Testimonials
Letters from Happy Customers

I just wanted to send a short note to say thanks for such a wonderful experience on my families whale watching trip last Friday (May 30, 2008). The whole crew (Captain Carl, Mark…I think, Kate, and Brooke) were just AMAZING! I mean from the store to the dock to the Island Explorer 3 it was just an amazing time. A few things were very nice touches. For instance, I have done other trips with similar companies and have come to find that the food offerings were less than average. Well you guys have it down! I mean even fountain drinks rather than canned drinks (which my family likes a whole lot more). The food was nice and the service was TOP NOTCH! The knowledge of the crew and the desire for the care of the whales when we did find them was awesome! Kate was great with her knowledge and I just loved her enthusiasm. Brooke was awesome in back and also great with her knowledge as well. Captain Carl and Mark were awesome as well. You guys obviously know what customer service is and that is refreshing today since that is becoming more and more of a lost art! You know I can not think of one thing I would change for you guys. I was most impressed and will be back at some point when we make a trip up from Texas! I will all for sure recommend you to anyone and everyone! I am still talking about my trip. It was the highlight of our cruise to Alaska and time in the Seattle area. I loved the whole trip, but you guys were the highlight! Take care and God Bless!

Brian White & Alyson White, Larry & Cindie Cornelius (my in-laws)

Robin and I had a great whale watching adventure. It started out cold and wet but when the whales showed up it stopped raining. It was fantastic to watch some many whales, breaching, doing cart wheels and rolling over at one time. We also enjoyed all the other wild life we saw. I will differently recommend this tour to other people.

Robin and John

I wanted to thank you for your extra efforts and care you gave my son on your 6/5/08 12pm trip..since he uses a wheel chair he isn’t always able to enjoy activities that we take for granted…your staff — Captain Mike, Brooke, the other young man (sorry I forget his name) made it easy for him to get on and off the boat and be able to experience that wonderful display of “whale joy”…we had a wonderful family time, and my parents had a 60th wedding anniversary that they will never forget !!!

Mary Balok, Pittsburgh, PA

My husband and I were on our first whale watching tour on June 2, 2008. We have lived in Puget Sound off and on for twenty years but just never seemed to find the time to go.

What a great experience this was and the crew, especially Kate, were fantastic. I really had no idea how much fun watching the whales could be! Kate is without a doubt one of the best tour guides ( naturalists) we have had the pleasure of knowing.

Thanks for a great day and I know we’ll be doing this tour again.

Judy Healy

My husband, sister and I were on the whale watching tour on May 28, 2008. We absolutely LOVED it! It was easily the highlight of our trip! Thank you SOOO much!!! We will HIGHLY recommend your tour to anyone we know going out there, as well as leave reviews wherever we can! Thank you for the memories!

Kristi Jensen

Absolutely amazing. We’re up from San Diego with our 8-year old triplets for their older sister’s wedding. The kids have seen many killer whales in San Diego. Beautiful, but only in a tank. This was our best day up here. Unforgettable. Sitting on the bow of a ship, watching Orcas all around and listening to John Denver singing “Calypso” was so surreal. Thanks for a wonderful, well worth the money, experience.

The Hawkins Family, Oceanside, Ca

Just wanted to thank you for a great whale watching experience. My husband and I have lived in Washington for almost 40 years and have never seen a whale in the wild and we saw so many last weekend on your trip. (We had gone on another whale watching trip a few years ago but never saw any whales.) It was also the highlight of my in-laws visit from Chicago. Kate did a great job as our tour guide and I loved her enthusiasm.

SEM Lab, Inc.

I was on your afternoon cruise this past Monday (7/21/08) and just posted a couple of shots on CNN’s iReport section for whale watchers! Here they are: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-49595

The whales were so magnificent and beautiful — it brought tears to my eyes. I will be back someday. Thanks for the amazing adventure!

