We took our kids, ages 11 and 12, and I'd say the experience was just okay for their age group. It seems much better suited for younger children, probably around 3-10 years old. The actors did a great job interacting with the kids and keeping them engaged, which definitely helped make the experience more enjoyable. We went during the day, and while it was quite hot, we expected that going in. For us, it's not something we'd do again, but it may be a great one-time experience for families with younger children. They also offer a night cruise, which might be a better option during the warmer months when the daytime heat can be intense. They have a bar onboard that serves mixed drinks, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages, which is a nice touch for adults. Overall, it was an enjoyable enough experience, but not particularly memorable. I'd rate it as good, but not something I'd go out of my way to do again. read more

Black Raven Pirate Ship - The Black Raven Ship - Local Flavor Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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My Fiance and I were in town for the weekend and looking for something to do. I saw the Black Raven Pirate Ship experience and we thought it looked fun so we opted to book the adults only Rum Runner show. We don't have kids and would rather the adult only aspect so this was right up our alley. We ventured to their storefront to check in, they have all kinds of pirate merch for sale. Some silly props and costumes as well as books, maps and other more collectible items. The rum runner cruise was comprised of "pirates" making jokes at each other, singing songs and doing some light heckling towards the patrons of the ship. Seating is open unless a party reserves a section. We ended up sitting in one of the top areas which was nice because we were able to look down and see everything and everyone. There IS a bathroom on the boat, just FYI and a full bar. We did not partake in any libations (i'm pregnant) but it would have been fun to have some drinks while aboard. There were several birthday parties on board as well as a couple anniversaries. Lots of people dressed up which I didn't even think to do but now we know for next time. The vibe was definitely rowdy which was fun to watch. There is an add on that two people elected on our cruise which is the mutiny.You can pay $125 for the person of your choice to be accused of crimes and spotlighted during the trip. They also got some goodies to take home like a bandana, bottle of wine, etc. In my opinion it wasn't worth $125 but it wasn't me spending the money. The boat sailed under the bridge, did a loop then headed back to the dock which was just under 1.5hrs. We had a good time, think we were expecting a little bit more of a "show" but nonetheless it was still entertaining. read more

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I have had the pleasure of setting sail on the black raven pirate ship over 5x now and every single experience has been unique in its own way. This go around we had my two nieces with us and it was an absolute blast to see this from the eyes of kids! They sell pirate hats & swords alongside snacks. The staff is always upbeat and breathing pirate life into the city. I highly recommend taking this tour whether you're a local or on vacation. They have many different types of tours - kid friendly, sunset cruise, or a rum summer cruise... and YES, there is full bar on board so I hope you're thirsty! You get breathtaking views of the entire city from the water that you would never be able to see otherwise! 20/10 experience every single time. I love telling people about this experience. read more

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It was a great experience -- really smooth sailing. We spotted so many dolphins, so you'll definitely catch some during the cooler months. The drinks are simple (rum and coke, margaritas from a mixer, beers, seltzers), but they get the job done. The crew has great energy, and they even take photos for you right at sunset with those gorgeous views in the background. read more

Black Raven Pirate Ship - My husband and I at sunset - Local Flavor Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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We circled this as a fun activity for our trip to St. Augustine and it was exactly what we were hoping for. the staff was fun engaging and amazing knowledgable about the local wildlife and the surrounding areas. It was a great way to cap off the day by watching the sun set from the deck of a pirate ship. I will book this adventure every time I am in town, and I suggest you do too! read more

This is a difficult thing to quantify as it's so subjective, so I'll just give a few descriptions so you can judge for yourself. My son (preteen) and I went. It was an afternoon trip in June. The boat went to a halfway point (time wise) and then turned around and came back. Nothing to see on the water, as it's just a there-and-back trip that never makes it too far. During the summer, use sunscreen and/or sit inside, or just expect to be hot. There is not much breeze and for safety's sake, you're not gonna be hanging off of the boat looking for one. There is a bar that sells drinks and snacks. The actors are fun and dressed for the task, though I suspect they would do even better during the night gig. Lots of pirate-y singing and bawdy jokes that are toned down a bit for the kids. The script was mediocre, but it's about what you'd expect, not very witty. From a kid's standpoint, there were a ton of them on our boat, mostly between 2 and 10 (just a guess). They seemed to have a fair bit of fun. It's lowbrow, physical humor, which is good for kids. There was a chance for each of them to sword fight a lady pirate on one side and a guy on the other side. Depending on how oblivious to embarrassment the child is, they may or may not want to participate. Younger kids got into it more than the teen/preteens. Overall, it was a "meh" for me and my son. read more

