A group of 8 of us got a Groupon for brunch and we had a BLAST! Captain Doug was an amazing and showed us around the lake. We saw huge mansions and he gave us a little backstory on some homes. The food was yummy. We ordered a bunch of different drinks. Spicy margaritas, Moscow mules, spicy bloody Mary's. They were all delicious. Would go again for a girls day out or a romantic date! Definitely recommend! read more

Paradise Charter Cruises - Boating Near Me - Excelsior, Minnesota

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Your Money would be better spent on a decent dinner and drinks at a restaurant than going across Lake Minnetonka with make your own burrito bowls. Crew was nice but uninformative, Air conditioning was spotty. I would not recommend going. read more

I got lucky enough to get stuck in Minnesota an extra day and get a ticket for the Fourth of July fireworks cruise with my family and friends. There were a lot of us and we somehow managed to take over the front of the boat, which gave us the best view of all of the fireworks. The snacks were way past my expectation - shrimp, caprese skewers, orzo salad, bruschetta, water chestnuts wrapped in bacon, veggie tray, etc. Very delicious! They also came around with a dessert tray. The service was fantastic. The bartender was one of the sweetest people I'd met and she remembered you and made the whole experience better. The drinks were surprisingly cheap. The atmosphere was very relaxed. Few announcements and everyone just got to enjoy the sunset over the lake and the beautiful fireworks happening all around. I am so so glad I was able to experience this and I highly recommend it to anyone - definitely worth the price! read more

Paradise Charter Cruises - Fireworks - Boating Near Me - Excelsior, Minnesota

The Mount Calvary Lutheran Church Senior Adult Ministry would like to thank Paradise Charter Cruises for a 5-star eventful trip on Lake Minnetonka this August. The 90-minute tour included a magnificent description of each site which included extravagant mansions, yacht club's and islands. The luncheon was spectacular with an array of meats and cheeses, fresh fruit, and desserts. The service given by the crew was friendly, helpful and courteous. We will sail again with Paradise Charter Cruise! read more

TERRIBLE customer service. Paradise Charter Cruises cancelled our sightseeing cruise just a few hours in advance due to not meeting their 20-person minimum. They offered to reschedule us for another day, but we couldn't because we're heading back home, out of state, tomorrow. We have a group of 9 and all of their other cruises today don't have space for us. I politely asked them to run our cruise anyway, but they refused. It's very frustrating because we did a lot of research to find something that my 80-year-old father is able to do, since he can only do ADA activities that accommodate his walker. He lives here locally and next time we come to visit we'll find a boat ride with a different company. read more

We could not hear the tour guide because of the loud engines and music. We were mostly out in the middle of the lake with nothing to view. The Yacht was old and cheaply furnished. read more

My wife and I have a regular FUN date out on the Paradise Charter Cruises in Excelsior, Minnesota. We always have a 6-star experiences with wonderful customer service. On the largest lake in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, we enjoy beautiful views on a high quality yacht. We enjoy both the 90-minute day-time cruises and the 2-hour evening cruise along with a meal. read more

Captains do not adhere to DNR rules to operate with NO WAKE within 150 feet of a dock. Continual problem with Paradise being the worst offender of any of tcruise companies. Best yet when I spoke to the manager he wanted to argue over versus correcting the problem. Denial. Won't use them for any outings. read more

Paradise Charter Cruises - Paradise Cruise buzzing the dock - Boating Near Me - Excelsior, Minnesota

I booked my husband and I spots on the brunch cruise for his birthday this past weekend, and overall we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Pros: The food was pretty good, especially considering that they had to bring everything on board for the trip. They did run out of basics by the time we got to the front of the line. There was no fruit left, and it didn't seem they were prepared to restock. By far their best dish was the french toast bake - I'd get that and ONLY that if it were up to me! The tour itself was interesting and I saw parts of the lake that I've never really noticed before. We got a seat on the top deck in a "booth" type area. It was super comfortable and had a great view, so we were really pleased with that. Cons: We had no idea where to go when we walked up, so my husband and I, along with some other guests, stood by another boat where they had their sign. Someone from Paradise pointed out that we were in the wrong spot and a woman from the other party got a little panicky. Well, as we boarded the boat we overheard a Paradise crew member making fun of her - not cool. The boat captain was texting on his phone pretty much the duration of the cruise. Super unprofessional and also how is that safe?! For what we paid, as well as the overall atmosphere/expectation that goes with an event like this in a place like Excelsior, I had much higher expectations. We'd consider going back for another themed cruise in the future, but more for the novelty than anything else. read more