Stacy Manning
Associate Director of Constituent Relations
School of Architecture
The University of Texas at Austin

Thank you so much for the informative whale reports. We have been going out with Island Adventures each summer for six years and it looks like this summer will be a land-locked summer for me. It has been a great comfort and education to keep up with the whale adventures through your reports. The photos have been wonderful — many times, I have almost felt like I was there, rather than in my cube at work, taking a break to be with you via the whale reports.

Keep the good reports coming! It is a refreshing life line!

An Island Adventures fan, Ann

My wife, son and I enjoyed a very nice day Orca sighting last Friday (8/15/08).

From my phone call to ask a few questions regarding the trip prior to booking, the women I spoke with was very pleasant and helpful. To the gentlemen who checked us in that morning. We had arrived very early, asked for a breakfast recommendation, he suggested Calico Cupboard. We had a great meal and nice server. The crew from dock to dock did a nice job to accommodate all a board for a great day. The young lady naturalist A++.

Who ever ordered up the weather and the calm sea should get a medal also. Thank you very much to all for a memorable trip.

Our week vacation to Seattle went by very fast with many fun things. The Island Adventures trip whale watching was one of those memories we will treasure.

Scott Smith, Sacramento,Calif.

This is to thank Captain Carl, First Mate Michael, Naturalist Kate, and penultimate coffee purveyor Brooke for the whale-watching cruise of a lifetime. We joined you last Wednesday (10/08) on a picture perfect day (and we took about 100 pictures!) to share in the thrill of sailing in the super-pod (J,K, and L), staring dumbfounded as Mega swam near the ship, viewing three simultaneous breaches, seeing a classic spyhop up close, and enjoying endless other incomparable sights. Our little video-cam captured the audio excitement of everyone on board — especially Kate! We’ll have no problem sending friends your way - and perhaps even one of our sons for a summer job! Of special note is that, beyond the beauty and bounty of the wildlife, each of you made our time on board and in the store special and fun — you are consummate professionals and delightful folk — quite simply, you made our whole trip to beautiful Washington state a remarkable vacation. Thanks so much and may fair winds always blow your way,

Randy and Gail Schulte, Landlubbers in Tennessee

Thank you for an unforgettable 4 days at sea, orca-whale watching.

Aloha,
Kay Uyeda & Mona Ho

(Kay and Mona have been cruising with us for the last 10 years or so!)

Thank You!!! Without you this wedding would not have been possible! You not only gave us a beautiful venue and an amazing backdrop for our celebration, you also helped with catering, lodging, logistics, the minister, and pretty much everything else! You and the entire Island Adventures Staff are simply amazing. Thank you so much!

Kris and Elaine, Salem, OR

We had the most wonderful day with Island Adventures. You guys put on a truly memorable experience — the very professional and hard working crew were quite fantastic. Captain Mike and excellent leader, Kate a fabulously enthusiastic and knowledgeable naturalist, along with Liam and Carl, made up an excellent team. The whales were the final element to a memorable day. We would recommend this tour unequivocally — quite brilliant!

James F. and Family, UK

On Monday, June 16, 2008 I was on the 3:30 tour. I want to commend the crew of that tour; they did everything they could to ensure a successful cruise, and they were indeed successful. I appreciate the extra time and effort they were willing to take to make this the most interesting whale watching tour I’ve ever been on. Thank you to the crew.

Leta E.

Just wanted you to know how much we enjoyed the trip yesterday (’08). It was everything we expected and much more. The crew was wonderful while we were on board and my disability did not create any issues for them. It was nice to feel comfortable without worrying about being in the way. The staff in the store was equally as pleasant to be around and showed extreme patience with our shopping spree. We will definitely be back. Keep up the good work!

