Green Harbor Cruise Review Although I have lived in San Diego for the better portion of my life, it has not been until recently that I realized I have never truly immersed myself in the true... More

Green Harbor Cruise Review Although I have lived in San Diego for the better portion of my life, it has not been until recently that I realized I have never truly immersed myself in the true sights of San Diego. Yes, I have gone to the beaches, been to Sea World, the World Famous Zoo and the other classics, but, anything else that sounded remotely touristy, I have, until now, overlooked. However, I am moving soon and think it's time to put my pretentions aside and actually enjoy every little bit of this city. So, I am going to put myself in a tourist's shoes and live up this city as if I first came here. For my first plan of attack, I googled San Diego. After perusing the various tourist websites, I decided I wanted to start with a general overview of the city, and the bay would be the perfect place to start. I had attended Hornblower Cruises sporadically throughout middle school and high school functions and was vaguely familiar with their harbor cruises on the bay, so, I signed myself up. Initially, I did feel like a bit of an outsider- family-less, tourist gear-less, and generally out of place. In fact, I may have been the only San Diegan on board the Adventure Hornblower aside from the friendly staff, but it didn't matter because I really did have an incredible time. While on board, I learned that the Hornblower Cruise, originally known as the Harbor Cruise, recently revamped itself to become the "Green Harbor Cruise" in keeping with the eco-friendly focus of today. The narration, décor, trashcans, even cups had "gone green" and the entire ship had a fresh look and atmosphere. The narrator talked about everything from the environmental actions of the navy to the historic USS Midway to her personal favorite restaurants in Coronado, and yes, I admit it, I learned a bit more than I had expected and may have even written a few of the restaurants names down. I almost immediately forgot that here I was, sitting on a boat with about 50 families by myself, because I was so interested in her stories, walking around the multiple layers of the ship, and just generally forgetting that I was only miles from my house. The Green Harbor Tours have two separates routes, the North Route and the South Route, the latter providing views of Coronado, the coastline, and my new favorite, Naval Ships and other SpaWar technology south of the bridge. The phrase "harbor tour" may not be something a 10 year old boy gets giddy about but with the narration and up-close and personal views, I couldn't help but acting like a little boy and picturing myself part of it all. It was, in the words of a 10 year old, pretty awesome. On top of that, the new green-conscious tours could almost be enough information to interest environmental science teachers or other classes that touch on eco-friendly matters. Adding the "green" to Harbor Tours opens up an entirely new target audience for Hornblower and I know I both learned and appreciated facts about San Diego's environmental efforts. I left the cruise feeling quite proud of my new look on San Diego as my first tourist trial turned out to be a grand success. Pros: Enjoyable for every age, entertaining and informative Cons: Parking is limited
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For my wife's birthday, my sisters and I surprised her with a dinner cruise around San Diego Bay. The Dinner cruise includes champagne (one glass when you get on board), a 3 course meal (salad,... More

For my wife's birthday, my sisters and I surprised her with a dinner cruise around San Diego Bay. The Dinner cruise includes champagne (one glass when you get on board), a 3 course meal (salad, entree, and dessert) and you can upgrade as well as order things off the menu. The whole cruise goes for about 3 hours and includes dancing after dinner. The food for the most part was mediocre at best, though I was surprised to be as full as I was. We started with a caesar salad, followed by flank steak and chicken with potatoes and mixed vegetables, and finished with a raspberry cheesecake. The big thing for us was being out on the boat in the evening. Considering it was January, it was still nice enough to go out on the deck and look at San Diego all lit up. After we spent some time on the deck, we came back down where the dj was spinning. He started off well, but the random requests that he received did not make for an enjoyable mix. All in all this is certainly worth checking out- especially if you have people visiting you. Pros: Great View of San Diego Cons: Food was mediocre at best, DJ has to play a better mix of music
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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:... More

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
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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... More

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.
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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... More

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.
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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... More

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.
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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... More

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.
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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... More

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.
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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... More

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).
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