San Diego

Best of the Bay 90-Minute Harbor Tour in San Diego

San Diego, USA

San Diego Two Hour Harbor Cruise and Sea Lion Adventure

1 hour 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

See San Diego from a marine vantage point on this 90min harbor cruise, including a look at the marina, seabirds and potential sea lion sightings. Listen to live narration from your captain and enjoy for-purchase snacks from the onboard snack bar.

San Diego harbor cruise
Close-up views of Point Loma, The U.S. Naval Fleet and Submarine Base and more
Crew narrates the local points of interest
Tour the beautiful San Diego Bay on a Coast Guard certified yacht
Multiple departure times to fit your schedule.

What's Included

90min narrated San Diego Harbor Tour
Full Snack bar with Hot and Cold items available for purchase
All taxes and fees

Beverage Service (cash bar available)
Cocktails and Soft Drinks

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

San Diego, CA 92132, USA
Boarding: Pier 2. Parking: City Cruises does not own or operate any parking lots in the area. Local metered Parking is available for Pier 1 on both sides of North Harbor Drive. For Pier 2, ACE Parking lot on the pier next to the USS Midway Museum.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Make your way to the pier 2 at 970 N. Harbor Drive at least 30 minutes before your cruise's departure time; multiple departure times are available to fit your schedule. Step aboard the ship and make yourself comfortable for the ride, which spans 90min and passes many local points of interest.

Listen to insightful commentary from your guide as you pass landmarks such as the Cabrillo National Monument, the U.S. Naval Fleet and Submarine Base, Shelter Island, Harbor Island, and Point Loma. You'll likely see some California sea lions along the way. Step up to the onboard snack bar to purchase some hot or cold items while you cruise. Return to the pier after the cruise.

Cabrillo National Monument (Pass By)

Shelter Island (Pass By)

Coronado Bridge (Pass By)

Petco Park (Pass By)

USS Midway Museum (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Access to outer decks is via stairs only, and not wheelchair accessible.
Ages 3 and under are free
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible

Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 99 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.0

220 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 220 reviews

San Diego Vacation

Sandra_M, Mar 2024

My two daughter's, my niece, and I went on th harbor cruise. We had a great time. I loved the view of the ocean and sky line from a far. I loved going under the bridge.

Great way to see the bay

Benjamin_S, Mar 2024

The captain and first mate provided a wonderful narrative to the tour. Very informative and enjoyable

Great floating tour

Blake_D, Mar 2024

Great narration by captain and first mate, plus close up sightseeing of seals, sea lions, great historical insight, and navy ships, boats and aircraft. Just the right amount of time.

Best of the bay tour

Lydia_L, Mar 2024

Such amazing views! The crew made us very comfortable. My husband uses a walker and they made usre to be very helpful to us. Tour guide was very informative.

Information from the...

Ken_K, Feb 2024

Information from the narrators about all the sites was most interesting. The pace of the tour and the area covered were just right.

Harbour cruise on Valentine's Day.

Vicky_F, Feb 2024

I enjoyed seeing the Mercy Hospital ship and hearing the stories of the ships in the port. It was cold so we chose to sit inside. The problem being is that they servers were setting up for the Valentine Dinner cruise after ours. They were putting out all the place settings and chocolate on the table and we felt like we were intruding on their space. I think this should have waited until our cruise was finished. We didn't even get asked if we needed a snack or a drink. I have done harbor cruises before and we could purchase drinks and snacks but we weren't given the opportunity on this one. Very disappointed with this tour.

Great San Diego Bay Tour!!

Brian_K, Feb 2024

This was a beautiful, informative journey around San Diego Bay, narrated by two experienced skippers who obviously love their city and their jobs! The onboard service was totally online via a scanned QR code, and it worked just fine for us. Definitely worth it to see this great city and learn about its history and character!!

Outstanding educational tour!

Bonnie_T, Jan 2024

The views from the boat were outstanding. A lot of history relayed during the 90 minutes which we found very fascinating. Lots of military bases, ships, helicopters etc. Most of the bases still active. We had a glass of wine and many people had snacks which you pay for at the time you order. The crew were very friendly and offered their services. A picture is taken prior to the cruise for purchase at the end of the tour. We’d go again!

On the bay of San Diego

JEROME_B, Jan 2024

I enjoyed taking this tour of the harbor. Would recommend it to anyone visiting San Diego and looking to enjoy the the bay and learn about the city.

Stunning encounter highly recommend

Lisa_R, Dec 2023

This was such a great experience! I highly recommend this tour!!! It was very informative and stunning views of the bay and all that is available to see. We got to see the sun go down on the way back in!!!

Fantastic scenery and history

Catherine_M, Nov 2023

This was a fantastic tour. We learned so much about the military operations in San Diego as well as the variety of imported goods. Bananas rule! The crew was so friendly and attentive. Food and drink on board was very good. May not be too kid friendly unless they are old enough to appreciate history. Kids want to run and not a good idea on a boat!

San Diego Harbor Tour

David_P, Nov 2023

Awesome views and great narration provided during the trip! Staff was friendly, knowledgeable, and welcomed questions from the guests. A fun way to spend time with the family out on the water.

Not the boat in the photos.

Eric_R, Nov 2023

The boat in the photos is not the boat you will take. Closed top, not an open deck. Caption cut off a sail boat and almost wrecked then smashed into the bait docks disturbing all the seals and sea lions. When asked why the boat was different they said it is what it is! You can get off and go get a refund. Kind of a bummer for our 75th surprise bday party.

Great afternoon cruise

Rickey_L, Oct 2023

The beautiful sights of the bay. The view of the navy stuff was great. We really enjoyed the cruise.

Highly recomeneded!

Leodegario_O, Oct 2023

We had so much. This is how we celebrate my son's 16th birthday and he was so happy with the experience plus the narrator is funny.

Excellent tour and narration

Linda_H, Oct 2023

Such a great tour of San Diego Bay complete with current and historical information. Definitely recommend it.

Awesome!

Stephanie_L, Oct 2023

It was a great experience. So neat to see San Diego Bay from a different perspective. The Narrator was great and very informative. Thank you!

An Exceptional San Diego Experience I would highly recommend!!

Steven_F, Sep 2023

An extremely relaxing and very well informative cruise. Very appreciated and an experience We would do again! Thank You!!

Amazing crew & captain

Shalece_C, Sep 2023

Captain Jose, First Officer Dave, and crew members helped us make this cruise magical and memorable by assisting my boyfriend in pulling off a unique surprise engagement! We Highly recommend this crew and tipping the captain well. ;) Beautiful views and great narration.

Horrible experience.

Kaye_I, Sep 2023

This is the worst Viator Tour I've ever purchased, and we have taken many throughout the world! We took the tour for my sister-in-law visiting CA from Japan, and it was a huge disappointment. First, the boat appears old, outdated, and rusty. Second, there were too many on board- it was crowded. Third, the first floor seats are all inside and it was hot! Not all the windows opened!!! Fourth, the bars on the first and second decks were not open, and the only people getting served seemed to be on the upper deck. When I went up to the third deck, and went to the inside bar area, I was asked to leave!!! They said they were too backed up to take my order. We were very thirsty and no way to get drinks- and it is advertised that you can purchase drinks and snacks on the tour! Fifth, they took us north for an hour, then returned to the dock and let people off that had purchased a one hour cruise, then allowed others to get on for another hour cruise South. There was no mention of this when I purchased the tickets. Sixth, the cocktails were not good. The only good thing was the history provided during the cruise IF u could hear it!! It was overcrowded and people were talking and making lots of noise. I would appreciate our money back from Viator. Makes me question future bookings.

...