groupe dufour cruises

First trip in 2013, we saw 5 species and had a wonderful day on the water. This time around, not so many species, but the ones we did see were much closer to the boat. We opted to pay a bit extra for the reserved seating in the big boat. Well worth the extra cost, as you've got an enclosed cabin in which to sit, with easy access to the deck should the whales come close. The service was excellent, and the guide information on the boat very informative.

We really enjoyed the cruise itself. The boat was nice with snacks, indoor and outdoor seating, and good commenting (though the sounds system in the lower seating was pretty bad, so couldn't hear what was being said there). We enjoyed the chance to see several whales.A main complaint is the way the visit is organized. The set up is to check in at an office about two kilometers from the dock, park there, and be ferried by bus to the dock. Fair enough because there is not enough parking at the dock. But they ask people to arrive much too early (45 minutes in advance), so there is a lot of waiting around on the dock. Worse, since they only have a small mini-van to shuttle people, after the trip if you don't push to get in line (which we didn't) you wait half an hour or more until the mini-van shuttles all the customers to the car park.

We booked the Tadoussac III "zodiac" style boat and were glad we picked this rather than the more sedate large craft - a lot of the enjoyment came from the journey as much as the whales themselves.We were lucky to see a couple of humpback and a minke, the first humpback was with us and around us for 20 minutes or so and we had excellent viewing of it. The other two whales were more fleeting but overall the trip was still an awesome adventure - not just for the privilege of seeing the beautiful animals at close hand but to experience the majesty of the St Lawrence river, several miles wide at this point.Of course it helped that we had perfect weather with beautiful blue sky and no wind, but the overall experience of being in the location was worth the trip.You have to go with realistic expectations and you can't guarantee what the whales will do, but it is an experience you should take if you have the chance.Dufour cruises were good enough, I didn't expect too much from what is clearly a big money spinner in a tourist honey pot and I wasn't surprised, either positively or negatively, with the service they provided.We drove up from Quebec and had booked the 13:15 cruise from Baie St Catherine, rather than making it all the way to Tadoussac which relies on the ferry and possible delays - the boat starts in Tadoussac and then picks up 15 minutes later in BSC before heading out to the middle of the channel to track the whales. In fact there are three ferries that run continuously across the fjord to Tadoussac so there was no problem with traffic queues when we went, so we changed our ticket to board in Tadoussac itself and drove the extra distance.We took seats at the side of the boats "cockpit", about half way along (on the right side) by the lifebelt, which meant we got quite a lot of spray on the way out but it meant that when we reached the whales we could stand on the seats and hold the rail on the cockpit to look over the heads of everyone in front for an excellent view of the whales.I'd also very highly recommend combing the whale watching with an evening visit to "lac de Jimmy", 8 KM further NE along main road (look for the teepee on the right opposite the lake) where you can spend an hour in a hide captivated by watching black bears in the forest as the sun goes down. (Nothing to do with dufour but close enough to combine the trips). The bears were a great end to the wildlife spotting day, especially watching the two young cubs climbing a tree whilst the mother checked the area for safety ! The bear watching requires a reservation, but we called them at 10 in the morning for an evening viewing and had no problem.

We went whale watching, as one does in Tadoussac. As we have children and were concerned about cold weather, we booked the larger boat tour. There were maybe 50 others. We were out there for three hours and saw five seconds of whales in the distance. I suppose whale watching is something everyone must do in their lifetimes. For us, once is enough.

The 3 hour whale watching safari was the highlight of our recent holiday in Canada. We considered the zodiac boats, but eventually decided on the larger Le Famille Dufour vessel and for us this was the right choice.The larger boat enabled us easily get the perfect viewing angle for the whales and seal which we saw, as well as taking some shots of the family too.The guide on our cruise was very knowledgeable and saw every whale first. As well as being able to identify all the whale types and many individuals, she was also able to tell us when they were going to dive, so we we're able to catch the moment on film.During the cruise we saw hump back, minky, baluga and fin whales, several of these came close to the boat and we we're lucky enough to a number of whales dive, awesome.The experience was first class, but the standard of all the cruises seemed to be very high, making this a great destination for whale watching.Well worth the experience and good value for money

