My husband & I booked our 3-hour tour online with San Diego Whale Watch about 2-3 months out since we knew the date we wanted to go. Our particular tour (a Friday AM in early April 2015) was nearly sold out. Although we didn't see any whales on our tour, it was still very much a worthwhile tour. You obviously can't control Mother Nature, as we've been following them on Facebook & have seen pics of whales from recent tours. On our tour, we saw many pods of different dolphin species along with several seals & many species of birds. Amazing scenery of the coast as well. We were able to go out into the Pacific Ocean the furthest either of us had ever been, & it was such an awesome, peaceful experience to enjoy the world from that point of view. That 3 hours really went by quickly. The tour crew is all very friendly & provided informative narration about the sea life during the tour. As far as the tour boat, you can enjoy the tour from indoors or outdoors on the bottom or outdoors from the top level. Bring/wear your sunscreen, especially if you plan to enjoy the cruise tour outdoors. There is a small snack counter available on the bottom level (CASH ONLY) where you can purchase sandwiches, candy, snack items, & beverages (including beer & wine) during the tour. Restroom facilities are available on board the boat. Don't forget your camera! (Because we didn't see whales on our tour, we were all given 1/2 price vouchers to return on a future whale watch tour. We plan to return within the coming year!)