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    Island Packers Cruises

    4.0 (39 reviews)

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    Island Packers boat
    Soo H.

    We booked a half day tour of Channel Islands National Park with Island Packers. The Channel Islands are made up of Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara. The trip from Oxnard to Anacapa took about an hour. Loved the boat ride which was full of ocean spray and bumps as we were going into the waves. The highlight of the cruise was checking out the Anacapa Island Lighthouse. Constructed in 1912 it was the last major lighthouse built on the west coast. Built on the easterly entrance to the Santa Barbara Channel the light could be seen from 20 miles away. We spent about a half hour touring just the Oxnard facing side of Anacapa. Then it was about an hour to return to Oxnard. While I had a great time I think the half day tour of the Channel Islands would have been awesome if we had visited all the islands and spent more time viewing the islands versus just getting to the islands and back. The staff of Island Packers were nice and helpful. Boat was well run and nice to be on.

    Inside the boat
    Anastacia M.

    The best way to get to the Channel Islands! These folks have great services and a comfortable ship stocked with snacks coffee and beer. The crew and head crew master Garron are efficient and friendly. They slowed to show us several schools of Dolphins on the way. They even have seasick remedies for newbs. Book way ahead for weekends because they fill up fast!

    The Painted Cave - 2nd largest sea cave in America
    Matthew G.

    We had a great time on our combo cruise to Santa Cruz Island: Prisoners Harbor and the Painted Cave. My wife is very prone to sea sickness, so was very apprehensive -- and, indeed, the cruise was a bit too long and bumpy for her tastes, with very few "seasick friendly" seating options (outdoors with a good view of the horizon. We found a couple side-facing ones that worked... but then we ended up being in a "splash zone" that ended up getting us thoroughly drenched before we decided to head indoors and brave the motion sickness as opposed to the cold wind and wetness outside) Other than that, everything was smooth sailing -- and despite rougher-than-ideal conditions, my wife soldiered through (and the captain also seemed very good at navigating rough waters), and we even got nice calm waters inside the very cool Painted Cave. We also enjoyed seeing the pod of playful dolphins that joined us for some "wake surfing" We had planned on hiking a bit on the island, but the steep trails and warmer than expected weather made us spend more time hanging out at the shore with the crystal-clear waters (wish I had actually brought swimming gear and maybe even snorkel!) All in all, it was a long and tiring day, but an enjoyable one.

    A sick customer in the snack bar. Note the torn cushion by the soda can.
    Rob S.

    Well, remember the term from the popular TV show..."a three hour tour?" My trip with Island Packers Cruisers on August 15th was horrible. The sea was rough and the tiny boat named Vanguard, which is not shown in any literature was going to fast, creating an VERY uncomfortable race to the Channel Islands. I witnessed several people fall to the wet deck, my 70 year old wife one of them. I was swept off my feet, despite holding onto the chrome guard rail which were few in number and landed crashing my knees against the side of the boat. It hurt. I saw people turn green and become sick. I managed to get from the front of the boat to the snack cabin, in the rear, where I sat for the remainder of the trip on torn cushions nursing my knees and a massive headache. I couldn't care less when we reached the Channel Islands, I just wanted off this horrible trip... Never again...never again. Future visitors, be AWARE you not getting the big beautiful ship you see in their ads, rather a small, ill equipped boat lacking necessary hands rails. Too many ill people of all ages. This three hour tour was HELL.

    One of the boats that gets you to the Channel Islands.
    Ania K.

    Exploring the Channel Islands! This was my second trip to another Channel Island upon an Island Packer boat and excited to share my experience! This time we ended up on Anacapa Island. 1 of 8 islands. Very different from the first island we visited which was Santa Cruz Island. Anacapa has just over 2 miles of walking trails which means you can see the entire thing in just a few hours. The perfect half-day experience! The boat ride will last just under an hour. You can depart from Ventura or their second location in Oxnard. I recommend taking the first boat out early in the morning for two reasons; one is to enjoy the volcanic island without full sun for a few hours as you'll begin the day with early morning mist and cooler temps and secondly to still have half of your day left upon your return. Boat sizes may vary depending on the time of year you travel & which island you choose to visit. The boats we have been on were both substantial in size, comfortable & clean. Staff is great and both experiences went without a hitch. If you're interested in exploring these islands there are only 3 ways to get to them, by private boat, small aircraft or Island Packers. The boat offers restrooms and a snack bar. Looking forward to hopefully exploring a new island once COVID restrictions lift.

    View from the back of the boat!
    Trey K.

    Whale watching perfection! We just returned (March 10, 2022) from an amazing 3-hour cruise with Captain Jason and his first mates Brittaney and Brittaney! We saw sea lions, seals, hundreds and hundreds of dolphins, and four different groups of whales... some of which fully breeched out of the water! Our crew was informative throughout the tour, and and ecologically sensitive vibe. We loved it and highly recommend it!

