Catalina Flyer

We having been using this service for many years traveling to Catalina. The main boat is being repaired so the current boat is much smaller. We got to the dock an hour before departure and stood with our bicycles where we have been standing for every previous trip. When we arrived there were about 30 people in line. In the past the bicycles are loaded first by the crew. This time the owner came to us 45 minutes after we arrived and said we had to get in line with the bicycles. We have never done this before and now there were over 100 people in line. We waited for everyone to board before us. Now there were no seats available in the general section so we were told we could ride outside. Really, 7:30 am with no sun, cold, windy and we are seniors. They said we could buy VIP seating which we did. On the way back we boarded first with VIP and placed our bicycles were they told us. We then went upstairs to VIP. When the boat docked we came downstairs and were shocked at what we saw. Our bicycles were buried under 100s of pounds of luggage. See pictures. We now had to wait for everyone to remove their luggage from on top of our bicycles. We had 2 bicycles and a couple of guys each had an E-bike. One of the E-bikes had visible damage when all the luggage was removed. There was a total disregard for our personal property. When the crew was confronted they absolutely did not care about our concerns. I don’t know if there is new management or new owners but not the experience we were accustomed to. We did not recognize any of the crew on this trip.

EXCELLENT SERVICE!! EXCELLENT CREW!! We always use Catalina Flyer!! Kurt is always going the extra mile to make sure our trip is a success!! Kurt’s total communication is a huge help when needing a trip or needing a change to accommodate us Dustin was also a huge help Always making sure we were taken care of in the VIP section of the ship!! Always a great attitude!! Like I said We always use Catalina Flyer for our cruise needs to the Island Wouldn’t have it any other way!! ALL ABOARD!!!! Stow and go!!!

From beginning to end, the entire staff was so courteous and helpful. Thank you to the young man at the tour desk and special thanks to Armen. who got us to the ship with a couple minutes to spare. We drove over two hours and called due to the traffic and he gave us perfect directions on where to park and run 😀 We truly appreciate his kindness. Thank you, Team Catalina Flyer, for a wonderful and enjoyable experience! This was our very first trip to Catalina Island and certainly will not be our last!

Our experience went very well. The staff were professional and very accommodating. We were able to go in the front of the line due to an elderly/disabled person was traveling with us. The ferry left on time and arrived on time. The ferry was clean and spacious enough for all the passengers. They sold snacks and drinks on the lower deck and alcoholic drinks on the upper level. They also had a tour guide on the ferry which made it very convenient to book excursions before arriving on Catalina. Will definitely book with them again! 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

The crew of the Catalina Flyer were very professional and friendly. We did feel paying $5 for a very small container of popcorn was outrageous and the fact we stood in line for over 45 minutes to return to Newport, at the gate the salesperson wrote on our return ticket, only to find out we were supposed to be at another gate, therefore we ended up at the end of the line, with 2 small children and ended up having to sit outside on our ride home. I know this was not any fault of the crew, but I felt we should have been notified that there was a change.