What an amazing adventure. Reading the reviews here and doing some research, we decided to get up early and go on the 9am cruise. It was so much fun-even my 16 year old who doesn't impress easily had a good time. We were lucky enough to see TONS of wildlife including horses and dolphins- sorry no picture of that. Reasonably priced, parking is free at the lot. Def would go again. read more

See all

I went on this excursion with my family this past weekend, and I left extremely disappointed. Honestly, I wish I could get my money back. We were the only family of color on the boat, and I couldn't help but notice a pattern in how the host interacted with the passengers. Each time he came around with the sea creatures, he passed over my family and went directly to the White families. Their children were given the opportunity to hold, touch, and see the animals up close, while my family was skipped. The first time it happened, I spoke up and said, "Hey, my kids would like to hold them too," and only then did he come back to us. The second time, I intentionally stayed quiet to see if it would happen again--and it did. Once again, my family was passed over. My daughter was especially upset because she didn't get the same opportunity to participate as the other children. I can't say for certain why we were treated differently, but based on what I personally observed, it left me feeling singled out and unwelcome. No family should leave an experience feeling that way. I've attached a photo of the host from our excursion. If you're a family of color considering Assateague Adventure, I wanted to share my experience so you can make an informed decision. Unfortunately, this was not the welcoming, inclusive family outing we were expecting. read more

I have wanted to see Assateague Island for years; so, we took our family to Ocean City, Md. I booked the trip for 10:30 am and, as luck would have it, my son woke up sick. I called and spoke to Tim and he was wonderful. He changed our time to 5:30 pm and we were all able to make the trip. He could not have been more understanding. The trip guides were knowledgeable and like Tim very personable. I would definitely recommend this company to anyone. A very trustworthy business!! read more

we had a great time. the staff was great and we got to see a lot of horses and dolphins!

We had such a fun time and will remember this day for years to come! The owners were on top of everything! Their assistants Brody and Bailey were super knowledgeable about the marine environment and the wild horses! We would recommend this business 100% an awesome experience! read more

Assateague Adventure - Kayaking fun! - Boating Near Me - Ocean City, Maryland

See all

I came for the 10:30 AM tour on a Saturday morning. It was pretty empty since it was after Labor Day. You can get a discount coupon online. The tour guide was very informative and gave interesting facts. However, the tour itself was a bit boring. We spent only 15 minutes on the actual island and there wasn't much on the place we docked. We spent more time in the marina in West Ocean City. Also, it stated it would be an 1.5 hour tour but really it's an hour tour since we were back at 11:30 AM. I doubt I would come back on this tour. read more

Assateague Adventure - Boat ready for boarding - Boating Near Me - Ocean City, Maryland

Great tour...exceeded our expectations! Well worth it...saw the ponies up close! The narrator was excellent! He showed us many sea creatures and the highlights of the area. Don't miss this tour! read more

Boat ride was nice, tour guide was nice and very knowledgeable of marine things, but it was disappointing and over priced. On the site it says wild horses and there was none. They really shouldn't add wild horses if you ain't going to see that. read more

This was a very fun adventure for my six year old son. He enjoyed the boat ride (looking at the sights more than listening to the history of OC), but the stop on the island was the highlight of his vacation. The crew was awesome - captain of the ship let the children pull in a net full of fish and crabs. Would highly recommend as a low key, screen free activity. read more

Assateague Adventure - Boating Near Me - Ocean City, Maryland

Tour guide will be passive-aggressive about getting a tip when leaving. She will hold her tip jar out, and if you don't tip for your already expensive ride, she will make ignorant comments as you leave. We did see horses, but tour guide ruined experience! read more

Tour was mediocre at best, didn't see any horses, but that wasn't the boats fault. What really upset us was the tour guide wasnt pleasant at all. Now we are both younger people (18,19) but we are dressed well, mature and very generous tippers at 25% + every time we go out. the tour guide didn't even treat us like people, when he brought the sea creatures around to see he never showed us and even when we asked to see he just said "make it quick". when we got off at the island he helped everyone off but us. at the end he then pretty much shamed us into giving a tip, like I said we are pretty good tippers but when someone treats us like that it just leaves a bad taste in our mouths. definitely won't do this again. read more