My wife and I just did the sunset cruise .....what a blast! Mad dog and his crew know how to have fun. Steve is an amazing guitar player. I highly reccommend this experience! read more

The Rum Runner cruise is 21+ and definitely not for the prudish. If you like toilet humour, and dirty jokes that were more crude than funny, then this is the place for you. The sea shantys with their foot stomping was a little fun, but the audience was really not engaged. They had a bar with one person serving drinks so there was a little wait. Maybe the more people drank, the funnier it became? On the way back to the dock, one of the actors shoots a flintlock pistol from the quarter deck. Whether it was announced beforehand, we don't know, because by that time, we had become bored with the show and were standing around talking. Hopefully, there was advanced warnings for people who might have ptsd. In all, it was an okay way to spend an hour and a half with friends. read more

Black Raven Pirate Ship - people sitting on the deck - Local Flavor Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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Holy bleep pirates. The rum runner tour was lots of fun, but this is definitely an experience for adults. The pirates hold nothing back, tell dirty jokes and sing really dirty songs pretty much the whole time. It was a beautiful night with a full moon perfect night for sail. It's a 2-hour trip down the matanza, the boat has a full bar and a big list of cocktails. If you're in St Augustine and want a unique experience for adults book the rum runner tour $30 but worth it. If you want to laugh, sail and drink this is the way to go. Aarrgh matey enjoy. read more

Black Raven Pirate Ship - Thursday night rum runner tour. - Local Flavor Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

Disappointing. The acting was terrible. All they did is kept repeating each other and had no real skit and then they sang some pretty terrible songs. The sword fight was interesting as the foam swords they used have obviously been used for way too long. They were shredded and falling apart. If you go, go to the top deck for the view. That was the best part. My kid thought it was terrible and said to tell you all to bring ear plugs! (The speaker below was blasting pretty loud!) read more

It was a good time! Staff was nice and our 5 year old had a blast. My 3 year old stayed behind and I think that was a good choice but 5 ish and up is right on target for the kids version. Edit: After reading some of the other reviews I feel I have to mention for the kids cruise the worst I heard was "shut up" as far as language was concerned. Some "pirate fight talk" about "filling belly's with lead" or similar but nothing that made me feel I was putting my 5 year old in a vulgar situation. It is a pirate cruise after all. Now.. the adult cruise I cannot speak of but the kids was pretty tame in that regard. read more

Cancelled day we reserved for lack of enough customers - can understand why. Second day - 4th of Sept. - sailing was on. What a disappointment. Nothing pirate about this "show" - a guy and a gal dressed vaguely pirate like, he sang for about an hour in a screechy falsetto voice, just awful - would have paid him to quit. She stood around with a tambourine she never used. At one point they took out some fake pistols and tried to hand them to customers so they could take pictures - we declined. They begged for tips several times and brought out a tip box as we landed. This is NOTHING at all, the ship looks vaguely pirate theme, nothing else does. Took sightseeing trip last time and saw lots of dolphin, that was far nicer than this fake mess. How they can call this a pirate cruise is beyond me. Skip it, overpriced, ghastly "singing and guitar playing" whlle begging for tips. read more

Skip it. There's no actual show. Very uncomfortable seating. Just a ride some music and some dirty jokes. Oh and a bar too read more

My husband and I did the rum runners cruise, which is the night time 21 and up. It was a lot of fun!! There is definitely foul language, but nothing overwhelming. The crew/entertainers had me laughing. The hour and 46 minute cruise waS both a combination of entertainment and being able to just enjoy being on the water. The only downfall is the line for the onboard bar was really long. Other than that, it was worth our time and money read more

Black Raven Pirate Ship - Local Flavor Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

Nighttime boat for adults was pretty boring Best to go out in the day Lame cocktails and bad dirty jokes and songs... No thanks read more

Highly recommend this with your kiddos! My 3 year old had a blast and he was the smallest. They are very interactive with the kids and make funny jokes with the adults. They also have a bar for adults and kid friendly drinks & snacks. Awesome Ambiance. I do think it could be more affordable especially for bigger families but over all a great time & i recommend it for adults & or with kids. Thanks for a good time pirates ‍. read more

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This is a scam. They took our money months ago for my family of 10 and then CANCELED with 3 hours notice. Beautiful weather day. They claimed that our party of 10 wasn't big enough to make it worth it for them to sail. The cancellation was via email, not even a phone call. And it said that I had to CALL them to REQUEST a refund instead of just automatically refunding me the hundreds of dollars that we paid for this. We were celebrating a birthday and had several very excited children for this activity. They were waiting months for this and are literally in tears now. Only a stubborn, greedy person would run their business this way. Don't book this! It's not worth the hassle, disrespect, and disappointment. read more

