7 Seas Whale Watch — Attraction in Gloucester

I was looking for the best whale watching trip during my visit to Boston. I did a lot of research online and found out that almost all of the whale, watching tours leave from Boston, Gloucester, Provincetown, Hyannisport and Plymouth. After a ton of searching online, I decided to book one of the Gloucester Tours due to its proximity to the Stellwagen bank, where most of the whales feed during during the summer months, as well as close proximity to Boston where I was staying. It’s also a beautiful drive less than one hour from the city.

Firstly, I would recommend looking on Groupon for a discounted ticket. I booked an 8:30 AM tour and therefore had to arrive at approximately 8 AM. There is a large parking lot at the dock, which was completely empty when I arrived around 7:50 AM. Note, you do have to pay at the kiosk for parking, but it was not expensive at $.50 an hour or $5 for the entire day.

You then go to the ticket office beside the dock and receive your entrance ticket. For the 830 trip, we started boarding at around 8 AM. You were greeted by the naturalist , who was fantastic all day.

In terms of seating choice, I also did a little bit of research before to determine where the best seat was for the tour. Everyone kept saying that it doesn’t matter where you sit, because once you get out there and see the whales, everyone moves around the boat constantly. I would agree with this, I would recommend you stay inside for the one hour trip to the whales location in order to stay warm from the cool breeze off the water. There is plenty of seating inside the lower deck upstairs on the upper deck. Everyone will try to get a seat outside either on the bow or along the sides, but until you start seeing whales, it is not worth getting splashed occasionally and the cold breeze. There were a lot of families and plenty of seating to accommodate them. There is also a kiosk on board to buy food and beverages as well as clothing/souvenirs.

It took us about an hour to get to where the whales were feeding and breaching the water. They talked to local fisherman and other Tour operators both the night before and the day of to determine where the latest whale sightings have been in order to have the highest chance of spotting them on your trip. They guarantee you will see whales or else you can get a rain check for another day until you do.

We saw finback whales, humpback whales, and a large sunfish on our trip. we actually saw seven different individual finback whales, which apparently is a lot for one morning. The naturalist is on the top deck at the bow with a microphone and is giving you information all day long and is letting you know where the whales or marine life are located so that you can get to a spot and see. There is plenty of time to take pictures and take in the beautiful creatures as they breach the surface. as we would spot individual whales, the captain would try to stay with them or follow their course so that we can keep watching them. Once the whales dive down, sometimes we would wait until they would come back up for air, or else we would move onto the next location to find more. On my trip, we followed two individuals mostly and then were greeted by a humpback whale at one point. When it was all over, we made the short trip back to Gloucester Harbor, where we spotted a few more whales on route. The ride was not bumpy at all, and there was no fog on my tour day, which made it a fantastic whale watching day.

I would 100% recommend you book with them as it will be the highlight of your trip! Definitely family, friendly and geared towards both adults and kids.

Check out my photos and...

If you are trying to decide what whale-watching company to go with, I have your answer. Go with 7 Seas--you won't regret it. Here are a few reasons why ;)

Guaranteed Sightings. I didn't know how they could claim such a thing, and to be honest, I was getting worried when we didn't see anything after boating for over an hour. However, they made it happen. We ultimately had to boat out further than normal (almost double the normal time/distance) but once we arrived--it was 100% worth the long ride. We saw 7 humpback whales and 2 calves AND THEY WERE CLOSE. No need for binoculars on this trip (unless you are scouting). Because once we found them, they were right next to the boat and they were plenty curious! They swam right up to us, and even under the boat. Amazing. We even saw one of the calves breach--it was so exciting!! Watching these animals was magical. I didn't know what to expect -- but this exceeded my expectations.

Staff. Our guide Amanda was the BEST. She was super knowledgeable and as soon as the whales were near us, she started identifying them by name! I was aware that humpbacks have names, but I was not expecting her to call them by their names on the spot. She did this effortlessly. She also had lots of other interesting information to share and after 8 years of being a guide, she still had excitement in her voice when the action started happening. This woman is in the right line of work. Our captain was also wonderful. He kept us posted on where we were going, how long it would take, etc. Plus, there was another crew member that made rounds to make sure everyone was okay and no one was feeling seasick! I did not expect that kind of wellness check, so that impressed me. One woman did get sick and the crew was right there to help her get through it.

The Boat. This boat is plenty big, so you won't feel unsafe on it. BUT more importantly, they do not overfill it with people. While we were whale watching, another whale-watching boat arrived on scene. The boat was bigger, sure, but it was OVER-CROWDED. Like, can't-get-a-clear-view-of-the-whales crowded. I immediately grinned knowing I was on the 7 Seas boat instead of that monstrosity. My husband and I were on the top deck and never was I behind a crowd of people trying to catch a glimpse. I had great sightlines the whole time, and that's with everyone shuffling around on board too.

Integrity. Like I said earlier, it took longer than normal to get to the whales on our trip, but they did not shave that time off of our viewing time. We spent about an hour with the whales and were actually late coming back for the afternoon excursion, but the crew was willing to do that to make sure we had the best possible experience. This spoke volumes to me.

We had an amazing experience and I was 100% satisfied. Thank you 7 Seas for the amazing trip! I look forward to hopefully going on another adventure with you in...

We live in the Chicago area, and so do not get much of a chance to pursue my wife’s favorite animals. She watches all the videos and nature programs. For her, whales are an obsession. I waited far too long to get her to see one. When on a trip out east, we happened upon the October 5, 2016 cruise with 7 Seas out of Gloucester, Ma. We could not have been happier. Dozens of Humpback whales surrounded the boat. They were breaching, feeding in bubble rings, and flapping flippers and tails. We even saw mothers with calves. The whales also seemed interested in us. This cruise has become a lifetime event etched upon our memories.

Right from the start, the girl who took our reservation was great. She knew who I was after several weather-cancelled dates. The crew was courteous and helpful at all times. I apologize for forgetting their names. We were too excited. Without asking, the woman in the galley watched over me when late in the trip I needed a little soda to calm my stomach. The biologist, Jay Frontierro, could not have provided better commentary. He told us whale facts we had never known and he posted photos taken from a rolling sea that I could never have captured. Even after the trip was long over, Jay helped with my questions on the posted photos. He could not have been more gracious.

I hope to see Tortuga the whale again. We look forward to going back, if God is willing. It is strange, but we feel we have friends in Gloucester. They are both in town and on Stellwagen Bank. We have told everyone we know. They tire of hearing and so now, I tell you.

I know we were fortunate to be on board on a fateful day. I know we picked the right ship and I know that such a trip might never be duplicated. Wildlife viewing will always vary. It is part of the adventure. But it was somehow even more special to see such great creatures when over a marine sanctuary. If you need to see these animals, as they deserve to be seen, I cannot imagine a better place in the world to...