The coronavirus pandemic requires us to make significant
changes to our whale watches in order to keep our staff and passengers safe and
healthy. With so much uncertainty these days, we want to let our passengers
know what they can expect when they come out with us this season. Like everyone else, we are taking it one day
at a time, and we anticipate that guidelines and procedures may evolve as the summer
goes on.
First though, we want to make everyone aware of our
refund policy. It hasn’t changed from years past and is very generous; you are
entitled to a full refund for any reason at any time prior to your departure.
Whether your vacation plans change, you’re not feeling well, or
your boss called you in to work that day, just give us as much notice as
possible and you can either move your reservation to a different day/time or
receive a refund. Likewise, if we have to cancel a trip, you have the same
options.
We are trying to follow state and federal guidelines as
closely as possible, so some of the changes that you will see this season are:
- We will be operating at a very reduced capacity in order to provide enough space for social distancing of 6 feet between groups.
- All staff and crew members will be wearing cloth or disposable face masks at all times, and we recommend that our passengers do so as well. We are requiring face masks, which we can provide, when you are unable to maintain a distance of 6 feet from people who are not in your party (ex. when walking around the boat to use the restroom, when buying something from the galley, etc.)
- We will be cleaning and disinfecting common surfaces frequently throughout the trip. In addition to soap and running water in the restroom sinks, we will have hand sanitizer available for crew and passengers in other areas of the boat.
- Our employees will be educated about and trained in safe practices to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, and will be questioned daily about any symptoms present. As a passenger, we ask that you not come out on a trip with us if you have symptoms of COVID-19 (including fever, cough, shortness of breath).
- We are strongly recommending booking your reservation online, as this limits the amount of face-to-face contact with staff when you arrive at the harbor. If you’ve done this, you don’t need to come into our ticket office, and you will be checked in upon boarding the boat (please have your reservation confirmation available, either on your phone or printed out). Since capacity on the boat will be so limited, a phone reservation is second best, and we will accommodate any walk-ons if we can.
- The galley on the boat will have a reduced menu, with no hot food and serving only packaged food and drinks (chips, candy, bottled water, soda, beer, etc.) As always, you are welcome to bring any food or drink of your own onboard that you would like, except for alcohol and glass bottles.
- In order to maintain social distancing and good hygiene during the trip, we will likely be cancelling more trips than normal due to inclement weather, like rough seas offshore and thunderstorms. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
We are extremely thankful for the continued support of
our staff and customers as we all adjust to this new normal. Please reach out
to us if you have any questions regarding our policies or the changes we’ll be making.
We hope everyone stays safe and healthy, and we look forward to seeing everyone this summer!
