Maritime Museum of San Diego

Fantastic! The staff is amazing! Passionate, knowledgeable mostly awesome Emanuela “Kiki” whom toured us in the Pilot vessel (pay for the add on, it’s so worth it) plus Take Me to the Water exhibition is outstanding, academic and oh so important to learn! The vessels are gorgeous! My kids and I spent hours exploring, reading, and taking all that beauty in. Truly global, beautifully local and worth every penny. Reserve the day for it!!!

We got the ticket that included the bay tour, highly recommended! 45 mins cruise with guide and nice facilities. 5 ships to visit, historic boats and a little submarine. Great for kids, not so great of you have a disability, it’ll be difficult to explore the boats. Well kept facilities, clean bathrooms and great treasures. 28.00 a ticket plus 10.00 for the cruise Cheaper than the other cruises and on board 90 years old ship

What a great place to visit! They have a number of museum ships for you to tour from the Age of Exploration to the USS Dolphin, a Cold War era submarine. That said, the "Star" of the show was the Star of India, a meticulously restored Tall Ship with HMS Surprise as a close second. The Surprise is the ship built for the 2001 film Master and Commander, featuring Russeel Crowe. I walked to the location from my hotel nearby, but it looks like parking could be problematic as it is off a major street. Also, as you would expect with many period ships, visitors with mobility issues could struggle moving about the ships, especially USS Dolphin. The museum has knowledgeable staff that can tell you a great deal about the vessels. The price of admission is reasonable, especially with the discount mentioned below. I toured most of the vessels in just under 3 hours. Critical: If you visit USS Midway first, bring your ticket to the Maritime Museum. They give adults a $5 discount on admission when you present your Midway ticket.

What a fun time at the Maritime Museum of SD!! The Star of India is a majestic sailboat with an intriguing history, the submarine was insanely cool to walk through, the steamboat had so much interesting info - the entire experience was a blast. We spent 3.5 hours going through the 6 vessels, all while enjoying beautiful views of the bay. The volunteer we spoke with was super knowledgeable and friendly. I stayed overnight at the Star of India 30 years ago as a little kid, reliving the boat as an adult was priceless. No line to get in, not too crowded on a weekend either. Highly recommend for folks of all ages, it’s absolutely worth it, a one of a kind experience!

Had a very nice time at the museum. Thought of booking early online but didn’t know when we’d be there so bought at the booth. The lady managing the booth was very friendly. We managed to get on to the last bay tour as well - highly recommend spending the extra $10. The ships were all fascinating to walk through. We spent a few hours here including the cruise and it felt like a good amount of time. Kiki was the guide on the water tour and gave all sorts of valuable info about the area. Grazie! I would imagine the museum would get much busier as we get on in season. But for a Friday in late Feb it was perfect.

Wanted to stop in and see what it was, expected to see some boats, nothing too spectacular, boy were we mistaken. They displays were informative and well put together. All the staff were knowledgeable and super friendly. It was an awesome time, probably could have spent more time there, but the weather and parking dampened that a little, still got 2.5hrs in. Park on the side of the ships if possible, more convenient and 3hrs instead of 2 across the street. The Dolphin was my favorite to see, but the stained glass on the Berkeley was amazing too.

This is genuinely one the best experiences I've had in the US! Everything from the in-uniform deckhands on the 'Star of India' to the masts and riggings of the tall ships, to the extensive collection of model ships scattered throughout the experience, was a blast. Oh, they also have a submarine you can walk through and an actual model ship construction and repair shop on site! Worth every penny.

​To the Museum Team, ​I wanted to reach out and share what an incredible time I had visiting on the final day of my vacation. I couldn't have asked for a better museum day! ​Everyone on the staff was so welcoming and kind, but I especially wanted to highlight the pilot boat tour. Not only was it affordable, but it was absolutely hilarious—truly a highlight of my trip. ​I am so thankful to everyone who works behind the scenes and on the front lines to make this museum possible. You all made the end of my holiday very special.