Island Adventures — Local services in Anacortes

This was absolutely one of the best experiences we have had ever on a vacation. I cannot believe how friendly and responsive the staff was. They were so helpful, kind, funny and smart. The boat itself was gigantic. I was so impressed about the safety of the features on the boat. I had to rather excited young children. My toddler attempted to ruin the fun for us and passengers on the boat with his antics but he was safe and did not fall overboard to the dismay of many. My 7-year-old was so excited to see all of the whales and be able to explore the boat. My parents were photographers and were able to capture many beautiful pictures of the multiple pods on our trip we were able to see members from three different orca pods converging together. I appreciate that the staff are able to communicate with other fishing vessels to figure out where the whales are. They also brought us to see different types of marine life. The food selection was pretty standard with hot dogs, chili dogs, nachos and chili cheese nachos. But they also had drinks and alcoholic beverages available for those who wanted to partake. I felt like all of the prices were completely appropriate and I felt like we got a good value on everything. The food was a good portion size and the items were priced appropriately. For those unable to take good pictures they offered professional grade photos from the trip that you go on. (for purchasehpurchase.)a staff member with a good camera taking pictures the whole time. They did a great job on education and you can hear the presentation pretty much anywhere on the boat. Right now they are doing a great job of social distancing. There was tables and everyone was spaced appropriately. They did a great job of making sure that large parties had a reserved table. Hands down would definitely take a trip...

Wonderful experience, before we began, I was excited to see anything, I figured they would be a ways off. Some of these whales were putting on a show for us, and so close!

My wife was sprayed with humpback whale spray as he surfaced just in front of the boat!

With the spacious levels, 2 of which have interior seating for some of the transit time, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for us. Since my cellphone photography skills are not good, they had a very talented and extremely knowledgeable photographer take amazing photos we could take as a thumb drive.

Captain and crew were all awesome, my kids all loved it, I loved it. The rain that came later in the journey had no negative impact on us at all, with covered decks, spacious interior cabins, bathrooms, seating areas, food and drink, this was the perfect ending to our family vacation.

With how large the boat is between the 3 decks, everyone has the chance for a front row seat to the coolest show in the northwest! I was on the top deck with one of my daughters seeing humpback whales in every direction, while my wife and other 2 kiddos were at the front of the boat getting sprayed as a whale skimmed the surface just in front of us.

After a while I just gave up trying to take photos with my phone, because clearly I am not a photographer, I just enjoyed the moment with my family while a far more experienced photographer with a much better camera took the photos for us.

We came from Arizona to the Pacific Northwest, absolutely loved it, and if I ever find myself back here, I will certainly...

We loved our Island Adventures adventure! We went out on a very foggy September day, so I’m sure the experience was different to a summer tour. But we loved every second. Captain Mike, Lauren at the cafe and the naturalist whose name I can’t remember went out of their way to make the trip amazing. We saw harbor seals, sea lions and a pair of orcas. And lots of birds.

The naturalist was so knowledgeable and I left having learned all about the brother orcas we saw. She also shared so much information about the history of orcas in the Pacific Northwest, the photo identification program, the dangers facing orcas in the area and more. It made it a much deeper trip than just looking for whales.

Also, the boat was immaculate, well-maintained and comfortable. The cafe food was yummy and not marked up as much as it could have been considering that they have a captive audience. It was basic concession stand fare (nachos, hot dogs, pretzels), but hit the spot. Some other offerings including chili and clam chowder, which we didn’t try. They also offered macaroni and cheese, chips and candy, soft drinks, hot beverages and alcohol.

Communication from Island Adventures was spot on. We knew exactly where to park, what to wear, what the rules were and more. We booked more than a month out and saved a little money that way. Great experience and would love to do it again. (My photo of the orca does not compare to how awesome it was to see them...