Balboa Pavilion

Super friendly and the food was so good. I am sad I don't live there as I would be getting this at least once a week!

Whale/ dolphin watching is something that I didn’t believe was worth it until I got out there! I would recommend any person who is considering whale watching to do it! We saw thousands of dolphins swimming underneath us. Truly a breath taking experience.

Whale watching was awesome. I got too dolphins, not whales, but it was worth every penny . The song played while the dolphin was seen was such a good site it brought me to tears because we were there for my mom's birthday and she passed 9 months ago and it was just perfect .. thank you

There's just so many things to see at this place. Just walking around the park gets you back in the mood to explore...more. There are multiple museums, an arboretum , beautiful gardening, amazing fountains... Lots of photo opps.

Pro Beautiful Scenery Slow and steady ride so no motion sickness Clean restroom on boat Friendly and professional crews Con Long ride (1h45m) Cold in the evening so bring extra layer and blanket No serving Alcohol Overall it is worth it for couple. Winters Light decorations are beautiful. Family with kids, make sure bring extra layers and blankets on top of iPad for entertainment as they will get bored in the middle of the trip.

Very fun place to visit, lots to do, interesting sites to see. Fun Zone Boat Co. has awesome sightseeing cruises. Harborside Restaurant has great happy hour deals, totally love the Burnt Pork Ends!

Went whale watching, great experiences this far, friendly staff and a very enjoyable time with family. Weather was great and the ride was cool. Loved the dolphins, seals and mink whales!

Old building established in 1905. Lovely structure on the harbour. Good old photographs on the wall

The Balboa Pavilion is a part of history people!! Construction was completed in 1906, and it is an iconic landmark in Newport Beach, California. It is even registered as a California Historical Landmark and a National Historical Place!! How cool is that? Got to admire its Victorian style architecture!! So photogenic!! The Balboa Pavilion is still operational. It is one of the last remaining waterfront pavilions in California. From their website I learned that "Currently, the Pavilion is used as a marine recreation facility, with sport fishing boats, a giant passenger catamaran to Catalina Island, harbor sightseeing cruises, boat (skiff) rentals, whale watching, and the new Harborside Restaurant and Grand Ballroom." Nice place to visit for a taste of history!! Don't forget your camera!!

Had the opportunity to attend the Balboa Pavilion Grand Wine tasting, raising money for Fish For Life. This was a really well organized event and the room was set up well to keep traffic moving while allowing you places to sit or gather at a cocktail table. There are lots of cool historic photos around the building of OC which were fun to look at.The harbor view was pretty especially when the sun came out! They had a good set up for uber car pick up too! Good for those who sampled a lot of wine!!! Upon arrival you received a commemorative wine glass. There were lots of wines to try and so it seemed like a good value for the money. I enjoyed trying wine by Carucci and Cholame Vineyard. The appetizers provided were really good too,specifically the watermelon with goat cheese and the bacon wrapped asparagus. Loved a chance to try Cupcakes from Smallcakes bakery on balboa island - many delicious choices. Check them out! Worth checking out next time it comes around.

Would you like cheese with that whine?Yes, I am whinning...and yes I got the tickets for free...there goes my free tickets from Ryan C from now on-Ryan C., you're still the man ha! I would not have paid between 75 to 100 dollars for these tickets. Ubered here from Irvine (80.00 and some change for round trip, plus a few stops on the way back) for some wine tasting, and thank you Yelp for the pair of free tickets. The experience was okay, almost reminded me of a swamp meet type environment/bingo night but add in a historical building and water! Event staff members were great, especially the lady that handed out the soveigner wine classes-she was extremely sweet. Vendors were hit and miss (some lacked charisma), while others were amazing. Appetizers were not bad, but hardly came out. They listed 8 appetizers on their website, but only saw 2 when we were there...must have ran out, perhaps those folks with horrible manners taking 3 to 4 at a time (same ones that go to Costco during lunch time for a free lunch, munching on samples ha!) The best part was the Vinemark booth, guys were fun and full of energy unlike The Navarro booth who lacked energ, and had mediocre samples. Also, we found a family owned local business called Seven Barrels that sold Olive Oils and Italian Balasmics and bought a few bottles. Ran into a vendor who has an amazing idea of a bottle mijoto just add ice and mints (Go Hug-O Sparking Wine!!!) Overall, my expectations were high, and unfortunately it did not deliver even though I know it's their first year doing it at this location. I did like the fact the had a charity event raffle though which is always great!

I was given two tickets to the Grand Wine Tasting event which is a fundraiser for Fish for Life. This is an organization that takes physically challenged kids out for a day of fishing. A beautiful building. The grand ballroom was all decked out. The event was well attended and the staff was exceptional. Tons of hot appetizers, cheese platters, and endless pours from wonderful California wineries.

At the beginning of December I was here for a Banquet and it was such a wonderful experience. For years I gazed at this amazing place with it's beautiful twinkling lights and wondered what was inside. Having lived in the Newport area for so long I never stepped inside. I loved the feel of driving up and seeing the entrance with valet a step away. Once inside there is a bar area straight ahead and upstairs is where we enjoyed a night of fun and awards. You walk into a wonderful nostalgic decor (including restrooms) and it is quaint. You can feel the memories of a long time ago. The banquet area is large and the breathtaking windows are open to the water. We were so blessed to see all the boats lit up for Christmas and it was truly festive. The food was very good (chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, dessert) and the service and servers were 100% on top of everything. The evening was filled with love and laughter and the backdrop was perfect! What a great first experience here. I would love to come back and maybe take a walk around the Island and enjoy days when Newport Beach had such charm and appeal for those that appreciate a very special place.

Thanks Yelp for the free tickets to this past weekends wine tasting event. My GF was complaining about how I never took her to any cool yelp events, the tickets put that to an end. The event was smaller than I anticipated, probably because it was the first year of the event. I thought the event was well organized and parking wasn't much of a problem down by the park. Since I was driving I had to be careful on the number of different wines I could taste. I think my favorite out of the ones I tried was the pinot noir from la crema. The appetizers and cheese plates were good too, that helped with all the drinking.

Parking is impossible and valet was a little pricey, but if you are in the area already, it has a spectacular view! Pretty good happy hour pricing, and solid selection of draft beers. I'd come again (but on foot or bike!)

The view! Definitely a nice place to host a wedding or an event, though something really needs to be done about the parking because the valet was completely terrible. Their service, attitude, and "do you need change" for a $20 for an already overpriced $10 valet (they didn't honor the $4 for eating at the restaurant and staying under the 2 hour limit, be careful about that. They stated the "moment you step upstairs" they have to charge you the event price).. just to move the car literally about six feet out. It ruined the rest of the night which I was already irked about. The three-stars is for the Balboa Pavillion Grand Wine Tasting, which was pretty, but there wasn't any food or anything to munch on. I saw them bring two appetizer type plates from downstairs, which the person holding them would feed all of their friends. It just seemed a little unfair. I went to the restaurant downstairs to get a bite to eat since there were no snacks and they didn't even honor the appropriate prix fixe price for the event, though that's for another review. I didn't really see any staff from the Pavilion itself so I don't have anything to say there. The venue was beautiful but I'd be hesitant to come back to this location.

Balboa pavilion itself is pretty awesome. HOWEVER, the valet there is AWFUL! We had nowhere else to park, so we decided to valet. When I got my car back, the right side of my car was scratched from end to end on the passenger side. I understand that it is busy around this area, but come on... we are paying for the service. Be a little bit more careful.