Poor signage upon arrival, so it's confusing to deterring which is the right line for your cruise. We were force-fed 2 hours of country music, with no narration. We were last in line for food, 3 trays were empty. They allowed a dog on board, which was standing on a table being fed the same food we didn't get. And we stopped quite a distance away from the fireworks. I talked to Denise, the manager, who said she's speak with Dave, the owner, to offer me a credit for a future cruise. Never called back. Would give zero stars if I could. read more

First off, when you show up for the line in the morning, make sure it's the right one. Some people left for another morning cruise after realizing it's the wrong line. And judging from past reviews, it happens often. First in line, best seat. No assigned seating so get in line early. There are 2 levels to sit. The upper is quite nice but only 5 tables fit. The captain makes many current and historical points about each area you pass as you start the journey wich should last close to 2 hours. I feel he has been doing it a long time and enjoys his job. Very knowledgeable and friendly. If you are there for food, there are a few things to address for you. Coffee... it sucks. I would bring your own if you care about the taste of coffee at all. Also, the charge you $2 for a tiny foam cup (which you will have refill options of the swill). Also, a small cup of orange juice or and normal beverage will cost $2 minimum. There is a half bar also to start your morning with booze if you choose at, of course, a higher premium price. The plastic spoons for the beverages were covered in dirt and when pointing it out to the young server, he looked at them and said "interesting " about 3 times before getting new ones. The food. It was a fairly decent spread starting with fresh fruit, potatoes, scrabbled eggs, sausage, ham (no bacon) pastries and some type of baked pastry which was tasty. I'm about 90 percent sure the eggs were a mix though. And there's no restocking, so if your last in the food line (like my wife was) you might miss out on the berries or select items (like my wife did). The scenery is quite lovely as you slowly glide around the bay and beautiful million dollar home everywhere you look in various architectural styles. I could only give a three stars ad i paid and used them mostly for brunch and could have used 10 other bouts for just a cruise. Don't charge for coffee, milk or juice at a buffet. read more

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My experience with the Lake Mtka Sightseeing Cruise was unacceptable. My party showed up the requested 30 min prior as requested along with other riders. No one ever showed up to take us on our tour. I never received an email, call, or text regarding the cancellation. I would have appreciated some sort of correspondence regarding the cancellation prior to arriving. Additionally, after they discovered we were not notified they shut their phones off and would not answer our calls regarding the abandonment of their cruise sightseeing tour. I have not received notification regarding refund. read more

We bought a Groupon for a Brews Cruise. The boat for the Mississippi River option looked nicer, but all the reviews seemed to say it wasn't that great. I'd rather be on Lake Minnetonka anyway. The boat we were given was one of their older and smaller ones. There was a broken window, but they covered it with a curtain, so it wasn't too obvious. The boat was very warm. No air conditioning and it was a hot evening. The best place to be on the boat was outside at the front of the boat, but they announced that people could smoke there and the seating was limited. You could also sit at tables on the top of the boat, but it smelled of diesel, was warm and it wasn't always easy to find a table. There were also tables inside the boat near the food and drinks. We arrived early in town and weren't sure how much food or beer we would get, so we hit Coalition for happy hour first. Not a great idea since we were stuffed afterwards. The beers were 4 2oz samples of Fulton Lonely Blonde, Surly Furious, Summit ESB and Excelsior Bitteslappe. Most people were buying more drinks. I think that's how they make their money. The food was advertised as a taco appetizer. That wasn't really accurate. What it was was a bunch of cheap appetizers and people were filling their plates with them. Other reviews indicate that on pizza cruises, they limit the amount of food you can eat. That wasn't true here. Food I remember were a cheese plate, tortilla chips, hot wings, beans, dips, celery, and maybe a few others. So not a meal, but you could make a meal of it. The crew was very friendly and service oriented. Some comments seem to say that they didn't get narration, but we did. It wasn't constant, but if we were passing an interesting bird or property, the captain would point it out. They didn't try to get you to tip on the way out, so I didn't see anyone do that. But people tipped for drinks. The view was nice. My significant other plotted the route from his GPS on his computer and it was impressive to see the route we took. We went through a very narrow area at one point. I think we went to Wayzata and turned around. A lot of other boats flew past us and made the boat rock. We were only going about 6-7 MPH, but if you were standing when that happened, you'd seem like a drunk person since the waves would rock the boat. read more