Absolutely phenomenal! If you have children and are going to be in St. Augustine, book this!! Our big family of all ages - loved it!! This is the real deal tour on a real boat. People are so critical for things that relate to them not being able to handle this event. Be aware they don't offer parking lol - the parking is a pain, so don't get there last minute. There are CANNONS firing!! If you are rattled by that it's not for you (we loved the interaction)! Drinks are served - soda, water, beer, cocktails; at good prices. We bought all of our kids fabulous souvenir cups for $7.50 and filled them with canned soda. The crew was awesome, the bartender was awesome. Nothing we would have changed with our experience. I was even able to shoot a YouTube video amid all the action! Loved this so much!! We will do this adventure anytime we're in town - BUT we do love action, humor, good folks and loud things!!! read more

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The ambiance is disgusting. The live music is from a staff member who cannot sing at all. And do not be fooled by them claiming to have Caribbean music. The food is literally just snacks and alcohol. But whatever at least the sunset was cool but this was ratchet. Do not waste your money unless you want to laugh bc it's so bad read more

We took this tour on a hot, sunny day after walking a lot in St. Augustine. We purchased tickets from one of the sidewalk trolly ticket stands for about three dollars less than if you purchase as the pirate store and a dollar less than if you ordered online. Please note, that even if you do this, you will still need to check in at the STORE before walking down to the boat to present your receipt. My boys enjoyed the tour and the show although I found the dialogue very cheesy. Additionally, this group missed an opportunity to inform their guests about historical pirates from the area and to tell some real stories. Instead we were the beneficiaries of several "drunken" pirate songs, a real let down. Due to Blackbeard's ship being "in the shop" we did not get to participate in a fight between ships which may have changed my review of the 1.5 hour cruise. The crew was nice and the bartender competent but this organization really missed an opportunity to deliver a better product for the price. For a $33 adult ticket and $24 for each child, I had hoped for more value: to leave with some knowledge in addition to a fun memory. read more

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This was an exceptional tour -- well, time of entertainment. We went out in the afternoon for the Pirates cruise. The performing crew, John and William, are amazing. Their theatrics, joviality and fun with the audience - young and old was good, clean fun. I can't say enough about the time. We're in our 70s and our son is almost 10 - we all enjoyed their antics. They included the kids in so many things, they were patient, kind and fun for them. Even their singing was pretty decent with shanties that a pirate could love. It was a little shorter than the advertised 2 hour tour, but not enough to make it not worth the cost. We appreciated the military discount and acknowledgment of military, first responders and medical. Nice touch. Thank you for a really nice adventure aboard the Black Raven, "Argh!!" read more

ABSOLUTELY the highlight of our St. Augustine trip. Truly wonderful booze cruise for adults with an adult sense of humor. Literally, the absolutely best people you will ever meet in the area. The vibe is so fantastic that I literally would book the whole ship just the experience the Rum Runner. read more

Black Raven Pirate Ship - Local Flavor Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

We had our wedding on the sunset cruise. the crew took care of every detail and with a few hiccups in our plans they went above and beyond to make things right. They made us feel like part of their pirate family. Views were gorgeous, atmosphere was perfect, wedding ceremony was just right, drinks were awesome. I couldn't be happier with how we started our life together. read more

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Incredible experience for the kids and jbird was great for the parents and the added experiences for the whole trip!! Review

Staff was very nice, but after an excursion that cost much less in Cabo, Mexico this was not what I thought it would be. I really thought the staff would be in pirate character. Other than their attire it was not much more than a boat ride. read more

We went on the Rum Runner cruise and had high hopes. Just 2 hours of crude sex jokes. I'm far from a prude, but this was very cringeworthy at times. I guess with enough liquor, which is $12/each, you would enjoy it. read more

Black Raven Pirate Ship - Local Flavor Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

I had high hopes for this cruise. Having frequently seen the ship while visiting St. Augustine, I always thought it looked like fun. Now, having lived the experience of the Black Raven Rum Runner cruise, I know better. Advertised as an adults-only cruise, the Rum Runner is supposed to be be age limited because of the adult humor and language. But let me quite frank: It was basically two hours of crude, vulgar sex jokes. I was in the Navy for 22 years, and far from a prude, but it was downright uncomfortable. I guess if you drank enough, the jokes would be funnier? Which leads me to the bar. Drinks were expensive, low on alcohol, and inconsistent at best. I ordered 3 pirate punches and no two were the same. Not even close. They only thing they had in common was they were $12 and barely drinkable. I poured the last one overboard. Sorry fishes :( The one star tonight goes to Mother Nature for the beautiful night and the nice lady working with the bartender. She was friendly and didn't tell any ridiculously vulgar jokes. The only way the cruise could have been worse is if the ship had struck a mine. read more