Had so much fun. Found this tour last minute on yelp and had such an amazing and memorable time with my mom. read more

See all

This was just ok. The ride was pleasant enough, and the price was affordable, but we really expected more from the "Assateague Adventure." First, we meandered in the harbor for some time rather than heading to Assateague. The views of the homes were lovely, but this means that the boat didn't get far into the island. At that point the boat headed to the island. The main attraction on the island are the wild horses. Clearly, sighting horses will vary from trip to trip. Yet, we saw one lonely horse. The boat then began heading back, stopping at a sand bar for some seining activities. The kids enjoyed trying to catch little fish in their nets. The trip ended shortly afterwards. Later we drove to the island and saw dozens of horses. Save your money and drive to the island. read more

Assateague Adventure - One horse sighted in this trip. - Boating Near Me - Ocean City, Maryland

Did not see a single wild horse. It was basically a boat tour about the history of Ocean City. Not worth the money.

Lovely tour of OC with a little time on the shore at Assateague. Our guide shared so much info. We showed up right before the scheduled tour and were so glad there was plenty of space to snag a spot. Highly recommend this! read more

See all

I saw no ponies (I know they can't guarantee you will see a pony, but I will explain) and I don't get a good feeling from this operation. Unfortunately, I feel as if this operation is a quick way to make cash off of tourists who don't know any better. Obviously I signed up for this tour in the hopes of spotting some of the Assateague Island wild ponies. I reserved two tickets online and there was very little information on the site as to what route the boat would take, where the boat would leave from, how long the boat would let passengers off onto the island, etc. The tour is supposedly of Assateague Island however the boat spent more time showing us Ocean City's commercial fishing area and advertising restaurants to eat at; the boat only took us to the very tip of Assateague Island. If you were to look at a map or drive into the park, which I did the next day in order to see the ponies, you will realize how little of the island the tour shows you and I feel as though it is misleading. Additionally, I paid a $1 "docking fee" in order to walk onto the island, however, upon arrival they let everyone off the boat onto what I'm going to call the swamp island. Therefore, I'm a little confused as to why I had to pay $1 when the person behind me may have no paid at all? Yea, it's just a dollar but it makes the whole operation questionable to me. Where the boat let us off to explore smelled like sulfur and we were instructed to stay out of the ponds of water or else the mud would sink us up to our pockets. We were given 25 minutes to explore a small stretch of beach along the bayside of the island and they provided us small nets to "look for critters and shells." Upon re-boarding the boat our nets were all thoroughly checked for living animals as if I was a criminal, it made me feel rather uncomfortable to be honest. I understand people should not be removing wildlife from the island, I just didn't appreciate being patted down by TSA on my way back onto the boat. Although passengers were not allowed to take live animals from the island, understandable of course, the boat captain and tour guide were? On the journey back they had a "show and tell" of a helpless spider crab, conch, and a threatened horseshoe crab. All of which they kept in two Rubbermaid tubs filled with saltwater, a little depressing after they made such a big deal about respecting the wildlife. Overall, I saw no ponies which was the entire reason for the tour. Again, I would like to emphasize that I realize they cannot guarantee you will see a wild animal, however, when I did drive to the park I realize just how little of the island you get to see on this boating tour. The tip of the island they take you to could probably be viewed with a good pair of binoculars from the end of the boardwalk. again, I unfortunately feel as if this operation is a quick way to make cash off of tourists who don't know any better. I recommend looking into the other boat tours Ocean City offers or driving into the park if you have the option; when I drove into the park, about a 20 min drive from M.R. Ducks, I saw at least 20 wild ponies just from my vehicle and more off of the nature trails. read more