We booked a combo deal with our hotel, Hotel Tadoussac to get a reduced rate. Included was approx. 3 hour whale watching tour and 5 hour Fjord Tour. Whale Watching Tour I would highly recommend as it was a lot of fun. The guide spoke 3 languages and was energetic as we spotted Beluga Whales, Blue Fin Whales, Minke Whales, Mini Porpoise Whales, a giant school of seals swimming and the highlight of 2 humpback whales named Snow White and Gaspe. On the hour hand, the Fjord Tour would be something I would skip. It's 5 hours long with an one hour pitstop. You see the Virgin Mary on the route back. They played Ava Marie as we were in front of the statue. While at the Pit Stop, with only an hour to use. We found ourselves in a restaurant. With only 40 minutes left before departure, we were not served but seated at a table with a countdown to the departure time. First time in my history I have walked out of a restaurant. Looking at the food, the magic price on the menu is $15. Though I would say 4 or 5 messages are precorded for us to listen to at strategic spots, there isn't much in the form of entertainment. Guests seemed bored and were jumping around places to sit just to stretch. In fact, some guests fell asleep. Sadly, and maybe this is normal as there may not be much to say about the Fjord, the same pre-corded messages are played back as we pass by the same locations on the way back. It appeared to me, and I felt the same way... many of us were glad to be back. The seating was uncomfortable and it was generally noisy with engine noise. I wouldn't recommend the kids for this tour as the few that were on board ranged from toddlers to teens. Like me, they were really bored listening to their mobile devices to keep themselves occupied. If you were to ask me... enjoy the whale tour, but skip the Fjord Tour.

I also was nervous about booking a cruise after reading reviews, but my family found the experience to be positive overall. Effectively you need the weather, whales, and captain to cooperate; understandably, there will be instances when one or more of these are lacking.We drove from Quebec City to Baie St. Catherine for the 1:15 cruise on the Tadoussac III. The trip was an easy 3 hour drive. We pulled into the parking lot at the suggested hotel nearly an hour early, and were immediately greeted by the tour's staff. They confirmed our reservation and gave us clear instructions. We enjoyed a quick lunch, and then the shuttle arrived and drove us to the dock as planned. The Zodiac was a bit bigger than expected but still sat close to the water. We donned waterproof gear and headed into the river basin. Yes, the ride out was windy, cold, and wet - as expected. The guide did provide commentary in both French and English. He did socialize more in French with other passengers. But hey - the dude speaks French. And he was happy to answer any question in English. Agree that he was difficult to impossible to hear while the boat was moving. He should have a megaphone, or just limit commentary to while the boat is stopped. The ride is beautiful, and its really awesome to be near the North Atlantic, especially if you're from the USA's heartland. We happened to see about 20 sightings of 2 species of whales, but obviously this will be unique to each trip. The captain did a reasonable job trying to get as close as possible, and in some cases we were within 50' or so of massive blue fin's. Again, there is no guarantee where they will surface, or which side of the boat they will appear. As others said, the tour ended a bit early for us. After getting battered in the wind for a few hours, this was fine with us. I suspect that if whale sightings were limited, they would push the tour to the full time. But with a reasonable number of sightings achieved and tourists starting to sit down, the guide makes the call to wrap up the trip.My opinion is that if you want a unique experience in a unique setting, this company will do a fine job achieving this goal. If you're family wants to see guaranteed sea creatures up close and personal, then you should probably just go to a marine park.

We went on a whale watching boat once from Cape Cod, saw nothing and was a waste of time. This time the boat is medium size, water is more shallow and the whales are plentiful. The sight of whales feeding is magnificent. The staff is helpful in explaining the area of St. Lawrence river and the habitat for whales. The drive up to Tadoussac was pretty and the ferry ride was interesting and efficient. We went on a bigger boat before but it was slower and took longer to manoeuvre. The smaller craft would get you wet. We really enjoyed the medium size boat (we had about 50 people on our boat) and had a good view of the whales. Definitely worth the price.

Good facility. It was a sunny day and we took the large boat instead of the inflatable craft - Zodiac Style. The commentary was both in English and French. Thoroughly enjoyable experience for the family.

I'm glad that I didn't consider these reviews before we decided to do this. We had an amazing time and thought the company did a great job. We went on the large boat (capacity 250 passengers) and found it a perfect size for us, comfortable, and in great shape. I mention this because there is an option for a much smaller craft but you need to know that you will be sharply tossed and soaked. We watched some of the small craft out there and I was (beyond words) grateful that I wasn't on one but, hey, if you are a thrill seeker, you would probably love it. We had so much fun and were excited to see 15-20 whales of 3 species! And each sighting usually gave you 2-3 opportunities to see the whale. Wow! The crew was great, including our guide who generated excitement with her excitement, announcing in 3 languages (French, English, and Spanish). She also did general instructions about the different whales with all kinds of interesting information between sightings. Everyone was into it and sometimes a fellow passenger spotted one first. It was good child like fun running from one side of the boat to the other (along with everyone else) to see a whale at 10:00 or 3:00 or 1:00! The best viewing was on the outside deck so dress warmly; we went in July and froze in hooded sweatshirts. But the important thing is to go! We just loved it!