Great views and a nice smooth ride. The captain did a nice job giving us information on various aspects and history of the area. My one recommendation would be to have some drinks available for either purchase or free. read more

We did the margarita and taco sunset cruise and it was wonderful. The margaritas were cheap and delicious and tacos were tasty. I was thrilled that they had chicken and beef. The sights are gorgeous and the staff was friendly. I would highly recommend! read more

We took the pizza boat cruise on the Paradise Destiny II last Saturday. It turned out we got to Excelsior early but there was a festival. So, parking was very tight and had to park near the church. We ran down to the dock and my poor wife was in high heals. I managed to find the right boat and boarded on the dot at 6pm. The boat finally left the dock at 6:10pm with some stragglers like us who were also plagued with finding a parking spot. Well, the cruise started and we got to see the expensive homes all around Lake Minnetonka. The staff got the pizza and salad setup and I jumped in line quickly. People were allowed to take only 2 slices each and I gave my plate to my wife. Then, I waited again for another plate. We got a nice table on the lower deck which was completely closed off without being exposed to the wind. Sometimes, people wanted to open the patio door and walk around but that was nothing. We stayed away from upstairs which had those zipped up doors and windows. Afterwards, I got back up to get an extra slice and everyone else pretty much cleaned off the rest of the boxes. At least the pizza was local and not Domino's. Overall, I would have wished there was some narration about what we were seeing. We went through some narrow channels and got back just in the nick of time at a little before 8pm. I loved the great weather as well as our crew who was good to wait a little extra due to the unfortunate festival making parking tougher. So, we will be sure to revisit this in the near future. read more

This review is for a PRIVATE charter of the Paradise Destiny II aboard lake minnetonka for a special event. I started corresponding with the sales agent almost a year before the event and they were great in working with my requests and were very prompt in answering email correspondence. Our event was finally held a few weeks ago and I must say I am happy with the results. Dave and his team were fabulous and service was good for about 50 guests. The boat was clean and it is very well kept. Our guests enjoyed their time on the boat. read more

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Held a corporate event on Destiny II. Great staff and customer service. We would highly recommend this company.

OK for a boring cruise around lake Minnetonka. Food is not good but what do you expect for a boat ride. Service was bad due to understaffing and the age of servers (high-school kids?). Difficult to hear tour guide/commentary depending on where you are seated on the boat (roof top vs. below). read more

I chartered a boat for a private cruise with brunch on Lake Minnetonka for a family event. I was happy with the customer service. Nick was great to work with and helped with the arrangements including my specific requests. The captain and crew member were friendly. We had a great time. I strongly recommend them. read more

Was expecting to go on the Paradise Destiny II but got a much smaller older boat for our pizza happy hour cruise. The seating was cramped as we were totally packed on the boat. Pizza was mostly cold and there was no narration during the ride. At the time I reserved the tickets, the cruise was to be on the newest boat, Paradise Destiny and it was supposed to be a narrated cruise. I even called and checked with the office. I was hoping to get some information on what and where we were sailing by. Disappointing as I was hosting it and had been bragging about the boat and cruise. read more

We recently had our wedding on the Paradise Lady with Paradise Charter Cruises. The staff on board was excellent, HOWEVER, all of the coordinators leading up to the event were horrible. Very unorganized, we had to lay out each and every single detail of our event and they still screwed up important parts of our wedding. It took days to get a response back for my emails. Once it took 8 business days (12 days total) before I received an email response back. This was extremely frustrating as a bride. Not to mention they tack on 18% gratuity to your final bill (imagine your bill will be in the thousands) and then expect you to tip on top of that. They may be a fun company to use for a leisurely cruise but I would NOT recommend this company for your wedding especially if you expect them to pay attention to details. Trust me, you will only experience stress and frustration with your planning experience. read more