Yacht Charters on San Diego Bay — Local services in San Diego

Traveling over the San Diego to Coronado Bay Bridge, I’ve always enjoyed glimpses of the Naval facilities to the south and wished for a better view. We got just that when took the two hour, ‘San Diego Harbor Cruise,’ ticket office at 970 N. Harbor Island Drive. Our tour guide was former Navy and on the second half of our tour, he pointed out the various types of Navy ships and facilities servicing them.

The tour took us under the Coronado Bay Bridge which was a sight in itself.

During the first hour of the tour, sights included the San Diego waterfront, Harbor Drive, Shelter Island, the Point Loma Navy submarine complex, and portions of the Naval complex across from Shelter Island.

During our tour, our guide provided some restaurant recommendations, pointed out wildlife viewing, and provided one of the most enjoyable narratives we’ve experienced in quite some time. His narration was pleasant, factual, and completely from memory. Impressive.

A couple of recommendations: First, while most of my time on this Flagship Cruise vessel was spent either on the back of the lower deck or upstairs in order to take pictures, if one wished to remain seated during the entire cruise, my personal preference would be on the second level which is accessible via stairs. This provides a picturesque perspective of shore features as well as features the boat is approaching. With morning and afternoon cruises, would strongly recommend sunscreen and a hat (with a strap to secure it in breezy conditions).

If one is interested in seating on first level, back of the boat, seating is very limited. Try to enter the boat among the first guests. Seating (and tables) on upper level is more available, but same advice - try to enter the boat among the first guests. Refreshments are served in the bar area on the first level. Restrooms are available and they are clean and in good order.

Seating on the first level is protected from the sun and wind, is comfortable, and provides enjoyable though less spectacular views compared with the upper level.

The only downside we experienced was the tour company’s reluctance to provide our guide’s name after our cruise. Would have liked to single him out for a job well done on our 2-hour, afternoon cruise on September 29. (Be sure to bring along some currency to tip the staff on YOUR tour, if they did the same top-flight job they did for us).

We’ve been visitors to the Shelter Island and Point Loma areas for the past twenty years. This was our first bay tour and it was...

No complaints about the service and DJ entertainment, which were both what we expected. Our waiter was very attentive and DJ very energetic. Thank you.

However, I can't remember that last time I've experienced price gouging on this level...Wow!

Landing Fee: $20.15 Fuel Surcharge: $9.99 Fees: $39.21 Total Fees: $69.35

Not to overlook: Boarding Photo: $30.00 Crazy in today's world that customer is expected to pay for digital prints even after they paid for hard copies. Spinach & Artichoke Dip: $18.00 Not only was this pricey, sight unseen, but there weren't many chips) Window seat up charge: $32 per person

The icing on the cake: While pulling into port the waiter came up to explain that while we were fully paid up, it didn't include the tip, which was typically 18-20% of the original amount. I was totally confused if the reference to "the original amount" meant the sub total ($52-$58), total after tax & fees ($67-$74) or just the Artichoke option ($3.50). That being said, I assumed he was referring to the total after tax & fees, which is basically another $70 in fees.

I had the Salmon over a layer of mixed vegetables. While the salmon was good, the vegetables were very bland.

Lastly: The way the tables are arranged are that only half the party has a window view. Get rid of the bench seats, and arrange the chairs so both people in the party can see out the window with a simple half turn of the head. This is the least you can do given the $32 per person up charge for...

We attended the dinner cruise for my aunts 65th birthday. Initial investment $190 per person (group of 7). This includes an appetizer, main meal and dessert.

Cons: Overworked waitstaff that couldn’t possibly give good service due to the overload of people attending. This lead to rushed service with little care and no follow-ups. This is advertised as a sunset cruise, but they make you sit at your table until you order (which took 25 minutes for us) so we missed the entire sunset. 😫 We were a table of 7 and got 4 tiny pieces of bread to share as a starter. Really? For $190 a person, we couldn’t get one piece of bread each? After asking for more (twice)we never saw another piece. Drinks are extremely overpriced and wine list is comprised of $5-$6bottles from Vons priced at $50-$90 each. Had to ask for water several times before we finally got some Bathrooms were messy with overflowing trash cans

Pros: DJ was very sweet and fun and played all the music the crowd asked for Beautiful way to see San Diego (but it can be done many other ways a lot cheaper) Food was okay (not bad, not great, just ok). Is this a pro? I don’t think so, but I feel bad because there’s so many cons…

Save your money and opt for a different type of experience when in San Diego. I’m a local and will...