Great experience! Awesome crew! Saw whales in two different locations. Amazing! Highly recommend. read more

Croisieres AML - Boarding area - Tours Near Me

Better tour guides on the bus and boat, terrible unprofessional staff that spent most of their time requesting tips. The staff on could have highlighted so many interesting facts about the whales and how few people get a chance to encounter them. Instead the herded us along and seemed bored with the whole thing! read more

We checked in a day early at the main office and got our disclaimer form. Most people seemed to do this as they showed up on the day for the tour. All staff were helpful and friendly. Our tour was great. We saw a couple of Beluga as we set off and then nothing for 45 minutes at least. When we did we saw the rare sight of a Fin whale surface feeding. Our captain said she had only seen it 5 times in 8 years. Our boat of people were hushed as we mostly sat in silence taking photos and being amazed at being this close to the second largest animal on the planet, surpassed only by the Blue Whale. There were also Minke whales and Harbor porpoises. It was very cold on the water in May, we had on Tshirt, Sweater, Parkas and the bright orange rubber water jacket and trousers from the tour. It was still nippy with all this clothing. We had woolen hats, without the hat I would have cried. The weather was bright on the way back a couple hours later. The boat was comfy, no sea sickness and no bouncing. Information was given just as much in English for us as it was in French. All in all our patience was rewarded and we salute the whales and the crew. read more

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The tickets for whale watching are non-refundable, so be mindful of that. Arrive early to get the parking. Ample parking spots though. The instructions for lining up were confusing but somehow we found the line up and lined up. Got into the jump suit (they provide the jump suit, so there's no need to be in your jackets and full sleeves shirt, etc. as per the instructions in the ticket email) and left for whale watching. On the way to the boat, the driver of the boat who seemed very proud of driving a boat, told me something from behind in the lines of "I'm your captain, where are you running?" while I was only talking to my father. That was utterly rude and she made sure she said it in front of the public to humiliate me. And I'm sure she has the audacity to talk to me in that manner only because I'm brown. It's sad to see how people can be like this in this day and age. In the river, I noticed while the other boats were floating closer to the whales, our boat was wayyyyy farther. I would give it to lack of experience of the "captain". We did see a very few whales from very far, a bunch of sea lions and a couple of seals basking in the sun, from very far away. This whale watching company needs more experienced drivers and not just self boasting "captains". Won't recommend. read more

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Had a great whale watching experience, though most of the credit for that should go to the whales and the weather rather than Croisières AML. The boat was very comfortable (no sea sickness - though the sea was quite calm) and well equipped and the narration was top notch and perfectly bilingual in both English and French. read more

This an excellent site from where you can go for whale watching. Done it 15 years ago and there these days. AML doesn't guarantee you that whales will be in the area, but the enjoyment of being in the Saguenay St. Lawrence Marine Park aboard inflatable boat is simply indescribable 2 hours and half tour not to mention the fjord. By the way the marine mammals have so far always been at the rendez-vous. read more

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Did we get to see whales, as per the guarantee - yes we did. Did we get wet and totally miserable - that too. Not AML's fault that it was suddenly wet and miserable, in the middle of July, but them advising us that the clothes they've provided are NOT waterproof, when we are already on the zodiac - I would put some of the blame on them. So, if you happen to take the zodiac cruise (the large ship is boring, and it's not getting close to the whales), and it might rain - bring your own waterproof gear! I'm inclined to try again, under better weather conditions. read more

We decided to book this cruise through a third party website. Then we upgraded our reservation to VIP level, worried about social distancing. We were on Le Grand Fleuve boat, and not on the zodiac. Our docking station was from Baie Sainte-Catherine (remember this as l talk about the docking station). The good: VIP goes in first. VIP lounge spacious and protected. VIP has a deck they can see from with other " semi-VIPs ". VIP lunch box was tasty, terrific, and good. Service from our hostess (Maude-Audrey, or Audrey-Maude?) was incredible. Whales were active and curious that day (which always depends on how they feel). Still good view from the middle of the boat. The bad: VIP section at waiting area is not identified at all (and no one to really direct us). No surveillance truly for stairs that leads up to VIP deck, just a rope (some people snuck up there). Boat can be rocky from time to time. Parking is a 100 meters away, and uphill, in the middle of the mountains. Not wheelchair friendly. Covid restrictions: Mixed. On the good side, every worker wore masks. They were disinfecting the railings often. Workers were asking people to wear their masks. On the bad side, there is simply NO social distancing at all. It was a blessing that we upgraded to VIP as we manage to be social distant with this, and got a great service/meal, with an awesome view. Without this, l would have rated the experience between 2 and 2.5. read more

