I went on the Madam Carroll for a bachelorette party and let me tell you the time we were on the boat it was great. The live band played some great music. Also it was beautiful getting to go down the lake and bake such a beautiful site. Their are snacks on the boat that you can buy along with drinks. I feel that everything was reasonably priced. The employees were nice. I definitely recommend you to check the Madam Carroll out if you like being on a boat and want to hear a live band. read more

Madam Carroll - Boat Charters Near Me - Monticello, Indiana

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On Lake Freeman, the Madam Carroll, Indiana's largest boat sits ready to take you on a cruise. The lake is wide and on the Sunday brunch cruise there were not many other boats at the end of August. The website provides information on who is playing, the menu and the cost. We were gliding across the lake for just over 2 hours. There's plenty of free parking. From Indianapolis, the cruise is about 90 miles away and 30 minutes East of I-65 at Exit 175. read more

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Great place to hang out. Excellent service. They regularly have live music. Friday nights the boat stays docked so come and go on your own schedule. They don't serve food but you are welcome to carry in food. (Not beverages...duh.) Also the manager handled a guy who had had too good a time in such a casual manner you'd never know there was an issue and he made sure the guy was getting home same. Very cool. read more

Our women's club traveled to Lake Freeman today for a brunch cruise on the Madam Carroll. Communications excellent! We all received an email about logistics, times and process. Parking area is small but staff were on-site to assist. Boarding process easy and efficient. We found our table (they personalize the table cards with names!), pleased we were left front. More about that later! Each table was called to the buffet line. This was my first visit so I don't know if they used to (pre-covid) have two lines. Just one today with hot entrees/sides served by staff. We were left front, so 4th table to go thru the line. There were lots of tables though so some waited a long time. Suggestion: if you'll be called last go up top to enjoy the beautiful weather while you wait! Food was good, pretty much the expected brunch fare. Wait staff did a good job too. Once we finished we went up to the outside seating area to enjoy the views of the lake. About our table location. Closest to the stage. The singer was good but way too loud. Impossible to have a conversation at our table. Considering the average age (older) of the crowd, surprised he didn't lower the volume although we asked more than a few times. All in all though a fun time with a nice group of friends! read more

Chris and the entire staff of The Madam Carroll gave us an incredible experience. They entertained a HUGE group of us for my brother's Birthday and the experience couldn't have been better. We're getting another big group to go as soon as possible. Thank you Chris and The Madam Carroll team!! read more

Madam Carroll - Boat Charters Near Me - Monticello, Indiana

Took the evening cruise to hear a musician I enjoy who was that night's performer. The vessel was clean and seating in the air-conditioned lounge was roomy. Servers are at your elbow almost immediately to cater to your drink needs; there are snacks available for sale on the upper deck. Warning, though: all transactions on the boat are cash only. I was also surprised - maybe I'm old - to have my bag checked upon boarding for stowaway liquor. Staff were polite and always helpful when asked. One down side: if I order beer that you're going to serve in the twist-top can, please, for heaven's sake, serve it with the seal intact. I don't know you, you don't know me, and I don't know where that can's been. If you want to uncap it for the customer, do it in front of me, like a bottle of wine. And when I make verbal note of such, please don't bring me a cap from someone else's can - understand? Germ bingo is not my game. read more

Hmmmm. I'm not exactly sure how I want to rate this or what I want to say. I think what I expected and what I got, were 2 different things. We went on the Father's Day cruise. For the price, I kind of assumed it was a dinner-type cruise but it wasn't. And just FYI they only take cash on the boat. You don't really know that until you're already there to board, but unfortunately in Monticello, there aren't many ATMs lying around. ANd once you're parked you can't really leave because they quadruple park everyone in the lot, so you just sort of have to wait until everyone else has moved to be able to leave. There was no live music, just a DJ, playing some really random songs. The cruise itself was 3 hours long, which I felt was a little too long for the small area of Lake Freeman. I think 2 hours would have been good. Overall it's nice to sit on the deck and see the houses, but there wasn't much else to do and after a couple hours I became pretty board. The downstairs is air conditioned, but it's still pretty hot. They do have a bar on the boat (that takes cash) and some snack areas (again cash only). Unfortunately since we didn't know about the cash rule and no ATM available (we assumed food and drinks would be included as it is on other cruises) we didn't get to try anything and I found myself for 3 hours without food or beverage. There is only 1 men and 1 women restroom. And when I mean 1, I mean 1 person can use it. For such a large ship, other restrooms would be helpful. Like someone said before, it's definitely not a charming boat, like the rides we like to go on in Lake Michigan or Ohio River, it's a retired Coast Guard ship. So it's just metal. It was good for a 1-time thing, but I'm not sure that I ever need to go back on it. Unless they change it to having meals included. Definitely misleading for the "Father's Day" cruise to assume they would have food and beverage for such a pricy ticket. read more

I've never experienced the dinner or cruise, but I have been on the boat for a high school graduation party. This is not elegant or charming, like old paddle or steam boats. This is utilitarian. The Madam Carroll works for a big, boisterous, rowdy party but not so much for a midnight, dinner cruise on your anniversary. If I ever take guests on a cruise, I'll update. read more