What a terrible experience! Yes, we did see a couple of whales, but nothing we hadn't seen from our campsite. The boat trip is long and cold (not hteir fault!). Groupe Dufour is a money-making machine that doesn't care for the quality of their cruises. They were supposed to pick us up with their shuttle, but never showed up. We walked to their office and got smelly clothes. The zodiac is not a real zodiac, but a big boat. On that day, the boat was overbooked and some people didn't even have a place to sit. The guide was pretty useless and most people couldn't even hear what he was saying. And last but not least, the captain of the boat was smoking during the excursion. Groupe Dufour, with this kind of service, it's pretty disgusting that your boats even fill up.

I think it's fair to say that if you have at least semi-decent weather and see lots of whales, you'll have an amazing time. In our case, it was a calm, sunny day but we saw very few whales. Of course, marine mammals are not under contractual obligation to present themselves on a fixed schedule but I think the guide should be prepared to fill the gap with something informative and/or entertaining. Other than pointing out whales when he saw them, he was silent (in two languages!). On several occasions, the passengers spotted whales before the guide. It was fun to get suited up and spend time on the water...but ultimately not worth the money or the time.Later in the day, we went to Cap-de-Bon-Desir which was terrific...even though we didn't see a single whale! The park naturalist was amazing and had tons of information and educational resources. She explained that whales follow the food (bien sur!) and that you can often predict where they will be based on the tides. They had seen an impressive number and array of whales the day before and that morning (they record sighting information each day) but nothing that afternoon. It was such a beautiful, dramatic setting and I would definitely go there first rather than going out on a boat or zodiac.

We signed up for the thrill seeking cruise on the Tadoussac III and this was supposed to be the highlight of our trip. We picked up our tickets for the 9:00 am cruise at the reception of Hotel Tadoussac the night before and the shuttle bus picked us up at 8:30 the next morning. We were given waterproof pants and jackets to wear on top of our clothes. When they say bring warm clothes, they definitely mean it. I brought a warm sweater and windbreaker but I didn’t realize that it can be up to 15C colder on the water than on land and I wish I had also brought a hat and gloves. The boat was bigger than what I expected as some of the other reviewers have pointed out as well. We were the first group to set out and were out there alone for about an hour which was nice. We saw belugas right when we were leaving the bay and I thought this would be a good sign of what’s to come. It was a very sunny day and the water was calm but unfortunately, there was quite a thick fog above the waters limiting our visibility. With visibility being so poor the captain kept switching off the engine so we could listen out for a whale breathing and then head into that general direction. While we saw a few whales and seals (maybe 5 in total), we saw them through the fog and at a fairly great distance. We also saw them just for a few seconds before they dove which meant we spent the vast majority of the 3-hour cruise just looking for whales. Once the other boats came out, there were about 5 boats “chasing” to see the same whale. I always felt we were just following the other boats and at times our boat was just sitting there when there was clearly nothing to see. I’m not sure if this was just to while away the time. We then went up the Saguenay fjord in hopes of seeing some belugas which we spotted at a very far distance (we saw two but at times I wasn’t sure if it was the white back of the whale or just some waves they were that far away). Overall, this wasn’t the experience I was hoping to have and I was quite disappointed having spent $170 on the tickets (for 2 people) and driven up about 12 hours from Toronto. However, I’m not sure if there was much more that Groupe Dufour could have done or if it’s just dependent on luck as to how many whales you get to see when you venture out. Hence I’m just rating this as an average experience. Next time I would try and go with one of the groups that have a smaller boat. Also make sure you bring binoculars as you won’t see the whales as up close as you might expect.

We went to see the whales.... We saw: Belugas, Blue whales, Humpback, Minke, and Fins, and a lot of Seals. It was very windy and cloudy, and we arrived after the animal's lunch, which means they were almost all pretty much asleep, so it was not spectacular, but it was somewhat impressive to see the richness of the wildlife in St-Lawrence river. We will return for sure, and next time it has to be the 3pm cruise....

We paid for a three hours cruise in a zodiac and it was half an hour shorter than that. The trip is advertised to be guided by a naturalist but the guide only informed about the weight and height of the whales. We expected to be closer but the sight of the whales is as good as the one you get from the shore.Despite the disappointment, the trip on a boat is exciting because I the amazing environment.