Catalina Flyer — Attraction in Newport Beach

STAY FAR, FAR AWAY FROM THE CATALINA FLYER (NEWPORT BEACH DOCK).

This was hands-down one of the WORST, most infuriating travel experiences I’ve ever had — and it’s all because of the complete incompetence and downright disrespectful staff running the Catalina Flyer at Newport Beach.

We showed up on time with paid tickets, only to be told they had overbooked the ferry. OVERBOOKED. Let that sink in: we paid for seats that didn’t exist.

When we calmly asked, “Okay, can we get a refund or at least be rescheduled for the next ferry?” we were met with the coldest, most dismissive customer service I have ever experienced.

And here’s the part that absolutely blew my mind: The man at the customer service window literally slammed the window shut in my face. No apology. No explanation. No effort to help. Just slam — like we were nothing but garbage to be swept aside.

I was shocked. I was angry. And the more we tried to get answers, the more they ignored us. No refund. No compensation. No reschedule. Just a robotic “Sorry, nothing we can do.”

Oh, but trust me — they had NO problem taking our money upfront. They just have zero interest in treating their paying customers like human beings once things go wrong.

This isn’t a minor inconvenience or a small hiccup. This is a company that: ❌ Overbooks knowingly ❌ Refuses to refund when they mess up ❌ Shows ZERO customer care ❌ Literally closes the window in your face if you try to complain

They are running a tourist scam, plain and simple.

I don’t care how excited you are about visiting Catalina Island — DO NOT BOOK with the Catalina Flyer from Newport Beach. You are gambling your money, your time, and your vacation.

We left angry, disappointed, and hundreds of dollars lighter — and they could not have cared less.

⭐ 1/5 STARS — ONLY BECAUSE ZERO ISN’T ALLOWED. Avoid this company...

ABSOLUTELY DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY.

Date of Experience: August 17, 2025 – 9:00 AM

Called customer service this morning at 9 a.m., and right off the bat the woman who answered the phone was unbelievably rude. She was short with me, basically hung up, and told me to “text only.” When I tried to explain my Groupon situation—which clearly stated the information I had—she refused to help me and flat-out refused to honor it.

I called back, thinking maybe it was a misunderstanding. I was polite, I tried to be nice. Instead, I was met with even more attitude. I cannot believe this person is still employed here, representing the Catalina Flyer. She was dismissive, unprofessional, and downright nasty. This is the face of your business? She should be fired immediately, or at the very least trained in basic customer service. She is actively driving customers away.

To make matters worse, she refused to honor my Groupon despite all the information being correct. I even provided a screenshot showing it. She just didn’t care. That’s not just rude—it’s unethical. I was so shocked by how bad the experience was that I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

And here’s what’s truly unhinged: there are over 10 years of bad Yelp reviews citing this exact same issue—Groupon problems and this same rude woman—and yet nothing has been done. What a disgraceful, embarrassing business. Honestly, it should be shut down.

If you want to go to Catalina, do NOT take the Catalina Flyer. Go from Long Beach instead. The staff there are kind, the prices are better, and the boats are cleaner and nicer. Catalina Flyer is a nightmare of a company with appalling customer service.

Absolutely horrible experience. One star only because zero stars...

After 50 years making the trip to Catalina both from the Express and the Flyer I have never been treated so rudely as today. I was using my Conservancy membership to book my trip and couldn’t find my card so I had the conservancy email a copy to bring with my reservation. I was told to check in and show my membership number and the fellow at the window checked it out and said I was good to go. When I gave my name to board I was told my name wasn’t on the list. I showed both my reservation and membership number to both the man with the list and the manager who said I needed to get out of line and return to the office even though he could see all of the documents were there. He wasn’t interested in hearing what I was attempting to say but told me if I wouldn’t hear his explanation I was free to not take the boat today. He then said there had been some fraud using the conservancy cards and that was why it was necessary to get a stamp on my reservation before I could board. He handed my paperwork back to the person who told me I was good to go and he stamped it. Fortunately I was able to find a seat as the smaller boat was full. There was never an apology from the manager but the other guy did as it was his mistake not to stamp it in the first place not mine. Mistakes like this are bound to happen but the way in which the manager talked to me was extremely rude and unprofessional with a total lack of understanding and caring for me. It was a very upsetting way to return to the Island that I love. Also, as I boarded he took my round trip reservation so now I have to figure out out how to get that replaced...