    Anacapa Island

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    8 months ago

    Came from far away to go. Cancelled by email at 10:00 the night before. No replacement, no booking another day.;(

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    2 years ago

    Staff is great.. and knowledgeable. I was pleased to chose to go w Island Packers!!!! The staff is

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    They were excellent with their organization and friendliness of the staff as well as making sure that we were safe while in their care.

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    We love these trips. Always efficient, friendly and fun. The boats are clean and safe.

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Had to file a dispute to get my promised refund back. No I will not be booking with them in the future

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    Ask the Community - Island Packers Cruises

    What's the likelihood of getting on the boat as a standby? When we bought our tickets the outbound didn't go through only inbound back and it's all shown as sold out now. I filled out the online form. Has anyone seen standby in person/day of?

    I am sorry I can't really answer this question. I can tell you from our experience a week ago, the boat was fully packed, and there were no stand by passengers boarding. Everyone had pre-purchased tickets in hand. You may want to contact them and… Read more

    What can I bring on a whale watching excursion as far as food and drink?

    You can bring any of your own food or drink, except alcohol. They serve beer, wine and seltzers if you want to purchase some. Most people bring a sack lunch

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Island Packers Cruises

    The reservations were easy to make for our day trip to Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park.

    Mentioned in 11 reviews

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    Scarlett Belle Event Harbor Cruises - Outside seating

    Scarlett Belle Event Harbor Cruises

    (58 reviews)

    This is long due review. You should be WARNED that whatever is discussed with MICHELLE! If it's not…read morewritten even if she VERBALLY says it. She is not up to her word. she will change her mind Problem is that she is very moody and changes her mind instantly including the day of your event. Could even cancel your event! She doesn't care! Apparently has done that before! She also gets involved during your event as if she's the " event planner" when her outfit is not a fit or appropriate and should be dressed more properly! At least you're the owner and the least you can do is DRESS PROPERLY! Even if the space is nice, you don't want to deal with the headache and stress with this lady. Do yourself favor and find something else! RUN I was helping my friend find a venue for an engagement and unfortunately she stumbled upon this one because of the pictures! Again don't be fooled! IT WAS booked unfortunately Some things that were AGREED Upon before signing the contract were changed! Including the day of the event. It was agreed there florist can arrive early to set up. As I was helping the florist set up. Only certain number of people were allowed to get in! We were given at least one hour before contract was signed and she declined that the day of the event. so to save time, we needed more people to set up before guests were allowed to come inside. So she has her workers count and say only this amount of people are allowed and they were asking people That were setting up to leave ! EXCUSES ME! When are we gonna finish setting up if you didn't allow us the time there you had AGREED ON! That caused unnecessary confusion to the guests and stress for the bride and groom. It was also discussed that you are able to use the upstairs room for the prayer until the bottom one is ready as she had another event in the morning before our event and again we're not allowed to get in one hour before as she had agreed so had to rush and set up. Well! Guess what happened. When guests arrived. She only allowed certain number of people go inside when these people have driven for hours to respect the bride and groom. She left them outside until the main event started Downstairs. Why did it matter is my question! Why MICROMANAGING EVERYTHING. MICROMANAGING AT ITS FINEST! few days before the event, MORE surprises with additional charges that had never been clearly communicated beforehand. Even simple technical requests came with unexpected costs and restrictions, making coordination unnecessarily complicated. It was asked from a DJ to come as the sound system there wasn't going to be the best. When she was informed, she YELLED at the person over the phone and refused! The DJ apologized saying I'm sorry that you have to deal with this. He refunded saying good luck dealing with this human being! Communication with management ( MICHELLE) was inconsistent and at times unprofessional. After asking for an inappropriate offer from the bride, the tone noticeably shifted, and flexibility became minimal. This made the planning process more difficult than it needed to be. This is a business! I don't understand how It's run when the customer is always treated this horrible! How is she still in business! It surprises me! To add to the frustration, one of our event items was "discarded" the very next day without any notice or opportunity for pickup -- something that should not happen when dealing with personal property. We were told we threw it away! Ummm obviously it's ours and we're entitled to it and clearly brought it with us. So what I think is that she kept it to use for her future guests and overcharge because that's her motto! You paid for the food and any left over she kept and there was lots of it! Probably to treat her staff or for herself in the expense of other people. Unsure why! Even the cake! I'm so confused! If it wasn't tight with timing! We would have chosen another venue! NEVER AGAIN.

    We had a beautiful holiday event here that we may well repeat. It was a round success. A little…read morechallenging to plan but my time was limited. Incredibly beautiful, quaint and perfect for a party of 50. Food was delicious.

    Island Packers Cruises - boating - Updated May 2026

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