Shirley & Shelly P., Portland, OR

Just wanted to thank you for the wonderful sunset cruise last Saturday (4/26/08). My children and I loved every second of it! Shane, Kate and Brooke were fantastic—so knowledgeable about the wildlife, especially the whales. But more importantly, they were so enthusiastic about what we were seeing. It’s hard to believe that they experience these things every day and yet are still so in awe. They gasped and cheered with the rest of us every time those whales surfaced or made a move. We have not stopped talking about it —even my teenagers! We can’t wait to come back. Thanks for everything—it was perfect in every way!!!

Judy M. from Frankfort, IL

We had a wonderful time. I wanted to personally thank Kate, our naturalist, though. She was so wonderful. She truly made the trip stand out in my mind from the many I’ve taken. I’ve traveled the country (and parts of the world) whale watching, but I’d never experienced a crew as lovely as yours! If it were possible, would you pass this message along to our naturalist in particular? I also plan on joining you in early May to see Pacific Coast resident Orcas for the first time in my life! Thank you all once again!

Tori H.

I went on a cruise today, Saturday (4/5), and just wanted to thank you for such a great trip. I grew up in the Puget Sound area and had never seen a gray whale until today. I got to see at least 4!!!!It was a great trip and I was impressed with the knowledge and friendliness of the crew. I also chose your company because I heard from my friends that you comply with the rules and don’t get too close to the whales. You ran a tight ship.

Samantha E. from Seattle, WA

I was on your whale watching tour on September 26, 2007. It was the most incredible day and I would like to extend a big thank you to all your employees. They were fantastic and the day couldn’t have been more successful. I have told many people about our experience. They plan on booking with your company in the future.

Sylvia O.

I want to thank you for the wonderful tour my daughter and I took with Island Adventures. Your staff were outstanding and made our tour the highlight of my vacation. We saw J, K and some of L pods. The Orcas gave us a show to remember! We will be back next year. We’ve already marked our calendars!

Alice V. from St. Louis, MO

We wanted to share photos from our trip 9/14. We had an AWESOME time. The new Island Explorer III is a beautiful boat! Keep up the terrific work… we will be back again!

Ron & Cheri T. and Bob & Pam J.

Thank you for another wonderful day on the water. What a knockout line up: orcas, a minke, stellar sea lions, harbor seals, eagles, harbor porpoise, turkey vulture. Pretty darn cool. And Captain Shane the naturalist! That was a first for me. What fun.

Annette C.

I am so extremely impressed with your crew. Carl, Captain; Brooke, Snacks; Drew, Naturalist; were absolutely fabulous. We were planning on going with a different charter, but they were filled up.

Coincidentally, I kept getting referred to different charters, who finally got me to you and your company. Honestly, I’m so grateful that all the other charter’s were full today, because we will always come back to your company. Tracy in the reservation office was totally awesome. She helped me and my family spend our money in your staff with class and availability of her time. In all honesty, I’m just being funny, she was great. This was my husbands’ and my 15th anniversary celebration trip and it couldn’t have gone better. We were so impressed with your staff, that we will be back every year at least 1 time. Unfortunately, we live in Portland, Oregon, so it takes us time to get up here, but it will be worth the while. I’m hoping we can stay in Anacortes next time, but we will have to find the best area. Again, thank you for such a great time and a memory that will last a lifetime.

Wayne J. from Portland, OR

I just wanted to follow up and thank you for your effort in making sure me and my family saw the Orca whales this year. We saw the whales on Aug 6 or 7th and we all had a great time. We were under tight time constraints and timing was critical in order to see Orca. Anyway, your help is much appreciated and everyone I had contact with at Island Adventures was super.

Keep up the good work and hopefully we’ll be back up again to visit.

Bill C.

Today I went on your 9 am tour and want to tell you a wonderful trip it was. I have lived in the Pacific NW for 18 years and have always wanted to go whale watching, but was “waiting” to go with someone. I decided to give myself a birthday present and went by myself. I went out with a heavy heart. But as I stood at the bow of the boat, almost the entire trip, my soul was soothed to be out in the open water with the wind, fresh air, beautiful scenery, and of course the wildlife, particularly the whales. They made me squeal like a little girl. Thank you to the crew for an awesome day!!!

