the boat (with permission from crew members who were just trying to help and do a good service) led to me nearly being not allowed to board again and required to purchase another ticket. Visitor Services was very unpleasant and unhelpful-- they told me it would be $60 for myself and companion to switch to the later boat to Long Beach-- that's almost the price of totally new tickets. And then they tried to remove my luggage from the boat I had left in order to talk them-- again at the instruction of the boat crew. I understand the need for protocol, but this all happened on a VERY slow Wednesday night (here were less than eight people on the ferry from Two Harbors to Avalon) and there was a general lack of communication, empathy and customer service from the Catalina Express visitor services team. I've traveled many times back and forth to the island and it seemed more clear than ever that this company is mostly interested in making money in whatever...

Good service to and from Catalina. The twin engine hull design keeps the boat from rocking much which probably helps minimize ocean sickness for those that are affected by that sort of thing. You can sit below and inside and just look out the window or go up on the top deck and enjoy the fresh air. Be prepared and bring and jacket because it can get quite chilly on the boat ride, especially if it's the early boat or the late ones. They serve food and drink on the boat, but it's not cheap. Look for the occasional discount on...

Quick and efficient service at check in, wonderful service in the commodore's lounge, smooth trip between Long Beach and Catalina Island. I did the Commodore's Lounge on the way to Catalina, and then did general seating on the way back, the difference was negligible between the two classes of seating except that their bloody mary was pretty good and not having to chance sitting outside during transit was also nice. The price of overnight parking is my only real complaint here, aside from that the experience...