Called first thing in the morning and spoke with them. Guided us down for a 10:30 tour. We got there just in time for it to be sold out but we waited and did the 11:30 tour. Kids and us both had a great time. The captain and narrator were both great, funny, and gave us a great tour of the island and history of Ocean City. The kids had fun trying to catch crabs and wading in the water on the island stop. If your looking for a low key not crazy expensive tour. Try this one read more

See all

What an amazing experience! My boyfriend and I were interested in the Assateague Adventure, (loved the Misty book as a kid) and were able to relax at the seaside bar at M.C. Duck bar. To our surprise, we were allowed to bring our beverage aboard the vessel (plastic cups ok, no glass -- suggest the Rum Runner). Our tour guide Maria was unbelievable! She was interactive with us as an audience and it was NOT one of those stifling museum tours. She really made that much of an impact on the tour. Thank you Maria! It is also worth noting that the staff at M.C. Duck are also courteous and friendly, the staff is local and have great tips on places to go and things to do. While on the boat itself we learned a lot about Ocean City and were lucky enough to see an Assateague Pony! Also got to take some clam shells home (: read more

Where do I start? Well, first of all, I have never in my life left a bad review. But, this was such an extreme waste of money and we are not rich. I should have known when the guy at the ticket booth took my credit card with bloody fingers. I should have taken back my card and left. A month ago we were all in masks, now it's ok to have fresh blood oozing while helping customer? Anyway, the description said nature tour. Talked about wildlife etc. I realize that it is not always possible to predict what will be seen - BUT - we spent 1/2 the 1.5 hour trip cruising very slowly past million dollar homes, fishing boats and restaurants. We got descriptions of the restaurants, costs of the homes, I do about some of the boats. We paid for a nature tour. Not a man-made real estate/restaurant promotion/fishing boat lesson. Very weird. An osprey nest and a far far off bald eagle was our only actual wildlife that was pointed out. I will say that the 15 minutes we hopped off the boat to look for hermit crabs and other small creatures was fun! Would have been fantastic to skip the non-nature stuff and give us more time for that. After that we just cruised back. Literally, a drive through a fancy residential and restaurant area, 15 minutes on the island and return back to the dock. It was so ridiculous I can't even believe they call it a nature tour. At least be honest. There are people who might have loved that trip but for a family excited to get access to the natural environment it was not ok to sell us this. Additionally, the "touch tank". Well, imagine a small rubber made bin with sea water in it, a pile of clams, spider crab and horseshoe crab that were so cramped they were literally in a pile on top of each other. The guide was just holding them up by their claw or exoskeleton and talking while they flailed around. At one point she showed us how the horseshoe crab was "ticklish". She started "tickling" it's underside while the poor creature flailed its claws and tries to curl up into it's defensive position. It was exactly what they do when threatened while on the beach - only dangling in the air. Why the heck would anybody giving a "nature tour" do this? Sure maybe demo his defensive move and explain why it protects them.... now my kids think these crabs like to be tickled? I told them the truth. Anyway, this isn't a nature tour. Not even remotely close to it. Best of all...before returning to the dock we were told they work for tips and thanks for supporting them.... If you are a family working with a budget, just walk on the beach with the guidebook to Assateague. Buy a $5 net for scooping up and observing hermit crabs. Stay all day and have fun. Do NOT spend $80 and waste two hours of your limited vacation time on this. I just cannot even comprehend how this tour was justified as a nature tour. Like I said, I have never left a bad review in my life for anything. I'm pretty laid back and roll with things. But I can't with this. My family could have really really made thst $80 go far on self guided adventures. read more

My son and I had the great pleasure of enjoying the boat trip on the assareague adventurer yesterday we not only enjoyed the views and had the pleasure of viewing the wild horses but we learned so much from the young lady that narrator's and gives history of ocean city,and the fishing, and a in-depth history on the wild horses we loved this trip and enjoyed the cruise and we're very impressed with the boat captain and the narrator for the respectful nature that they treated each of us again this was so much fun and would do it again also they take a picture of you before going on boat trip and you can purchase it for only 10 dollars read more

