This is a must do if you're in town!! The lake is so beautiful and clear and this is the best way to be able to see all of the beauty and take it all in! The ride was $25 for adults and it includes a 1 hour narrated tour. You're able to see all of the beautiful homes on the water and hear the stories of the owners and developers of the properties. I would highly recommend this boat ride! read more

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We did the dinner cruise and had a wonderful time. It was partially narrated so we learned a little about the houses along Skaneateles lake but it wasn't distracting, you were still able to enjoy your company. The drinks were priced well and the food was good. read more

Mid-Lakes Navigation - Boat Charters Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

While we were in the Finger Lakes region of NY, we looked for a boat ride that we could enjoy. For out tastes, this was a perfect choice. A beautiful ship on a spectacular lake. The crew was accommodating, and friendly. We could hear the enthusiasm in the captains narrative about the ship and the history of the lake. We had hoped to enjoy the dinner cruise, but we were too late in the season so we opted for the 1 hour sightseeing cruise with dinner afterwards in town. read more

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Did the dinner cruise with prime rib buffet. Great food and the boat ride was awesome!

Let me start of by saying, my family has been going on the dinner cruise for over 10 years, and our most recent experience was for my parents 40th anniversary. The positives are the ride itself and the captain was very good with giving the tour. However, portions were significantly smaller than even they were from 2 years ago. No soup for an appetizer, no more baked potatoes, and the asparagus as the side was literally shriveled up and clearly not fresh. Prime rib was a much smaller cut of meat as well. For 4 adults it was about $350 with no alcoholic drinks, AND we all left still hungry. read more

A beautiful way to enjoy a fall morning. The crew was super friendly. The information you received about the lake and village was perfect. A definite highlight of my trip to Skaneateles, NY. read more

Mid-Lakes Navigation - Our touring vessel. A day filled with beauty and history. - Boat Charters Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

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Okay regarding the actual boat tour, we had so much fun on the cocktail cruise!! It was so lovely! The appetizers were very small though for the price... not extremely impressed with those. One thing that was very much not cool though - we booked our cruise for Friday night like 4 months in advance and they canceled it the day before our cruise. They said they could reschedule us for Saturday night. This ended up being okay because thankfully we were able to change our other reservations around but if we had planned our spa day for Saturday instead of Sunday we would have been totally screwed. They canceled because we were the only people who were going to be on the boat. Not because of bad weather or anything. They just didn't want to accommodate one party. Like... if that was the case... you couldn't have told us sooner than the day before? That was extremely unprofessional. I took a lot of time to plan a bachelorette trip, and had a whole itinerary scheduled around this boat tour and a spa, so that was extremely frustrating having to move things around last minute because of them. read more

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This was a fun boat trip around Skaneatles Lake on a nice day in the summer. My mom liked it as well. The narrator is informative and they sell beverages. Get there early to get a good seat. read more

Mid-Lakes Navigation - The tour boat - Boat Charters Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

We took the scenic cruise on Skaneateles Lake on the Judge Ben Wiles and it was a lovely tour of the lake. The captain provided some interesting history and information about the lake and the beautiful homes on it. It was just about 45 minutes, the boat was clean and looked to be freshly painted and all of the attendants were friendly and helpful. read more

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Such a fun, enjoyable, informative tour! Captain Art and his crew did a phenomenal job!!! read more

We really enjoyed our boat tour of Skaneateles Lake taking in the beautiful scenery. We would definitely do this again and invite fam and friends to join us! read more

Mid-Lakes Navigation - Very enjoyable afternoon! - Boat Charters Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

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Carolyn was amazing! She cared for us and recommended local places to eat and hang out. This boat ride was a last-minute decision, but I'm super happy we went for it! read more

Mid-Lakes Navigation - Lake Skaneateles - Boat Charters Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

Very nice tour of the lake and the history of all the beautiful homes along the shore was so interesting . Very enjoyable .

A 3-hour cruise on the Mid-Lakes Navigation company's mailboat falls into the category of "perfectly enjoyable experiences which I have no desire to repeat." The Mid-Lakes Navigation company has a contract with the USPS to deliver mail by boat to homes on the far reaches of Skaneatles Lake. The revenue brought in from that contract doesn't quite cover the cost of actually delivering that mail so the outing is subsidized by people like me, people who join them on this venture, paying $30 per person to do so. The boat is intimate and comfortable, with tables/chairs on each side and ad hoc seating on the bow for a handful of people. The opportunity to tour the lake is worthwhile, and watching mail drop off is fun. Residents and their dogs actually wait on their docks for mail delivery causing me to believe that their USPS deliveries are a lot more interesting than mine. Being someone who leads a tour I hew to the conviction that 2 hours is the maximum length of time for audience engagement. The fact that the ride went on for a full 3 hours is really my only complaint. It's about 60 minutes too long and listening to the skipper tell stories about the lakeside residences grows weary after 120 minutes. Sitting on the bow lets you drink in the joy of being out on the water though you need to plan well to do so. I came inside when we were going through a particularly windy part and by the time we headed in a less windy direction the spaces up front were all taken. Drinks and snacks can be purchased on board and you're also free to bring your own lunch/food. This was a fun way to see the lake and the intimate boat size added to the fun. They do offer shorter "sightseeing" cruises which happen on a much larger boat so there's trade-offs to be considered. In my perfect world, there'd be a 2-hour mailboat/sightseeing cruise but until then, I can vouch for the mailboat cruise as a worthwhile if longer-than-desired way to enjoy the region. read more

