We traveled about 10 miles out and we had a whale sighting! It was a blue whale coming up for air a few times. We also saw its tail come up out of the water! It was pretty exciting. There is a chance you might not see anything. We were not real close, so don't expect to see it over the side of the boat.
The boat crew were all very helpful and knowledgeable.
Even if it's warm on land, the open ocean is quite cool, so wear a sweater and long pants. If you don't mind getting wet, stand up front. As the boat hits the swells, the water splashes up and you can get drenched, depending on how high the swells are that day. We were hitting average 3-4 foot high swells.
A word of warning about motion sickness ... you need to take the medication before you start the trip. Even if you have never been motion sick before, if someone else is sick, it might affect you, kind of like how when you see someone yawn, you need to yawn too. If you see someone hurl, you might want to hurl as well. On our trip, at least a third of the company threw up multiple times and many more felt sick. A three hour tour feels like eternity if you are sick the whole way! The crew said that it's rare for that many people to get sick.
I personally wouldn't pay for the premium. It gets you on the boat first and I think binocular rental? We paid the economy price and got to sit where ever we wanted. People moved around a lot and were very friendly and sympathetic if you were sick. We were on the smaller boat and it had 2 bathrooms on board, so that was a relief. The crew asks you to tip on the way off the boat. I did not hear that announcement, so I don't know what the tip money is used for. Or it might be to thank them for cleaning up all that puke?!! lol
I'd go again, but I don't get motion sickness. I did feel pretty whoozie for awhile, when everyone was throwing up all around me, but I sipped a little ginger ale from the on-board canteen and that calmed my stomach. The return trip was a lot more calm, we seemed to be going with the waves instead of crashing into them.
I did not take any photos, I did not know how wet or windy the ride would be, so I left my valuables in my trunk.
You should be fine to take your camera or phone, unless you are up front. You are guaranteed to get wet there.
They had good signs on where to meet. You must check in and receive a boarding pass to get on the boat.