Christine R. from Kent, WA

I want to thank Skipper Carl and all the crew that helped us enjoy a terrific day of whale watching yesterday. One of the reasons we always chose Island Adventures is we know they are respected for their adherence to whale watching regulations and have a sound “green” policy. We were first introduced to you by People For Puget Sound, and have been out, always with you, several times since.

Yesterday was a jewel of a day so the scenery was spectacular. Buuuut, watching the group of transient Orcas kill and feast on the Harbor Seal was a notable life-time experience. Thank you Capt’n Carl, for allowing us the time to watch until the whole ritual of killing, playing with, then devouring the Harbor Seal, played out before our eyes (eat your heart out Cap’n Shane!). We brought along a guest and we were confident that Island Adventures would be a great experience....we just didn’t know how great.

Thanks for running a terrific operation. Thanks for knowing that being generous with time, when one of nature’s great dramas is being played out, is more important than watching the clock. We’ll go whale watching again. Will it be with Island Adventures? Emphatically, yes!

Barbara L. from Camano Island, WA

At the request of my two grand kids, I am writing this e-mail. My two grand kids are visiting “Grammy and Grandpa” for a couple of weeks. They live in Reno, Nv. I decided to take them on a whale watching trip. Notice I said “I took them” as Grammy is not comfortable on the water. She would have been fine on this boat.

The boat is super nice and I can’t say enough nice things about the whole crew. They were wonderful!!

We saw lots of Orcas. So in the words of my grand kids it was an “awesome” trip.

Thanks to the crew, Captain Karl, Captain Brian, Kate and Tiffany.

Will H.

This is our second cruise this summer. Didn’t think the second could be as good as the first. WRONG. It was so different. Different boat, different crew, different whales, different weather…different WONDERFUL caring crew that made each one feel like they were special from the front desk when we checked in (bought jackets for all and Christmas tree ornaments) to the hand shake at the end…again, we WILL be back with more people…here are some pictures to prove my point…including the note I sent to Brooke whose picture you will see with my sleeping daughter and husband. Thanks again for the great day.

Jan & Norman P.

I just wanted to thank you again for the wonderful whale watching adventure we (myself and two grandsons) had on Friday, June 29th. We went out at Noon and had the opportunity to see many of the J Pod Orcas—they were so beautiful and the crew made the experience overwhelming with their knowledge and abilities…from the information about some of the wildlife we saw on the way to the Pod and then the able way that the Captain moved the boat to get the best views of the Orcas as they moved and all the information that Kate provided about the animals…it was just something spectacular. I have been wanting to go whale watching for so many years and now my dream has come true! I will gladly refer folks to you so that they can have a great experience too. “Thank you” seems inadequate but it is from the heart!

Sue Z. and grandsons

This cruise was the most spectacular day of our vacation. The crew was very helpful, knowledgeable, and kind. And all the scenery was beautiful—the eagles, the harbor seals, and all the whales. Pat and I highly recommend this cruise!!

Steve and Pat from Chiefland, FL

We just wanted to say thank you for the great trip. We got to see the orca’s the way nature intended them to be—free—and it was amazing. The crew was wonderful and went out of there way to make sure we saw all wild life. I do not take the best pictures, but I got a great one. It just shows how close you can get and still let them have their space to be orcas. Thank you once again for a life time memory.