Mid-Lakes Navigation - Inside the mailboat on its 3 hour lake cruise - Boat Charters Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

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We took the dinner cruise last night on the Judge Ben Wiles boat. Overall, I would say it was a nice way to spend the evening and something different to do. My in-laws wanted to go and arranged it. Otherwise, we probably would not have done this. So it forced me to do something different. The boat was very timely in leaving and the cruise took the 3 hours, as outlined. I didn't go into this expecting the food to be anything exciting and I was spot on! I had the chicken and it was a small breast with what they allege is marsala pan sauce but it tasted like the jar Heinz gravy. Thankfully, the chicken is skin on, so you can remove that and in turn, the sauce. It was a little dry but not too bad. It came with a baked potato (it appeared all meals did) and 4 asparagus spears. Everyone else had the prime rib - my husband said that was as expected, as well. Nothing great. So a few suggestions, if you are going to go on this boat. You do not want a seat right by the kitchen, which is also right next to the engine. It is already tight and then you're contending with the staff constantly there grabbing the food to serve to people. PLUS the noise of the engine is terrible compounded with the captain who spoke too softly, you could not hear the majority of what she was saying. Our reservation was for my in laws 50th anniversary, so you would think that someone who planned the seating could have assumed that we were dealing with an elderly couple and that placing them near the loud engine was not a good idea. Also, if you are elderly or bringing someone elderly, the stairs are steep for the upper deck. You would want the lower deck, so they don't have to deal with the stairs. It was a nice experience and I am happy we did it, but do wish that the consideration was made for the elderly in laws and the noise of the engine. A nice touch was that since it is Mid Lakes Nav 50th anniversary, they also provide champagne (on them) for a 50th anniversary. My in laws enjoyed that. One additional note, if you reserve online there is actually a fee. For 4 people it was approx. $13. If you don't want to pay that, call and book on the phone. *Plus then you can make your seating requests! ;) read more

We had seen the sightseeing boat in the past but hadn't had time to do the cruise. I wasn't sure if my kids would like it but they loved it, especially because the awesome captain called all kids on board up to try their hand steering, and gave them all "Jr Captain" pins! I also wasn't expecting the tour to be so educational, with the captain narrating facts about the lake and history of the area the whole time. It was great! read more

Staff did a fantastic job making our lunch cruise enjoyable and memorable. Food was fantastic too! Highly recommend and cannot wait to visit again read more

An unplanned trip to Skaneateles tuned into a jewel moment with the 3 hour tour of the lake on the Judge Ben Wiles. Captain Art and his mates treated my wife, my inlaws and me like old friends as we cruised the shores of this wonderful community. He shared the history as the crew made sure we had enough refreshments. I ended up hanging with Art in the Pilot House for most of the trip and found he was from my area, southeast PA. Our conversation felt like we were old friends catching up. This tour is a must for those who visit and be sure to meet your captain. Hats off to a job well done. We hope to see you again very soon. read more

Had a nice time with the boat tour..next time we will do the lunch or dinner cruise. Sit on the left side facing forward and don't forget to have a beverage. Lemonade and a soft drink for $4 total. Nice! read more

The Dinner Cruise was as usual a Great part of our visit back to Skaneateles as we celebrated the Class 0f"73 - 50th Reunion. All aboard were very professional and FUN as we enjoyed another excellent boat ride and dinner. Worth your time and one to share with others. Cheers!! read more

I wish they gave us headphones instead of using the PA system. the staff are friendly and do it all, take order, make drinks, deliver drinks and are just friendly. read more

Mid-Lakes Navigation - Boat Charters Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

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This review is for the cocktail cruise. We didn't read the fine print that said it doesn't include cocktails. : / But, the prices weren't terrible and the roast beef sandwich was great. The boat was small and muggy under the low roof - but we sat outside and were able to enjoy the views better from there. This tour didn't include narration and that was disappointing for a 1.5 hour tour. But - our captain, Owen, was super nice, is a local, and answered our many questions. He was awesome. read more

we did a lunch cruise. the food was good and plentiful. there were staff availabke for questions or to get drinks. Infornation during cruise was interesting. The boat and restrooms were very clean read more

This boat tour of Skaneateles Lake on a beautiful summer day is a great trip if in the area. We took the 55 minute sightseeing tour that is $16 per adult. Captain Jim did a nice job narrating the tour of the lake and the mansions on the shore. We sat upfront in the bow so we could hear his stories about the history and the geography. We understand that in the back of this small boat those passengers had a hard time hearing. Supposedly this is the last season for this old boat which also does the mail route (we hear that is a great 3 hour tour of the whole lake but it sells out early especially on Saturdays). A new boat is on order. Their on-line ticketing process works quite well. Overall a must-do! read more