We were looking forward for this tour as whale watching was the main reason we came to Tadoussac area. We paid for a package that included a whale watching tour, helicopter flight, and few other attractions that nobody was interested in. Because of the helicopter flight, we had to start at Baie St-Catherine rather than Tadoussac, which was a bummer because there is absolutely nothing to do on this side and even getting a lunch was a challenge. Now about AML. What was really upsetting for us is the staff's attitude and total disregard for people who don't speak French. Don't get me wrong, the guide on the boat spoke English but there were zero signs in English, no explanations where to line up, where to park the car, etc. Speaking of attitude, I guess they are just tired of tourists but as a company (and the entire area) living off tourism they could certainly behave more friendly. We didn't get a single smile for the entire time, we get comments like "are you blind?", "move your car right away", etc. Also, be aware that your helicopter flight is not guaranteed if you have less than 4 people. When my mom and I showed up half an hour before our scheduled flight we were told that if another 2 people don't show up (and, apparently, it happens quite often) they wouldn't fly just the two of us. I asked if they refund us, they said no, only credit good for one year. When asked how can we use the credit if we live in Ontario, the guy replied "tough luck"... Luckily, at the last moment the other couple showed up, so we were able to fly. Needless to say, the seat next to the pilot was given to a Quebec girl even though I specifically asked to give it to my mom... The views from the helicopter were nice but they don't justify being on the wrong side of the fjord. Speaking of whale watching, make sure you book Zodiac rather than a boat, you'll get to see much more. Dress, for at least 15 degrees below the temperature on dry land. We were freezing, this is an open boat going with high speed (50-60km/hr) so it gets freezing. Basically, the trip was 45 min high speed boat ride towards the whale watching spot, 30 min whale watching, and then 45 min ride back. We left the dock at 1:30 and were back at 3:30 even though they told us it is a 3 hour trip. The boat was packed but everyone was wearing masks all the time. It was so cold that we actually appreciated having masks on. When at the whale watching spot, there were 5 other Zodiac boats there, some from AML, some from other companies. We noticed that some Zodiacs had front cover and roof - this would make the ride much more comfortable, so I suggest booking with these rather than AML. One thing I really didn't like is that when two whales started to swim away, our boat and two other boats went to a high speed chase. I don't think it's an appropriate behavior towards whales. Overall, I don't recommend AML, suggest checking other companies in the area. read more

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Dozens of white BELUGA whales, rare sightings of BLUE and FIN whales, MINKEs & HUMPBACKs....up close & personal. the GRAND SLAM of whale watching in the gulf of Saint Laurence River. All within a 3hr chase on a fast zodiac. Baie-Ste-Catherine is located 2.5hrs from Quebec City or an hr from the resort town of Le Malbaie. Also includes a look at the fjords but there was so many whales to see we ran out of time. Tres belle jour avec l' animaux magnifique! read more

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Would definitely recommend doing the Zodiac boat tour, you are able to get so much closer to the whales!! We were able to see a large group of seals, minke whales, buluga whales and 4 humpback whales!! This was the highlight of our trip, and you go again if we had the chance! read more

I saw whales! From pretty close (20-30 m)! That makes it worth while! I think that the prices could be lower (they are lower for comparable operators in Nova-Scotia for instance). The gear we received for the zodiac cruise was a bit worn out, but not too much I guess. They do have rubber boots, but not for everyone. The interpreter was nice and overall did a good job. We were taken out to the St. Laurent where all the other boats were trailing a group of whales. We also saw seals. Then they took us into the fjord, which was lovely, though no whale sightings there... Towards the end it got rainy and we went back. It was a little under 2.5 hour that were promised, but considering the rain, no one complained. read more