We had a wonderful whale watching experience. We were blessed with beautiful skies, warm temperatures, and smooth seas. You board the boat right next to the New England Aquarium on Long Wharf. This high speed catamaran went out about 30 miles toward the Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary. We saw more whales than I ever would have imagined. They stopped counting at 40 whales. We saw humpback, fin, and Minke. Several of the whales were right next to our boat. We were able to get some amazing pictures and we even saw a whale breech the water. I got some great shots on my cell phone, but it would probably be better to bring a better camera (we got lucky with some whales right next to the boat). The cruise out and back took more than an hour each way. We spent more than 90 minutes watching the whales. We began boarding the boat at 9:30 am, took off a few minutes after 10:00 and returned to the dock just before 2:00. Plan on a solid 4 hours. The onboard naturalist from the aquarium was wonderful. She explained about whales and what to expect on the way out, narrated during the experience, and walked around and answered questions on the way back. We sat at a booth which was nice, however, you can't plan to stay there during the actual whale watching experience because people squeeze into the narrow area between the windows and rail blocking the view. Once we stopped to view the whales, people tend to rush to one side of the boat or the other depending on where the whales are. We found that if you just remained at the rail, you will eventually see whales on your side of the boat. You are out there long enough for everyone to get a good siting. We went on a 75 degree day, but when the boat is moving, if you are outside, it gets pretty chilly. Make sure to have a jacket or sweatshirt. There are restrooms and there is a snack bar on board, but it is pricey. They let you bring your own snacks and drinks, which I would advise. I would also recommend sunscreen. If you have young kids, you might want something to occupy them on the cruise over and back. I saw some families playing cards or kids coloring. I know that we were lucky to see so many whales which is unusual, but the whole experience was well organized and well done. If you don't see whales, they give you a voucher to return (the voucher never expires). My family really enjoyed this excursion. Just a note for people who are cautious or worried about it, we did not see any Covid precautions. I only saw a handful of people in masks inside the cabins, no one was cleaning/sanitizing, we did not see any hand sanitizer, and there were hundreds of people onboard packed very closely together. It did not negatively affect us, but I know some other people onboard were upset/concerned.