Tammy & Dennis from Everett, WA

Hello. I would just like to send a little note to let you know how much we LOVED our trips with your company. We first would like to say your crew is spectacular. Captain Carl worked so hard especially on the second day to get us out to the whales!!!! He didn’t rush us and “stick to the time” allowed so we could see the whales and have some great time and viewing of the majestic Orca’s. We even had one of them swim right under our boat!!!!! He also has a great eye at spotting other animals and I was really impressed at all the other wildlife we saw. Your staff was polite, very knowledgeable and the tours were AWESOME!!! We would recommend your company to anyone and will definitely tell everyone we know about your company!!!!! We couldn’t have asked for a better time aboard your ship!! The whales were awesome and we have great memories to last us a lifetime!!!!! I can’t really put into words what a wonderful time we had…it just doesn’t say enough. Thanks again for such a great experience!!!!! Hope to see you all again!!!=)

Scott, Amy, Shilo and Aeryn W. from Billings, MT

We want to again express our gratitude for a most wonderful day. The trip was way more than we expected. You went overboard (pun intended) to give everyone the best possible experience. Your staff are great. They made everyone feel that they were the only people on board. You took little side stops so we could all see everything possible. We have spent many summers in the waters from Anacortes to Desolation Sound and have seen many of the animals we saw Monday. You made it all new again. I could go on and on, but by now you get the drift of our feelings. Our family is coming from California this July so we WILL be back in force with you. We want to be on your boat with the same crew as you have totally spoiled us. Thanks so much again for a wonderful day.

Norman and Jan P. from Redmond, WA

I have now returned to Wisconsin and want to thank you for the wonderful time we had whale-watching. Your crew was exceptionally friendly, interesting and helpful. They played a large part in making the trip such a success. I’ve been on many trips but never felt so comfortable with the providers. Thanks again.

Barbara I. from Wisconsin

I would like to thank you for the awesome trip! Before we set out on our trip from Wisconsin to Washington we had called to book our whale watching trip. Sam had answered the phone, and had informed us not only of Island Adventures but also information of the area, with lodging and restaurant information. He went out of his way to help us. Once we arrived we had a fantastic trip! The captain and other staff on the Island Explorer were accommodating and entertaining. We saw more than promised by your staff, and have wonderful memories. Enclosed is a picture from the November 24, 2006 trip. Please feel free to use the picture. Again Thank You!

Mike & Linda Lee W. from Wisconsin

THANK YOU for a wonderful cruise on our whale watching tour. The crew was great—they were fun, helpful, knowledgeable, attentive, and just…great! We will most definitely consider you when whale watching comes up again for our July Meeting. It was a terrific experience and folks are raving about it.

Bonnie B. from WA & Northern ID District Council of Laborers

We wanted to express our thanks to you and your crew for a very successful cruise. We really appreciated everyone’s efforts and wanted to especially say thanks to Drew and Brooke; they both did an exceptional job making our guests feel special. Thanks for everything, and we look forward to next year.

Viviano G. and Mary K. from Ferndale, WA

(this group has been using our company for at least 7 years straight)

I would like to thank you for a truly amazing tour on August 19, 2007 aboard the Island Explorer 3. This was the most beautiful boat I have ever been on! I thought the captain was hilarious and the crew was terrific! I really enjoyed meeting your naturalist Bart Rulon, and was very excited to purchase some of his photography in your shop!

Although we didn’t see any “resident” orcas up close, it was extremely exciting finding the transient killer whales at sea. I also enjoyed seeing the other wildlife, but the whales stole the show! This tour was definitely the biggest highlight of my vacation. I will be sure to come back to tour with you next summer!

Barbara B. from Lady Lake, FL

Wow! What a show! First of all, thank you very much for honoring the fluke pass. The captain and crew were great and so knowledgeable about the local wildlife and orca whales. This was my third time out and on the afternoon trip we seemed to stop in the middle of 3 pods. They were all around the boat. About the Explorer 3—what a great boat. The set up is just perfect. Extra seating all around. Nice snack bar area for the crew and all. At the end of our tour, the captain himself took our picture at the bow of the boat from the dock. I’ll have great pictures of my whale watch tour. I thought I would see one—instead we saw so many more. Amazing! Thanks so much. Orca whales do exist!!

Gloria from Mt. Vernon, WA

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