Hornblower Cruises & Events

I would probably never have tried this cruise if I hadn't had visitors
from out of town.

It turned out to be really fun and it wasn't that expensive.

Not a bad idea if you have friends visiting.

The sights alone make this trip worth it but the food totally added to the experience. Bring a jacket because it does get cold out on the water but prepared for a very fun time!

PROS: Sights
CONS: Windy

I went whale watching on the Hornblower and it was a very nice enviroment. The floors weren't wet like many other boats and the room inside was very relaxing and not bumpy at all. We didn't see any whales that day but saw some dolphins and such. It was a fun experience.

I went on a whale watching tour with this company and was very satisfied. If you don't see any whales on the three and a half hour ride, you get a free cruise to use another time. There is plenty of viewing room available at the rails and also lots of seating. They have a good snack bar onboard. The rates for the cruises are reasonable, offering discounted rates for military and seniors and also lower prices during the week.

A girfriend of mine and I bought our husbands a dinner cruise last year on the hornblower line and we had a fabulous night out! They've got several different cruises to choose from (besides the whale watching)... we did a four hour dinner and dancing cruise. It was a lot of fun... They have cocktails before dinner as you leave the harbor... then you have a great meal (three courses) and then you dance the night away as the dj plays fun music... it's absolutely beautiful to sail around the bay and enjoy good music and great fun... if you're not into dancing you can just enjoy the fun from outside on the decks. We paid about $75 per person... definitely a fun night out and worth it.

Whether you want a nice quiet cruise on the waters off of San Diego, or you are a nature enthusiast looking to see the whales during their annual migration, Hornblower Cruises is for you. Many schools use Hornblower Cruises for their whale watching field trips, so if you dont like being around a lot of children, you may want to be careful when you schedule a whale watching trip with this company. You may not always see whales, and the company is very patient with this, and will issue a ticket for another whale watching trip, should your trip come up empty. However, even if you do not see any whales, you will likely see dolphins, sea lions, and other ocean critters that call San Diegos coastal waters home.

Celebrating 25 years in business in June 2005, Honblower Cruises is one of the best cruises available in San Diego. An astonishing range of sights awaits you in beautiful San Diego Bay. Submarines and the Naval Air Station; San Diego's distinct skyline, ablaze with color at night; and the soaring Coronado Bay Bridge are all part of an unfolding vista you'll enjoy aboard Hornblower's harbor tour or nightly dining cruise.

Call ahead to check for schedule. Hours differ after the summer season.

Hornblower is one of several cruise companies that run whale watching tours during the Grey Whale migration past San Diego each winter. While they can't guarentee how much whale you'll see, they do have a guarentee that if you don't see anything on the 3-hour cruise, they will give you a free ticket for another one.

In addition, they offer regular 1- and 2-hour harbor cruises past alot of the Navy sites and the more interesting parts of the bay (of note the USS Ronald Reagon, some cool submarines, and California Sea Lions).

Both tours were alot of fun, especially when we saw a pod of greys and hundreds of dolphins within half and hour of each other. It can be a bit pricey, but they often run coupons in the Reader. All in all, lot of fun (but don't forget the dramamine).