Balboa Pavilion — Attraction in Newport Beach

This is the Pavilion where are Davey's Locker whale watching boat cruises departs from and also has their offices in. There may be a restaurant upstairs, but I'm not sure, but if there is, I have a feeling it's the kind of food and prices that make a tourist trap a tourist trap.

There is no parking here! I say it again, there is no parking here!

If you've made a reservation for a whale watching cruise and it's on the weekend during the summer, that's when we went so I don't really know what it's like off summer hours, but make sure that you get there at least two hours before your reservation.

You'll most likely spend one hour looking for a place to park. And probably another half hour walking from wherever it is you did manage to find a place to park over to the Pavilion to check in at Davey's Locker. I believe they expect you to be there at least a half hour before your reservation.

The weekend we had a reservation it took so long to find a parking spot that there were no more any later cruises available to catch a ride on. We ended up walking back to the car going all the way back home which was an hour 15 minute drive and then having to do it all over again the following weekend.

The following weekend we got to Balboa 2 hours before our boat trip, took an hour 15 minutes to find parking, another half hour to walk, and although we were only 15 minutes earlier than our departure time, we were able to get on our planned Excursion and see dolphins on our whale watching cruise at the allotted time.

I know two hours earlier may sound extreme but you'll understand once you do it. By the way, we got a deal, or so we thought, bye using Groupon. I'm not a fan of Groupon but my girlfriend went ahead and did it and as long as she thinks she's got a good deal that's good...

Finding safe, legal, inexpensive parking anywhere near this place in a timely fashion is practically impossible. And the problem is made worse by the fact that most of the local streets are one-way--in the wrong direction!! I recommend that you arrive a minimum of one hour in advance of your planned event just so you can find a parking place. Also, you have to guess in advance how long you are going to stay, and be prepared to pay at least $1.45 ahead of time for each hour. Guess too much, and you will overpay, and you will not get a refund. Wasted money! Guess too little, and risk getting a ticket and/or having to pay to get your car out of God-knows-what impound yard after it has been towed. Kind of takes the fun out of going to the "Fun Zone"! My wife and I came for the annual Christmas Lights Boat Cruise, which was fun and beautiful. One caution, however: be sure to come bundled up in warm clothing, as the temperature on the boat with the moisture coming from the ocean tends to feel pretty cold! But that's what it's supposed to be like in December after dark! Get a hot chocolate or hot apple cider to help yourself feel warmer and enjoy the experience! Despite the parking situation, it's definitely...

This is a super cool family fun holiday place. Shopping, Sandwich, Ice Cream, coffee cafes. Nice restaurants, an amusement arcade. Fun place to amble around. Small party Boat rentals you can drive yourself. Boat excursions, cruise the harbor or go to Catalina Island. Most of the boats sell refreshments on board. Anyone thinking of taking a boat ride should go online and lookup prices, booking & operating times. You can book ahead which will save you time & you may find coupons. You might find coupons on "Groupon." Also check out where you can park. Some parking is for limited times, so you don't want to get a parking ticket, whilst you are on a boat excursion. Two of the nicer restaurant's overlook the harbor. There is one at each end of the Balboa Pavilions. Want to take the ferry across the harbor? You can do that here too, in your car or bike, or just walk on. Price...