If only I could get my 80 bucks back for me and the wife. On top of that you have a tiny bar in the very back with 2 people who couldn't make a good drink to save their lives. Horrible show, they should have just played music and took photos with the customers. read more

I was extremely disappointed by the service and contradictory answers to my question whether I can bring my 19 yr old on the adult (21+) show. I was told that I was able to bring her if I was going to be attending with her. We we're booked on a 8:15 show and excitedly got to the check in. Here is where we encountered Grace who demanded IDs for both of us. My daughter had only her school ID, I had my CADL. They turned us away. Said my daughter looked too young and that would affect the performers authenticity. I understand this, but if there was a problem with my almost 20 yr old attending I wish they would have told us in the beginning instead of getting our hopes up to participate in what we heard is an amazing show. read more

My best friend and I went here for my 21st birthday and let me tell y'all! This crew is amazing! It's a family owned business that's been around for about 11 years, and they are the most awesome people to talk to. We attended the Rum Runners event and it's not for the faint of heart. They will make super dirty jokes (the more the merrier though, right?!) and embarrass you (jokingly) if you don't sing along to their sea shanties! Overall, I think this was my favorite thing I've ever done in St. Augustine! Cheers! read more

Black Raven Pirate Ship - The Black Raven Pirate Ship at the Dock - Local Flavor Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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We took the sunset cruise for my birthday. Staff was super friendly and fun. We seen dolphins and the lighthouse. Would go again if we were there. read more

The Black Raven Pirate ship is definitely the whimsical tourist thing to do! The ship is actually looks like a pirate ship (on the outside), the pirate show is very funny and the show caters to families during the day and the bar type at night, so unless you have children you'll definitely have more fun at night. They have a full bar on the boat and the drinks are relatively cheap ($6-$8) and really good! The views are great, we took lots of pictures. I would definitely go again if I'm in town! read more

Black Raven Pirate Ship - Black Raven Pirate Ship - Local Flavor Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

I would not recommend this at all. We did the evening, over 21, trip and it was awful. The only benefit was being on the water for 1 1/2 hours but we were ready to jump ship after 15 minutes. Ripoff. read more

Really great evening event adults only. Will make this a regular event when we visit!

This was very fun for the kids!!! My boys are 7 & 5. St. Augustine is fun with lots to do but for my boys being the age they are, the pirate ship was an awesome break within the day for them to have something interactive for them to do. Find a spot within the Tavern area, you get a good breeze throughout the trip!! The treasure they receive at the end was nice; we were expecting just a basic coin or something. Definitely worth doing! If you do the trolly tour, it's a few dollars cheaper to add this on to your package. read more

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Great experience, our 5 year old loved it. I would highly recommend. The "pirates" did a great job keeping the kids engaged.

My granddaughter and I were "pirates" on the 2:15 PM kid's treasure hunt cruise today. And WOW! It was terrific! The crew of the Black Raven were in character yet very aware they are the crew with a ship full of adults and children. They were totally engaging and my granddaughter loved it! They created a plan to get the treasure back after it was stolen... came up with a battle cry ... we sang songs.... they sang songs.... they had sword fighting ( with nerf-like swords) and then the battle to get the treasure back. Sharing of the booty and celebrated birthday-anniversary-etc and photos with the crew. All kid friendly and no boring down time! Adult beverages for the adults... Bottom line.... great time for the kids and engaging for the adults as well. Money (well within reason) well spent!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! read more

The show was entertaining and drinks were not bad and were quick. An overall nice experience.

This was the worst 4th July experience. It was billed as a dinner cruise and fireworks. The diner got cancelled ( thank god) and they sailed in the opposite direction due to the bridge opening times . All fine then the three actors (so called pirates) sang crazy raucous sea shanties . Not to my taste at all . They sailed back to the bridge of lions but the captain decided he wanted the best fireworks views for himself . I had for most of the time view the fireworks from someone's else's phone as he was videotaping. Not worth the money or the experience- avoid . read more

We had tickets to go on the cruise and booked it over a month in advance. We get a phone call the day of telling us they are canceling our trip because they didn't have enough people sign up. They require you to book 2 weeks in advance, so there is no way that they only realized today. It's very frustrating after arranging time off work and setting up a babysitter for our children to go on the cruise. I will definitely let everyone I can know not to waste there time or money here. read more