Student Preparation
Preparing your students in advance and letting them know what to expect is essential to enhancing their experience on your whale watching trip!
Pre-trip lesson plans (as well as supplemental post-trip lesson plans) are saved on our website which you can access at www.newportwhales.com/school.html
What to Bring
On the day of your program, the teacher must bring:
- Manifest, filled out completely with the names of all students, teachers, and chaperones, along with emergency contact phone numbers. You will need to bring a hard copy with you and give this to the front desk when you arrive to check in.
- Your remaining balance (if applicable) needs to be paid (via check, cash, or credit card) on your departure date.
Permission slips/waivers/ etc. will not suffice for the manifest. This information needs to be left at the front office as you are boarding the vessel.
Please note that upon check in, if you have less passengers than you reserved for, we cannot issue you a refund, but we will give you whale watching passes to return for those you’ve paid for but did not show up.
Recommendations for students to come prepared with:
- Closed toed shoes
- Water bottle and a snack
- Sun protection, such as sunscreen and a hat
- Light jacket
- Camera (recommended)
- Cash if students want to purchase light snacks or drinks from the galley
- If students are prone to sea sickness, please suggest that they take Bonine or Dramamine at least one hour before heading out on the water.
We strongly suggest checking the weather beforehand and dressing accordingly. It can get cold out on the water.
Please do not bring the following: glass containers, outside alcohol, hard plastic coolers, and strollers.
Making Changes
We ask that once you’ve called in and made a reservation, please give us a call at 949-675-0551 x 118 in order to cancel or make any changes to your trip head count, departure time or date.
If we are not notified of any passenger cancellations at least a three days in advance of your trip, you will be held responsible to pay for the original number of passengers you reserved for. We will give you whale watching tickets to return at a later date for those you’ve paid for but did not show up for the trip.
Any additions to your head count is based upon our availability, same day additions or toddlers/passengers not counted in your original reservation that show up on the day of the trip may not be able to be accommodated due to our capacity limit onboard and other open party reservations.
Payment & Deposits
We require a 50%, non-refundable deposit is due two weeks from the time you called to book your scheduled trip. If you are calling with less than two weeks notice to book your cruise, we will require a 50% non-refundable deposit due on that day to hold your spots, unless otherwise discussed during booking.
You must put down a 50% deposit to reserve your trip date. This deposit payment must be received 14 days after you’ve called to book your scheduled trip program date. The rest of your payment is due in the office when you check in on the day of your trip.
You may pay the deposit by check or credit card. To pay by credit card over the phone, please call Jessica Roame at 949-675-0551 x118. We do also take checks and purchase orders to cover your deposit.
Scheduling Buses
Teachers are responsible for arranging and scheduling bus transportation for their program. Please plan to have your bus arrive at either Newport Landing or Davey’s Locker Whale Watching at least 30min prior to your departure time. If your bus is late, your cruise program may need to be shortened.
Groups are welcome to eat lunch near the Balboa pier or on the beach (across the street from Davey’s Locker) if you would like to extend your stay in Newport.
Cancellation Policy
Davey’s Locker & Newport Landing requires a 50% deposit to hold your cruise date(s) and reserve the boat for your group. This deposit must be received at least two weeks before your cruise. If you have already committed to a trip date and have signed the agreement form, but you have to cancel your trip date, as long as you notify us before your 50% deposit is due, there will be no penalty.
If you have to cancel the trip completely after you have already paid your deposit, it is non- refundable but transferable. We can carry over the amount you paid towards another trip in the future date, as long as this cancellation notification is at least 3 business days before your departure date.
If you call with less than 3 business days’ notice to cancel a whale watching cruise, then we cannot issue you a refund for the 50% deposit, and it will not be transferable toward another date.
You must call in to cancel a program; no emails.
If you decide to cancel a scheduled trip, please contact: Jessica Roame: 949-675-0551 x118
Newport Landing: 949-675-0551
Inclement Weather Policy
Our Whale Watching cruises will go out rain or shine. Typically, in case of inclement weather, and you are already here or on the boat, we will perform a modified harbor and sea lion cruise inside Newport Harbor.
Occasionally, if conditions look rough and unsafe (high winds, rough seas, and high swells), our captain may make the call to cancel the trip. If this looks like a possibility, we will contact you as soon as we’re notified of poor weather, to discuss rescheduling.
If you have any questions or concerns about possible bad weather as your program is approaching, please contact Jessica Roame at 949-675-0551 x118 or by emailing jessica@newportwhales.com.
On the Day of Your Cruise
Directions & Parking
We have two storefronts on the Newport Beach Harbor, one at Newport Landing 309 Palm St. Suite A, Newport Beach 92661, and the other is at Davey’s Locker 400 Main St, Newport Beach 92661.
They are a two min. walk away from each other along Edgewater Street.
If you are curious as to which location your group should check into, please scroll back to the conformation email under “Additional Information” your check in address should be listed there.
The best directions are available on the Davey’s Locker website:
https://daveyslocker.com/contact-us-directions/
For Buses:
Bus parking is located to the right on Palm St in the Balboa Municipal Parking Lot (the lower area highlighted in green on the map). On their website, the City of Newport Beach states that buses will be charged $50 (24 passengers or less) or $100 (25 passengers or more), but often, our schools have found that the first few buses that enter the parking lot are free of charge.
It is recommended that the bus goes directly to the parking area to drop off students, instead of attempting to navigate the narrow streets and tight turns to drop off directly in front of Davey’s Locker. Once parked, students can walk over to the Davey’s Locker office (the red star on the map).
Some buses have also chosen to park at the Pavilion’s grocery store located on Newport Blvd.
For Cars:
The best parking location is also the Beach parking lot, which allows for all-day parking. Parking
May-September is $1.75 per hour with a $17.50 daily maximum and October-April is $1.20 per hour with a $18 daily maximum.
What Happens if We’re Running Late?
Traffic happens! If you anticipate that you might arrive late on the day of the cruise, please contact the staff ASAP.
Jessica Roame: 949-675-0551 x 118
Davey’s Locker: 949-674-1435
Newport Landing: 949-675-0551
If you are receiving this information and will not be in attendance it is your responsibility to forward this information to the primary adult that will be onboard with the students on the scheduled trip date.