Mid-Lakes Navigation - Nice boat house! - Boat Charters Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

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We had a very pleasant experience touring the lake. The captain narrated the tour with personal anecdotes and historical information that we enjoyed. read more

We did a early afternoon sightseeing cruise and it was great! The boat was clean, well maintained and beautiful. The captain was very knowledge about the area and fit in a lot of facts in history over 50 minutes. I would totally recommend again! read more

Great tour of Skaneateles Lake. Great captain/ tour guide who gave an informative history of the lake and the many surrounding mansions

We booked our cruise a couple months ago for my 40th High School Reunion. From the second you stop on board to the time you depart the ship, you are treated incredibly well. The cruise is simply amazing and the captain takes the time to tell you about many of the incredible houses along the lake. Your cruise goes around six miles down the east side of Skaneateles and comes back along the west side. The meal is wonderful, in fact, I would say as good a cut of roast beef as I've ever had. My wife and I enjoyed a bottle of champagne while to boat went gently along the lake. Half way through the cruise, I told my wife it was the best $120 I've ever spent ($60 per person). Thank you Mid-Lakes Navigation for an incredible and wonderful two and a half hours. We will definitely be back! read more

Mid-Lakes Navigation - Boat Charters Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

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Amazing boat cruise in the northern half of the pristine Skaneateles lake, with live narration on the history of the village and the mansions that lined the lakeshore. read more

so much fun!! great views and commentary during the ride :) would definitely go again read more

Mid-Lakes Navigation - view - Boat Charters Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

If you're staying nearby, make sure you take any of the cruises offered. Great staff and wonderful views of the town from the vessels.

The sightseeing cruise was relaxing. Skaneateles is a beautiful lake. I got some awesome pictures using my 35mm camera and a zoom lens. The only disappointment was the speaker system. It's hard to understand what the person speaking is saying. read more

Had a wonderful quick cruise, wish it was a little longer. Shirley was a blast! Beautiful lake! Shout out to an all women crew, nice job ladies! ​ read more

A very nice boat tour and very fair price. The crew was friendly and the lake has many scenic views and beautiful houses. It's worth the time to explore the lake on this tour. read more

We scheduled a Cocktail Cruise last week, but the weather did not cooperate. The crew kept use entertained and informed as we waited for the rain to pass. Given that we all had drinks, no one cared. Once the weather cleared we had a relaxing and fun boat ride. Fantastic experience! Many thanks to the team at Mid-Lakes Navigation. read more

My friend and I decided last minute to go for a dinner cruise and we couldn't have made a better choice. We got on the boat around 4:50 and it was a beautiful day for a cruise. We sat inside in the middle of the bottom of the boat. Thankfully we didn't have to share a table with someone, but others did and they did not seem to mind. Once we departed shore the captain told a variety of jokes and told us about the history of the homes on the lake and how the lake became to be what you see now. My friend and I decided to go up on deck for a better view and to enjoy the weather. To our surprise our waitress came up and asked us if we wanted our drink and actually went back and got it for us. Then she came and found us when our salads came out, then after dinner she brought up our deserts.. AMAZING.. I wish I could remember her name but she was so nice and went out of her way to make sure we enjoyed our time. There was another waitress that actually helped us out during dinner as well, it was nice to see staff working well together. I had the prime rib and my friend had the salmon. I'm not a huge prime rib fan but it was good and I was amazed with all of the food we received, (salad, soup, prime rib, asparagus, bake potato and a small cannoli and chocolate covered strawberry. They have a variety of alcoholic beverages to chose from which was nice as I am not an IPA fan and I was not in the mood for wine. The cruise was great from start to finish. I am amazed how many home owners came out to wave to us as we went by. I would recommend this tour to anyone. read more

I went on the mailboat for the 4th time September 5, 2020. It's always a great adventure. Staff is so friendly, the residents come out to greet the boat and the captain shares lots of stories and history of Skaneateles Lake. Enjoy the experience!! read more

Mid-Lakes Navigation - Guests learn about mail delivery and history of Skaneateles. - Boat Charters Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

On July 27 my partner and I took our second cruise with Mid Lakes. Unfortunately I cannot say it was the best. The food was good (not exceptional), the cruise itself was very interesting. What we did not like was the constant pestering by the servers. I realize they were doing their job but we were not even finished with drinks or food and the server whisked them away. Maybe a few lessons in hospitality especially with the captain might help. Joe A read more

Wonderful experience--the team was very friendly; and the guided tour around the lake was live (you don't get that often! Felt v personal) and also detailed the history of the area, the prominent residents etc. Plus... stunning views! Calm, serene... oh yes, and all very clean. read more

The time on the lake was beautiful, but the food served was mediocre at best. I definitely wouldn't recommend paying extra money for the dinner cruise. read more