Good for little kids but I'm not sure I would refer to this as an adventure... more like a touristy boat cruise. It's a low key boat ride with a super short visit to the island where they leave you for 15 minutes at a sand bar. There are tanks onboard with sea animals for the kids to touch, and on the island they have nets to catch snails and little crabs basically. We only saw one horse from a distance. Our guide was knowledgeable but intolerant of any questions she perceived to have already answered! Anyway, it was a pleasant trip plus an affordable and fun family outing! Just not really the wild horse adventure that is advertised! read more

This boat ride to the island was a lot of fun and the perfect day activity for my 2 year old girl and my wife and I had a lot of fun too! The boat was clean and had plenty of seating. The Captain and first mate were attentive funny and entertaining. We were able to walk around the island and use nets to catch crabs and clams. On the ride back the fest mate had a tank of sea creatures which my daughter was able to look at and touch closely. I would definitely recommend this boat ride. It was a great way to see the island without having to remain on the island dealing with the horse flies, which were real bitters! read more

Assateague Adventure - Boating Near Me - Ocean City, Maryland

A fun and easy way to check out the island and see the wild horses.. Great for kids and everyone was so friendly!! Awesome experience for my girls as they got to not only see the wild horses (from the boat) but also some sea creatures up close and personal. While docked at the island they provided nets for you to try your luck at catching something too read more

Assateague Adventure - Boating Near Me - Ocean City, Maryland

Terrible! They told us to board 10 min before hand and we waited under the 90 degree sun for 10 whole min even the ship is empty for boarding. My 80 year old grandpa and grandmom were suffering under the sun for 10 whole min! Turns out they were waiting for the photographer to take pictures before boarding. We don't want our pictures to be taken --- not only us, but other groups as well. The lady said it is part of the boarding process... Well how about no! The photographer had to comment saying "you guys have to be difficult!" Wow wtf! It is our right not wanting our picture to be taken just for them to earn more money from us! Never again! Save your money! Rude staffs! Would not even go if they pay me to go! Buyers be warned!!!!! read more

See J.W.'s review; spot on. You could drive on a country road and see the same thing; maybe more. The horses stand still in a group and unless you have a powerful camera good luck. One really cool thing is an osprey's nest built in a small boat. Hugh nest. read more

Did this boat ride today with my family of 6 (4 teens) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Very relaxed yet interesting and inexpensive, as tourist boat rides go. We saw one pony, learned quite a bit about the history of OC and had fun getting off the boat and exploring a bit of the island. Highly recommend! read more

I recommend you go later in the day, less people on the trip then. Theres a bunch of places nearby to eat dinner at, and The Boardwalk is real close. Parking can be a problem. My kids loved it. It was informative, well done, and interactive. We could have spent more time on the island itself, that would have been nice. Plan on walking in the sand and water, so think flip flops. They'll hose of your feet before getting back on the boat. Bathrooms have purell, so cleanup is a snap. read more

I've done this cruise a few times over the past 25 plus years and it's always enjoyable and informative plus kid friendly.

i thought it was super fun, the informational part was actually interesting and she was cracking jokes. When we got off, that was even more fun I caught a crab. would recommend! read more

If you are looking to kill and hour and a half before heading to one of the local restaurants, it's a nice little cruise to see the local (very local, cruise is about a two mile circle so you'll get to see the same thing twice.. which in our case was a barely visible horse of the supposed 100 or so on the Island). Anyway, you will learn about some of the local fishing boats and sea life by an underwhelming narration of your guide (on her behalf, nothing to get excited about). The cruise itself is peaceful and has nice views, so if that's your thing, enjoy. read more

I wasn't sure how many stars to leave for this one honestly. My son was a little bored but my daughter liked it. I thought it was a little overpriced given that although they advertise an hour you only get to spend 15 minutes on the island itself. I liked the boat ride even though they draw it out to some mildly uninteresting restaurants in order to either expand the tour time or maybe they get a deal at local businesses (i.e. Mention my restaurant on the tour and I'll subsidize the boat cost or the captain eats free or something). I thought the touch tank was a little underwhelming (looked like your average 30 gallon tank) but the kids loved it. On the island they give you a net for 15 minutes and tell you to have a good time. This part the kids loved as well. They found crabs and enjoyed looking for fish. Which was why if we had been allowed to explore it would have been great but we couldn't. And if it's ponies you're here to see, this is not the cruise for you. You can see a few of them from the distance. Summation: if you go for the kids, the sea life is pretty cool. If you're going for the ponies, skip it. The tour guide narrator was very knowledgable and patient with all the kids, have to give her a shout out. read more

