Ahoy! - Wish we had had more time to visit. There is so much to see at this museum. Fascinating exhibits, including a trip down into a boiler room. We loved the Star of India. We took one of the short boat tours, be sure to bring something warm to wear on the water! And if you are a senior...do not book through this site. We would have saved a ton of money by getting our tickets at the museum with the senior ticket price.

Very educational experience - The Star of India was very cool and the staff was very nice explaining its history and gave us some fun facts of the ship. Next we checked out the other ships and submarine. It is a self guided tour and we had a great time exploring. We checked out the living quarters and some of them included exhibits. There were staff ready to help and answer questions. This is worth a visit.

Very detailed review of this delightful museum. Be sure to pay the extra money and go on a boat tour of the bay. - This was not at all what I expected! I expected to be able to tour around the big Star of India ship, and perhaps go aboard her deck. And that there would be a boring building with exhibits in it. Instead I was able to board all of the ships, each fascinating in its own way, from the submarine to the “Master and Commander” ship. Many of them, such as the star of India, had beautiful exhibits downstairs where you could really feel like you were present during those long voyages. I was also surprised how much I enjoyed boarding the Berkeley, and on a beautiful sunny day, it was just delightful to sit outside on the deck and read a book! They also had some pretty robust exhibits downstairs, ranging from sailing ships and models to Other maritime goodness! My favorite ships, in order: 1. the Californian, what a beautiful sailing vessel. She is a schooner. I hear they still take her out. Wow, I would like to go out on her. She’s just gorgeous. 2. The Berkeley has the most exhibits in terms of model ships and sailing history etc. Also, again, sitting out on their decks in the sun is a lovely way to enjoy a little rest. She is the one that feels most like a “museum” of any of the ships and holds many of the artifacts. 3. Of course, there’s a HMS surprise, which was featured in master and commander, that was a lovely vessel as well. This was a little too “piratey” for me in terms of it was sweet but felt like the type of ship they would take out with a bunch of teenagers and younger kids in costumes like a big pirate adventure. If my kids were younger, they would’ve loved this one the best. 4. The star of India, of course is supposed to be the big star of the show, and she is indeed a beauty. She also has a lot of exhibits downstairs, and she is set up more like she was during the days of sailing to New Zealand and other places. So you can see the bunks and the captains quarters etc. 5. The submarine USS Dolphin was a surprise favorite. I’m a little claustrophobic, but this one was really quite fun. Be sure to pay the extra $10 and take a tour on the Pilot or one of the other ships going out. It’s really worth it to see the bay and all of the military and cruise under the bridge etc. I think the most surprising thing about my entire visit though, was the staff. Shout out to everybody. So many people (assuming they were volunteers) full of knowledge and ready to answer all of my questions about the ships. Everyone was so very passionate about the museum and all of the ships. I actually got a rain check and went back the second day! And that is when I went out on the Pilot. Our person giving us the tour on the pilot was delightful as well. What a great way to spend the day!

Ships were amazing. The... - Ships were amazing. The Star of India and San Salvador were my favorites. We did the pirate experience and it was really fun.

Excellent Collection Of Historic Maritime craft - Located on Harbor Road, resourced by informative staff and volunteers, well worth a visit. Craft ranging from oldest and current stell hulled sailing ship, to a 1960's USS submarine which set a diving depth record. Accessable and interesting.

Great Place, little underrated by some I think - A really good set of ships to visit. Also the combined ticket that includes the harbour tour (45mins) is good value. There are a number of ships to see, from an old paddle steamer, to a the Star of india tall ship. Also some smaller ships and a submarine. We thought we would only be there a short time, but stayed for several hours. The Italian lady (sorry forgot her name) who did the harbour tour was great, telling you all about the harbour and had a great sense of humour. Well worth a visit

Maritime - Very impressed with this museum for the time and money spent. Can visit each of the ships and the musuems in each one. I especially enjoyed the USS Dophin sub. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Not as much walking compared to the Midway down the street. Could easily spend 2-3 hours here. Also nice views of the waterfront and downtown San Diego.

Anniversary trip - Excellent place to visit to actually go on board and see what it was like in the past. Old Submarine, galleon, The Berkley, art and machinery. Highly recommend

Interesting museum and great opportunity to see Parade of Lights - My wife and I enjoyed our visit to the museum, though things got off to a rough start. We had bought our tickets already but the staff member at the desk couldn't get the system to work for us to enter the museum despite our showing our tickets. So we went to the ticket booth. Not a big deal, but we wasted some time. We had to ask for an audio device and then found out there were precious few opportunities to use it to get more information. When we were able to do that, it was quite helpful. Overall there are many interesting things to see on the various ships and we learned a lot. At the end of the day we had to leave the museum and wait in line for the Parade of Lights, but staff members seem confused about where we were allowed to wait and in fact we were given entirely conflicting information. Eventually it worked out but I noted that despite the QR code on our tickets the staff were simply checking out names off a list. Overall then: not impressed with how the museum is administered, but it is definitely worth visiting. And the Parade of Lights is definitely worth the money. The food was good and we had a great viewing position inside to watch all the boats. Highly recommended!

Interesting - The Star of India is the highlight of the ships (and other exhibits) here If you are not a die-hard ship/maritime fan then you will not enjoy this museum which gives you access to some 4-5 ships and an exhibition hall with lots of maritime information and San Diegos' connection to the maritime trade