For the price, I think it was a really nice little boat cruise. Perfect for young kids. Interesting info when we went through the commercial boating and about the Maryland ponies. Parking is about a block away, the parking lot attendant will move your car to the most out of the small parking area. You get to walk around a little part of the island with little fishing net and we could view ponies from a distance. Don't forget to bring cash to tip the guide and captain! read more

Pros: - Cheap tour - No sea sickness - Bucket of various crabs to see up close during the ride back - Crew was friendly had a few good jokes - Some good info on the wildlife too Cons: - No horses to see that day - Audio was bad straining to hear every word - Tour was a little over an hour dock to dock (making the tour not so cheap i suppose) - Drop you off on some crappy little sand bar to do what i'm still not sure - Waste of time going into the harbor with the captain giving us restaurant reviews and talking about old fishing vessel trivia - Shameless tipping plug at the end. My recommendation: Just leave the jar out and let the customer decide. If you are taking this tour for a boat ride with the family with small children, it's fine. If you are taking this tour with any expectation of seeing the horses up close or otherwise, find another tour or just drive to the island which is $8. The crew mentioned several times that "the horses have legs and they are always moving"...i.e. Not our fault. Fair enough, but the tour covers maybe 5% of the island's northern most tip (bayside only). I felt like if we just kept exploring the island instead of wasting time (mentioned in the cons) we would have eventually seen horses. Overall, a disappointment to my wife and kids (not just me) and a waste of our time which was limited here in Ocean City. read more

Best value for the money, especially when you use the online coupons. Go for the older boat, the captain is seasoned and won't shy away fron getting close to the Assateague ponies. The historical tour if the expensive hones and fisherman's areas are interesting and informative. The highlight ofbthe tour for us is when they anchor up on the island so you csn explore with a net and if it is interesting enough theyltkeep it to share with the rest of the group. Highly recommended for all ages. My wife and I love it on our own as well as with our 3 kids. read more

Had an excellent skipper and guide. Was a great, semi-educational trip that kept our 3 year old well entertained for nearly 2 hours. A nice boat ride and some light island exploring. We even got to see some of the wild ponies, albeit from afar. An excellent value for the money at only $16 per adult. I HIGHLY recommend this excursion! read more

Our family of four loved this boat trip. The captain and his assistant went above and beyond to make this fun for our kids (ages 9 and 5). They told us all about the area and the animals. When we got to the island they let us get off the boat. We saw a horse right where we were! They gave us nets to use to catch fish and crabs. The captain also brought out his own net and caught some fish and crabs. Highly recommend and we will definitely be back again. read more

This was a nice boat ride! We went to the 9am however I do suggest parking your vehicle somewhere else unless you are okay with them moving your car/truck while you are on the boat. (Hey did not inform us that they would possibly have to move any vehicles) They moved our truck and instead of using the button to open and close the mirrors they hand opened them while could have broke them. Other than that it was a nice boat ride with views of the wild horses! read more

Great tour guide and captain. I would definitely do this again. The price was great, too.

This was an absolute good time for my family. The crew is very friendly and funny and answers any questions. Had lots of info. about the area I never knew. Saw two herds of wild ponies and then docked on the island for some individual exploring with nets. On the ride back there were sea creatures that were passed around from volunteers in the audience for a hands on experience. We had a blast! read more

Honestly one of the coolest trips you can do in OC. Captain can be a little creepy but the tour guide girl, I believe her name is Gabrielle is really knowledgable and not to mention more majestic then the horses on the island. Lots of fun and she is pretty hot. read more